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Here we are at the end of the week. Been an interesting topic. I figure it’s good to end on a highly interactive post. For those who are teachers or have children, this might be fairly easy. For others, maybe not. Guess we’ll see.
- Has the topic of this week changed your view on getting kids to read?
- How would you get a hesitant child to read?
- As an author, what could you put in your writing to draw in non-readers?
Legends of Windemere 
It’s my observation as a paraeducator with reading groups, and as a parent, the subject has to be very cool and presented in an interesting way. Kids are interested in true science facts (dinosaurs, sharks) and in familiar media properties. (Among other things, of course.) I feel that increased diversity in the stories and who tells them really do have an effect on young readers. Most of all, it has to be something they choose to read. If they aren’t confident readers, it needs to be small bites.
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Do you find that graphic novels help with unconfident readers? From my students and my son, I see manga and comics getting them more into reading than word novels.
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I do think the illustrations are a draw. They can also be a clue to help less confident readers figure out what’s in the sentence.
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Sorry to be pedantic, but ‘true science facts’? What are false science facts’? 😊
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Any of the bull**** you find on the Internet.
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1. It has helped me see that parents should be applauded for the lengths they go to in order to help their children. 😊
2. I might read to the child as I used to read to my niece and nephew when they were small (especially on long car trips) or suggest videos where books are read aloud. I would suggest books by authors who specifically wrote them for reluctant readers (like Kwame Alexander, a poet whose audience of reluctant readers were so inspired, they made videos to show him their appreciation). I would also suggest graphic novels and nonfiction books like HOW TO HOLD A CROCODILE (Plus Hundreds of Other Practical Tips, Fascinating Facts and Wicked Wisdom) (Firefly Books). Target sells short biographies of famous people that have lots of pictures and engaging facts.
3. I try to write with a camera in mind, as if I am the camera showing the world. I also write short chapters and try to keep descriptions to only those that are necessary.
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1. Parents can really make or break a child’s reading habits.
2. I never heard of authors writing books for reluctant readers. That’s really cool.
3. I’m torn on descriptions. Some non-readers like them short and to the point. Others enjoy details because their minds don’t wander off creating their own visions.
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Yes, I’ve found the same with description. Some people in my critique group comment that some of my description is not necessary, but others say they love it, and it helps set the scene.
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All comes down to personal taste, which is why it’s a pain when people put theirs over others.
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The topic of this week has not changed my view on getting kids to read. I read aloud to all three and have to say they have always enjoyed reading.
I would work out a reward system to get a hesitant child to read. Reading is key to success in academics, and I would want a reading habit established early on.
As an author getting a nonreader to read might take more than the story. How about a Willie Wonka-type reading prize opportunity for all non-readers? The book contains a secret word. Find the word and mail it to be qualified for the drawing. Open to only those people who have not read a book in five years. (Just saying)
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That would be an interesting contest. Though I wonder how you could prove the long period of non-reading. Maybe just give a prize to everyone?
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Yeah good idea. I was going on the honor system but even as I said it know it wouldn’t work.
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I’ve learned that the honor system only reveals who lacks honor. 😀
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So true
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What a fun idea, John.
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Thank you, Viv.
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I think it has to be a mindset. There is something to be said for sharing different viewpoints and learning from the struggles of others, without having to experience those struggles personally. Too many teachers are checking off boxes on a school board list without explaining the personal value to be discovered. As for me, maybe add some beer chapters to my books. Kind of like the bowlers do with a beer frame. “Congratulations on reaching chapter four, you have earned yourself a beer. Enjoy, then find out what chapter five has to offer.”
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The teacher thing depends on the state’s education benchmarks and rules. Not sure why people think local school boards have big influence over curriculum beyond defending what the state decides. You also have to remember that there are more standardized tests, which prevent teachers from straying very far. The area where you get the most flexibility is ELA though. At least here, which is driven by NY State standards, kids are supposed to analyze and discuss books as they read. These are supposed to be used to help make emotional connections, which is why you have newer books replacing some classics. It’s also supposed to be that the student discovers the personal value on their own instead of being told by the teacher what they should think and feel. This is because one iffy statement can get a teacher in a lot of trouble, so they have to remain as neutral as possible. There is still a problem with standardized tests forcing a narrower curriculum though. This means some books will always be read. For example, my son had to read ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ this year and will have to read a Shakespeare play and ‘Of Mice & Men’ next year. Teachers try to make up for this with independent reading where the student chooses the book, but it means they have to read two things at once.
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A lot of the charm and attraction of teaching seems to have gone away. I know they constantly have to be aware of everything that someone could complain about, and worry about retaining employment the next day.
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A big reason for that is because they don’t always have administrators backing them up. A parent can complain based off their child’s words and that could be it. Even if an investigation happens and proves the teacher didn’t do anything wrong, it puts them on the radar as a potential problem. Teachers are also expected to give personal help to students while also staying at a far distance. Not really doable.
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I have a family member who was on the cusp of retirement about the time everything got weird. She said you couldn’t touch anyone, even in a hug when a parent died. She was glad to move on.
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Yeah. My aunt retired around that time and said the same thing. It’s still a thing now, which has people on edge.
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I think that the insistence on analysing books, and writing reviews of independent reading, is one of the main causes of people being turned off reading.
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Analyzing books is definitely a problem with how it’s usually done. That is when there is only one answer. I’ve seen it work better when students can come up with their own conclusions and discuss. It isn’t even the analysis that turns students off to reading because they can get into the conversation. It’s that they’re assigned chunks of a book on top of all their other homework. America does homework incorrectly to the point where it hurts many students and assigned readings are a big contributor to this. Studies have shown that an hour of homework combined is the most a student can do and gain retention from. After that, it’s just going through the motions and taking away from their social development.
As far as the independent reading goes, I don’t think writing reviews is that bad. Most students enjoy this or, more so, doing unique projects. This is because they chose the book, which means they are more invested in reading it and doing a project off of it.
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1. It hasn’t changed my ideas of the importance of getting kids to read. Reading stimulates the imagination; something that is needed in life, not only for story-telling. Where would invention come from without imagination? And everyday actions. For safety, you need to be able to imagine what might happen in a worst case scenario. I’m sure you can think of many more examples.
That’s something that videos, films etc do less well. It’s all there on a plate. No thinking needed.
Besides, reading is fun.
2. To get a hesitant child to read one must provide something that grabs their interest. If it’s graphic novels, or even comics, that’s fine. It’s a start.
I got a love of reading through books that in the 60s were considered ‘bad’ for various reasons, such as narrow vocabulary (I could understand the words. Shock!) And some had been written in the 50s and earlier and had some of the values of those times, which had changed. But they got me reading, and also thinking about those changed values. In fact, discussions with my school friends had more of an impact on my thinking than those exciting books.
One should find out what the person is interested in and introduce books of that genre.
3. This is a difficult one. There are so many different genres that it’s hard to say what would encourage people to read. The first problem is to get them to pick up a book in the first place.
My daughter is a reader, but she won’t read my books because she says she doesn’t like the genres I write in (historical and fantasy). But within those genres there are books that I’m sure she would like if she could overcome her prejudices.
I will be interested to read what other writers think about this.
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1. I actually would disagree with movies, TV, and video games not stirring the imagination. They do that with kids all the time. Kids pretend to be these characters and have adventures once they are away from the original source. Even adults will be inspired by something they saw in a theater or on television. Books do force a person to conjure more in their head, but that can be difficult for children. They start with picture books and need to move on to novels, which doesn’t always happen. The main reason it doesn’t is because reading becomes more difficult and turns into a grueling chore. That was the main point of this week’s topic. Not the importance, but how society ends up turning people off to reading due to how we teach and view it.
2. Do you think it’s okay for a child to turn into an adult who sticks with graphic novels? I know many who read more comics and manga than word novels for a variety of reasons.
3. Genre is always an issue. Though, I see it more with adults than children. As long as you make a story sound interesting, a child will give it a shot. Adults seem to be more likely to go ‘not my genre’ and walk away.
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I take your point about imagination. You are right about kids playing their favourite characters.
I have no problem with adults reading graphic novels and comics. It’s better than no reading. Who says it’s an inferior way of reading? Reading snobs, that’s who.
Several years ago I was involved in an adult literacy program. My student had little confidence in reading due to the way he had been treated at school ( pushed to the back of the classroom and ignored). Once he got a bit of confidence, he started reading simplified versions of books. He started reading James Bond. These books had original covers, or close to them, so there was no embarrassment to be seen reading them.
I think reluctance might be, in some cases, due to poor reading skills, and these books helped greatly.
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The thing is that many people do say that reading graphic novels doesn’t count. There’s a lot of judging of those who prefer that medium to the point where they’re considered stupid and lazy. I’ve been subjected to that myself when reading a manga in public. It’s because they’re thought of as being primarily for children or the immature. As you said, it comes from reading snobs who are more numerous than one would think.
Reluctance to read is fairly common in special needs students. Those that get put into general education classes because they have the ability to keep up in most ways can still stumble when it comes to reading. I’ve found that graphic novels help many of them because they don’t have to picture the scene and can focus on the words. A little distraction by the pictures, but it’s not a bad thing.
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