When they were very young, they loved books. In their later
elementary and early secondary years, they may have even hidden
under the covers with a flashlight at night trying to read beyond
"lights out" time. But now that they’re teenagers, suddenly they
would rather be shopping, watching TV, talking on the phone,
driving around, or hanging out with their friends.
Yet it is important for
teenagers to read and read a lot if they are going to grow into
thoughtful, literate adults.
According to the International
Reading Association: "The ongoing literacy development of
adolescents…requires just as much attention as that of beginning
readers. The expanding literacy demands placed upon adolescent
learners includes more reading and writing tasks than at any other
time in human history. They will need reading to cope with the
escalating flood of information and to fuel their imaginations as
they help create the world of the future."
Going beyond what’s required
Reading is a key part of every
school’s curriculum. Indeed, the State Education Department now
asks that students be assigned at least 25 books (or their
equivalent) across the curriculum every year from kindergarten
through 12th grade.
Getting students to not only
meet their school assignments but to read at home purely for
pleasure can produce enormous benefits.
Jim Trelease, author of "The Read Aloud Handbook" asserts on
www.Trelease-on-reading.com, students who read the most
end up achieving the most and staying in school the longest.
At the very least, the teenager
who gets used to consuming books in high school won’t be so
overwhelmed in college when he/she suddenly is faced with reading
not three chapters but rather 300 pages a night.
Modeling is often the key
If you’ve got a reluctant
reader, the good news is that it matters less what is read than
simply that he/she reads. "Don’t fall into the trap of ‘thicker is
better’," warns Trelease.
Young people should be allowed
to read what interests them. For example, if your junior loves
music, get Rolling Stone magazine. If he’s handy, get Popular
Mechanics.
Popular culture is another key. A
teenager who gets interested in a movie may very well be moved to
read the book. Young people also like to delve into current events
and issues that have meaning to them, ranging from the Columbine
shootings to eating disorders.
Modeling is often the key to getting
teens to read, and experts say it is never too late to start the
reading habit, even for adults. The great news is that teen
reading material is also likely to interest parents and provide a
good vehicle for bonding at this tricky age. This was the case for
one mother who read Toni Morrison’s Beloved along with her
17-year-old daughter and later went to see the movie with her.
"Through our discussions about this rather complicated and
emotional story, we learned more about each other, and I came to
realize just how deep a thinker my daughter is," this mother
reports.
Reinforcing the reading habit
- Keep reading materials in
every room in the house.
- Listen to books on tape in
the car.
- Ask older children to read to
younger children.
- Visit libraries or bookstores
together. Give your teen
a bookstore gift certificate.
- Establish a family reading
time. After dinner often works best. Allow no interruptions, and
allow kids to read whatever they want.
- Read the same things your
kids do. Talk about them together.
- Read aloud to your kids.
Share newspaper and
magazine articles, humorous poems or snippets of
a book you’re reading.
- For ideas on good books for
teens, contact your school librarian, the public library or
on-line bookstores.
