"Reading Isn't a Seasonal Sport"

Students and Families... after our crazy week of "Book Madness" to celebrate Literacy Week, you may have heard me say that "Reading isn't a seasonal sport." Sometimes, we get really excited about reading during Literacy Week, but then we get caught up in the craziness of the fourth quarter and we forget that reading is something we need to do daily. I'm not talking about reading for school; I'm talking about reading for fun. Did you know that students who read for pleasure typically do better on standardized tests than students who have been given direct instruction on the test (Gordon, 2010)??!! Kate DiCamillo has said that reading is a precious gift.  It has the power to "literally change the thought processes of the reader" (Willingham, 2009). You owe it to yourself to own reading...  reading for school, reading for information, and most of all, reading for FUN! If you think you hate reading, you just haven't found the right book. Come see me down in the media center, and I will accept the challenge to help you find something you will enjoy reading. I promise not to judge your choices... don't believe me? Check out this edition of our graphic novel, "Media Mayhem: Reading Rocks"!!


I challenge all of you, staff included, to create a reading goal. It could be to read five chapter books before school is out or to re-read the entire Harry Potter series (I'm talking to you, Mrs. Powell:) or maybe to try to read 4 different genres.  Whatever it is, tell your teacher and she will post it to Edmodo. Keep track of your goal, only you are in charge of your reading destiny!  Where will the Media Mayhem take you?  I can't wait to find out!!

Still aren't sure about the power of literacy? Take 2 more minutes and watch this beautiful video and maybe it will convince you how important it is to be motivated to want to read!



Keep Reading and remember that reading isn't a seasonal sport,
Mrs. Behrend

Gordan, C. (2010). Meeting readers where they are. School Library Journal, 56(11), 32. 

Willingham, D. T. (2009). Why don’t students like school? [Kindle version]. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from Amazon.com.