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Why Can't I Skip Reading Tonight?
 Let's
figure it out -- mathematically!
Student A
reads 20 minutes five nights of every
week;
Student B reads only 4
minutes a night...or not at all!
Step
1: Multiply minutes a night x 5 times each week.
Student
A reads 20 min. x 5 times a week = 100
mins./week
Student B reads 4
minutes x 5 times a week = 20 minutes
Step
2: Multiply minutes a week x 4 weeks each month.
Student
A reads 400 minutes a month.
Student B reads
80 minutes a month.
Step
3: Multiply minutes a month x 9 months/school year
Student
A reads 3600 min. in a school
year.
Student B reads 720
min. in a school year.
Student
A practices reading the equivalent of ten whole school days a year. Student
B gets the equivalent of only two school days of reading practice.
By
the end of 5th grade if Student A and Student B maintain
these same reading
habits, Student A will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days.
Student B will have read the equivalent of only 12 school days.
One
would expect the gap of information retained will have widened considerably
and so, undoubtedly, will school performance. How do you think Student B will
feel about him/herself as a student?
Some
questions to ponder:
Which
student would you expect to read better?
Which
student would you expect to know more?
Which
student would you expect to write better?
Which student would you expect to have a
better vocabulary?
Which
student would you expect to be more successful in school....
and in life?
Turn
off the TV for 20 minutes a night and read....it's worth it! ;)
In a study by Anderson, Wilson, and Fielding in 1988, fifth
grade students kept reading logs documenting their out-of-school reading.
Their
findings are shown on the chart below.
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Reading
Volume of 5th Grade Students of
Different Levels of Achievement
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Achievement
Percentile
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Minutes
of Reading
Per Day
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Words Per Year
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90th
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40.4
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2,357,000
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50th
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12.9
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601,000
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10th
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1.6
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51,000
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The following
information is from the
No Child Left
Behind Website:
Without doubt, reading with children spells success for early literacy.
Putting a few simple strategies into action will make a significant difference
in helping children develop into good readers and writers.
Through reading aloud, providing print materials, and promoting positive
attitudes about reading and writing, you can have a powerful impact on
children's literacy and learning.
-
Invite a child to read with you every day.
(see above to see why this is so important)
-
When reading a book where the print is large, point word by word as you read.
This will help the child learn that reading goes from left to right and
understand that the word he or she says is the word he or she sees.
-
Read a child's favorite book over and over again.
-
Read many stories with rhyming words and lines that repeat. Invite the child
to join in on these parts. Point, word by word, as he or she reads along with
you.
-
Discuss new words. For example, "This big house is called a palace. Who do you
think lives in a palace?"
-
Stop and ask about the pictures and about what is happening in the story.
-
Read from a variety of children's books, including fairy tales, song books,
poems, and information books.
Reading well is at the heart of all learning. Children who can't
read well, can't learn. Help make a difference for a child.
For more information visit http://www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/pfie/
or call 1-800-USA-LEARN
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From kindergarten through third grade, you may
see tremendous growth in your child's literacy development. While your child
may receive a lot of educational guidance from teachers, remember that you
play a major role in your child's success in reading and writing at every
stage of development.
 The Young
Reader (Grades K-2)
Here are a few things that you can
do to help build your child's literacy skills:
-
Let your child gradually share some of the reading aloud. You
read a sentence, paragraph, or page, then it’s your child’s turn. Take over if
your beginner seems tired or discouraged to ensure that reading is always fun,
not just hard work ...
-
If your child can’t sound out a word, suggest skipping it,
reading the rest of the sentence, and deciding what word would make sense.
-
Leave notes on the refrigerator or in a lunch bag for your
child to discover and read.
-
Take your new reader to the library to sign up for his or her
own library card.
Try introducing the following types
of books to your child:
-
Read-aloud books with plots to follow and challenging
vocabulary
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Easy-to-read books your child can read alone
-
Books in a variety of genres, including nonfiction and poetry
The
Developing Reader (Grades 2-3)
Here are a few things that you can
do to help build your child's literacy skills:
-
When your children read aloud, help them catch and correct
their own mistakes by asking guiding questions. For example, you might ask,
“Does that word really make sense here? What letter does it start with? What
do you think the word could be?”
-
Talk about the books you read together and about the books your
children are reading on their own.
-
Don’t stop reading aloud! Developing readers can read simple
chapter books alone, but they still need you to help read the kinds of books
that will challenge their thinking and build their vocabulary.
-
Suggest that your child read to a younger brother, sister, or
neighbor. It will be good practice, a chance to show off skills, and an
inspiration for the younger listener.
Try introducing the following types
of books to your child:
For more information visit the website
"Reading Is Fundamental"
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