The Practice of Reading
Like anything else that truly matters, it takes work to become a good reader, and it takes commitment to read every day. It takes persistence to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary, and it takes practice to become an expert on a genre. It takes time to savor language and linger over passages that matter.
Reading is hard work.
For the past seven months, middle school students have been working hard to become better readers. They have read a book each week and then written a reader’s response on it. Middle school students have read shared texts in class and practiced strategies for interpretation and analysis.
Next week, middle school students will also read during their Easter Break because, like anything else that truly matters, they know that reading takes practice.They need to read every day in order to become the best readers possible. Even though reading during the break can feel like a chore, it is important that middle school students continue making time every day for their reading. This is important for many reasons, but one of the most important reasons is that reading is a discipline that must be practiced every day. Like getting exercise and eating well, reading should be done daily.
By spring term, middle school students have built their stamina and are now able to read for extended periods without interruption and without losing focus. This is a achievement that matters. Therefore, it is important for middle school students to maintain their good practice of reading for thirty minutes every day because this is how they will continue building their stamina and developing their reading prowess.
We read because it matters and because, by becoming empowered, skillful readers, middle school students are better equipped to understand their world and to build a positive, intentional community.
“For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.” --Anne Lamott