Turning Pages: Putting the Fun Back Into Reading

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Originally published in TEACH Magazine, March/April 2022 Issue

By Martha Beach

A class of 30 students sit at their desks, each with an open book in front of them for daily reading time. For ten minutes the class is quiet except for the sound of pages turning and the occasional whispered conversation.

It doesn’t look like much, but there’s a lot going on: easy access to a variety of books, increased confidence in reading, motivation to keep going, and time to practice and focus. Once those ten minutes are up, students happily mark their place, excited to journal about their experience and already looking forward to tomorrow’s session.

Not all students are this happy to read every day. By middle school (or earlier), many children have lost motivation, confidence, and focus. Often this leads to a lack of interest in reading, and kids choosing not to read for fun, which ultimately means the skill is lost. It’s a vicious cycle.

So where does it all start to go downhill? When students begin to read only for information, instead of for enjoyment.

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Martha Beach lives and works in Toronto as a freelance fact-checker, editor, and writer for a wide variety of publications. When she’s not working, you’ll find Martha on her yoga mat or hanging out with her daughter and husband.

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Martha Beach
Martha Beach
Martha Beach lives and works in Toronto as a freelance fact-checker, editor, and writer for a wide variety of publications. When she’s not working, you’ll find Martha on her yoga mat or hanging out with her daughter and husband.

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