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Getting teenagers to read
When they were very young, they loved books. In their
later elementary and early secondary years, they may have
even hidden under the covers with a flashlight at night
trying to read beyond "lights out" time. But now that
they’re teenagers, suddenly they would rather be shopping,
watching TV, talking on telephone, driving around or
hanging out with their friends.
Yet it is important for teenagers to read and read a lot
if they are going to grow into thoughtful, literate
adults.
According to the International Reading Association "The
ongoing literacy development of adolescents…requires just
as much attention as that of beginning readers. The
expanding literacy demands placed upon adolescent learners
includes more reading and writing tasks than at any other
time in human history. They will need reading to cope with
the escalating flood of information and to fuel their
imaginations as they help create the world of the future."
Going beyond what’s required
Reading is a key part of every school’s curriculum.
Indeed, the State Education Department now asks that
students be assigned at least 25 books (or their
equivalent) across the curriculum every year from
kindergarten through 12th grade.
Getting students to not only meet their school assignments
but to read at home purely for pleasure can produce
enormous benefits. For example, Peggy Gisler and Marge
Eberts on
LearningNetwork.com, will tell you that if teenagers
are regular readers, they will develop a larger
vocabulary, score higher on the SAT exam, find it easier
to tackle even the dullest of textbooks, and become better
writers.
Perhaps most importantly, Jim Trelease, author of The
Read Aloud Handbook asserts on
www.Trelease-on-reading.com, that students who read
the most end up achieving the most and staying in school
the longest.
At the very least, the teenager who gets used to consuming
books in high school won’t be so overwhelmed in college
when he/she suddenly is faced with reading not three
chapters but rather 300 pages a night.
Modeling
If you’ve got a reluctant reader, the good news is that it
matters less what is read than simply that he/she reads.
"Don’t fall into the trap of ‘thicker is better’," warns
Trelease.
Young people should be allowed to read what interests
them. For example, if your junior loves music, get
Rolling Stone magazine. If he’s handy, get Popular
Mechanics.
Popular culture is another key. A teenager who gets
interested in a movie may very well be moved to read the
book. Young people also like to delve into current events
and issues that have meaning to them, ranging from music
to eating disorders.
Modeling is often the key to getting teens to read, and
experts say it is never too late to start the reading
habit, even for adults. The great news is that teen
reading material is also likely to interest parents and
provide a good vehicle for bonding at this tricky age.
This was the case for one mother who read Toni Morrison’s
Beloved along with her 17-year-old daughter and
later went to see the movie with her. "Through our
discussions about this rather complicated and emotional
story, we learned more about each other, and I came to
realize just how deep a thinker my daughter is," this
mother reports.
Reinforcing the reading habit
If you’re ready to establish or reinforce the reading
habit at home, the
LearningNetwork.com offers these tips:
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Keep reading materials in every room in the house.
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Listen to books on tape in the car.
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Ask older children to read to younger children.
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Visit libraries or bookstores together. Give your teen a
bookstore gift certificate.
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Establish a family reading time. After dinner often
works best. Allow no interruptions, and allow kids to
read whatever they want.
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Read the same things your kids do. Talk about them
together.
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Read aloud to your kids. Share newspaper and magazine
articles, humorous poems or snippets of a book you’re
reading.
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For ideas on good books for teens, contact your school
librarian, the public library or online bookstores.
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