For my Special Education Teaching Program I have a class called Teaching Reading and Language Arts: Students with Disabilities. After the teacher introduced herself, she wanted us to state our name and our favorite book. The very first girl she asked stated that she in not big into reading. She has a hard time sticking with a book because she has a very short attention span and that reading is not very enjoyable. She tried to remember the last book that she read and all she could come up with is a book that she remembers her mother reading to her as a child that she really liked.
As we went around the room, I was kind of surprised at how many people were not really readers. They really had to think hard of either the last book they read, or what their favorite was. There were a few people who enjoyed reading and it was hard for them to narrow it down to a book, so they stated a favorite author.
When it came to me, I stated that I love to read. I love books. In fact, there was one summer (I was 14 or 15) that I read a book a day. I would go across the street to the library and get a book. Then I would go over to the gas station and get a candy bar or a drink. Then go home and spend 3-5 hours reading. The next day I would do the same thing. The last few years I would pick an author and try to read everything they've written: Orson Scott Card, Mary Higgins Clark, Gary Paulsen, and Jan Karon. I stated that one of my favorites was A Wrinkle in Time. I remember reading it in 5th grade for class. We were assigned so many chapters a day. I read ahead and finished the book because I enjoyed it so much and couldn't wait to see how it ended.
Then later, the teacher asked if any of us have specific experiences with books, like a book that changed our lives, or how reading has impacted our life, etc. I made the comment that I can remember my dad lying on the couch reading a book I also remember that my mother read to us a lot. One time my uncle came over to visit, I got out a book and said, "Uncle Jim let me read to you" and proceeded to read aloud to him. He was amazed because I wasn't even in Kindergarten yet, and here I was reading to him. My mother told him that I had the book memorized and even knew when to turn the pages.
The sad thing is that I haven't read much lately, other than text books, and I haven't been very good to read books or stories to my children. So, that is another area of improvement for a New Year's resolution.
The teacher gave us a assignment that for this semester we need to read 10 childrens books and 3 chapter books. I began thinking of books that I have, books/authors that I want to read, and books I would recommend.
Here are some of my all time favorites that I would recommend.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
I am the Cheese by Robert Cormier
Stranger with my Face by Lois Duncan
The Third Eye by Lois Duncan
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Alvin Maker series by Orson Scott Card
anything by Jack Weyland
anything by Lane Smith & John Scieszka
Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
Encyclopedia Brown mysteries by Donald J. Sobol
Trixie Belden mystery series by Julie Campbell Tatham
The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Do you like to read, do you have a favorite book, series, author, or genre?
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I am not a reader. You're probably surprised because I know almost all of us kids like to read. Not me. I don't read anything besides the scriptures. Thankfully my boys bring home books for homework. Koen really likes the Magic Treehouse series and those are chapter books so I read them to the kids at bedtime. Eades is in a reading program so he reads me a book everyday. Maybe I'll learn to enjoy reading by reading to them. They both really like it.
ReplyDeletei enjoy reading, but i don't always get a lot of time to read. right now i'm reading two books, depending on where i am when i pick one up. one is called "the rice room, growing up chinese american, from number 2 son to rock and roll". long title, i know. it's an auto biography by ben fong-torres. he's a writer for rolling stone magazine. the other is "ice station zebra". it's a spy novel set on a submarine by allistair maclean. it's pretty good, too. i've read a few of his books and it seems like the main character is always named john. kinda neat.
ReplyDeleteI always hated to read. Let me write any day - but please do not make me read. bleh! the only book I ever read in high school all the way through was "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller, and that was only because we read it aloud in class. All of the other books - I skimmed, I watched the movies, I took copious notes in class. That being said, I was always good about reading to my kids. We have a lot of book and my kids Loved books as little kids. But as they grew older, I realize they are more like me. They's rather be writing than reading. I had to find books my boys would stick to, such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Dogs don't tell jokes by Louis Sachar, etc. Personally, for fiction I like Nicholas Sparks. But I am a sucker for romance (that doesnt get pornographic). Anyway, I was like many of your classmates... I could tell you the last article in a magazine I read, but not a book. Then, when I got divorced, I passed my sleepless nights away by reading. Now I blog - or usually do school work. Mostly, I like self-help books or romance.
ReplyDeleteI am a poor reader. I have a very low comprehension level and must read things over and over to understand them. I did read a book in high school in study hall because the teacher made me... It was called A Sense Of Magic. It was so funny that I laughed out loud. I discovered that I could read and enjoy books written on a simple level.
ReplyDeleteWhen the children were little I read the Dr Suess books to them and the companion books at that level, then as they got older I read the Beverly Cleary books to them. They enjoyed them as did I.
They did not seem to mind reading too much, but it never became my passion. I enjoyed watching old movies. I still like to watch a movie than read. But all that practice reading allows me to read the scriptures at a very slow pace and reread the parts I need to understand. I take my time and read every hard name of person and place, etc. That is the only book I read. I am in the old testament right now. I started last year already and am only up to Deuteronomy. So you can see how slow I am. I enjoy the scriptures. They make me feel at peace and loved by Heavenly Father.
Keep up the good work by supplying time and books to the children.