I have been having many discussions lately about reading. In those discussions I gave some very common reasons why children state they do not like to read. In those excuses children stated that they did not like to read because they were going to have a test later and that took all of the fun out of reading.
I have also been giving teachers tips and advice on how to do away with these no reading excuses. There are many simple tasks that teachers can carry out to encourage children to read. One suggest thing that teachers can do is to occasionally have the class read without any follow-up tests or written assignments.
If you feel that you simply cannot read a passage of text or a book and let it go, then have a group discussion such as that seen similar to having a book group. However do not give the students an assignment following their reading. Every now and then students need to read just to read. They do not have to have a follow-up reason for reading such as to be given a grade or complete an assignment.
Another excuse from students that teachers must face is that the students have trouble understanding or remembering what they read. If the reading does not make sense to them then they are likely to quit.
Teaching students comprehension strategies is very helpful. Read a passage aloud together in class. Help your students gain a mental picture of the events discussed in the passage. Model for students how seeing images in our minds of the events described by the words can help s better understand what was read.
It may also be helpful to practice comprehension skills by using books on tape. When listening to a story, the students do not have to focus on knowing and pronouncing the words. They can focus more on the story.