The Decline Of Reading In The US

Dana Gioia, the author of this article, claims that the decline of reading in America will cause negative effects in society. Dana Gioia develops this persuasive argument by discussing the possible social and personal problems that could arise with the decline of literacy. The author believes that the lack of literacy in America can begin to deteriorate our way of life.

In the passage “Why Literature Matters” by Dana Gioia, Gioia states that the decline of interest in reading in America is decreasing. She then claims that this lack of interest will hold negative effects on the future of our society. Gioia uses facts and evidence to support her claim.

he most fundamental responsibility of schools is teaching students to read. Indeed, the future success of all students hinges upon their ability to become proficient readers. Recent scientific studies have allowed us to understand more than ever before how literacy develops, why some children have difficulty, and what constitutes best instructional practice. Scientists now estimate that fully 95 percent of all children can be taught to read. Yet, in spite of all our knowledge, statistics reveal an alarming prevalence of struggling and poor readers that is not limited to any one segment of society:

Dana Gioia calls out millennials and younger generations in america, to spark a conversation about the increasingly declining and destructive behavior of NOT reading! Gioia makes very many fantastic points and uses very many persuasive elements on why literacy actually is vital to to our society and the negative effects that come from this lack of literacy. She gives us factual evidence and credible sources to pull the reader into her side of the argument.

Furthermore, children spend more time watching television rather than reading. “A 2007 study published by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reported that the average US household has a television set turned on an average of 8 hours and 11 minutes every single day. Much of that television watching is being done by children” (Preface to 'How Should Television Be Regulated?'). Most children have watched over three school years worth of television. In the article “TV Doesn’t teach,” it is pointed out that the decline in the ability to read in

Summary The article, “CHAPTER 9: TV, Audio, & Technology – Hurting or Helping Literacy?” by Jim Trelease, was a great read. Mr. Trelease states that electronics and media are “now the dominant force in a child’s life outside of family” (Trelease, 2011). He goes on to tell how a mother, Sonya Carson, had to raise her children with the background of only making it to third – grade.

It also misses that some people don’t like to read out of school so maybe the main portion of their reading does take place in school. A lot of people if not forced to read won’t ever pick up on topics they may actually like. In every young readers life it is hard just learning how to read. It also gets to a point in high school where a lot of students pick up interests in other things besides reading. This causes the amount of reading students might be doing to go down.

We learn children to read books in oirder for them to learn through retaining information. With children paying too much attention and concetnrration to the level of print and decoding it, they can actually lose sight of what they are actually reading.

The motivation to read comes from a variety of factors. This article from a popular website for educators and parents, Reading Rockets, identified five main ones. First, students that have a positive self-concept and value reading will be more successful than those that do not (Gambrell, Palmer, Coddling, & Mazzoni, 1996). Second, a widely used and effective tool for motivation is providing students with choices and when this occurs, students are more likely to engage in reading (Worthy & McKool, 1996). Third, teachers can model reading strategies during read-alouds and discussions which will then help motivate students to read (McGee & Richgels, 2003). Fourth, teachers must have a wide-selection of books for students to read during independent

This is a critical reason why kids should read. A society is more than just the passing moment. It is a rich tapestry of cultural references and historical information intertwined with modern living. Reading is one way that a child gains pieces of this rich tapestry. If a child only reads modern books, they lose this heritage and their link to society is weaker.

The more I was being forced to read, the less time I spent reading for enjoyment, until eventually I no longer spent any of my free time with a novel in hand. Reading became a chore; it became boring. Sometimes the simple act of being forced to do something makes you despise it. As a child, I enjoyed several different genres of novels and many different topics intrigued me, so it wasn’t necessarily what I was reading that disinterested me. One required novel I remember reading was The Outsiders in seventh grade. This was a type of book I feel I would normally enjoy because of the mystery and action; however, I couldn’t bring myself to truly become engaged in this novel. Reason being-it was a forced act, with multiple worksheets and homework to accompany the reading. Fast forward to high school when I’m reading my required lengths in an anatomy and physiology textbook. Science has always been an interest of mine; in fact, I’m now majoring in Human Physiology. Yet reading this text wasn’t something I enjoyed. Again, because it felt forced; it was not something I was doing simply out of interest. This is how I continue to feel about most of the reading I do today as a college student.

I’ve never been one to read much outside of school without being assigned to do so. After looking back at my childhood I think I finally understand why. When you’re a student in elementary school teachers want you to be interested in reading and they tell you that it will make you smarter. Their approach to this is to assign you many readings during your early school years, have your parents sign that you actually did it, and make you write book reports about what you read. I remember when I was a kid I absolutely hated some of these exercises and absolutely loved some of these as well. I distinctly remember being in kindergarten and having to read a book to a high school student. The five year old version of me was more than embarrassed when my reading skills were not up to par and I was having to do it in front of a teenage boy. I also remember being in fifth grade and having to read one book every two weeks and write and draw a report on it. I loved this. Probably because for once I got to choose my own books and they were never assigned for me. I thought of it as a

Forced/required/assigned reading has a significant effect on all students. Forced reading is reading assigned by school teachers to students who will eventually be tested over the plot, characters, themes and/or other details in the book. Many students don’t realize that required reading is much different than reading for pleasure. Testing over assigned reading requires a student to pay attention to several small details that would otherwise be overlooked if they were reading on their own. Although it is “required” reading, many students find ways around it by searching the internet for Sparknotes, Cliff Notes, plot summaries, character lists, etc. to give them an overview of the book to excel on the tests they are given. Required reading can have an effect on a person’s idea of reading for pleasure for the rest of their life. So, how does assigned reading affect a student’s view on reading for pleasure both positively and negatively?

Reading is very important, so important in fact that technology has advanced to the point where we can keep an entire library in our pocket. Readers have always been a very small population according to Bellow. Technology has advanced to the point where it is possible to log on to the internet, click on a book and download it and be able to read immediately. This is a very important advancement to the reading community as it allows them to have it readily accessible.

Books will remain an area that every high schooler hates and every professor loves. Many suggest that reading is nerdy or not social, which makes no sense because in philosophy reading is a key to understanding a certain subject matter. One will not go anywhere in life if reading is not there. Children in rural or third world countries would love to learn to read and write. It is one of mankind’s biggest challenges. The ability to read is the way up and out and into a better life for these poor children. Reading allows the mind to open up to new ideas or thoughts that other activities cannot match, especially watching television or playing video games. I would love to say I have read a lot, but I do not. It is difficult because I have “monkey mind,” where I cannot concentrate on the certain text without having a random thought race through my mind. It will most likely get worse and that is all due to the technology that is flying out to the ever distracted society.