Joyful Reading & Writing

Many of the texts I read as a child have been like roadmap markers, showing me a range of life options … helping me define myself not only as a reader, but also, as a human being.
-Dr. Alfred Tatum, Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Professor of Education, Metropolitan State University of Denver

The adage “a rising tide lifts all boats” is apt when we consider joyful, independent reading. When we read extensively and intensively, literacy skills and understandings rise, too. We have decades of research proving that avid readers are skillful readers and strong writers. They know about the conventions of language, such as spelling, punctuation, and grammar because every time they open the pages of a good book, they get a lesson on effective writing. Avid readers have robust vocabularies, and they have knowledge about the world. Reading makes us smart and changes us in ways that expand our understanding and soften our hearts. The following resources address ways to cultivate avid readers.

Diego

El Nido Elementary

An Alliance With The Public Library

Loving a Book

LIFE-CHANGER ESSAYS

Portrait of a Super Reader: Kimberly Alvarez-Delgado
Portrait of a Super Reader by Nawal Qarooni
Kids and Books by Susan Ohanian
A Brief Intervention for a Lifetime of Reading by Sharon Zinke
El Nido’s Journey to Book Abundance by Sharon Zinke
Knowing Our Kids as Both People and Readers by Jill Schechter
How Do We Grow Super Readers? Choice, Cheerleaders, and Community by Lois Bridges
Supporting Up-and-Coming Readers Through Books by Regie Routman