Do your children enjoy reading? Whether reading for school or for fun, do your children struggle to comprehend what they are reading?
In her education column for The Atlanta Journal Constitution, “More Must Be Done to Encourage Kids to Read,” Maureen Downey reflects on the following data: “The latest results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress . . . show 31% of American 13-year-olds report they ‘never or hardly ever’ read for fun, compared to 22% in 2012.” Furthermore, “the 2022 reading performance of 13-year-olds revealed an alarming drop in reading skills during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Whether students are not receiving adequate literacy development in the classroom or whether twenty-first century technology in the form of smartphones and television screens is distracting children from picking up books for fun, the reality is that students are not reading enough, leading to an “alarming drop” in reading and literacy skills.
As a parent and/or guardian and as a valuable partner in your children’s education, you have a unique opportunity to help change this narrative – to equip your children with the reading tools they need to succeed! Whether your children enjoy reading or would rather channel their interests elsewhere – whether your children excel in reading comprehension or struggle to make sense of the text in front of them – here are three reading strategies proven successful for middle and high schoolers at any level.
Reading Strategy #1: Audiobooks
Audiobooks, paired with following along in the physical text, is a great resource for pacing and harnessing the strengths of the visual and auditory learner. Students at any reading level can benefit from listening to a text being read to them while at the same time following along with their own book or text. In her Edutopia article, “How Audiobooks Help Emerging Readers and Inspire a Love of Books,” librarian Kimberly Rues reflects, “when a child struggles to decode [read], the rest of the process erodes very quickly. Audiobooks bridge that gap, allowing the child’s joy of reading to evolve as they continue to strengthen their reading skills in class.” Nowadays, many audio recordings for a variety of texts are freely available in the public domain and through easily accessible resources such as YouTube.
Questions to Consider:
- Do my children struggle with staying focused and pacing themselves while reading?
- Would my children benefit from an auditory tool to complement their visual reading?
Reading Strategy #2: Annotations
Annotations (taking notes while reading) support student engagement, enabling students to have a “conversation” with the text, comprehending more of what they are reading. Through a note-taking system incorporating a variety of practices from symbols and illustrations to keywords and concepts, teachers and students at any level of education can actively make meaning while reading. In her piece for Edutopia, “More than Highlighting: Creative Annotations,” high school English teacher Lauren Gehr discusses how “annotations are a critical strategy teachers can use to encourage students to interact with a text. They promote a deeper understanding of passages and encourage students to read with a purpose. Teachers can use annotations to emphasize crucial literacy skills like visualization, asking questions, and making inferences.” Annotating provides individualized and differentiated learning opportunities for students of all levels and abilities.
Questions to Consider:
- How often do I see my children reading a text for school with a writing utensil in hand?
- Would my children benefit from taking notes while reading, either directly on the page, using sticky notes, or in an online format?
Reading Strategy #3: Analysis
Analyzing (examining) books and a variety of texts through close reading strategies effectively contributes to reading comprehension. Reading comprehension involves a student’s ability to read and process a text while at the same time making meaning of its contents and integrating that meaning with their own knowledge. Audiobooks and annotations, for example, are great tools to support students in arriving at this essential reading strategy! Close reading – just like it sounds – is a method of analysis that involves closely examining details in a passage or text to determine its deeper meaning. Smekens Education Solutions offers an excellent close reading graphic that lays out an example of how to close read – looking specifically at what the text says, how the text says it, and what the text means. Meaning-making is at the root of reading engagement – and essentially – reading enjoyment!
Questions to Consider:
- Are my children comprehending what they are reading?
- Would my children benefit from more “close reading” methods?
As J.K. Rowling once said, “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” In our twenty-first century world, in a day and age increasingly stimulated by smartphones and screens, it is time to reignite our love for reading. How are we as parents and teachers showing our children and students that reading is important? Do we read with our children? Do we speak with our children about what they are reading? Do our children see us reading? In these post-pandemic times, let’s bring life back to literacy!
We, at Dynamis Learning, believe in helping parents support their children in their education, especially when it comes to reading engagement and literacy development. We work in collaboration with your child’s teacher and school to find out what the teacher sees in the classroom versus what the parent sees at home.
Contact owner, Helen Panos at info@dynamislearningacademy.com or at 770-282-9931 to schedule a free consultation about K-12 tutoring, test taking tips, SAT/ACT Prep, online writing workshops, advocacy, academic planning, or any other area of concern.
Do your children enjoy reading? Whether reading for school or for fun, do your children struggle to comprehend what they are reading?
In her education column for The Atlanta Journal Constitution, “More Must Be Done to Encourage Kids to Read,” Maureen Downey reflects on the following data: “The latest results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress . . . show 31% of American 13-year-olds report they ‘never or hardly ever’ read for fun, compared to 22% in 2012.” Furthermore, “the 2022 reading performance of 13-year-olds revealed an alarming drop in reading skills during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Whether students are not receiving adequate literacy development in the classroom or whether twenty-first century technology in the form of smartphones and television screens is distracting children from picking up books for fun, the reality is that students are not reading enough, leading to an “alarming drop” in reading and literacy skills.
As a parent and/or guardian and as a valuable partner in your children’s education, you have a unique opportunity to help change this narrative – to equip your children with the reading tools they need to succeed! Whether your children enjoy reading or would rather channel their interests elsewhere – whether your children excel in reading comprehension or struggle to make sense of the text in front of them – here are three reading strategies proven successful for middle and high schoolers at any level.
Reading Strategy #1: Audiobooks
Audiobooks, paired with following along in the physical text, is a great resource for pacing and harnessing the strengths of the visual and auditory learner. Students at any reading level can benefit from listening to a text being read to them while at the same time following along with their own book or text. In her Edutopia article, “How Audiobooks Help Emerging Readers and Inspire a Love of Books,” librarian Kimberly Rues reflects, “when a child struggles to decode [read], the rest of the process erodes very quickly. Audiobooks bridge that gap, allowing the child’s joy of reading to evolve as they continue to strengthen their reading skills in class.” Nowadays, many audio recordings for a variety of texts are freely available in the public domain and through easily accessible resources such as YouTube.
Questions to Consider:
- Do my children struggle with staying focused and pacing themselves while reading?
- Would my children benefit from an auditory tool to complement their visual reading?
Reading Strategy #2: Annotations
Annotations (taking notes while reading) support student engagement, enabling students to have a “conversation” with the text, comprehending more of what they are reading. Through a note-taking system incorporating a variety of practices from symbols and illustrations to keywords and concepts, teachers and students at any level of education can actively make meaning while reading. In her piece for Edutopia, “More than Highlighting: Creative Annotations,” high school English teacher Lauren Gehr discusses how “annotations are a critical strategy teachers can use to encourage students to interact with a text. They promote a deeper understanding of passages and encourage students to read with a purpose. Teachers can use annotations to emphasize crucial literacy skills like visualization, asking questions, and making inferences.” Annotating provides individualized and differentiated learning opportunities for students of all levels and abilities.
Questions to Consider:
- How often do I see my children reading a text for school with a writing utensil in hand?
- Would my children benefit from taking notes while reading, either directly on the page, using sticky notes, or in an online format?
Reading Strategy #3: Analysis
Analyzing (examining) books and a variety of texts through close reading strategies effectively contributes to reading comprehension. Reading comprehension involves a student’s ability to read and process a text while at the same time making meaning of its contents and integrating that meaning with their own knowledge. Audiobooks and annotations, for example, are great tools to support students in arriving at this essential reading strategy! Close reading – just like it sounds – is a method of analysis that involves closely examining details in a passage or text to determine its deeper meaning. Smekens Education Solutions offers an excellent close reading graphic that lays out an example of how to close read – looking specifically at what the text says, how the text says it, and what the text means. Meaning-making is at the root of reading engagement – and essentially – reading enjoyment!
Questions to Consider:
- Are my children comprehending what they are reading?
- Would my children benefit from more “close reading” methods?
As J.K. Rowling once said, “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” In our twenty-first century world, in a day and age increasingly stimulated by smartphones and screens, it is time to reignite our love for reading. How are we as parents and teachers showing our children and students that reading is important? Do we read with our children? Do we speak with our children about what they are reading? Do our children see us reading? In these post-pandemic times, let’s bring life back to literacy!
We, at Dynamis Learning, believe in helping parents support their children in their education, especially when it comes to reading engagement and literacy development. We work in collaboration with your child’s teacher and school to find out what the teacher sees in the classroom versus what the parent sees at home.
Contact owner, Helen Panos at info@dynamislearningacademy.com or at 770-282-9931 to schedule a free consultation about K-12 tutoring, test taking tips, SAT/ACT Prep, online writing workshops, advocacy, academic planning, or any other area of concern.