The Effects Of Reading On Reading For Pleasure

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:

After reading John Holt’s essay, How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading, I fully agree with what Holt is saying. He tells his audience that forcing children to read, use a dictionary and take quizzes on what they read has proven to deter children from enjoying reading. I liked reading it, I liked how he showed that he understood both sides of the situation, but then realized how important it was for children to just read. Even though they did not fully understand the material they still found parts of the readings that made them happy. I liked how Holt made the point about how embarrassed students would get when they had to read a difficult part in a book and classmates would snicker and giggle if they made a mistake. That is a real thing,

Scratch that, I hate assigned reading. I know, “hate” is a strong word, but elementary-school-me had strong feelings.

Reading is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information which is essential in being a productive member of society. If and when a student missed an opportunity to learn the skills necessary for reading, it’s has a profound impact on their lives. As educators we realize that teaching all children to read requires that every child receive excellent reading instruction. We are also aware that children, who are struggling with reading must receive

We all know many kids who do not like to read from elementary to college. In the early school years, there was always an instructor or, a parent to always guiding us. Or they would say it’s time for silent reading or even force us to read. This always worked for the best because kids to today love to tell stories to friends and families. Malcolm X went to the Norfolk colony’s prison, library everyday where he would stay for at an hour. He felt like he was in heaven just from seeing all the different books. He would be concentrating so hard on the books, which he would stay up past the normal time to go to sleep. Sometimes when it would be lights out he would try to read in the dark just because the book was just starting to get interesting.

In the article, I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read (1999), Francine Prose claims that the force reading of books that high school students must struggle through hinders their ability to want to read when they do not have to. Prose supports her claim by comparing her own experiences during high school, to her both her son's high school experiences and coming to the realization that she and her sons both have had bad encounters with novels they had to read in high school. The author’s purpose is to persuade high school students and grown adults alike in order to show that the reason they can no longer enjoy reading is because they were forced to read unappealing books in high school. The author writes in a stern formal tone for an audience

The Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) program compared to the Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) program proves to be a more effective reading experience for students. The DEAR program provides exploration and a better understanding of what students are reading, which is more than the SSR experience where they are just sitting and reading silently. Teachers are able to incorporate structured time to work with each student periodically to assess their progress and plan corresponding instructional goals. More importantly, students are given the time to read books that are of interest to them, discuss with the teacher what they have read, and obtain the support they need for further reading explorations and considerations (Gardner, 2016).

While some people will say that there is not enough evidence to say that reading has or will have a negative effect on our society, it is important that young readers find reading enjoyable and not a chore. Others may say that Carter is too biased to say that a decline in readers is a problem while other may agree because of the evidence that the reports say. Even though there is only one report that he references is clearly say that not reading for pleasure could and will most likely cause problems for our society in the

Before I began elementary school, I enjoyed reading picture books, the touch and feel books and pop-up books. I loved the author Dr. Suess, because he was funny and because I loved the rhyming he did in his writing. I can remember before bed, my mom or dad would read to me until I got old enough to read myself. My mom has always enjoyed reading, if she is not reading a book, then she is reading a recipe or a magazine. My dad on the other hand, I have only seen him read one book, besides reading manuals for his tools. Reading was not a big deal in my house, all of us kids were told that we needed to read, but they did not force us to read. This brings me to Richard Rodriguez’s essay, in his household reading was not as important, but once he got to school, he realized that reading is one of the main activities. I can relate to Rodriguez because in either one of our households we weren’t told that we had to read before we did something else. Once I got to elementary school is when I realized that reading was not for me. Before school, I enjoyed reading, then once I began elementary school, I was forced to read, take tests over books, and read out loud in front of the class which made reading a chore.

Not everyone likes to read. And for what purpose should a person even have to read. Towards the end of my 5th grade year as a reward for the hardships that elementary school had put us through. We were all invited to go to Main Event, but not with at a cost of course. In order to pay for the trip we held a reading fundraiser. The goal was to seek out sponsors that would pay for the trip. For example, a sponsor could pay the student 10 cents for each page they read or five dollars for each book, etc. The goal was to hit $25. So the more sponsors the better. Or in my case just one, my parent’s just paid for the trip. Although the trip was paid for, I still had to read or make it seem as if I was reading. I never saw myself as a child that loved reading, but more of a television fanatic. On the day of the fundraiser all

I hope to encourage reading with focusing on vocabulary and spelling and monthly reading goals. Being able to see words and knowing the meaning is important but also the time spent reading is important. They have seen the words before and then they have the meaning which informs their understanding of the material. I will also encourage audio books while reading a book while fiction or non fiction. The students will be able to hear the words as well as see them and put them to together.

We all know reading is boring, time consuming, and compulsory. All though, most kids would agree with that statement, some may disagree. Some can say that if one does not read they can lose knowledge and become less smart. If you don't read there can be consequences for stopping. Reading is valuable because it gives readers the power to escape, to maximize their potential, and to strengthen their mind.

the students do not have to be responsible for all of the reading all of the time. It is a

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