Helping Students Become Robust Readers Judy Wallis, Ed.D. judywallis@earthlink.net

To see a winning crew in action is to witness a perfect harmony in which everything is right . . .” George Yeoman Pocock, Boys in the Boat James Brown

Quick Wins for Schools and parents Increase access to books and periodicals and the volume of reading Increase talk about reading, thinking, and learning

The Power of Reading The average reader reads 300 words per minute So . . . 15 minutes of reading a day = 4500 words 7 days a week = 31,500 words 52 weeks a year = 1,512,000 words per year The average book contains 75,000 words That means that reading 15 minutes a day = 20 books a year or 1000 books in a lifetime.

The Power of Reading What 15 minutes a day means in vocabulary growth # of Words Read Per Year % Vocabulary Growth 100,000+ words 50% vocabulary growth 400,000+ words 60% vocabulary growth 80% vocabulary growth 1,800,000+ words 90% vocabulary growth

Readers . . . Monitor their comprehension Activate and connect to their background experiences, knowledge, reading Question as they read Infer and visualize to fill in gaps left by the author Determine the importance of information Summarize and synthesize big ideas Judy w Keene & Zimmermann, Harvey & Goudvis, Miller, Tovani

Research: Reading Aloud at Home Half of the children ages 0–5 (54%) are read aloud to at home 5–7 days a week Only 1 in 3 kids ages 6–8 (34%); drops to 1 in 6 kids ages 9–11 (17%) 4 in 10 children ages 6–11 who were read books aloud at home say they wished their parents had continued reading aloud to them. More than 8 in 10 children (83%) across age groups say they love(d) or like(d) being read to: main reason was a special time with parents.

Stages of Reading Development: G. Robert Carlsen Unconscious delight—reading series books Reading as a means of understanding—testing self against the main character Philosophical speculations—wondering about life Aesthetic delight—reading for the beauty of the prose

FAVORITE BOOKS: AGES 6 - 8 Source: http://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/the-state-of-kids-and- reading.htm#spotlight

FAVORITE BOOKS: 9 - 11 Source: http://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/the-state-of-kids-and- reading.htm#spotlight

Favorite Books: 12 - 14 Source: http://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/the-state-of-kids-and- reading.htm#spotlight

Favorite Books: 15 - 17 Source: http://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/the-state-of-kids-and- reading.htm#spotlight

Research 4 in 10 children (44%) like reading more now that they are older Nearly 3 in 10 (29%)—especially boys—liked reading more when they were younger. Reading enjoyment declines sharply after age 8. Girls are more likely than are boys to say reading books for fun is extremely or very important, although boys and girls are less likely to say this compared to years past.

What Kids Say they Want in Books 91% of kids say their favorite books are ones they picked out The majority of kids ages 6–17 (70%) say they want books that “make me laugh.” They want books that “let me use my imagination” (54%), “tell a made-up story” (48%), “have characters I wish I could be like because they’re smart, strong or brave” (43%), “teach me something new” (43%) “have a mystery or a problem to solve” (41%)

frequent readers less likely than infrequent readers to engage in common screen-related activities 5–7 days a week Source: http://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/the-state-of-kids-and- reading.htm#spotlight

Almost 9 in 10 parents of children ages 6–17 (86%) say it is extremely/very important for their child to read books for fun, less Than 46% of the Children say the Same Source: http://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/the-state-of-kids- and-reading.htm#spotlight

half of all children ages 6–17 (51%) love or like reading books for fun a lot, this percentage has declined since 2010. Source: http://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/the-state-of-kids-and- reading.htm#spotlight

factors that predict reading frequency in Children 6-11 Source: http://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/the-state-of-kids-and- reading.htm#spotlight

factors that predict reading frequency in Children 12-17 Source: http://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/the-state-of-kids-and- reading.htm#spotlight

Reading Aloud Source: http://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/the-state-of-kids-and- reading.htm#spotlight

Summer Reading Access to books is crucial during the summer. With no access a decline of three months in a child’s reading ability can grow and accrue across the years. Ensuring that every child has books to read over the summer is but one way to address the reading achievement gap.

What Parents Can Do Make library trips regular and special. Share poetry with your child. Read a small excerpt from three new books as teasers. Investigate a new genre. Keep a book journal or log. Select a favorite from your own childhood to share. Recall memorable lines. Encourage a “books to read” list. Check out best-seller lists.

Things Parents Can do Let children select their own books. Have print books at home. Suggest books you think your child will enjoy. Give books as gifts. Browse books at the bookstore. Build reading into home routines. Put limits on screen time. View book-based movies and read the same book. Work with your child’s teachers. Share and live by Pennac’s “Reader’s Bill of Rights.”

Pennac’s Reader’s Bill of Rights The right to not read. The right to skip pages. The right to not finish. The right to reread. The right to read anything. The right to escapism. The right to read anywhere. The right to browse. The right to read out loud. The right to not defend your tastes.

It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading. Something that will stretch their imaginations- something that will help them make sense of their own lives and encourage them to reach out toward people whose lives are quite different from their own.” Katherine Paterson