Should teachers assign books on the celebrity of the moment for summer reading? They may want to consider it! A study conducted at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville determined that two factors play a key role in reducing the “summer slide,” or the decline in reading skills that occurs over summer among students who do not read. Providing students with reading materials at spring book events and giving them the authority to make their own selections for summer reading are both crucial in keeping students’ reading skills strong over the long summer months.
Despite study after study confirming the value of summer reading, many schools do not make this a requirement for their students. And if they do, the books assigned are typically viewed as “school books.” In a long-term study of 1300 students from low-income families, the University of Tennessee researchers provided 852 first and second graders with 12 books at a spring reading fair, where they had a 600-book selection from which to choose. The choices included popular fictional titles, such as the Junie B. Jones series, books about Britney Spears and other celebrities, and books with black American and/or Latino/a characters. Britney Spears was the most popular choice among the students.
The remaining 478 children were not provided with books and were instead offered activity and puzzle books. This trial/testing method was used for the duration of three summers, and then reading test scores were compared for both the book group and the puzzle group. The results are clear: the summer readers saw improved reading test scores and received the benefit of learning equal to three years of summer school. No summer slide for these children.
Experts agree: anything is better than nothing, even if “anything” is a book about the latest teen celebrity, such as Hannah Montana or Britney Spears. Dr. Anne McGill Franzen of the University of Tennessee says, “If those books get them into reading, that has great repercussions for making them smarter. Teachers and middle-class parents undervalue kids’ preferences, but I think we need to give up being so uptight about children’s choices in books.”
On second thought, teachers shouldn’t assign Britney Spears – it will instantly create the urge to not read the book among students. Simply allow them to read what they want, provide them with the means to do this, and celebrate if any book is cracked this summer. It’s a win-win: schools save a tremendous amount of money, and students grow in their reading skills instead of sliding backwards.
Posted By: Paul Adams
Friday, August 20th 2010 at 12:11PM
You can also
click
here to view all posts by this author...
