Literacy

Reading proficiently is such an important skill, and is “critical to a student’s entire education and predictive future education, health and employment outcomes.” (AERO). This is why Warrandyte High School actively teaches the 7 Reading Comprehension Strategies to our Year 7 and 8 students.

Reading regularly for fun is one of the key indicators of success later in life. One of the biggest hurdles to 44% of ‘non-reading’ teenagers, is having difficulty finding anything good to read (Deakin Uni). To try and combat this, our junior students spend time in our well stocked library, picking out books to read that might interest them. They read for at least 15 minutes twice a week in their English classes, where their English teacher also models good reading habits.

But what can you do at home to support your young person to create these fantastic habits that can have such a positive impact on their education, health and employment opportunities?

Encourage your young person to read for 20–30 minutes every day
Find something that engages them: graphic novels, romance, non-fiction, fantasy, action, biographies, manga, something gross etc. Find their interests and appeal to that.
Join your local library. They are a wealth of knowledge of good books for teens, and they are free!
Chat to your child’s English Teacher. They also read Young Adult books, and might have some recommendations.
Read yourself, and have books in the home. Teens who see reading modelled in their home are more likely to read then teens who don’t see adults reading. Those teens who identify as regular readers had a much higher percentage of parents that were weekly or regular readers.
Try getting them to read the book of a movie, TV show or game they like. 55% of teen readers found books they liked using this strategy.
Engage with their friends. 57% of teen readers found their next book recommendation from friends
Find time and space for your teen to read. We all lead busy lives, with a multitude of extra-curriculars. Make time in the family schedule for everyone to read. Make it a family affair if necessary!
Embrace the kids holiday down time.
Remember: ALL READING IS GOOD READING! So take the pressure off, and use things they already love to try and connect it with reading.

Reading books as a teenager enhances adult literacy, numeracy and technology skills. It is the single best thing your young teen can do right now to support them as they progress through high school and on into their adult life.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you go.” Dr Seuss.

Fiona Dzur

Literacy Learning Specialist and Coach