Tag: reading skills

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Book Summaries, But Make Them Relatable

Have you ever read a book so good you couldn’t put it down? You devoured the story line, related with the characters, and could imagine the whole plot in your mind- it was SO good. Then, a week after you finished it, your friend asks you what your favorite part of the book was or what it was about, and you are completely stumped. For the life of you, you cannot remember any details– just a simple plot summary. 

I know I can’t be the only one who has had this kind of thing happen to them. I think that this happens to us as adults because of a few reasons: we’re reading through material fairly quickly, which doesn’t give our brains enough time to fully process and store what we read, we have so many other things competing for mental storage space as adults that the details of a story often get pushed out, or maybe our reading is interrupted. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons this happens is that we subconsciously know we aren’t being tested or graded on what we read like we were when we were in school, so our brains kind of filter out the smaller details, without any real effort from us. When there are higher stakes, we tend to focus on something more intently, and therefore remember more about it. In school, we often ask students to write down things about their reading– because we know it will help them retain information better. 

Giving them an assignment associated with the reading makes them accountable and will help encourage more active reading. But just taking notes on a story sounds kind of boring, if I’m being honest. If we make it relatable and/or engaging, students are more likely to remember and make sense of what they read– and they are more likely to want to participate in the assignment. When students write down information, it creates a mental connection, which helps to cement information in their minds.

I’ve created two different worksheets you can print off and use. Each worksheet uniquely asks students to recall information from their reading, and does so in an engaging way. Feel free to print them off and use them with your classes. Both worksheets would be most effective for students in upper elementary grades or students in middle/junior high.

**Downloads are intended for classroom or personal use only. They are not to be sold, reposted, or claimed as your own.**

Plot SquaresDownload
Character Text ThreadDownload
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Reading: Worth the Fight

We’re just over a week into the new school year, and one of my kids has already pushed back over required reading time. For the past several years, his teachers have set a required time for reading every night, ranging from 20-30 minutes. As an avid reader and former teacher, I’ve obviously been on board with these daily reading requirements. It’s a no-brainer for me. 

This year, however, his teacher won’t be assigning a specific amount of time or number of pages to read each night. Instead, students have a chart on their school computers where they can log any minutes they read, though it’s not a requirement or an assignment. Naturally, my son took that to mean, “I can read for even just one minute and put that in my log!” Fourth graders, right?! You can imagine his dismay when I told him that even though his teacher wasn’t going to assign reading time, my husband and I were. Despite his nightly protests, we have held strong to this boundary, and most nights, after his 30 minutes are up, he asks if he can read just a little bit more— and who am I to say no to that?!

You might wonder why I choose to pick this battle. After all, it would be much easier to give up the fight and not have to listen to the whining and protesting every night. I’d probably even gain “cool mom” status with my son if I didn’t have him read. But honestly, I am not out to win “cool mom” status, and pushing through the whining is 100% worth it to me. 

You see, I’ve encountered so many teenagers who struggle to read. Kids who really are very smart and capable, but just are not where they “should” be in regards to reading. Kids who are terrified to read out loud in front of their peers because they are not confident in their reading abilities. One way to combat this is to have kids read regularly— even a short 15 minutes a day can make a world of a difference in reading ability. 

Reading goes so far beyond opening a book and following along. It opens doorways to many other skills! Reading increases vocabulary, improves writing skills, boosts confidence, encourages imagination, and increases knowledge, among other benefits. Reading is a life long skill. I know not everyone will continue to pick up a novel and read as adults, but the foundational skills gained through reading in the younger years are vital. Even on days I don’t pick up a book to read for fun, I am still reading things all day long— a menu at a restaurant, a recipe as I cook dinner, the labels on food at the store, road signs, texts, social media posts, and so on. The ability to read is one that cannot be put on the back burner. 

In order for young kids to become better readers, they must keep reading. If someone wanted to be a better football player, they would continue to play football. The same goes for reading. It is simply a skill that must not be ignored. I might even go as far as to say that reading is one of the most important skills that can be learned. It is, after all, something that is used in every other subject they will learn. It is a skill that they will use no matter what career path they use. 

So the next time your child or one of your students complains about reading time, remind them that you are actually helping them— Helping them become better readers, writers, thinkers, and doers, because reading is the key to opening doors to the future.