Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
By Deb Webster
Reading is important — for your children and for you — and it is imperative to make the time to hold a book. (Yes, I prefer paper and ink to e-books, but the verdict is still out.) Simply choose whichever one will allow you to read more, and read it on a regular basis. What kind of book? It does not matter! Anything that pulls you in and takes you away will do.
“Reading — especially entertainment reading, such as reading a novel — according to Sven Birkerts — involves an inward plunge into an imaginary world described in the novel. This inward plunge requires a considerable amount of leisure and attention span, which are essential to provide wings to the imagination,” noted Suren Ramasubbu in an article he wrote for the Huffington Post titled “Paper Books vs. eBooks: The State of the Art of Reading.”
We only get better at reading by doing more of it — something struggling readers do not like to hear. However, it works. Encourage your children to read anything. Have they read it before? No problem! Is it too easy? No problem! Familiarity and fluency make reading a much more pleasurable activity, opening up minds, making new neural connections, and typically inspiring more reading.
The Eddy School recently unleashed a new variation of its reading program, adapted from the program outlined in “The Book Whisperer” by Donalyn Miller. By the end of May, all students will have read at least 20 books, of their own choosing, fitting into specific genre requirements.
One eighth-grade student thought I was going to require 50 books, so the students seemed almost relieved at 20. They have already been required to read six books this fall. (Fair warning: When we start this program next year in September, the number will be noticeably larger.)
The schedule was rearranged so every day we all read for a minimum of 20 minutes, taking into consideration reading at home can be challenging for many students. The length and complexity of the book does not matter, but a little positive peer pressure seems to keep students from reading anything seen as “too easy.” Books longer than 350 pages count as two. A picture of the book is displayed along with the student’s name and rating, creating an easy reference for choosing new books.
The passionate readers at The Eddy School are thrilled to have time to read during the school day. The reluctant readers are being reminded of the joys of getting lost in a good story. One has already chosen what his next book will be, and another requested more books in the series he started– after only four days of the new program. When the expectation is for all to read, they do it.
Don’t forget to make time for books. It matters.
Deb Webster is the owner of and a teacher at The Eddy School, 8 Bear River Road, Newry.
