Reading Workshop Why should I read?

Why Read? Reading makes you smarter Reading prepares you for the work world Reading well is financially rewarding

Reading Makes You Smarter “Books impede the persistence of stupidity” Spanish proverb There is growing evidence that reading not only makes you smart, it keeps you smart as you age.

Reading Makes You Smarter Facts from recent studies: A landmark study released in 2000 by the Alzheimer’s Association examined pairs of elderly twins in which one had dementia and the other was healthy. Twins who later became demented read fewer books. Researchers use to believe that our brain stopped growing after age five but now say that large brain-cell growth continues into the teen years. Reading habits between the ages of six and eighteen appear to be crucial predictors of cognitive function decades latter (Neergaard 2001).

A study that correlates time spent reading and test scores: Percentile Rank Minutes of Reading each day Words Read per year 98 90.7 4,733,000 90 40.4 2,357,000 70 21.7 1,168,000 50 12.9 601,000 20 3.1 134,000 10 1.6 51,000

To sum it up: According to the Reading/Language Arts Framework for California Public Schools all this recent research “indicates that the volume of reading affects general cognitive development” (p. 186). You read, you get smarter. Period.

Reading Prepares You for the Work World “In this world, you go to war each day, and short of becoming a millionaire, a very good education is your best armor” –Frank Levy The most employable people in today’s job market are strong readers, proficient writers and critical thinkers. In short, they are literate.

Reading Prepares You for the Work World Whether you want to be a firefighter, a hotel manager, a graphic designer, a doctor or a dental hygienist, you need strong reading skills to compete in today’s economy. In fact, in a recent study conducted by the NAEP, it was determined that individuals must be able to “find, understand, summarize and explain relatively complicated reading materials” (Murnane 35) in order to earn a middle class income in today’s world.

Statistics on jobs in the United States: Decade Professional Jobs Skilled Jobs Unskilled Jobs 1950’s 20% 60% 1990’s 2010 ?

Reading Prepares You for the Work World Students who graduate with the ability to read and think critically will be at an advantage in the New Economy. Due to automation, the number of unskilled jobs has decreased significantly. The next generation of unskilled workers runs a much higher risk of being unemployed than ever before in our nation’s history. (Gallagher 103) Arm yourself with literacy skills and an education!

Reading Well is Financially Rewarding Unless you win the lottery, your income will be closely related to the amount of education you receive. You will earn more if you learn more. You will learn more if you read better. Time spent reading now is a financial investment in the future.

The Numbers: The average lifetime earnings for a student who does not finish high school is $936,000 The average lifetime earnings of a student who does finish high school is $1,216,000 Therefore, a high school diploma is worth $280,000

What do these numbers have to do with reading? More Numbers: What do these numbers have to do with reading? Education Level Career Earnings (in millions) High School Diploma 1.2 Associate Degree 1.6 Bachelor’s Degree 2.1 Master’s Degree 2.5 Doctoral Degree 3.4 Professional Degree 4.4

We have Reading Workshop because: Reading makes you smarter Reading prepares you for the work world Reading well is financially rewarding

More Books=More Reading=Better Reading Before we start… We need BOOKS because More Books=More Reading=Better Reading

Works Cited Gallagher, Kelly. 2003. Reading Reasons. Portland: Stenhouse Publishers. Murname, Richard J., and Frank Levy. 1996. Teaching the New Basic Skills. New York: Free Press. Reading/Language Arts Framework for California Public Schools: Kindergarden Through Grade Twelve. 1999. Sacramento: CDE Press. Neergaard, Lauran. 2001. “Memory a Matter of Brains and Braun: Mental, Physical Exertion Needed to Preserve the Mind.” Associated Press. San Francisco Chronicle, 24 July 2000.