The class was having SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) and I noticed a girl scooting around in her chair. I started watching her and every little bit she would glance at her book and then look all around the room. She looked one way and then the other. She tried to see through the blinds on the windows. She wanted to take a restroom break. She looked at her friends trying to catch their attention. The one thing she never did was read her book.
This girl obviously was only reading because her teacher was making her. She does not like to read. She can't even fake it well. SSR clearly makes her miserable. But of all the reasons to read, reading because your teacher makes you is the worst.
She could read because:
1. She wants to learn;
2. She found an exciting book;
3. She is on the fourth book in a series and the first three books were awesome;
4. She can't wait to see what happens next;
5. She wonders who did it;
6. She can picture the story;
7. She imagines herself as the main character;
8. She loves books by that author;
9. She likes scary books like the one she is reading;
10. She wants to solve the mystery in the book;
11. She hates the main character and wants to see if something bad happens to her;
12. She saw the movie (Maze Runner, Divergent, Hunger Games, Twilight, Holes);
13. She wants to read the book before she sees the movie;
14. She isn't a good reader and wants to get better;
15. She knows she will have to write about the book;
16. She wants to have intelligent things to say about the book on her blog;
17. She heard it was a great book from her friend;
18. She and her friend are reading the book and talking about it;
19. She wants to know how the main character will solve a problem.
Reading should be fun. Reading should be exciting. Reading should be a story in your mind where you can't wait to see what happens next. If it is not this way, here is what you should do:
1. Get a different book;
2. Try an easier book;
3. Try a different author;
4. Try a different genre;
5. Ask a friend for a recommendation;
6. Ask me for a good book;
7. Pay attention to when you stop getting a picture;
8. Reread, a page, a chapter, or the whole book until you get a picture.
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