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Hey {{first_name}} ,
I’ve been teaching in some shape or form for 15+ years. There’s only one subject that gets more hate than math: reading.
Reading is largely misunderstood. For a number of reasons.
We have a ton of research on the science of reading that until I left the classroom, I did’t even know existed. So it’s safe to say that I have a lot of feelings about why kids struggle to read.
Heeyyy!
I’m Sammy Bohannon, the creator behind Unearthed Learning Roots. I believe we have to figure out what it is that kids love so that we can use it to really get through to them. So I create fun printables and learning resources for parents and teachers.
Why People Hate Reading
Have you ever loved something, been forced to do it, and then started to just completely hate it?
I have.
When I was in high school, I read 2-3 books a week.
Now, I’ve only read 2 books since January. And I know exactly when I stopped being able to enjoy reading.
College was so full of reading text books and books I HATED that I lost my joy for reading. That, coupled with depression and life in general, led me to not read for pleasure for years.
When we are forced to read in school or for a job, we begin to slowly no longer enjoy it. And for kids, it can happen much faster. Especially if they aren’t exposed to the right books, the ones that help them love reading, early on.
Reading Should Be Fun.
The current educational landscape, public schools especially, are so focused on increasing reading skills and going about it the wrong way. Reading and ELA blocks have replaced science and social studies in school and kids are no longer getting to choose which books they want to read, they are being told and forced to choose from a small selection that someone else has determined is their “reading level.”1
Camping-Themed Reading Comprehension Passage
Engage Grade 3-5 reluctant readers with this camping-themed comprehension passage. Your learner will practice making inferences, citing text evidence, and connecting the story to their own lives.
If you had do do reading instruction for almost 2 hours a day, with the most bland, boring stories that even your teacher doesn’t like, would you enjoy reading?
Probably not.
My Greatest Reading Success Story
I read to my son every day from the time he turned a year old until well after he started school. He HATED reading. He sat and listed to the books I read, but was only interested in reading at bedtime and would always decline to sit with me and read if it were any other time of day.
When he started kindergarten, he struggled with reading. By the middle of first grade, he was pretty behind national standards for reading. But I’d done everything right!?
I read to him daily. I practiced his sight words with him. I did everything I knew to do.
But here’s what finally worked.
Sure, making songs out of books and dancing and using puppets was fun, but it wasn’t what my son enjoyed. Year after year I changed my strategy, trying to figure out what it would be that got my son into reading.
I’d dealt with struggling readers before, but he was a tough nut to crack. I went through books in all of his interests: cars, construction, building, animals, and the list goes on.
Last summer, I FINALLY found the answer. My son loves mystery and fantasy.
My son had been receiving OG tutoring to help with his foundational reading skills while I focused on making reading fun. I decided to go out on a limb one day at the library and suggest The Bailey School Kids to him. It wasn’t really something I’d considered he’d like, but he was interested. I was thrilled!
Within a week, he’d finished the first 2 books. He’d never finished a book that long before on his own.
Next, we moved on to dragons. And that was it.
In less than a year, my son has finished 2 whole series: Dragon Masters* and A Series of Unfortunate Events*. Of course, he has read other books, but if you have ever read either of these, you know the reading difficulty and length are significantly different. And that happened all within one year.
Spring Fun Sequencing Cut & Paste
Your students will love sequencing these spring activities. With 8 spring activities, printable in both black and white and color, all you need to do is print these worksheets and go.
How You Can Make Reading Exciting
Don’t put pressure on your learner
What kid is excited to do something their parent wants them to do? None. If you are begging and pleading with a child to read for fun (not as a requirement!) you are just going to push them farther away.
Let kids pick their own books
This should be a given, but it’s not. I can’t tell you how many teachers I’ve heard say kids shouldn’t be able to pick any book they want. I’m a firm believer that if a book is too hard, they will just tell you. Then you can either help them with it and turn it into an experience or help them pick something that’s better suited to their abilities, but only when they ask. I still resent when I was 6 and the school librarian (who didn’t know my reading level) said that Junie B. Jones* was too hard for me and I was not allowed to check it. It’s been almost 30 years. Just don’t do it.
Making reading opportunities easy
What kind of reading opportunities are you building into your day? Do you set individual reading times? Do you have quiet areas where kids can go to read? Are those areas somewhere other than their desk or workspace? How are you making it more fun?
Pro Tip: Allowing kids to read to their pets (at home) or a stuffed animal (at school) is magic for exciting them to read. No pets? Ask your local animal shelter if you can come by once a week to allow your kids to read to a dog or cat at the shelter.
Incorporate reading in unusual ways
We currently live in an area with a lot of historical sites. When we are out around town, we like to stop and read the signs and learn more about the things we see. This didn’t happen by accident. I had to teach my kids that we could learn cool things by reading signs. Every time we go to the zoo, a museum, or anywhere with informational signs, we stop and read them and have since they were 3 or 4.
Other fun ideas are adding subtitles to tv shows or music videos, reading their favorite song lyrics, or even reading the back of the cereal box. I’ve got more, but I have a whole resource on that I’ll be sharing in a week or two.
Don’t be afraid of trial and error
It took me 8 years to find a genre of books my son would actually read. Now, I have to beg him to put his book down to help me with the dishes. While I cannot guarantee you’ll find the right thing since we all have different interests, I am hopeful that by not giving up and trying new and different things you will find the right book for your reader.
So What Will You Try?
I’d love to hear your reading stories or what you’re thinking about trying.
Comment on this post to share your ideas or questions. I respond within 72 hours.
1 I absolutely believe in reading levels and I believe that instruction should be delivered within a child’s reading abilities. However, I’m a HUGE supporter of letting kids read the books they want instead of forcing them to read “appropriate” books for their level. If they need help, they will ask. We should encourage a challenge, not tell them no.
