Tips to encourage reading
The benefits students’ can reap from reading are endless. As teachers, it is your moral obligation to instill early on in your students’ education the love for reading and the ability to comprehend what they read.
Unfortunately, students seem to have less and less time and inclination to pick up a book as distractions like video games take up more of their attention and time. Still, you must not let this stop your from creating lifelong readers out of your students. Here are some tips to encourage your students to read more:
- Try to make sure that the books you require your students to read would be something they would actually like to read. In assigning book reports, for example, it is better if you just give a general set of rules (e.g. no books made for children aged 6 and below) instead of specifying what books they should make a report on. Letting them choose what book they would like to read makes the book report a little more pleasurable. Who knows, this method might even make them look forward to the next book report.1
- Provide incentives for reading. Set up a program that will provide students who read books with a small prize to encourage them to read. For example, you could give the student with the most number of books read by the end of the school year a medal or a certification to honor his/her achievement.2
- Make your students be aware of the different sources of books available to them. Take them to the public library or show them the different websites that offers free e-books they can download and use (e.g. Project Gutenberg.)3
- Talk about what you read in class, but just initiate the dialogue, don’t dominate it. You must let your students discuss the book among them and expound on each others’ ideas and thoughts. This will not only develop critical thinking and improve their communication skills, it will also “oblige” everyone to read what you give them so they could join in on the discussion.4
- Set up a mini library in your classroom. Bring a few books and ask your students (those with available to spare) to bring one or two of their own. Having their own library in the classroom will not only give your students something else to do other than chatting during free time, it will also facilitate the sharing of precious resources – books!5
- Show your students your own love and passion for reading. When it comes to encouraging reading, you simply can’t tell your students to “do as I say and not as I do,” you must teach them by example.6
- Involve your students’ families. Ask parents to monitor if their children are reading the materials assigned to them, encourage them to participate in your reading-incentives program or let them think of strategies to increase the collection of books in your class’ mini-library.7
- One reason why many students are discouraged from reading is that there is not much materials available for them to use. Coordinate with the librarians in your school and in the public library and work with them in making books more accessible to your students.
The English politician and writer Joseph Addison once said, “Of all the diversions of life, there is none so proper to fill up its empty spaces as the reading of useful and entertaining authors.” Use the tips above to make your students realize this truth.
Related Article: Listings of E-Libraries
Sources:
1 Rabel, Nikki, “Reading to Children is Essential.” http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5287.html
2 Bafile, Cara, “Getting Kids to Read by Keeping their Eyes on the Prize.”
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5287.html
3, 5, 7 Starr, Linda. “The Reading-Ready Classroom.”
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/reading/tips/tips001.shtml
4 Miller, Cathy, “Engaged Reading: Turning Reading into an Active Experience.”
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/reading/ReadingCoach/ReadingCoach007.shtml
6 Benefits of Reading for Pleasure.
http://www.pinescharter.com/teacherwebs/KScarola/Student%20Work%20Files/2005%20FAU%
20at%20PPCS/2005%20FAU%20RED4750/Kori%20Winters/Promoting%20the%20Lifetime%
20Reading%20Habit%20in%20Middle%20School.ppt
