Table of Contents - Scholastic | Books for Kids

Table of Contents

WHAT READING MAKES POSSIBLE................................................................................... 4 How to Read the Compendium............................................................................................................ 6

READERS.................................................................................................................................. 7 Early Readers....................................................................................................................................... 8 Adolescent Readers ........................................................................................................................... 13 Boys ................................................................................................................................................... 18 English Language Learners ............................................................................................................... 21 Diverse Learners................................................................................................................................ 28 Reluctant Readers .............................................................................................................................. 32

READING ................................................................................................................................ 39 Volume, Stamina, and Avid, Independent Reading........................................................................... 40 Comprehension .................................................................................................................................. 48 Background Knowledge .................................................................................................................... 52 Vocabulary......................................................................................................................................... 56 Fluency .............................................................................................................................................. 60

A GROWTH MINDSET......................................................................................................... 63 Growth Mindset and Reading Confidence......................................................................................... 64 Engagement and Motivation.............................................................................................................. 67 The Power of Reading Choice, Time and Pleasure ........................................................................... 70

TEXT........................................................................................................................................ 76 Access to Books................................................................................................................................. 77 The Summer Slide ............................................................................................................................. 82 Classroom Libraries........................................................................................................................... 86 Home Libraries .................................................................................................................................. 91 Genre and Text Types........................................................................................................................ 94 Text Complexity ................................................................................................................................ 97 Nonfiction ........................................................................................................................................ 100 Fiction .............................................................................................................................................. 104

TEACHING............................................................................................................................ 108 Interactive Read-Aloud in the Classroom........................................................................................ 109 Guided Reading ............................................................................................................................... 114 Text Sets .......................................................................................................................................... 118 Book Clubs ...................................................................................................................................... 123 Reading and Writing Connections ................................................................................................... 128

HOME LITERACY ............................................................................................................... 132 Oral Language--The Foundation of Literacy ................................................................................. 133 Speaking Two (or More) Languages is Better Than One ................................................................ 138 Home Reading Culture .................................................................................................................... 140

The Joy and Power of Reading | A Summary of Research and Expert Opinion

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The Read-Aloud & Reading Role Models Boost Learning ............................................................. 146 LIFETIME BENEFITS: THE CASE FOR INDEPENDENT READING ............................ 150

Written by: Lois Bridges, Ph.D. Copyright ? 2014 by Scholastic Inc.

The Joy and Power of Reading | A Summary of Research and Expert Opinion

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WHAT READING MAKES POSSIBLE

"A childhood spent among books prepared me for a lifetime as a reader."

--Carol Jago, Past President of the National Council Teachers of English

Reading shapes lives; reading even saves lives. Consider the stories of our greatest leaders across time, culture and place. Almost all credit reading as an essential force that catapulted them to success. Thomas Edison, for example, had little formal schooling but was a "relentless autodidact" and profited mightily from reading books in his father's home library, as well as the Detroit public library (Walsh, 2010). But Edison's story has its basis in science; indeed, explicit, systematic cognitive research gathered over many decades provides proof beyond dispute that reading not only builds our brains, but also exercises our intelligence.

Reading Makes Us Smart

Anne Cunningham, renowned cognitive psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, explains that reading is a "very rich, complex and cognitive act" (2003) that offers an immense opportunity to exercise our intelligence in ways we lose if we don't read. Hundreds of correlated studies demonstrate that the most successful students read the most, while those who struggle read the least. These correlated studies suggest that the more our students read, the better their comprehension, vocabulary and fluency ? and the more likely they are to build a robust knowledge of the world. In short, reading provides us with a cognitive workout that transcends not only our inherent abstract problem-solving abilities, but also our levels of education. Reading makes us smart.

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Consider These Facts:

? Reading builds a cognitive processing infrastructure that then "massively influences" every aspect of our thinking ? particularly our crystallized intelligence--a person's depth and breadth of general knowledge, vocabulary, and the ability to reason using words and numbers. (Stanovich, 2003).

? Children between the ages of 10 and 16 who read for pleasure make more progress not only in vocabulary and spelling but also in math than those who rarely read (Sullivan & Brown, 2013).

? "Omnivorous reading in childhood and adolescence correlates positively with ultimate adult success" (Simonton, 1988).

? Multiple studies have shown that avid readers demonstrate both superior literacy development and wide-ranging knowledge across subjects (Allington, 2012; Hiebert & Reutzel, 2010; Sullivan & Brown, 2013).

? Avid teen readers engage in deep intellectual work and psychological exploration through the books they choose to read themselves (Wilhelm & Smith, 2013).

In addition to increasing intellectual prowess and expanding vocabulary, reading also educates the imagination "... kindling the spirit of creativity in every human heart" (Jago, 2010). And reading fiction, in particular, expands the heart, making us compassionate (Oatley, 2014).

The Reading Life

We've known for a long time that the best way to help our students succeed is to encourage them to read. To that end, we want our students to discover themselves as readers, to have a sense of their own unique, rich and wondrous reading lives. What books make their hearts race? What topics do they return to again and again? Dick Robinson, President and CEO of Scholastic, sums it up: "You are what you read." Effective teachers work hard to help their students establish a Reading Identity that declares, "This is who I am as a reader and this is why."

This research compendium aims to showcase decades of reliable reading research to support you in your ultimate aim as an educator and parent: to help all children become proficient, avid readers who bring passion, skill and a critical eye to every reading encounter.

In this way, our students might grow to exemplify and embrace the words of Myra Cohn Livingston, poet, musician, critic, educator and author:

"Books have more than changed my life ? they have made it possible."

The Joy and Power of Reading | A Summary of Research and Expert Opinion

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