Creating Lifelong Readers

Hello!

     I have been a reader since I read my first word.  I was fortunate enough to have parents that encouraged this passion and made sure I attended every book fair, took me to bookstores instead of toy stores, and allowed me to stay up a half hour later if I wanted to read a book in bed.  Now, as an adult, I always have a book in my purse, my e-reader is close by, and I am usually engaged in multiple pieces of text in various genres at one time.  So when a recent article in Scholastic's Instructor magazine from Winter 2014 captured my eye, it was not a surprise.  The tagline that reeled me in mentioned that the "Book Whisperer" had tips on how to motivate students to become lifelong readers.  It got me thinking: How did I become a lifelong reader?  Besides supportive parents and teachers, what kept me reading into my adult years?

     The main reason I became a teacher was to encourage students to LOVE reading the same way I do.  While reading this article, I thought that these tips are not only appropriate for teachers, but parents can use them at home to incorporate reading into the lives of their children.  Below are a few of my favorite tips from "The Book Whisperer" herself, Donalyn Miller, who surveyed 900 adults to find out how they continued to be lifelong readers:

• Dedicate Time to Reading- Lifelong readers capitalize on the moments in their day when they are bored or waiting.  I do this myself by always having some piece of literature available (whether it is a hardcover novel or a reading app on my phone) so that if I am stuck in line at the DMV, waiting for my sister to try on clothes at the mall, or picking someone up at their house who is running late, I always have something to do. (I have gotten the occasional "You are going to read now?!" from my fiancé but I think he is used to it now...)
• Teachers and parents can help students dedicate time to reading by making sure they have books to go.  Having books in the car to read while they are waiting to pick up their older brother from soccer practice or reading during the ten minute drive on the way to school is a perfect opportunity.  This might seem less daunting than telling a child that they have to read for 30 minutes every night before bed.  For teachers, we can tell our students to always take out a book to read if they are waiting for others to finish an assignment.  Having a book in their desk at all times makes it easy to grab and continue reading during those little moments.

• Share Books with Others- Haven't you read a great book and HAD to share it with someone?!  Even though we think that reading is a solitary hobby, in actuality it is not.  Reading is, and can, be very social.  TALK about books with your students and children.  Literacy expert Stephen Krashen said that "Children read more when they see other people reading" and I think it is also true when children hear about exciting books.
• When planning your seating chart in school, put students with similar book interests together in a group.  This will help to promote book discussions and students will be likely to talk about books they think their peers will like as well.

• Have Reading Plans- Lifelong readers are the ones that count down the days until the newest novel from their favorite author comes out or have their name on the waiting list so they are the first to receive it (when I was in high school I did this with every Nicholas Sparks novel; now it's any book by Emily Giffin).  Students will do this too.
• Get students interested in a series of books.  This is especially important for students who struggle when reading.  When students read a series, they already have background knowledge for each new book, gain reading momentum by continuing the story, and it motivates them to get to the long awaited conclusion.
• Competitive students also enjoy a challenge.  Teachers and parents can set a challenge for the week or month to motivate students to read.  I have students complete a reading log each month and, at the end of the year, the top three readers receive a book of their choice.  Biblionasium and Goodreads both have challenges that parents or teachers can set up for their children that will monitor their progress and motivate them online.

• Validate and Expand- When we read a topic that interests us, we always want to learn more.  For example, if we are reading House Rules by Jodi Picoult and find the topic of children with Asperger's fascinating, we would then locate articles in the newspaper, read non-fiction books, and find websites relating to this subject.  Children need help in locating additional resources and this is where adults can assist.
• Connecting texts of different genres helps students to expand their reading horizon as well as learn additional information on a topic of interest.  If students love the characters in Wonder by R.J. Palacio and want to learn more about facial abnormalities, helping students to find recent medical research, locate biographies on people born with this complexity, and read other books relating to the topic of students who struggle with being unique (like Joey Pigza Swallowed a Key by Jack Gantos or The Thing About Georgie by Lisa Graff) will help them to expand their knowledge about the topic as well as introduce various genres into their lives.

     These tips are easy to implement in the classroom or at home and can help to promote lifelong readers.  To read the article in its entirety or to learn more, please visit Scholastic's Instructor webpage or subscribe to the magazine to receive information monthly.  Enjoy!

Erica :)