Popcorn Reading, with only 2 kernels {day 7 of… 31 Days of READiNG Rewards}

Welcome to

Day 7 

      I’m so glad you have stopped by.     Don’t forget to read through to the bottom of the post to find out how to win a $10 Starbucks gift card!

Today’s focus is on getting a reluctant reader to read! 

So imagine this… You have a child at home who doesn’t want to read. It is like pulling teeth to get him or her to read for even ten minutes. You watch them suffer through it each night, pushing them until you finally allow them to get up – or leave their room – and go watch tv or play video games.

Of course, the first thing you need to do is get books about things they are interested in. That sometimes works and its an easy fix.

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But what if you know they haven’t spent the time reading that you know they need, and they tell you that there is nothing in the house that interests them, and they are imploring you to just let it slide for today?

Now, don’t be offended.

It sounds simple, but you are going to have to read with them.  Even the 15 year olds!

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When you have a reluctant reader, a simple and effective reading exercise is to have a group of readers read aloud from the same book, taking turns reading. The first reader finishes his reading and then hollers out the name of someone else in the room. When the other person’s name is called, they MUST start reading where the other person left off. And this continues.

Each student is to give a valiant effort, reading as much as they feel like reading but making sure to give everyone a chance. So the readers with the most difficulty are supposed to try to read for as long as they can bear it.

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Okay, that said, how do you do this with a 15 year old, at home with just you for company?

Why, you read with him! You just each read a whole page (or a half if this is more reasonable).  But the ACT of reading with the teen is SO important. You are spending time together, modeling reading, sharing, modeling pronunciation  and the teen is also hearing the story through your voice.  You might not realize it, but this helps their own oral skills – so that when they go to tell someone about their day, they learn to draw the listener in using the vocal techniques they learned from listening to you.  And they won’t even know it!

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Take, for example, THIS BOOK  (which I talk about HERE).

It might not look exciting, and it might even look challenging. But if you took turns reading each page, it just might grab your child’s attention to the point where he says, “just give me the book! I want to finish it!”

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This same thing happened at our house. One of my readers, when she was about 14, said there was nothing to read in the house.

I pulled out a book and in less than ten pages she had taken it from me and said she could read it faster than us reading it together!  And from then on, if she was having trouble finding something to read she would ask me to pick something out for her and take turns reading it.  She always ended up pleased with my choices, even though they were not books she would have chosen for herself.

Best wishes, and Happy Reading! Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for Day  8 in series!  This one will be all for Moms.

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Sharing here:

With Lauren Mills at MercyINK

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