I am sure by now all our students have completed
reading one book from the summer reading list. But what would really make me
happy is if all our students read every book on the list and then some! I
honestly don’t think it is too much to ask; daily reading of all kinds of
literature should be the norm. The most important skill that students can acquire
is the ability to read critically and for meaning. If we (school and home) want
to develop students who are truly college,
career and civic ready, then daily reading MUST become a habit; it
isn’t an option and schools can’t do it alone!
Fifteen years into the 21st century has
produced the first generation of children who are Digital Natives. Our students
have more information at the swipe of a finger or the click of the mouse – a
positive change – but only if they can navigate through all that text and use
it to become more engaged in the world around them. Critical and meaningful
reading matters more today than it ever has in the past.
Summer reading? It’s just not enough. Here at school
we are making some changes to our expectations to create the space for more
reading each day. At every grade level homework should consist of at least 20
minutes of reading selected by each student – anything they find of interest
and it deserves as much attention (if not more) than other things like dance,
football practice, piano and everything else our active kids are involved with!
At the middle level we are challenging each student to read 10 books over the
course of the school year. There are no prizes or ribbons. There won’t be an
awards ceremony or trophy. The reward is simply (or greatly) being a more
informed and literate citizen. Students who have a daily study hall will be
asked to read if they have finished their homework. We will have classroom
libraries available and are working on getting e-readers for access to national
magazines and newspapers.
Parents and guardians often ask how they can help at
home. Here are some suggestions:
Let
your child know what you are reading. It could be something
work related or for pleasure. Discuss the main idea or something interesting
related to the text. The Common Core Learning Standards even suggests texts
such as manuals, legal documents and financial information; those are the types
of things that many of us read daily in our given professions.
Get
a daily newspaper. It is sad fact that our local paper is
no longer available on our doorsteps each morning – a fate that has plagued
many small town papers. The New York
Times is available for daily delivery and a subscription includes digital
access as well. Most of the articles are well within the reading level of
middle level students. And talk about high interest…just last week there was a
big article on the video game industry and a synopsis of the new fall television
season. The human interest articles in the Sunday edition are excellent. Is
your child interested in sports? There has been a series of terrific articles
around the playoff push for both the Yankees and the Mets. Have a budding
scientist? The Science Times section on Tuesdays includes both long and short
articles on a whole variety of topics. Pick up a copy the next time you are
grocery shopping…you won’t be disappointed.
Get
a library card and head down to one of our local branches.
Talk to one of the librarians who are simply the best resources for what book
is hot in the young adult genre. They can also make suggestions for book titles
that pique your child’s interests and help you get digital access to many national
newspapers and magazine through their sites.
Ask
questions about what your child is reading. Open ended
prompts like: What did that remind you
of? Or What was the best part so far? can help get the discussion started.
All of us here at WGMS look forward to seeing your
children back here next week and jumping into the new school year. And you can be sure we’ll be asking about their
summer reading!
Continued
Success,
Steve
Dunham
@Sdunhamwgms
