“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” ― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!
Dr. Seuss was born on March 2, 1904. Living just three blocks from his old home on Mulberry Street in Springfield, Massachusetts, and having grown up reading every book he ever wrote, I am compelled to write this blog in honor of this famous literacy visionary. In addition, I am currently employed just a few blocks from Mulberry Street, at a school in the South End of Springfield; a literacy based school. In other words, every teacher at the South End Middle School is comitted to teaching reading in every class.
Teaching at this particular school is the perfect fit for me, as I wholeheartedly believe that without the ability to readit is impossible to ever reach your maximum potential. My dear grandmother, born in 1903, just a year before Dr. Seuss, was deprived of the chance to learn to read. I remember, as a small child, learning to read myself, and at the same time trying to teach my grandmother to read, as well. I will never forget how she pretended to learn, but a few weeks later she said, "I am just too old to learn to read!" I was devastated. How could anyone be too old to learn to read? It was at that moment that I realized that I would become the best reader I could possibly be. Since then, not only do I devour books, but I encourage and teach middle school children to do the same. In fact, when I see a student reading a novel or some other book unrelated to science, it kills me to tell that student to "Stop reading, and do your science work!" I even apologize to them for asking them to stop reading.
Years ago, while working at a Catholic school in Chicopee, and in fact the same school my girls were attending, I had the pleasure of hearing Jim Trelease, author of The Read Aloud Handbook, (born March 23, 1941),and an educator who stresses reading aloud to children as a way to instill in them the love of literature, speak. We hired him to speak to our students' parents about the importance of reading. Mr. Trelease encouraged parents of children of all ages to continue to read to their children. Mr. Trelease believed that all children enjoy being read to, and this enjoyment would eventually lead to their desire to read, too. I have carried that advice with me throughout my teaching years, and yes, it is true, my middle school students LOVE when I read to them.
Last year, our entire school read the book FOUND, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, and the students would sit there listening to me read much in the same way they would sit and watch their favorite television program. During group discussion it was evident that they had been paying attention, as their responses were right on target. This year, at the new school I am teaching at South End Middle School )I am teaching many of the same students from the school I workd at last year, and these same students are beginning to read books, lots of them, on their own!
One student in particular, that attended the school that I worked in last year, hated reading, hated school, hated everything about learning. This year, in our literacy based school, we discovered that even though he is in the eighth grade, unfortunately his reading ability hovers somewhere around the second or third grade level. No wonder he hated reading so much! This semester, the eighth grade class is reading a book called Maus A Survivor's Tale, by Art Spiegelman. This is a biography of the author's father, Vladek Spiegelman, a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. The students can't put this book down. In fact, during the aforementioned boy's last basketball game, (he had been benched for the first half due to low grades), the reading teacher from our school happened to look over at our team's bench. She nudged me and told me to look across the basketball court. There this boy was, slouched down in his chair, holding up his Maus book and reading it. When he saw us looking over at him, he broke out in a big grin, nodded his head at us as if to say, "Yeah, I'm reading!", and continued reading his book. Of course, as soon as the coach told him to suit up he threw the book behind him and got ready to play hoop!
"Those who can read but don't are worse off than those who can't read."..Unknown
So, this week, develop a new habit, read to your children, read with your children, read in the same room as your children. Model reading for them, read to them, and read with them. This priceless skill will prove invaluable time and time again for the rest of their lives. It will open new doors of opportunity for them, doors that you may never have thought possible.
I have compliled a list of books that will appeal mainly to middle school children. I have done this just to get you started with some tried and true titles of popular books for this age group. I have not included books for younger children, as books for this age group are pleantiful, and I purposely did not include books for the highschool level either, as older students, by now, have probably identified the genre that appeals to them most.
If the books listed below do not appeal to you or your child as appropriate choices, take them to the library or a bookstore. Browse the appropriate age level sections in the bookstore or library, and spend some quality time discussing the various book titles and genres. Discussing various book summaries can lead to some interesting discussions between you and your child, and may lead them down the path to life long learning and reading.
Suggested Readings:
1. Oh The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss - A great book for anyone moving to the next level in their lives, for example entering high school, going off to college, or leaving home.
2. Flipped by Wendelin Von Draanen - Two next door neighbors, Bryce and Juli form a relationship that blossoms in eighth grade.
3. Coraline by Neil Gaiman - A fantasy involving a girl who explores an alternate reality through a mysterious door in her own home.
4. The Lightning Thief - by Rick Riordan. A fantasy/adventure based on Greek Mythology about an adolescent demigod.
5. The Secret Life of Bees - by Sue Monk Kidd. Historical novel set in mid 1960's in the South. A fourteen year old bee keeper learns the secret of mother's death.
6. A Wrinkle In Time - by Madeline L'Engle. An adventure involving 3 children who travel through a cosmic loophole.
7. Black Beauty - by Anna Sewell. A story about a horse, and the very first book I read aloud to my girls. They loved it, and they even took turns reading some of the paragraphs. We discussed various parts of the plot together, and my girls even decided to take horseback riding lessons shortly thereafter.
8. Little Women - by Louisa May Alcott. (My favorite childhood book!) A story about the Alcott family during the Christmas their Papa was away at war.
9. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. A boy is raised by wolves in the jungle.
10. Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Three friends think they are adopted, and technically they are, but the circumstances surrounding their adoption are out of this world.
While this is and extremely short list, I do hope it is enticing enough to get the ball rolling. Make reading a top priority in your home and the rewards will be everlasting. Happy reading!
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