How Parents Can Help Foster a Love of Reading at Home Without Using a Reading Log
(shared from another teacher and Mrs. Sindelar)
This year, students will NOT be asked to fill out a reading log in order to keep track of their at-home reading. They will not be asked to get a signature in their assignment notebook proving that they have read that night and they will not be asked to read for a specified number of minutes each night.
This does NOT mean that students are not expected to read outside of school. It is my hope that throughout the course of this school year, all of my students will begin to find ways to make reading a daily part of their lives. One of my greatest goals for this school year is to ensure that every child becomes or remains a lifelong reader. However, I do not believe that filling out a reading log each night or staring at a clock for twenty minutes is the best way for fifth graders to become or remain lifelong readers. Students will not benefit from the reading they are doing if they are more focused on watching the clock or waiting out their 20 assigned minutes than they are focused on what they are actually reading.
In fact, there is now research to support that using a reading log and requiring students to track the minutes they are reading can have a negative impact on students’ reading enjoyment and interest in reading. In addition, using a reading log becomes a short-term solution to a long-term problem. It takes away our chance to really problem solve with a student who isn’t finding time to read at home. Many students will read only to avoid a punishment that is connected to a reading log and this does not allow them to develop the kind of long term reading habits that will create lifelong readers. When students and families become dependent on reading logs, they notice that when the reading log is not there (as in during the summer) there is no reason left for a student to read. Having conversations about our reading habits gives us a much greater chance to help students develop more meaningful and long lasting reading habits.
I want students to be honest with me about how often and how much they are reading at home so that I can help them to find solutions to a lack of time or lack of motivation to read. If they are afraid of a punishment, then they are less likely to be honest and if they aren’t honest about their reading at home, I cannot help them to find solutions that will work to help them carve out space in their day for reading. For all of these reasons, I have not found reading logs to be effective in building positive reading habits in my students.
So if, as parents, you are not waiting to sign a reading log or timing your child’s reading minutes, how CAN you help to ensure that your child is reading outside of school? Here are a few ideas:
Create a sacred time during the day or at night where everyone in the house is reading.
*When everyone in the house is reading, students will be more likely to WANT to read. Creating the conditions for reading allows everyone to find more success in their own reading. I know that we are all incredibly busy, but imagine how powerful even 15 minutes of everyone in the house reading could be!
Read alongside your child.
*Even as fifth graders, children love doing things WITH their parents and I know that parents are eager to find things to do WITH their child. Finding time to read next to each other can make reading a special time that everyone can look forward to.
Read books WITH your child.
*One of the greatest things about reading is being able to discuss what you are reading with others. By reading the same books that your child is reading, you can provide your child with opportunities to have the kinds of discussions that will motivate your child to keep on reading.
Make sure your child sees YOU reading.
*Even when your child is NOT reading, if he or she sees you reading, they will know that reading is something that you take joy in and that you make sure to make time for. This creates the kind of culture of reading that motivates students to find ways to become readers themselves (even outside of school).
Take your child to the library.
*Books are expensive! And kids can go through books quickly. There is no need to buy your child every book that he or she wants to read. Taking trips to the local library can provide your family with access to incredible books and also access to librarians and other resources that can help guide your child towards even more books.
Ask your child about the books he/she is reading.
*The more kids talk about the books they are reading, the more they will want to keep reading! Knowing that there are people at home who are interested in what they are reading and what they have to say about that reading, can sometimes be the push that children need to keep on reading through the tough parts of a book. Even if a child is not enjoying a particular book, you can learn a lot about a person as a reader, and they can learn a lot about themselves, by discussing what it is they do not like.
Talk to your child about the books that you are reading.
*Tell your child about the books you are reading, but also make sure to tell your child about how you selected the books that you are reading. Talk about the books you love and talk about the books you do not like. Letting your child see that you struggle at times and are still a reader will help your child to see that even if he or she struggles, he or she is still a reader.
Do not judge what your child is reading as not being “good enough.”
*Sometimes, it is tempting to tell our children that what they are reading is not “real” reading. I believe that all reading has value. Every positive reading experience children have, where they make it through an entire text, will make it more likely that they will pick up another text because they believe they can be successful. Please know that, in school, we are exposing children to many different types of texts and teaching them the skills they need to navigate through those texts. At home, they need to be able to read what they love. Because when they find books they love, they will be choosing to read more often. When we stop them from reading the books that they love because we do not think they are “good enough” then we are making it less likely that they will fall in love with reading. So while it is great to encourage children to try new kinds of texts, it can be harmful to insist that they cannot read what they love to read.
Read in the “moments in-between.”
*Some days, finding twenty minutes to devote to reading is just not possible. If students feel like they must read for twenty minutes in order for it to “count,” they are likely to just not read at all when they feel they don’t have time. Sometimes, the best places to find time to read are in the moments in-between other things. Waiting at a dentist’s office, waiting for a sibling in the car, before their friend comes over, these are all possible moments to read. When we start to “sneak” in more reading, we are often surprised at how quickly we are working through books.
Help your child to use online resources to locate new books that are similar to books he/she has loved in the past.
*Finding good books to read can be the hardest part of being a reader. We are lucky to live in a world that has lots of incredible resources to help people find good books. Most of the books that I read, come from the online suggestions of others or from lists of good books. Using goodreads.com or the suggestions related to books students have already read and loved that are given at Amazon.com can be great places for kids to look in order to find the next book that they want to read.
Throughout the year, we will be working to build a culture of reading and a community of readers inside of our classroom walls. In my experience, this is the greatest way to bring students into a reading life outside of school. Extending this reading culture and community outside of the classroom walls can have huge benefits. Through my conversations with students and through my observations, I will be able to tell who is struggling to read outside of school and I will meet with those students to brainstorm ways to be more successful.
At any time, if you have concerns about your child’s reading habits, please feel free to contact me. Conversations with students that allow us to problem solve and make adjustments, go much further than punishments for not reading or for not getting a reading log signed.
I look forward to a year filled with reading!
Ms. Lifshitz
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