Humans are hard-wired to appreciate stories, and there is a huge diversity of stories geared toward upper elementary and middle school students. However, interest in reading and learning often declines in middle school. Even more troubling, recent reading scores from the Nation’s Report Card show that nearly 40% of Nevada’s eighth graders lack even partial mastery of reading. Especially in light of these trends, the case for more reading is a strong one.
Reading brings enjoyment, learning and empathy to those who engage in it, and these are reasons enough to encourage it. At the same time, literacy is linked to economic outcomes and employment prospects. Following are some research-based ideas that teachers, parents, relatives and community volunteers can all leverage to support upper elementary and middle school students.
What “counts” as reading?
Anytime the words and images of an author/illustrator are getting into our minds, we are reading. That means picture books, graphic novels, chapter books, magazines, websites and many other sources all count as reading. Audio books and high-quality podcasts also count as reading. While listening, kids are getting exposed to knowledge about the world, as well as sophisticated vocabulary and complex sentence structures. Building that language knowledge can directly help kids reading texts on their own.
Audiobooks and podcasts for kids are great for time in the car. Parents might be surprised (I know I was!) by how interesting and laugh-out-loud funny podcasts for older kids can be. Some podcast recommendations, all free, are:
- – an engaging and funny Greek mythology podcast from National Geographic.
- - a very funny podcast out of Australia with ethical dilemmas for kids.
- - the kids’ version of the popular podcast, Radiolab - science, history, current events, all sorts of great topics.
- – a great science podcast from NPR with short episodes on really interesting weekly science news.
- creates excellent podcasts for kids in upper elementary and middle school. , and are three excellent ones.
Reading graphic novels and picture books
Graphic novels and picture books have won most major types of book awards. The vocabulary and topics in these books can be advanced, and the interpretation skills kids develop as they make sense of pictures and words together will serve them well. For reluctant readers or readers with histories of difficulty, graphic novels can feel more engaging and less intimidating. For good ideas for graphic novels see the reviews of excellent graphic novels every year.
Chapter books and longer texts
Of course, we want kids to be successful readers with chapter books. One way to think about this is to make sure kids have a diverse diet of texts and formats. When reading longer texts, kids may need to gradually build up endurance. Getting kids independently reading chapter books can start with a read-aloud (or audio book) of a few chapters. Kids can then read a few pages, or a chapter, or more, on their own, and then hand it back to the teacher or parent to keep reading aloud. Over time, kids can extend the amount of reading they do on their own. In education, we call this the “gradual release of responsibility,” and it’s an effective teaching approach that helps kids build independence.
Here are some terrific chapter books for read-alouds/audio books, or independent reading, or a combination.
- by Christina Soontornvat. This book tells the incredible true story of the Thai boys soccer team that got stuck in a cave for almost 3 weeks and survived (non-fiction).
- by A.S. King. A really thoughtful and entertaining look at censorship from the perspective of 6th graders (fiction).
- by Jason Reynolds. “Ghost” is a middle school student with raw talent, and some demons to deal with, who ends up on a track team (fiction).
- by Erin Entrada Kelly. A terrific, kind of quirky, novel about new friends and bullies (fiction).
- by Dusti Bowling. The main character is a middle school girl who was born without arms. The book is respectful and laugh-out-loud funny (fiction).
- by Tae Keller. An excellent book with kids figuring out who they are in the midst of popularity and bullying (fiction).
- by Sharon Draper. The main character has cerebral palsy and can’t speak. Some really great, and some really sad, things happen (fiction).
An interesting type of chapter book: Novels in verse
Novels in verse are full length novels with great stories and character development, but they are written in stanzas. At first glance, they look like poetry, but they read like cohesive stories. They can be great for reluctant readers, because the amount of text on the page is less intimidating than traditional chapter books. Here are three recommendations:
- by Sharon Creech. The main character is a boy who is very funny and does not like poetry, until he does. Kids can really relate to this.
- by Megan Freeman. The main character is a girl who ends up completely alone after her entire town has been evacuated for an unknown reason. It’s gripping!
- by Katherine Applegate. A lovely, captivating novel in verse about an otter’s experience in captivity.
“Beach reads” vs. more challenging reading
Finally, within each format of reading noted above, there are kids’ equivalents of both “beach reads” and more literary, challenging texts. We would never begrudge ourselves a “beach read,” and we don’t need to begrudge our kids “Dog Man.” Back to the diverse diet analogy, we just want to help our kids spend some time in whatever books they enjoy, while also helping them spend increasingly more time in books that will help them grow as readers.
Where to get books
Libraries, and the , provides free access to print books, e-books and audio books. Also, as kids get older, recommendations and book-sharing with friends can hold a lot of weight. Other great recommendations come from librarians, teachers, bookstores and online resources like the and . If you’re on social media, check out #BookTok or #Bookstagram for more recommendations.
A final word
Reading for academic success is critical, but that rationale usually isn’t enough for reluctant readers. Part of our job as teachers and parents is to give kids access to all the ways to experience reading, both for enjoyment and for opening up as many opportunities as possible for their futures.
推荐杏吧原创 the professor
Dianna Townsend, Ph.D., is a professor of literacy studies specializing in language development and adolescent literacy. She is also the co-founder and president of the Nevada Adolescent Literacy Network (NALN). Townsend is the program coordinator for Literacy Studies.
