Blogging A to Z: You Need to Be A Role Model
Reluctant readers most likely will not see reading as a valuable way to spend their free time. They need reading role models in their life to show them what it means to be a reader. Being a reading role model should be something that is done at an early age. So that kids grow up seeing the adults in their life read. But, that’s not always the case, and as the saying goes, better late than never.
Parents and guardians, if you aren’t usually reading in front of your kids. Take the time to do so! And as a reminder, it’s always better for kids to see you reading a traditional print book or at least an ereader instead of using the computer or a cell phone. Kids will not necessarily equate reading to the computer. Kids emulate what they see and if they see you spending time reading, they may very well follow suit.
Teachers, if you have time in class when kids are reading, I know the easiest thing to do is to catch up on grading papers, meeting with students, or getting other work done. But, what if you also spent the time reading? How amazing would it be for a student to see their teacher taking time out of their day to read something they enjoyed?
How to Get Started
Alright, if you’re not already a reader. Start by taking your child to the library and while you’re there, pick up something for yourself to read too! Librarians are great individuals who are more than happy to help you find something of interest. Earmark some time a few days a week for the family to read together. Or bring the book with you to the school pick-up line or to sports practice and have your child see you reading while waiting for them!
And, this one’s important, talk about what you’re reading! Granted, maybe your book isn’t kid-appropriate, but you can still talk about the general idea. People talk about their interests, therefore if you’re talking about your book, it’s something that you are interested in and value.
Like all my tips and tricks, some ideas will work better than others for your reluctant reader. Knowing them, you’ll be able to try the tips that work best for you! And stick with me for one more day – the Letter “Z”, it’s going to be amazing!
For the month of April, I’ll be sharing tips for reaching reluctant readers as part of the Blogging A to Z Challenge. There are dozens of reasons why a child might be considered a “reluctant reader.” As summer nears, continued reading practice helps students to keep the reading skills they learned while reading for fun. But, that’s not easy when a child doesn’t want to sit down and read. I’ll be sharing 26 tips to meet reluctant readers where they are. And hopefully find a way to make reading bearable, if not even something they want to do!
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Bonnie A Lieberman
My first job in the field of education was when I was taking courses in reading toward my Master’s Degree. I was hired during this period as a Title 1 teacher to work with students in the inner city of Albany who had scored in the bottom one percent on standardized tests in reading and math. My students ranged in Grades 2-5. Every one of my students in classes of no more than 10 kids was a reluctant reader because they had not been taught reading strategies that were geared to their favored way of learning. Some had not solid phonemic awareness skills, yet they were instructed in phonics. Some grasped the sounds, but not sound/symbol association. Others could sound out words but had very few high-frequency words in their reading vocabulary. Others were basically taught to read with flash cards. Most did not realize that reading was making sense of the printed page. Words carry meaning. I discovered the best learning styles and backgrounds of each. I encouraged parents to read with their kids and to make certain their kids saw them enjoying reading on their own. I began to use a balanced reading approach with all, and this began with me writing books based on their interests and including words I knew they could sound out and could read at a glance. I found pictures online that I used as illustrations and took pictures of the kids and used them as the main characters. I knew they all could read words like pizza, love, I, like, mom, ball, book, you, are, am, to, the, bike, today, and bicycle. Taught them to read words that rhymed with words they could read: “onset and rhyme”. They loved reading colorful books with themselves as the main characters. They shared their stories with classmates. We all contributed to making a word wall. Then, I began my own part. As they walked into the room and greeted me during their scheduled period, I would pretend to be absorbed in a book. When they wanted my attention, I asked them to please wait because I was so involved in the book I was reading. Enthusiasm is contagious. I continued this method and taught them new high-frequency words and words that could be sounded out, and read-aloud books they requested. After a couple of months, one group went to a local appliance store. We found an ample-sized box and put it small rug. Then, one of the kids wrote, “A place to go when we want to read.” That we did. We began to read published books and grew as readers. It was a wonderful year and at the end of the school year 95% of the children were reading at least 2, and some even 3 levels higher! A GREAT YEAR!