Create Better ReadersCreate Better Readerswithout spending a dime!without spending a dime!

Donna M. SmithDonna M. SmithIndianapolis Public SchoolsIndianapolis Public Schools

The Power of The Power of LiteracyLiteracy

“ “ The young people of today will The young people of today will need to demonstrate a higher need to demonstrate a higher level of literacy because they are level of literacy because they are inundated with information and inundated with information and data.data.

They must be able to discriminate, They must be able to discriminate, judge, analyze and evaluate judge, analyze and evaluate information. If we successfully information. If we successfully educate them to function at the educate them to function at the powerful literacy level their futures powerful literacy level their futures truly will have impossible limits for truly will have impossible limits for success.success.

--Dr. Eugene White--Dr. Eugene White

The preschoolers who had heard more words, The preschoolers who had heard more words, and subsequently learned more words orally, and subsequently learned more words orally,

werewere better readers. better readers.

In the four years prior to In the four years prior to kindergarten—kindergarten—

• A child in a professional A child in a professional family accumulates family accumulates experience with almost 45 experience with almost 45 million wordsmillion words

• A child in a working-class A child in a working-class family – 26 million wordsfamily – 26 million words

• A child in a welfare family – A child in a welfare family – 13 million words13 million words

Linda BevilacquaLinda Bevilacqua Core KnowledgeCore Knowledge FoundationFoundation

0

10

20

30

40

50

Vocabulary

Professional

Working- Class

Welfare

Create a love for books!Create a love for books!

• Book fairs during parent events Book fairs during parent events • Donated books for all children to take homeDonated books for all children to take home• All students should take library books homeAll students should take library books home• Participate in all community reading programsParticipate in all community reading programs• Bingo for Books, Bilingual Bingo for BooksBingo for Books, Bilingual Bingo for Books

Free ReadingFree Reading Reading for Pleasure Reading for Pleasure Research has shown Research has shown

that children who that children who don’t read for pleasure don’t read for pleasure have an extremely have an extremely tough time developing tough time developing the language and the language and literacy competencies literacy competencies necessary to succeed necessary to succeed in today’s world. in today’s world.

---Krashen, Stephen, “Free ---Krashen, Stephen, “Free

Reading”, School Library Reading”, School Library

Journal, Sept. 1, 2006Journal, Sept. 1, 2006

Light Reading?Light Reading?

Perhaps the most powerful way of Perhaps the most powerful way of encouraging children to read is to expose encouraging children to read is to expose them to light reading, a kind of reading them to light reading, a kind of reading that schools pretend does not exist, and a that schools pretend does not exist, and a kind of reading that many children, for kind of reading that many children, for economic or ideological reasons, are economic or ideological reasons, are deprived of. I suspect that light reading is deprived of. I suspect that light reading is the way nearly all of us learned to read.the way nearly all of us learned to read.

--Stephen Krashen--Stephen Krashen

Technology makes reading Technology makes reading “tight”!“tight”!

• I PodsI Pods

• Audio booksAudio books

• Smart phonesSmart phones

• Interactive books Interactive books and gamesand games

• E booksE books

• LCD projectorsLCD projectors

Surround students with Surround students with text…text…

• Book clubs during lunch, Book clubs during lunch, after school, or during study after school, or during study hallhall

• Teach nursery rhymes and Teach nursery rhymes and poems during lunchpoems during lunch

• Create relationships with Create relationships with retailers and bookstores retailers and bookstores (Borders & Wal-Mart)(Borders & Wal-Mart)

• Older students as “reading Older students as “reading buddies” during their recessbuddies” during their recess

• Community volunteers to Community volunteers to read to students or listen to read to students or listen to them readthem read

Children who are read to at school or Children who are read to at school or at home read more and show better at home read more and show better literacy development.literacy development.

--Lomax, 1976, Neuman, 1986, 1995--Lomax, 1976, Neuman, 1986, 1995

•Teachers should read to students daily•Train parents how to read to their childrenParent logs for minutes parents read to their children•Include reading or being read to as homework

Summer ReadingSummer Reading Those who read Those who read

more over the more over the summer made summer made significantly significantly greater gains in greater gains in reading reading comprehension.comprehension.

--Kim 2003--Kim 2003

Second Language Second Language AcquisitionAcquisition

““Voluntary pleasure Voluntary pleasure reading is also reading is also beneficial for second beneficial for second language acquisition, language acquisition, especially as the reader especially as the reader is free to choose is free to choose reading material that is reading material that is of interest and the of interest and the proper level in order to proper level in order to be understood.”be understood.”

---Krashen, Stephen D. 1981,---Krashen, Stephen D. 1981, Principles and Practice in Principles and Practice in Second Language AcquisitionSecond Language Acquisition

The home print environment was The home print environment was about as strong a predictor as about as strong a predictor as SES (social economic status)…SES (social economic status)…

“ “The home print environment (number of The home print environment (number of books in the home) was a strong predictor of books in the home) was a strong predictor of reading achievement, even when income, reading achievement, even when income, parental education, aspects of schooling, parental education, aspects of schooling, language used at home, and other aspects of language used at home, and other aspects of the home environment were controlled. This the home environment were controlled. This was the case at age 10 and also at age 15.”was the case at age 10 and also at age 15.”

--Krashen, Stephen, “Protecting Students Against the --Krashen, Stephen, “Protecting Students Against the Effects of Poverty: Libraries”, New England Reading Effects of Poverty: Libraries”, New England Reading Association JournalAssociation Journal

Books at Books at HomeHome

A print rich A print rich environment in the environment in the home is related to home is related to how much children how much children read; children who read; children who read more have read more have more books in the more books in the home.home.

--Morrow, 1983; Neuman 1986; --Morrow, 1983; Neuman 1986; Greaney & Hegarty 1987; Greaney & Hegarty 1987; Kim 2003Kim 2003

Visit to a Public LibraryVisit to a Public Library

Second and third grade children Second and third grade children who came from print-poor who came from print-poor environments and who attended a environments and who attended a school with a poor school library school with a poor school library were taken to the public library were taken to the public library monthly. Each child was allowed monthly. Each child was allowed to take out ten books, which to take out ten books, which suddenly produced a substantial suddenly produced a substantial classroom library for use during classroom library for use during sustained silent reading time and sustained silent reading time and for reading at home. It was clear for reading at home. It was clear that the children enjoyed their that the children enjoyed their visit; most reported reading more, visit; most reported reading more, that reading was easier, and that that reading was easier, and that they wanted to return to the they wanted to return to the library. library.

--Ramos and Krashen, 1998--Ramos and Krashen, 1998

Stephen Krashen Stephen Krashen Concludes…Concludes…

“ “Reading is good for you. The research, however, Reading is good for you. The research, however, supports a stronger conclusion: Reading is the supports a stronger conclusion: Reading is the only way, the only way we become good readers, only way, the only way we become good readers, develop a good writing style, an adequate develop a good writing style, an adequate vocabulary, advanced grammatical competence, vocabulary, advanced grammatical competence, and the only way we become good spellers.”and the only way we become good spellers.”

BibliographyBibliography• Bevilacqua, Linda; President, Core Bevilacqua, Linda; President, Core

Knowledge Foundation, Knowledge Foundation, www.coreknowledge.orgwww.coreknowledge.org

• Krashen, Stephen; Krashen, Stephen; The Power ofThe Power of ReadingReading, Libraries Unlimited, 2004., Libraries Unlimited, 2004.

• White, Eugene, “The Power of White, Eugene, “The Power of Literacy”, The Indianapolis Star, June Literacy”, The Indianapolis Star, June 29, 2008.29, 2008.