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Some Amazing Literacy Statistics

“Children who have not developed some basic literacy skills by the time they

enter school are 3 to 4 times more likely to drop out in later years.”

US Department of Education

“74% of children who are poor readers in 3rd grade are poor readers in 9th

grade.”

Bob Chase, President, National Education Association

“So strong is the link between literacy and being a useful member of society that

some states use 3rd grade

prison construction.”

‐level reading statistics as a factor in projecting future

Bob Chase, President, National Education Association

Only 18.5% of state prison inmates are high school graduates.

Only 2.7% are college graduates.

National Institute for Literacy

Only 29.2% of children under age 6 living at poverty rate have a parent that was a

high school graduate.

Only 2.8% have a parent with a college degree.

National Center for Children in Poverty

“To grow up reading is to grow up with power and freedom.”

Dr . Perri Klass, Director, Reach Out and Read

More information from the National Institute for Literacy:

www.nifl.gov/nifl/facts/facts.html

“To Read or Not To Read: A Question of National Consequence” is available as a

book or free 98 page document from the National Endowment for the Arts

website: www.arts.gov Publications, literature

Some Amazing Literacy Statistics

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Make Time for Reading

We're all well aware of the benefits of teaching our children to love reading. Less easy to do, however, is finding regular time slots to read to our children. Here's some ideas to help you fit in regular reading sessions with your children, no matter what else is going on in your lives.

• Select a suitable time of day. The most suitable time of day is often bedtime but it might not be suitable for you. It is very important to take into account your own energy levels and availability throughout the day. If reading a goodnight story at 8pm has you yawning and trying hard to remain awake, perhaps a story before dinner, or a story in the afternoon will work out better. You need to direct this decision to make it fit in rather than miss it.

• Select the particular days. One good idea is to alternate days or to only read on certain days. For example, you might read weeknights only and not weekends. Or not read Friday and Saturday nights. Or read every second night. Provided that you set in place a regular and consistent reading routine, this will still work really well. It can help you to work around the ebb and flow of dealing with other children's activities, work-brought-home, night meetings for clubs, church, etc.

• Break down the reading. Rather than trying to go through five chapters of a large book each night, cut it down to two chapters. Rather than read five storybooks, cut it down to two. When the alternative is nothing at all, less chapters or books will be much preferred by your child.

• Read together. When you have more than one child, make reading communal. Where an older child is able to read finds this "unfair" or "annoying", suggest that they do their reading time alone (and you can check the story's content later). Another way to engage more than one child is to read a story pitched at each age group and have each of them listen politely in turn. You will also find that "family favorites" develop over time that all the children will love hearing. And don't forget recounts of your own childhood!

• Read individually. Even where you adopt the group reading, make at least one time a week per child to read individually. This is both a bonding exercise and a source of encouragement for your child.

• Talk out loud when you are reading. If you're reading a newspaper article or something online and you think it would interest your children, read it out loud to them. This can happen at any time and is a good indicator to children that reading is an everyday, useful activity.

• Visit the library once a month for story telling. Make use of your local library's story telling facilities; take your children when these are happening. While they are listening to the story, you can be relaxing or borrowing some books for your own interest.

• Praise your children. When your children read anything - be it the label off a cereal packet or a book, be sure to praise their reading at every chance you get. Creating a reading culture in your family is an important way of helping children cope with their feelings and problems, as well as answering their curiosities, and developing their imagination.

• Read everywhere. Take advantage of every reading opportunity. Play games in the car such as Who can read what a sign says the fastest, or explain to younger children what a sign says and what it means. You can do similar activities in the grocery store. doctors office, etc.

Encouraging Reluctant Readers!

It is very difficult as a parent who loves books and reading to understand a child whom is a reluctant reader. Your not alone! There are many parents and kids in the same situation. Frustrations can quickly arise when a reluctant reading wants nothing to do with books and reading and a parent feels as if they have exhausted all options and in their attempts to encourage reading.

Below are some tips that may help bring out the inner reader in children. With plenty of patience and the right resources on hand, a reluctant reading may grow to love books and become an avid reader.

Tips for Parents to Encourage Reluctant Readers:

Create the right enviroment
Reluctant readers need a safe and comfortable place to read, a small corner in the home would suffice. The area should include a comfortable place to sit such as a bean bag chair, excellent lighting, no distractions such as the TV and the area should be relatively quiet. Kids love to have their own private space and encouraging a reluctant reader includes a space where the reader can call their own where no one will bother them or invade their space. Sit reading materials in several quiet corners around the house suitable as a reading nook. Start a book basket or shelf in your childs room with a reading light.

Books for Reluctant Readers
Books need to hold a reader's interest especially a reluctant reader, finding a child's interest is of most importance and then choosing books geared towards that interest really helps to engage the child. If kids enjoy humor, some great choices are: Usborne Books, Dr. Seuss, Junie B. Jones and Captain Underpants. Graphic novels are also a great choice for reluctant readers especially boys, boys seem drawn to the graphic novels, they are very similar to a comic book read which is something many kids find very appealing. Magazines are also a great choice for reluctant readers, keep in mind the idea is to get the child to read no matter the type of literature being offered as long as it is appropriate, of course. Although as a parent, you may not find the reading material quite that appealing, keep in mind what is of interest to your child and not you. There are so many choices of books for reluctant readers, find your child's niche and run with it!

Parents as Readers
How many times have we heard that kids learn from what they see, as a role model to your child it is essential that a child sees their parent as a reader. Parents have very hectic schedules and sometimes it can be difficult to sit down for even a minute much less take the time to sit down to read but making reading in the home a priority is a choice a parent has to make and this includes sitting down to read while the child is reading. Reluctant readers especially need to see a parent, adult and/or care taker purposely sitting down to read, this small step of modeling can make all the difference in the world to a child and help to change the child from a reluctant reader to the best reader.

Books for Readers Should be at Their Level- Skill & age appropriate
One of the most discouraging aspects for a reader especially a reluctant reader is giving the child a book that is way too low for their level or worse yet, way too high. Discussing with the child's teacher the approximate reading level of the child would be beneficial and the teacher can most likely offer suggestions of books at the child's reading level. While you have the teacher in your presence, it may be helpful to ask of any reading strategies the teacher can suggest for you as a parent to work on at home with your child. If the teacher is not available or a teacher discussion is not an option, an easy and simple way to find out if a book is at a good reading level for your child is to do the five finger method which I have used over and over again with my students in the classroom. The idea is to have a child read one page out of a book, if they cannot read a word, they should put their finger on the word. If their five fingers are each on a word, the book is most likely too difficult. Kid's really understand this and it is a very tactile experience so kids typically remember how to check themselves for a book's compatibility with their own reading level.
Another aspect of this, is you may find books that are the right skill level for your child but the content may be for an age group that is not appropriate for your child. It will take some time and research to find books that will be satisfying on both levels if your child is behind or advanced in reading skill for his or her age/skill group.

Talk Lots about the Book
The best way to encourage comprehension of a book and gain an understanding of what your child is reading is by simply talking with them and asking lots of questions about the story. Kids love telling about stories and kids feel so special when a parent shows interest in something they are doing. Children should not always be required to write a report or do a diagram after a book is read, sometimes it is just fun to talk about a book and it really helps to engage a reluctant reader if they know they do not have to do some type of activity after reading the story. Many times discussing the book will draw out more information than a report or diagram would, reluctant readers really appreciate a discussion as opposed to a writing activity.

Books that offer more than words
Interactive books that make reading fun and entertaining are great choices for reluctant readers. Books that have search and find pages, puzzles, various activities, mysteries to solve and so on. Not everyone learns in the same manner. There's sight, hearing, and touch learners..Finding out what combination your child is and including books that contain those attributes will be a great help as well. Examples- books that have touchy-feely pages or books that have sound buttons.

High Picture to Text Ratio
The more graphics the better for many kids, especially reluctant readers. It helps many people if they have a visual to relate to something, this is due to many people being visual learners.

ABC's of Literacy

Ask your child questions about the story you're reading to ensure comprehension.

Book family time to read with your children every day.

Create a special reading place in your home, with your child's favorite books within reach.

Donate funds to a literacy cause.

Encourage children to read words on TV, street signs, mugs and T-shirts.

Find new stories to read with your children every week. Vary their length and subject matter.

Give your time to read aloud to a child.

Have a child read a book to you.

International Literacy Day is held on September 8 every year. Celebrate the day by picking up a book and reading to a child.

January 27 is Family Literacy Day in Canada and November 1 in the United States. Find out how to create an event in your corner of the world.

Keep teens reading. Give them books, newspaper articles and magazines about things that interest them – music, movies, TV and computers.

Let children count out the change when making a purchase. Reinforce the importance of math in everyday life!

Make every day a learning day. Ask your children to make a shopping list, read recipes together or help them make a calendar of their weekly activities.

Newborns benefit from reading too!

Organize a children's book club with friends in your neighborhood.

Pick one night a week to make a regular visit to the library.

Quiet, cozy reading spaces are good places for your child to read independently.

Remember that children learn by example – if you recognize the importance of reading, your children will too!

Start early! It's never too early to read to your children.

Treat a child to a story a day.

Use reading time to create a special bond with a child.

Volunteer your time. Family literacy groups in your community could use your help with tutoring adults, reading to children and helping out with administrative tasks.

Write a letter.

X-ercise your mind! Reading ability is like a muscle, if you don't exercise it often, you will not maintain the same level of reading ability as you get older. So – "use it or lose it"!

You are the key to improving a child's reading ability by placing a high priority on reading in your home.

Zap off the TV - pick up a book instead!