I am working my way through the Kids & Family Reading Report which has been published by Scholastic.
So far I have been quite surprised at some of the findings and the enthuaism that kids have for reading, even if it is not being visibly expressed.
Yes the results drop through secondary schooling, because more time is required for one to engage in academic reading and study.
But one element of interest to me is how nearly three quarters of kids would read more if they could find more books that they like.
I have to remind myself about knowing the students, their reading habits but also their interests. I have noticed in partticular that conversations that you have with students in the library are important to guiding students.
Suggested reading lists are always a good key because the popular or related items can easily be listed and identified. I have done that with the NSW Premiers Reading Challenge at Waverley College and the response from the participants has been very good. They actually asked me questions about the books and being able to recommend the item (or not). Why do a reading list? It can act as a guide given the overwhelming choice of books that a school library can offer these days.
I have noted it before, but if a student is a reluctant reader, I always ask them what their interests and hobbies are and then try to find a suitable book/s for them to read. I have found that they are more likely to engage as a result.
Also, getting kids to read is about giving them choices, like allowing one to read non-fiction if they wish instead of fiction. restrict Narrowing choices can put one off reading. Neither, would I ever recommend what I have seen one English teacher do at one school - make their students select from one of two books to read and use poor behaviour as justification for that. If a student can choose what to read, won't they be more likely to do what is required?
