Welcome to "Word Up Wednesdays", a new weekly feature where I will share ideas, stories, and strategies to help kids today rediscover the joy of reading. Each week I will share tips on how YOU can make the difference in children's joy for literacy. Follow along if you are interested in making a difference in today's youth.
Every Wednesday, I will post tips for college students, parents, future educators, and anyone who wants to be apart of growing strong, happy readers. Journals like Education Week have reported how low test scores are currently, but instead of discussing the issue at hand, I want to focus on what we can do to help these scores rise! The number of tips may vary per week, but I will strive to ensure I get at least 3 tips to my readers each week. Starting strong for my first week of #WordUpWednesday I have 7 helpful tips and tricks I want to share.
My tips I would like to share with you guys for this week are...
- Make Reading a Shared Experience: Kids love connection. Reading together, even if only for 10 minutes each night, transforms reading from homework to bonding.
- You can take turns acting things out, trying new voices, or stop to ask questions such as, "What do you think will happen next?", which will improve their reading comprehension.
- Use this acting out method to practice how we say certain punctuation marks, like a exclamation point is more excited and strong, while a question mark means your voice would sound like you are asking a question, not simply making a statement like you would with a period at the end.
- Always remember that the goal is make children enjoy reading, not only to improve their reading abilities. It is okay to be a little silly!
2. Let Them Choose (Even If It's Weird): Let kids pick any reading material. Whether it is a comic,
song lyrics, or a grade below level book, it will help them feel ownership over their reading-- therefore leading them to be more motivated.
- You would be surprised how much a kid could learn from Minecraft: Guide to Survival or a short comic book, Reading is reading!!
- Music videos with lyrics over them can be a great way too, mostly everyone loves a good song and knowing all the words to show to their friends!
3. Try"Silent 10s": Set aside 10 minutes each day where everyone silently reads, no phones or TV allowed. It could be during any time of the day, whether it is morning or night, whichever works best in your situation with a child.
- A child seeing an adult reading will cause them to want to copy the adult. Modeling is one of the most powerful teaching tools.
- If a child sees you engaged and able to stay off screens, they will have the motivation to believe they themselves can do it as well.
4. Build a Cozy Reading Spot: Create a "reading corner": this could be supplied with pillows, a blanket, even a bean bag and have a basket of books nearby. Everyone loves to snuggle up and read a good book, even kids! Just have to bring that enjoyment out of them.
- Doesn't have to be fancy, even a small comfort space dedicated to reading makes it more of a positive thing than a negative!
5. Make Reading Interactive: Bring stories to life, make reading fun!! This is one of my favorite methods as there are so many different creative ways to bring these things to life. Whether your child is more of an active learner, or enjoys art, there is a way to bring reading interactive for all types of children.
- Have kids draw scenes, make mini book trailers, or play a game of "Who Said It?" with dialogue from the story the child is focusing on.
- Teachers even set up "book tastings" events (idea inspired by We Are Teachers) where students sample different books at each table like a reading buffet.
- The more senses involved, the more memorable and enjoyable reading becomes!
6. Connect Books to the Real World: Kids engage more when they feel connected to the material. If the focus is on Charlotte's Web, visit a farm! If the focus is on Percy Jackson (5/6th grade may be interested in this), learn about Greek Mythology together.
- Books shouldn't only exist in the classroom, they should exist everywhere around us! Books can connect to experiences and conversations beyond the classroom, which will hopefully lead to more interest in reading!
7. Celebrate Every Book Finished: Forget about test scores. When a child finishes a book, ANY book, celebrate it! It is important to make kids feel good about themselves while reading.
- Hang a chart with the books finished, give them a high five, or even small stickers that say "Star Reader" could make all the difference with these kids.
- Progress is progress. It builds confidence that leads to lifelong reading.
Join The Conversation
For this week's "Word Up Wednesday" I want to hear from the readers, especially the college students who care about making an impact on children's literacy even while balancing their own schoolwork. Have you tried any of the techniques or tips I shared, did they work? If they did not work, share what you could have done to make it better. I am interested in hearing everyone's thoughts. If you want to answer one, specific question I have some listed below that would help me and the others viewing my blog!
The questions I have for my audience this week are...
- College Students and Future Educators: How can we make reading cool again? Have you volunteered in a school or tutoring program that encouraged kids to read more or improve their reading skills? Share what worked!
- Parents: What is one book your child loved reading?
- Teachers and Current Educators: What is a reading activity that always works in your classroom, and what age range would this apply to (if any)?
I look forward to hearing your feedback! #WordUpWednesday
