How Do You Read?

2012 is the National Year of Reading - an initiative designed to promote the joy, value, and importance of regular reading.  As a result we have a number of initiatives under way to help our students become immersed in good books/stories.

I am quite fortunate that both of my children are avid readers.  I am also very aware that as they approach their teenage years the challenge of maintaining their love of reading will arise.  Recently I have been using the Kindle Touch to re-ignite my son's passion for reading.

I know that many people like the feel of a book in their hands when they are reading.  I also know many people who felt that way until they tried an e-reader - my son being one of them.  The reasons I like e-readers are:

• no more trips to the book store looking through a limited range - when using a Kindle you have access to Amazon's huge selection of e-books
• no more waiting for books to arrive in the mail - e-books are downloaded to your e-reader in seconds
• the built in dictionary - when you come across a word that is unfamiliar you can simply put your finger on the word and it will bring up the dictionary meaning for you (great for increasing the vocabulary of young readers)
• you can take an entire collection of books with you wherever you go

If you are lucky enough to have an avid teenage reader you might find an e-reader is a helpful tool for feeding their voracious reading appetite.  If you have a reluctant teenage reader, you may find that an e-reader can help them to rediscover their love of the written word.  Whatever you use, take every opportunity to help your children enjoy reading and engage with good stories.

Readers are Leaders

During this term I have been working with the students to develop some healthy reading habits. I have been a little surprised at how resistant some students have been to commit to a regular reading schedule. We have spoken may times about the importance of reading with regard to the exercise and stimulation it provides for the brain and thinking processes, and we have set goals of independently reading for at least 15-20 minutes each day. This should then easily translate into at least one book each month.

I wonder how the students would feel if England's Education Secretary, Michael Gove, could make his suggestion that high school students should read 50 books each year come true.

Read the article here.

Part of the joy of reading a book is taking time to immerse yourself in the story, as well as spending time reflecting on the story, the characters, the plot and the messages being communicated by the author. I am not sure that I agree that reading a book each week will allow you the time to do this. So while I may not agree with putting strict numbers on how many books need to be read, I certainly do subscribe to the notion of regular reading as a way to exercise the brain, and as a great way to relax and slow down our busy lives for a while. 15-20 minutes each day is all it takes.

The Reading Room

As a parent it can be quite challenging to satisfy the insatiable reading appetite of your children. With so many books and authors how do you keep abreast of good (and appropriate) reads for your children. The Reading Room is a site that contains hundreds of reviews that are categorised according to genre and interest age. This site may be a great tool in helping you to find new and interesting books that will maintain your child's love of reading and assist in developing positive life-long reading habits.