Why start an independent reading program? An ability to read complex material is critical to success in both college and the workplace. Kathleen Cox and John Guthrie (2001), writing in Contemporary Educational Psychology, found that the amount of reading students do is a major contributor to their reading achievement. Research by Stephen Krashen, Professor Emeriti USC, has shown that independent reading-that is, voluntary reading for pleasure-improves: reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling ability, grammar usage and writing style. A long-term routine of independent reading is good preparation for exams such as the SAT, ACT, GRE, MCAT and LSAT exams. Literacy experts agree about the benefits of frequent reading to academic achievement. Yet, statistics abound demonstrating that America’s youth are not taking advantage of this well-lit path to academic success. The National Education Association (2001) found that only half of American high school students read more than ten books per year. According to recent National Assessment of Educational Progress reports, more than a third of 4th-graders, a quarter of 8th-graders, and a quarter of 12th-graders could not read at the basic level. Kati Hancock and Sandra Huang, in a study published in Thinking K-16 (2001), found that only 1 in 17 seventeen-year olds could understand articles typically found in the science section of local newspapers!
These statistics reveal that too many students simply are not reading enough. Students who follow an independent reading program not only stand to improve their reading ability, but also increase their knowledge base.
How much independent reading should you do? That’s a bit like asking, “How much physical exercise should you do?” It depends on your goals, the time you are able commit and your motivation. A voracious reader might aspire to read 360 books in four years. A more reasonable goal, still very challenging, would be to read 100 books in four years. However, due to schedules filled with extra-curricular activities, even 12 books per year is a challenging goal for many students.
Since books vary so widely in length, standard book equivalents (SBE) are a useful tool to help you set reading goals. An SBE defines a standard book length as 260 pages. So, if you read a book 130 pages long that would be 0.5 SBE. Likewise, a 520 page book would be the equivalent of 2.0 standard books. You simply divide the number of pages in a book by 260 to get that book’s SBE. Now, you can be more precise in your reading goals. Instead of having a goal to read 25 books during the next twelve months, your goal would be to read 25 SBE.
Choosing a Book to Read
How should you choose which book to read? You should strive to read books from a broad range of genres and subjects. This will give you a well-rounded reading experience. You can further diversify your reading by selecting books published from varying time periods and authors from different countries.
In addition to genre and subject matter, you should consider book length and difficulty in your choice of reading material. A long book might be discouraging to a person who can only spend a few minutes reading each day. Likewise, reading material that is beyond your ability can discourage you from a routine of regular reading. You should skim through a book- checking its length and level of difficulty for appropriateness to where you are as a reader-before committing to reading it.
A final consideration in choosing books to read should be the knowledge base you are building. It is important to both diversify your reading and develop a depth of knowledge. That means you should have a group of topics in which you are building a knowledge base by the choice of books you read. Reading topics might include the American Civil War, ethology (e.g., books such as Gorillas in the Mist, Silent Thunder, and Waiting for Aphrodite), West African literature, and epic poems. The idea being that as you acquire expertise about a topic your ability to read further about it is enhanced. However, do not neglect to read anything that catches your fancy, even if it does not fall into one of the subject categories you are reading.
You now have three things to do to improve your reading. First, if you haven’t already started a routine of independent reading, do so now. Set a goal for the number of books you plan to read each year, keeping an eye on how long they are. You can create a log in a notebook to record and track your progress. Second, be careful in your book selection. Reading material should be right for your ability and cover a broad range of genres and subjects. Third, commit to a long-term program. Two years of following this routine will place you in a great position for academic success.
Careful reading does increase your knowledge and reasoning skills. That makes you a better student and improves your chances for a happy experience when you enter college. It also can connect you to the thoughts and experiences of earlier generations. Reading can unite you with your cultural heritage. It also can raise your awareness of other cultures.
So, read often and read challenging material! It’s fun and will bring you closer to your goal of academic success.
W.E. Poplaski is the author of 360° of Reading: A Literature Guide for the College Bound (ISBN-13: 978-159585-379-3)
Available from http://Amazon.com
What do Richard Dawkins, Jackie Robinson, and St Teresa have in common? They all can be found in this book!
360° of Reading is a literature reference guide for high school students. It makes a great stocking stuffer at Christmas, or ‘end of school year’ gift for that special student. Any student who wants to read great literature will benefit from this book.
It has reference pages for 360 books that cover novels, drama, poetry, and a broad range of non-fiction. Each reference page includes bibliographic information, a descriptive note, keywords and more.
Furthermore, the books are indexed by author, country of origin, date of first publication, and keywords. It also has an appendix listing an additional forty titles.
Twenty-four books by Pulitzer Prize winners and twenty-six books by Nobel Prize in Literature winners are among the works listed in this reference guide.
