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Excellent Article: How to get your kid to be a fanatic reader!
How to get your kid to be a fanatic reader
updated 1:38 PM EDT, Wed September 28, 2011
James Patterson says boys can be a little squirrelly when it comes to reading, but they need to be praised and encouraged.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- James Patterson says: Parents, it's up to you, not schools, to find books to get your kids reading
- He says get them motivated with books they like; rereading books and reading on tablets is fine
- He says there are numerous programs to guide parents; they also need to model reading habit
- Patterson: Boys especially need encouragement; movies, video games should push reading
Editor's note: James Patterson's most recent book, "Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life" is a No. 1 New York Times and No. 1 Indiebound best-seller. He is also the author of the award-winning "Maximum Ride," "Daniel X," and "Witch & Wizard" young adult series, and is the 2010 Children's Choice Book Awards author of the year. In 2008, Patterson created www.ReadKiddoRead.com, a site dedicated to helping parents find books that will get their kids reading.
(CNN) -- You're reading CNN.com, so maybe this isn't a stress-inducing worry in your house, but for too many kids in this country, reading is a dirty word. Fortunately, we know exactly whom we have to talk to in order to start a much-needed intervention.
Sorry, moms and dads, but it's your job -- not the schools' -- to find books to get your kids reading and to make sure they read them.
Here's some good news: This can often be as easy as teaching children to ride a two-wheeler or to throw a baseball. Case in point: When our son, Jack, was 8, he wasn't a gung-ho reader. Now, I'm sure my wife, Sue, and I have made a half-million mistakes raising Jack, but during that eighth summer of our stewardship, we did something right: We told him he didn't have to mow the lawn (hooray!), but he was going to read every day (boo).
James Patterson
We then told Jack we were going to help him find books we promised he would like: the Mom-and-Dad "Reading Can Be a Joy" Guarantee. We picked out "The Lightning Thief," a book in the "Warriors" series, "A Wrinkle in Time," "Al Capone Does My Shirts," a novel from my own "Maximum Ride" series, and a few others. By the end of the summer, Jack had read half a dozen books that he loved, and his reading skills had improved dramatically.
Here's a simple but powerful truth that many parents and schools don't act on: The more kids read, the better readers they become.
The best way to get kids reading more is to give them books that they'll gobble up -- and that will make them ask for another. Yes, it's that simple. 1 + 1 = 2. Kids say the No. 1 reason they don't read more is that they can't find books they like. Freedom of choice is a key to getting them motivated and excited. Vampire sagas, comics, manga, books of sports statistics -- terrific! -- as long as kids are reading. Should they read on e-tablets? Sure, why not? How about rereading a book? Definitely. And don't tell them a book is too hard or too easy. "Great Expectations"? Absolutely. "Finnegans Wake"?Well, maybe not. And remember, books can be borrowed free at libraries.
Some schools and school systems are on top of the reading problem. Is yours?
Many schools around the country are successful at getting kids reading. That raises the obvious question: How come so many schools aren't?
There are terrific models for success with reluctant readers, but many school systems and state governments need to set aside their "not invented here" and "we have more important problems than education" attitudes.
The Drop Everything and Read program is a brilliant learning tool used by more than a thousand schools. Drop Everything and Read schools devote one period a day to kids -- and their teachers -- doing nothing but reading, and mostly reading what they want to. The results can be dramatic.
The Knowledge Is Power Program schools in Washington require students to read at least 20 books a year and to carry a book with them at all times. Hooray! The Sun Prairie public schools in Wisconsin stopped buying textbooks and used the money to buy children's trade books. Reading scores improved, because the kids wanted to read. P.S. 8 in the Bronx, New York, has a rotating library of student-published and student-illustrated books. Kids love books written by their peers. One Texas school librarian has a club for fourth- and fifth-grade boys called the BUBBAs. The kids read books such as "It's Disgusting-- and We Ate It!," "Holes," the "Time Warp Trio" series, and the "Joey Pigza" books. Silly, funny, and it works.
Speaking of boys, here's how to get reluctant readers -- er, boys -- reading and loving it.
First, try to understand that boys can be a little squirrelly when it comes to reading, and what's squirrelly about them needs to be praised and encouraged.
Boys should be made to feel all squishy inside about reading graphic novels, comics, pop-ups, joke books, and general-information tomes -- especially the last. GuysRead.com has categories such as "Robots," "How to Build Stuff," "Outer Space, but with Aliens," and "At Least One Explosion." It's a wonderful site for finding books that will turn boys on to reading.
Teachers and school administrators might want to consider this: in many schools, there's a tendency not to reward boys for reading books like "Guinness World Records" or "Sports Illustrated Almanac" or "The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll." Too often, boy-appealing books are disproportionately overlooked on recommended reading lists.
Big mistake. Tragic mistake. Avoidable mistake. It's all about attitude. If your kids' school library isn't a boy magnet, the school probably needs to check its attitude.
Where to find books your kids will gobble up.
ReadKiddoRead.com, GuysRead.com, and Oprah.com's Kids Reading List are excellent resources, and they're simpler to use than an iPhone. The American Library Association and the Young Adult Library Services Association have recommendations for terrific books, easily found by searching "ALA reading lists."DropEverythingandRead.com has a "Favorite D.E.A.R. Books" tab on its home page.
Most libraries and bookstores are extremely generous with their time and help. Kids and parents should visit Scholastic and other book fairs. Free or low-cost books for schools are available (while supplies last) at ReadKiddoRead.com, FirstBook.org, andReadertoReader.org.
Reading role models, please apply here.
Let's face it: Most of us don't realize it, but we are failing our kids as reading role models. The best role models are in the home: brothers, fathers, grandfathers; mothers, sisters, grandmothers. Moms and dads, it's important that your kids see you reading. Not just books -- reading the newspaper is good too.
The president and the first lady can be powerful role models if they are willing to pitch in and press the issue from their bully pulpit. In England, the entire country celebrates World Book Day. Every young lass and bloke gets a pound to buy a book of their choice, and most bookstores lower prices for the day. Cheers for former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was an active role model for getting kids reading.
By showing more respect for books, kid-influential organizations such as ESPN, the NBA, and the NFL could help thousands of kids become better readers. I cringe when I hear college-educated sports announcers scoff at books during broadcasts because they're afraid to man up to being readers themselves.
Hollywood studios and stars could inspire kids to read, but often don't. Apparently, some film directors think it's their civic duty to teach kids how to smoke. Magazines and newspapers could call attention to the reluctant reader and literacy problems on a daily or weekly basis. Fast-food chains could put stories in their kids' meal boxes -- most publishers will work with them. Video-game makers could incorporate written stories in their games; maybe it ought to be the price of admission for selling to kids. Many publishers could do a much better job of supplying free or low-cost books to schools in need.
Now, this entire article probably took you only a few minutes to read. Please don't let your effort end here. While you're thinking about it, send your thoughts, or even this piece, to your school principal or librarian. Heck, send it to the White House. If you have the means, offer to buy your local school a few good books. But most important, take your kids or grandkids or students to a library or a bookstore or go online to search for some books right now. If you have better ideas than the ones suggested here, terrific -- please share them with your school, or in the comments section below, or atReadKiddoRead.com.
Your taking action will speak louder than words to kids about the power and glory of reading: First you read, then you get up off your seat and do something to fix the problem.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of James Patterson.
Getting Students Interested in Reading
How to Get Students Interested in Reading
There are many reasons why children avoid reading. Whether it's because they struggle with reading or would prefer to be outside playing with friends, it is important to encourage children to read. As an educator, your job is to not only help students with reading, but also to motivate them to read regularly. Motivating students to read can be challenging, but there are several ways to get your students interested in reading.
Instructions
- 1Ask your students to pick out their favorite book or a book of which they didn't like the ending. Once each student has a book chosen, have them write an alternate ending to the book. This will not only test their creativity, it exercises their writing skills. When your students are finished, have them read their alternate ending to the class.
- 2Promote reading with golden stars. Make a list of books you want your students to read or have them write their own list of at least 10 books. Tell your students to read these books to family members, friends or to themselves. For each book they complete, give them a golden star sticker. When their list is filled with stars, hang it up in your classroom for all to see.
- 3 Read a book together as a class. After every paragraph, switch readers by having your students pick who gets to read next by tossing a soft ball. The person holding the ball gets to read, and when she is done, she tosses it to another student. This will get students interested in reading because they want to be able to toss the ball around.
- 4Act out different scenes in a book. Following each chapter, divide your students into small groups. Allow them 20 minutes to create a short play of what happened during the chapter. Make it more interesting by having your students make props with objects around the classroom. This allows students to use their imagination to portray characters and events.
- 5Provide your students with blank booklets. Direct them to write their own short stories about anything they want. By allowing them to write about anything, they will want to write about things that interest them, which may encourage them to write more. When they're finished writing, have your students read their stories to the rest of the class.
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