Letter: The skill of reading is proven teachable

In his column Brian Crosby bemoans the fact that kids don’t read as much as they used to.

Crosby states teachers have a tough decision to make with students who don’t read: either “test them … knowing that they will fail, dummy down the assessments so that even those who didn’t do the reading can still pass a test, or cut down on the amount of reading.” But there are other, more productive, options.

One reason some kids don’t read is because their reading is effortful and slow, and, consequently, they don’t find it interesting. So, it is incumbent on parents and teachers to teach kids to read fluently.

Teaching reading is not rocket science. There are evidence-based methods for teaching fluent reading. But it takes commitment and work by parents and teachers.

Research shows that in addition to talking a lot to one’s children, reading to them from birth is related to their own interest in and ability to read and to their overall verbal skills. Thus, for kids who are not raised with a lot of reading and who don’t already find it interesting, teachers can get them to read by selecting more inherently engaging material and providing incentives for reading.

For example, teachers can give quizzes over facts or information kids should get from reading, or they can give extra points or other rewards for being able to answer questions over the reading.

The number of ways to get kids to read is limited only by a teacher’s imagination

Henry D. Schlinger, Jr., Ph.D.

Glendale