![]() “Nonliteral language” becomes a whole lot more interesting and comprehensible, especially to an 8-year-old, when they’ve gotten to laugh at Amelia’s antics first. Then, kids read a single paragraph from Amelia Bedelia and answer written questions.įor anyone who knows children, this is the opposite of engaging: The best way to present an abstract idea to kids is by hooking them on a story. ![]() ![]() But here’s how one educator experienced in writing Common Core–aligned curricula proposes this be taught: First, teachers introduce the concepts of nonliteral and figurative language. Take this requirement from the third-grade English-language-arts Common Core standard, used widely across the U.S.: “Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.” There is a fun, easy way to introduce this concept: reading Peggy Parish’s classic, Amelia Bedelia, in which the eponymous maid follows commands such as “Draw the drapes when the sun comes in” by drawing a picture of the curtains. This disregard for story starts as early as elementary school. Read: How to show kids the joy of reading But this hyperfocus on analysis comes at a steep price: The love of books and storytelling is being lost. Critical reading is an important skill, especially for a generation bombarded with information, much of it unreliable or deceptive. Now the focus on reading analytically seems to be squashing that organic enjoyment. In New York, where I was in public elementary school in the early ’80s, we did have state assessments that tested reading level and comprehension, but the focus was on reading as many books as possible and engaging emotionally with them as a way to develop the requisite skills. What I remember most about reading in childhood was falling in love with characters and stories I adored Judy Blume’s Margaret and Beverly Cleary’s Ralph S. I recently spoke with educators and librarians about this trend, and they gave many explanations, but one of the most compelling-and depressing-is rooted in how our education system teaches kids to relate to books. A survey just before the pandemic by the National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that the percentages of 9- and 13-year-olds who said they read daily for fun had dropped by double digits since 1984. The ubiquity and allure of screens surely play a large part in this-most American children have smartphones by the age of 11-as does learning loss during the pandemic. But what parents today are picking up on is that a shrinking number of kids are reading widely and voraciously for fun. Not every child is-or was-this kind of reader. By middle school, I was reading voluminous adult fiction like the works of Louisa May Alcott and J. When I was in elementary school, I gobbled up everything: haunting classics such as The Witch of Blackbird Pond and gimmicky series such as the Choose Your Own Adventure books. No, they don’t really see what all the stress is about.Īnd what message would they like to send to adults? “Listen to us,” said Wynter, another participant.These days, when I explain to a fellow parent that I write novels for children in fifth through eighth grades, I am frequently treated to an apologetic confession: “My child doesn’t read, at least not the way I did.” I know exactly how they feel-my tween and teen don’t read the way I did either. They have gender-expansive peers and don’t think much of it. They find it easier to be themselves online than IRL, though it’s also easier to be mean. You can be more creative and more curious about the world when you’re younger.” “And I feel like you’re an adult for a long time, way longer than your childhood. “Your childhood is something you’ll never get back,” Trinity, one of the participants, said. ![]() They like being kids being an adult seems stressful, particularly when it comes to paying the bills. Over a couple of hours, the participants in this focus group, who live in states across the country, shared their views on school, family, recreation and their goals. We invited 12 kids ages 11 to 14 to tell us about how things look from their vantage. But tweens themselves are often absent from the discussion. From concerns about social media to studies about mental health to the effects of Covid school closures and beyond, the lives of tweens are a topic of much fascination and worry. Those complicated years from seventh to ninth grade are both a time of rapid change for many kids and a subject of enduring bewilderment for many adults. ![]()
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