In the Teacher Talk segment Part II: Science of Reading, we discussed the 2023 Nation’s Report Card data that showed that only 14% of 13 year olds said that they read for fun “almost every day” – which is down 13% since 2012 and also the lowest number ever recorded in this data. However, those students who reported reading for fun every day scored the highest on the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) assessment. And, all students who scored in the 75th percentile or higher reported reading for fun at least once per week.
The correlation between reading scores and reading for pleasure is not new. The question, rather, is how do teachers help students enjoy reading?
The Importance of the Read-Aloud
I had the childhood advantage of being born in 1985, the year The Commission on Reading announced that reading aloud is “the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading.” Parents, teachers, and librarians all read to me. In our busy school climate, however, time reading aloud isn’t always seen as a priority. In 2017, a self-reporting study of 63 PK-6th grade teachers found that 50-70% do not allot planning time for read-alouds.
As a former librarian who had the joy of leading storytime, I can say firsthand how much children love a great read-aloud. I can also attest to reading to middle and high school students during my time as an English teacher, and those moments were met with the same enthusiasm (admittedly sometimes masked with pre-teen and teenage angst) as young children.
Reading aloud increases reading comprehension, background knowledge, and reading fluency. But most importantly, it sparks a shared love of reading and storytelling.
The Power of Playaways
Playaways are audiobook technology that doesn’t require a device. When I was a librarian, I was genuinely surprised by the ubiquitous love of the simplicity of a playaway. My nieces inspired me to make a library display of pairings of playaways with the physical copy of the book. They loved listening to the book, and they also loved following along with the words on the pages. This is great scaffolding for students, as they are able to hear the correct pronunciation of words, as well as the reading fluency and cadency. I highly recommend playaways and audiobooks to extend the joy of read-alouds into independent reading.
Book Choice
Librarians are advocates of the “freedom to read” or for students to choose the books they would like to read for enjoyment. It really is powerful to see the way the right book can change a kid’s attitude toward reading. Finding a series or author that ignites the love of reading will take a non-reader to a reader, faster than any other strategy I’ve seen. To encourage students to find the right book, I remind them that it is okay to stop reading books you don’t like. There are plenty of great books from which to choose. The point of reading for enjoyment is to have a good time, so remind students of the goal and let them stop reading a book that isn’t fun.
Loan From the Library
Librarians would love nothing more than to support you and the children in your life in loving to read. Teachers and parents can lean on school and public libraries for countless books and literacy programming – all for free – and designed to support the love of literature. Watch the Librarian episode of Abbott Elementary to see the impact a great librarian can have.
Create a Fun Reading Environment
Veteran 2nd grade teacher Jacqueline Chaney created “Flashlight Friday” to inspire a cozy and fun reading experience for her students. Each student has a book box that they decorated, which contains books that they’ve been reading/want to read. The students take their book box to the cozy corners of the classroom and turn on their flashlight while reading. Chaney said this is a particularly welcomed activity on a cold or rainy day.
Be a Role Model: Read for Pleasure
Often I hear adults tell me that they don’t have time to read for enjoyment. I also hear the sentiment that reading for pleasure is not a worthwhile activity – that one should only read nonfiction or the classics. Reading for pleasure is one of the single greatest joys in my life. Some of my best friends are books. If we want to inspire students to read for enjoyment, which continues to be highly correlated with success in reading scores, we need to be a role model for them and read for pleasure ourselves.
Happy reading!
The views and opinions expressed on Teacher Talk are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of South Dakota.
