Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My oldest reads only for information purposes not for leisure.
As much as I've always loved reading literature since early elementary, I don't think it's a problem if a person reads only for information.
I've noted recently that nearly all of my reading recently has been for information rather than literature...although I take pleasure in gaining information that I don't really need.
If a person reads a lot, whether he's reading fiction or non-fiction isn't that important.
As much as I've always loved reading literature since early elementary, I don't think it's a problem if a person reads only for information.
I've noted recently that nearly all of my reading recently has been for information rather than literature...although I take pleasure in gaining information that I don't really need.
If a person reads a lot, whether he's reading fiction or non-fiction isn't that important.
The post you responded to wasn't about "informational" reading vs. literature, though. It was about leisure reading vs. need-to-know reading. Leisure reading can also be informational, i.e. non-fiction of various sorts, vs. fiction.
I'm a reading specialist in an elementary school (grades 3-5). In today's world, educators are competing with video games, sports, busy households, not-so-great home lives, etc. It can be really tough to get students motivated to read, especially outside of school hours. What are some things that your school does to help get your students to love reading?
My oldest daughter teaches 4th grade reading and writing. She and her team read the book Wonder last year to their classes and finished just in time to go the see the movie together. She had arranged a private viewing at a local theater for those who wanted to go and they pretty much filled the theater. They loved it.
She also set up an escape room themed activity that had many aspects that promoted reading. They also had to use teamwork and critical thinking to solve the clues/riddles and move forward.
Recently she asked friends and family to 'sponsor' a kid in her class so that she could order a book (from the $1.00 choices) for every student. She got enough sponsors to fund her class and then some. It was $8.00 to sponsor one child.
Those are the top things that come to mind that she's done very successfully.
They were motivated by choosing books they were interested in. I gauged their interests and had them read nightly for at least an hour starting in 4th grade. (up from 30 minutes in 3rd) Then two hours from 5th grade onward. Every night. Sometimes they read for hours and hours. Like during school break. They'll stay in and read over going out or whatever. My older two have stayed up past midnight reading on many occasions. Over the summer my oldest re-read the HP series in six days.
I also gave them free rein to read whatever piqued their interest. They devour books and love writing.
One of the things that helps motivate the younger students is having older students come in to read to and with them. We had a program called reading buddies where the older kids (who might be reluctant readers themselves) would read easy books to the k-1-2 students.
My first grade daughter is stuck in a windowless classroom 7 hours a day. She only gets 20 minutes for recess daily and 30 minutes of PE once a week. .
Yeah.
She needs a new school.
There is no way I'd be cool with that.
My son is also in the first grade.
My kids basically, hate books and will rip them apart or throw them out. My oldest reads only for information purposes not for leisure.
And how did this deplorable situation come to be? What consequences do your kids get for tearing up books? Why do they "hate books"? This is not normal at all. What is the explanation for this? You offer none.
How do they spend their free time? How much screen and sports time is in their lives? Do they have trouble reading? What are their interests, and were those interests ever followed up with appropriate books?
A child who not only does not read but who actively hates books should be an object of pity, yet you sound almost proud, rather than concerned, that your children hate books to the point of wanting to destroy them. I hope I am mistaken about that, but please tell us more about how and why this situation came to pass and is allowed to continue. Books and reading should be sources of joy and entertainment.
Did you read to your kids when they were younger, let them see you enjoy reading, take them to the library? Why on earth do they "hate books"?
There's less choice than you think in many areas. As we learned when ours were that age, and as some of our friends who now have kids that age, if they want to get any play with their friends, then they have to be on some sports team. Our kids would come home from school and there would be zero, none, no kids around to play with. Every other kid was involved in something -- sports, dance, cheer, something. It's a case of you either sign them up to play something or they sit at home alone playing video games.
Or they play with siblings or by themselves in the back yard, digging holes, watching ants, reading, climbing trees, and using their imaginations. There is life beyond video games.
I also recommend that concerned adults "The Last Child in the Woods", about nature deprivation syndrome in today's kids. Closely related to independent reading, as both have to do with the ability to find productive joy off-screen and independently, in unstructured ways that will lead to increased intelligence, curiosity, and compassion.
Over-scheduling kids into structured activities has been going on for a long time, though. I fell into that back in fifth or sixth grade in the late fifties, with music lessons, scouts, and other after-school activities taking up all five weekday afternoons until my parents decided I really didn't need two piano lessons a week - hurray, Thursdays were free time! That was over sixty years ago, but I remember the feeling of liberation well. All the activities never stopped me from reading, though. Or gazing at ants, or climbing trees, or playing with neighbor kids when I could.
So - maybe ask your child to choose one or two after school activities, ideally ones that take up no more than two afternoons a week, and let them be unstructured kids the rest of the time, with proper guidance and opportunities, of course.
Tested and proved ideas for increasing reading: Push back bedtime fifteen minutes or half an hour as long as the child is in bed reading - no screens or sounds, just a book of choice. Give them a little flashlight so they can secretly read under the covers and think they're getting away with it (they'll fall asleep eventually). Read aloud and stop at the most exciting part, but tell the child they can finish it themselves if they want to see how it turns out before you can get back to read to them.
Whatever their interests, there's likely to be a good age-appropriate book on them - ask your school or public children's librarian. Give books for birthdays and Christmas presents and ask grandparents and other regular givers to do the same. I still have childhood books given to me by my maternal grandparents and they are doubly cherished now.
Make it fun! Act out stories, draw pictures to illustrate favorites, look for stuffed toys and dolls that represent literary characters and give the books along with the toys (Madeline, Max, Curious George, Raggedy Ann and Andy, etc). Write or tell stories about what happened after the end of the book.
Books, properly used, can illuminate and bring joy to the lives of children that can last a lifetime. Those who love books live better, fuller lives and are happier for the enrichment books can provide.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
