Coaxing Kids to Read
By Maryann Manning

Are literature programs which use a reward system useful in getting kids really interested in books?

No one wants children to read books more than I do; but like you, I want reading in school to be a source of pleasure and not just a way to receive prizes or accumulate points.

I'm often disturbed when I hear students make statements like:

• "Why should I read a fat book when I can get as many points for one that has fewer pages?"
• "I'm better than you because I'm a blue dot and you're only a green dot.
• "I liked reading better last year because we won Beanie Babies.

I'm concerned about schools in the nation using behavioristic literature programs that emphasize points and prizes. I'm not saying these programs have no value, but I believe we must be cautious in making reading a racehorse activity.

It's true that competitive programs use real children's literature books written by quality authors instead of completing practice exercises and requiring repetitious skill activities.

Schools that have adopted such programs often see an increase in their library's book collection as well. The volume of books the students read at school and at home often increases. Parents become involved in the reading program because they're required to know what their child is reading and must verify that the book was read or that a certain amount of time was spent reading.

Another upshot of such programs is that there are some students who haven't read real books before who begin to feel like successful readers. There are some students who read a book merely for points, end up enjoying it and ask for another book to read by the same author.

The argument
Here are five reasons why am I so opposed to the manner in which many of these book reward programs are implemented in some schools.

1. Competition. I am against charts hanging in the classroom that report who are the so-called good readers. I'm concerned about the feelings of the students who don't read as fast, haven't read as much or aren't reading as difficult material as others. When you think you're being punished because you're behind others, it doesn't improve your attitude toward reading.

   I believe success in reading often relates to early literacy episodes in the home, the amount of print available to the child and the ability of the home to offer support and good reading conditions.




2. Cutting off short cuts. If attending a party on Friday afternoon depends on finishing their reading, there might be a temptation to fudge on how many pages were read.
3. Reading challenging books. We want our students to read progressively difficult texts, but there are times when reading an easy book is okay. Middle grade students may want to read a picture book for pleasure, but because they can read chapter books, they're discouraged from doing so.
4. Book categorization. Just putting a colored dot on a book doesn't mean that a student has the prior knowledge to understand the content or possesses the interest to want to read the book.
5. The broader the collection the better. Students tell me that when they're interested in reading a book by an author and the book isn't in their library or a test isn't scheduled, the teacher doesn't encourage them to read it.

Looking for new ideas
My friend Nancy Turpin, a sixth grade teacher in Vestavia, AL, became concerned about the reasons her students were reading.

They were choosing books based simply on length, difficulty level, size of print or number of illustrations. She was especially concerned about their attitude toward reading independently and the attitudes of her male students whose approach to reading was not as favorable as that of the female students. Her goal was for students to develop a lifelong love of reading and she knew it wasn't happening.

Making changes
Nancy made the decision to give her students reading autonomy because they were having little opportunity to decide on their own what books they wanted to read. She wanted all books to be available to her students, not just a limited selection.

Nancy designed a reading curriculum for her sixth grade students which included large amounts of peer interaction about content, authors and genres they were reading.

She conducted several individual and small group conferences each week so she could help increase her students' reading comprehension. Nancy assessed comprehension in ways other than tests filled with insignificant details. Writing about the books was integral to the program.

How did her students feel about the change from the commercial program to Nancy's teacher designed curriculum? The reviews were positive. As one student said, "I like to reread books so I can understand them better, but last year I couldn't do that because I got behind on points."

What were Nancy's reflections about her reading curriculum designed to develop reading autonomy? She determined through her lessons that intrinsic motivation has a better effect than extrinsic motivation. Allowing students to choose their own books is effective in increasing the amount students read.

In for the long haul
A love of reading is a part of the highway of life and not a marathon race during elementary and middle school. Reading is its own joy. Readers who discover that will be rewarded with far greater things in life than points on a poster!

Maryann Manning is on the faculty of the School of Education, the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

March, 2005, Vol.35, No.6