Comments on How Much Kids Should Read

Suzanne Forman sez...

What an incredibly tough question. I was told my expectations were too high to ask kids to read at least 6 books this semester, unless they could all of them "in class" given class time to read each and everyone of them. The fact that I lowered my expectations from previous years was sickening enough for me, but to then be told my expectations brought bile to the top of my throat!

Reading is an essential skill and for high school students who've had NO expectations to read much of anything on their own it is a very scary prospect: find a book you'll like (what does that mean exactly), find a book you can read (I can read lots, but how do I read a whole book on my own? I've never had to do that since 5th grade.) I think one of my biggest frustrations is the absolute lack of any reading expectations at the secondary level.

Too many times I've been told that it isn't necessary for kids to read outside of the classroom, and I certainly can not assess any reading done outside of the classroom. Students appreciate teachers who do actually hold them to expectations. Students do actually want guidelines and challenges. Teachers and students do actually learn about each other when sharing the things they are reading - which ultimately helps build the community - which ultimately creates a classroom of serious readers.

So, don't lower your expectations, don't shy away from challenging your students to read and read and read! Do what you know is absolutely best for your students as readers and writers and when they finish one book, send them on to another and another and another and another....

:-)

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Steve Peha sez...

When it comes to upholding high expectations for kids' reading, it's important to keep a few things in mind:

• We're only asking them to read. This is not a hard task. In fact, it's a task that most of us as adults find quite enjoyable.

• We're only asking them read books at their independent reading level. This means that the reading we're asking them to do is pretty easy.

• We're asking them to read books they like and that they get to choose. Imagine getting credit at work or in your community for pleasure reading!

• We're asking all their friends in class to do the same thing. There's no social stigma in having to read. And there are plenty of cool people to talk with about it.

• The amount of time we're requesting of them is not excessive. We're usually talking about half an hour a day outside of class. It's not a big deal.

Kids who play musical instruments practice much more than this. So do kids who play sports. And they practice much harder and with fewer choices in those areas. Their music teachers and sports coaches ask them to practice long and hard because they know that's what's necessary to make progress. Why shouldn't we hold the same expectations about what it takes to make progress in reading?

Finally, it's worth reminding ourselves that we've all seen many kids meet the challenge of regular reading. In fact, in every classroom I've worked in where a teacher has asked kids to read a large number of books, most of the kids do it. And even those who don't do it read far more than they would expectations had been lower.

Comments

[Steve Rasmussen]

Steve, I like this justification of reading in our classes. I've had several conversations with parents about how asking them to read 20 books in a year is horrible and completely unreasonable. "How will they have time for the baseball team or their friends? They're just kids!" Maybe they're flashing back to having to read Crime and Punishment when they were in high school...

[Steve Peha]

One of the things I like best about asking kids to do a lot of work is that it allows me to help them clarify their priorities. Reading a lot of books is a good thing to do. But to some kids it may not be as important as something else. While I wish reading was a top priority in every kid's life, I know it can't be that way. So all I'm really after is a clarification of values. I will say to kids and their parents: "Reading 30-45 minutes a night is the best use of time I could imagine." They may disagree. So I can say, "I understand how you feel. But in order to make progress as a reader, I still need to see 30-45 minutes a night." This gives them the choice. They know up front what the expectations are and they can choose to meet them or not. Invariably, every kid reads more than they would without the requirement even if some don't read quite as much as I would like. That's why I like this approach: it helps kids get the most out of their school experience without threats or coercion.