Posted on 05/08/2024 5:11:28 AM PDT by CFW
Reading for fun sharply declines around age nine in an alarming trend that coincides with years of learning loss since the pandemic, data shows.
Only 35% of nine-year-olds are reading at least five days a week compared to 57% of eight-year-olds, according to the latest Scholastic survey on the issue.
“The number of kids who say they love reading drops significantly from 40% among eight-year-olds to 28% among nine-year-olds,” the Scholastic report notes.
The trend, dubbed the “decline by nine” has concerned researchers, who note that reaching reading proficiency by third grade is a good predictor of academic success.
[snip]
Additionally, teachers increasingly focus less on encouraging young students to read entire books and more on assigning them excerpts, taking a lot of the fun out of reading, children’s book author Joanne O’Sullivan told Slate.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailywire.com ...
I used SRA for many years. Besides the short bits at the front of the box, the back of the box held short stories. Good short stories like ‘Harrison Bergeron’ by Kurt Vonnegut and ‘The Dead’ by James Joyce. The kind of stuff a smart kid could get into. I used them until the box and the cards wore out and my job changed from teaching everything to teaching history.
But here might be another reason why reading has declined. The school where I used to teach and now sub at now has all the kids on Chromebooks. When there is free time, one or two kids in the class, nearly always girls, will be reading a book, the rest will be playing games or listening to music on their Chromebooks. Many kids spend the entire day with ear buds in their ears.
From what I’ve been able to observe, lessons on the Chromebooks are delivered in a method almost guaranteed to foster short attention spans. Lots of small tasks strung together. Except for an occasional worksheet, very little actual writing takes place.
I realize that I’m now a geezer, but I honestly don’t see this as a positive trend.
Shh, shh, it’s only a dream. It can’t really hurt you.
I was gonna ask.....lol
10 years old is also a good time to read everything written by Jules Verne.
What? You don’t think preteens can mope and read at the same time? Plus there is not greater comfort over the total stupidity and unfairness and meanness of a parent than a good book. True not all books are suitable for throwing but most can handle a good flounce or two.
I was never a reader as a kid. Too much fun to be had outside or I always had a job.
Nowadays, reading be raycist n stuff.
You hit the nail on the head.
My Mother had a Masters Degree in reading and taught reading
to elementary students.
My sibling and I were reading by the time we were about 5 years old. We still love reading in our 80’s.
My wife was taught reading by her grandmother and a neighbor who was the local reading teacher.
My wife, one son and two grandkids read all the time. My
wife reads at least 5-7 Kindles a week.
One of our sons seldom reads a book. He prefers a short form on the internet. He is interested in what’s happening now in his spheres.
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