Parents-Encouraging Kids to

ReadJen Wood

KIDS/Regional Office of EducationSpring 2012

1/3 of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.

42 percent of college graduates never read another book after college.

80 percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year.

70 percent of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.

57 percent of new books are not read to completion.

70 percent of books published do not earn back their advance.

70 percent of the books published do not make a profit.

(Source: Jerold Jenkins, www.JenkinsGroupInc.com) From the website: http://www.humorwriters.org/startlingstats.html

This presentation and all resources listed can be found at:http://kids-read.wikispaces.com/

Resource

Did you struggle? What motivated you to read when in

school? Did you read assigned reading? Did you come from a family of readers? Are you an active reader now?

What is your reading history

What is your favorite book? What have you read recently- last 3? When do you read? Do you read all genres? What guides your choices? How do you pick your books?

Our reading habits

These are reasons that kids often re-read a book…◦ They desire a repeat of the pleasure that they've just had.

◦ With repetition the task of reading becomes simpler and faster due to the familiarity of characters, plot and language.

◦ The reader/listener can see new things when freed from the restraints of the new of the novel.

◦ Re-reading offers the opportunity to reflect on and savor the language, the richness of the characters and the events that these characters have experienced.

Do any of these things sound like a bad thing?

Resources @ http://trevorcairney.blogspot.com/2010/02/why-kids-re-read-books.html

Is Re-reading a book OK?

Ideally, reading a balance of different genres opens kids up to many experiences. However, if they become disengaged in reading because they have to read topics they aren’t interested in…we’ve done a disservice.

Encourage titles & genres, but let the kids “own” their reading.

Genres

Idea to help kids read a variety-10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Historical Fiction

Biography &

Autobiography

Non-Fiction/

Informational text

Mystery Science Fiction

Fantasy Traditional Literature (fables)

Realistic Fiction

Do you like different types of movies/TV? How do you know you don’t like (genre) if you

don’t try one? Define what they are. Can you give a book 30 pages to try it? Are there people you would like to know more

about? Are there things you would like to know about? Is there a time in history that sounds

interesting? How would you feel if _______? (Out Of My Mind)

Questions to ask the kids…

“…the levels were created for the purpose of describing children’s progress as they read literature, not prescribing it.”

http://www.education.com/reference/article/what-do-children-read/

There are independent, instructional & frustration levels- At frustration kids are comprehending the least amount of text. At independent they are comprehending the most.

Reading Levels

Advanced and enthusiastic readers can be challenged with high-interest books above their Lexile range.

Lexiles can help a parent know when a child might need help through a hard but interesting book.

Lower Lexiles can help a reader build skill and confidence: Struggling and reluctant readers can find easier books to

practice with on topics they're interested in.◦ Helping reluctant readers:

http://www.lexile.com/using-lexile/lexile-at-home/how-to-help-a-reluctant-reader/

◦ Helping struggling reades: http://www.lexile.com/using-lexile/lexile-at-home/how-to-help-a-struggling-reader/

◦ Helping high-achieving readers: http://www.lexile.com/using-lexile/lexile-at-home/how-to-help-a-high-achieving-reader/

◦ Barnes and Noble: http://www.lexile.com/using-lexile/barnes-noble/ You can find the lexile of text at the lexile.com site- copy &

past a text passage in & let it find the level.

www.lexile.com

Lexile…

Picking a book-

Literature Map http://www.literature-map.com/ Next Read http://www.yournextread.com/us/ Book Tag-Peggy Sharp http://www.peggysharp.com/iom/idea.php?month=6&year=2011

Choose your first book

For your next book(s) find a connection to the last title you read same author something on the cover is the same same first or last name of the author same # of pages key word link (Just read Charlotte's Web, then choose Spiderwick- link:spider) same type of main character (Just read Till Death Do Us Bark, then choose Racing in the

Rain: My life as a dog)

Picking a book cont’d…

Readers have a “next” book Readers talk about what they’re reading Readers like to keep track of what they have

read (page #’s & books)www.shelfari.comhttp://www.librarything.com/http://www.goodreads.com/

What behaviors help you as a reader?

What are reader behaviors?

Think about the last few books you’ve read, that you have picked- What did you take away? What new information do you now have after reading them?

Can students really “learn” when reading whatever they want…?

Setting some parameters for reading◦ It’s OK not to finish a book◦ It’s OK not to like a book◦ It’s OK to reread a book◦ It’s OK to skip pages

The Freedom of the Reader

How do I know enough about the book to recommend or to know if there is anything to worry about?

http://www.childlit.info A Season of Gifts By Richard Peck

Concerns Violence: A large turtle is killed for soup. A boy is bullied and humiliated. Sex: An unwed teen is pregnant and forced to marry. Commercialism: Beer and cigarette brands mentioned. Drugs: Drinking and drunkenness, including young teens, a drunk driving accident, teens smoke,

kids smoke cornsilk. Behavior: The message of the book is about the gifts we give each other, gifts of the spirit and

the heart, which are remembered forever. Mrs. Dowdel may be crotchety, but she works tirelessly behind the scenes to improve the lives of others.

Education The story takes place in the 50s, and there are some details about that era. Also, Mrs. Dowdel

hearkens back to an earlier time when people made everything they needed from scratch, and allowed nothing to go to waste. Readers may be interested in some of her projects.

I can’t read every book…

Discuss ideas in books your child reads. For that matter, where appropriate, discuss ideas in books you read. For that matter, read the books your children read.

When a topic of interest develops which involves the whole family--an upcoming trip or vacation, for example--bring home some books on the topic to share with the family.

By all means recommend books to your child. Tell the child how difficult the books are (or are not) and let the child decide if he or she wants to read them.

Model reading. Children who see their parents reading, often become readers and come to accept that reading is a matter-of-fact activity.

Research also agrees that in most cases, forcing a child to read will yield no positive results. Most children should not be REQUIRED to read each day, especially if it's forced reading for pleasure. Some families find that having a reading time when the whole family reads works. Even if the child is reluctant, he knows that the time is reserved for reading. Let him choose to read light material, if nothing else.

http://www.creativeteachingsite.com/read1.htm

What parents can do…

Encourage children to make lists of at least four or five books they would like to read over the break. Explicitly setting the goal to read at least a few books sends students off for the summer with a reading plan and some specific titles they have self-selected to read. 

Advise parents to set the expectations for their child to read every day. Reading for 15 to 30 minutes a day keeps students’ vocabulary and reading ability growing during the summer and can be a wonderful activity for rainy days, household errand running, and long waits in the car or at the airport. 

http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/experience/articles/2012/mar/launching-summer-reading.asp?cid=sbf/e/20120328/email///p2p//DonalynMiller_story//////&ym_MID=%60MMID%60&ym_rid=%

60id%60

What parents can do for summer reading encouragement…

A reader is a reader, no matter the title.

"Reading forces you to be quiet in a world that no longer makes a place for that."

Author John Greene

The baggage in our lives can weigh us down, but the books we carry

with us somehow lighten the load. Thankfully, there isn't a weight limit. We always have room for one more.

What books do you carry with you always? How do they connect you to the people and ideas that have shaped your life?

- Donalyn Miller http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/book_whisperer/2011/11/baggage_claim.html