Word: Enjoyment (p. 5)
This is
the one word that stuck out to me; it really summed up what will get students
hooked early and keep them reading into adulthood. According to Lynch-Brown, Short
and Tomlinson (2011):
Those of you who read widely as children will never forget
the stories that were so funny you laughed out loud, the poem that was so
lilting that you never forgot it, or the mystery that was so scary that your
heat thumped with apprehension. (p. 5)
My step-son
is a somewhat reluctant reader. He is just starting high school and had his
first reading assignment this week. He had to read a NY Times article,
summarize it, and share his own commentary about what it meant to him. The
first article he picked he stopped reading within minutes. I asked him why and
he told me it was 3 pages long. I gave him a look. He then exclaimed, “That’s
like 5 book pages!!”. Somehow this was supposed to sway me. I told him to keep
reading. He then exclaimed, “It’s like reading the Bible!”. This article held
no interest for him and in his mind it must have really seemed like 3 pages was
the equivalent of War and Peace. Sadly,
after some back and forth he finally chose another article and completed his
assignment. The big difference was he found something that aligned more with
his interests.
That said,
I understand that readers, both child and adult, will not always enjoy what
they are reading, and sometimes you have to swallow that pill, but young
readers should enjoy. That is what could start them on a life-long path.
Phrase: “…personal fulfillment and
academic gains.” (p. 5)
Just because
a student finds a book enjoyable does not have to mean it contains no academic
merit. Lynch-Brown, Short and Tomlinson (2011) say, “Many teachers and
librarians believe that regular involvement with excellent and appropriate literature
can foster language development in young children and can help them learn to
read and value reading.”(p. 7) Point is, if younger students do not enjoy
reading it can turn them off at an early age but if they do learn to enjoy
reading it can help development fundamental skills and keep them coming back
for more.
Sentence: Children’s literature is
good-quality trade books for children from birth to adolescence, covering
topics of relevance and interest to children of those ages, through prose and
poetry, fiction and nonfiction. (p.4)
Relevance
and interest are the key words in the sentence. Children are more likely to
develop an affinity for reading when the topic is relevant to them and they
hold an interest in learning about it. You should be careful of the content
though as not all books are of good-quality. “Books ranging in quality from
excellent to poor are now readily available to parents, teachers, and children
through bookstores and libraries as well as online.” (p.5) The trick is to find
books of interest that also hold some educational value.
In my own
youth I was not an avid reader. I was forced to read many books in school that
I felt nothing for. I was very involved in games like Dungeons & Dragons
and loved sword and sorcery movies. When it came time to read The Hobbit in
school I was chapters ahead of the rest of my class but something like Grapes
of Wrath sat on my shelf collecting dust and Cliff Notes were sought out.
It didn’t interest me and I wasn’t given many options to read things that did. I didn’t become an avid reader until college. I started to read a lot of books on my own. Not surprisingly, my bookcase is filled with fantasy, adventure, and a healthy dose of 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s sci-fi. Reading, even as an adult, helps keep my brain sharp and my vocabulary expanding. I only wish I’d been given more books of interest to read when I was younger.
It didn’t interest me and I wasn’t given many options to read things that did. I didn’t become an avid reader until college. I started to read a lot of books on my own. Not surprisingly, my bookcase is filled with fantasy, adventure, and a healthy dose of 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s sci-fi. Reading, even as an adult, helps keep my brain sharp and my vocabulary expanding. I only wish I’d been given more books of interest to read when I was younger.
_______________________________________________________
Lynch-Brown,
C., Short, K., & Tomlinson, C. (2011). Essentials of children's literature
(7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Education.
(n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2015, from http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/tolkien-book-
store/images/000786.jpg
(n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2015, from http://hilobrow.com/wp-
content/uploads/2009/09/asimov-robot.jpg
(n.d.).
Retrieved September 14, 2015, from http://www.parenting-by-example.com/wp-
content/uploads/reading-activities-for-children.jpg
(n.d.). Retrieved September 14, 2015, from http://booktrib.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Tired-and-bored-boy-sleep-014.jpg
John,
ReplyDeleteYou mention the word "enjoyment" and I completely agree with the idea that children should enjoy the activity of listening to stories and that children should be exposed to quality books that will lead to developing a love of reading. This concept of fostering the enjoyment of reading is essential and the authors make that point clearly in their writing.
You mention the situation with your son, which, is unfortunate to hear that he doesn't like to read. I can identify with this because I have a son who doesn't enjoy reading as well. I read many books to him when he was growing up and when he was younger I made efforts to help him find books (mostly non-fiction animal and science books) he was interested in but the overall feeling that reading is not joyful has stayed with him. I'm glad that your son did find something to read that held his interest. The authors address this in the chapter when they say that books are used to teach other subjects but according to Short et al. "we lose sight of literature as having value in and of itself..." which brings me to your experience as a reader.
I'm glad you shared your story of becoming an avid reader in adulthood. You mentioned developing a love for books on topics that you were interested in learning more about and you also talk about how reading has expanded your vocabulary and led to your having gained knowledge in your specific areas of interest. Your story shows me that if we come across children who haven't yet developed a love for reading, we can still help them foster that love by providing good quality books that help them connect with literature.
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ReplyDeleteEnjoyment can only happen when there is interest if you make no connection you are lost and that is how your step son had felt. I am the same, if it does not interest me you might not get much out of me, but if it is in my interest my fingers will keep clicking on the keywords. I as a Librarian in my school make sure during read aloud I have pulled books that are not just age appropriate, but enjoyable and might have some sort of relation to them. When students make connection they can go beyond their imagination. You mentioned how reading expanded your vocabulary, it is so true and many times I have come across a word or two which my students don’t know. So, I would write it on the board and later have them look for the meaning in the dictionary.
ReplyDeleteDuring and after a read aloud I ask questions in my class to see who was involved. When I see almost every hand raised it tells me that I have chosen a great book. After my read aloud I pass worksheets that relate to the story I have read and many times I will have them write what was their favorite part and why? Many of my students will answer by giving me a story of them relating to their selection or from what I have read. That shows me that they have not only made connects, but got involved in the story.
I wonder if your stepson would benefit from content reading activities WHILE he is reading articles for school. Perhaps, an anticipation guide or reciprocal teaching sheet will help keep him focused on the task at hand.
ReplyDeleteJohn, I loved your choice of word, enjoyment. Reading shouldn't always be dictated to us. We should be able to select a book or text that is enjoyable to read. I feel that in order to get students or even adults actively reading, one must enjoy what they are reading. So many times reading is assigned and the assigned reading is of no interest to the reader. This eventually turns the reader off from reading and essentially becomes that reluctant reader. While I do agree to some extent they need to "swallow that pill," we need to find a middle ground that is suitable for both!
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