reading

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In the Reading Wars, 'Teaching Lucy' Is a Volatile Term

Atlantic explores the controversy around Lucy Calkins' Units of Study curriculum

(Newser) - The most recent assessment of American students' reading skills suggests too many kids are struggling. And as a story in the Atlantic explains, a 72-year-old educator named Lucy Calkins has become the "scapegoat" for the problem. Calkins champions a curriculum known as Units of Study, one that has become...

Report Finds 'Dispiriting' Drop in Kids Reading for Pleasure

Number has dropped sharply in recent years, UK's Nationan Literacy Trust says

(Newser) - "For a report focused largely on reading enjoyment, much of this is not an enjoyable read," a report from the UK's National Literacy Trust states. The report found that the proportion of children 8 to 18 years old who enjoy reading in their spare time has fallen...

In a World Run on 'Vibes,' Undergrads Balk at Reading

And it doesn't seem as if this writing professor blames them, per his op-ed for the New York Times

(Newser) - Jonathan Malesic teaches writing at Southern Methodist University, and in the early 2010s he was assigning his students nine books a semester to read. Now, more than a decade later, after COVID and the full-fledged arrival of AI, "that reading list seems not just ambitious but absurd," he...

English Class in America Is Now Reading 'in Baby Form'

Kids across America are reading fewer novels in school; not everyone is happy about it

(Newser) - Chris Stanislawski didn't read much in his middle school English classes, but it never felt necessary. Much of the reading material at Garden City Middle School on Long Island was either abridged books or online texts and printouts, he said. "When you're given a summary of the...

Want to Reread a Favorite Book? Rethink That
Loved That Book?
Never Read It Again
OPINION
Sep 15, 2024 2:30 PM CDT

Loved That Book? Never Read It Again

Oscar Schwartz advocates for the joys of diving in to beloved reads intensely—and only once

(Newser) - Nearly everyone has experienced the joy and satisfaction of finishing an excellent book—but for "rereading evangelists," who tend to gravitate toward the classics, "one time through, for the great books, is not enough." Oscar Schwartz says we should maybe rethink that, writing for the Paris ...

She Bribed Her Daughter to Read a Book. It Worked

'Feels like the best money I ever spent,' writes Mireille Silcoff

(Newser) - Mireille Silcoff loves to read. Her 12-year-old-daughter does not. In a New York Times essay, Silcoff writes that after many failed efforts to convince her "whip-smart" daughter to pick up a book, she resorted to flat-out bribery—and it worked. So much so that she is encouraging other parents...

Reading in Print Sinks in Better
Reading in Print
Sinks in Better
NEW STUDY
Dec 30, 2023 5:05 PM CST

Reading in Print Sinks in Better

Comprehension of reading materials is 6-8 times greater in print, study finds

(Newser) - You might be better off printing these next few paragraphs before you read them. A new meta study out of the University of Valencia found that reading for fun on screens yields far less comprehension than when it's on the printed page, the Guardian reports. This is because our...

After Test Results, Ed Secretary Calls for 'Math Revolution'

PISA results show 33% of US students lack basic math proficiency

(Newser) - The first assessment of global achievement in math since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic reveals further evidence of what some are calling a "crisis" in US education. The average math score for American students taking part in Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) exams fell to 465 out...

It Took a Book Club 28 Years to Read a Single Book

They've gone through every page of 'Finnegans Wake'

(Newser) - Most book clubs tackle things one book at a time. Some might divide a particularly long read into chunks to discuss over months. One California book club broke their book into pages—reading and discussing a single page at a time. If you think that pace sounds glacial, you're...

The Best 10 Books, From Reader's Digest

Tolstoy and Stephen King crack the list

(Newser) - Those looking to update their reading list for the home stretch of summer might find some ideas in the updated Reader's Digest list of the "100 best books of all time." The editors "considered bestsellers, award winners, and books that are highly rated by readers and...

Test Scores for US Students Are 'Appalling'
Test Scores for US
Students Are 'Appalling'
the rundown
Oct 24, 2022 11:05 AM CDT

Test Scores for US Students Are 'Appalling'

Drops recorded in math and reading, and the pandemic is blamed

(Newser) - A federal assessment of US students known as the "nation's report card" is out, and the results are pretty bleak. Scores are down in reading and math—especially math—across the country, with the pandemic blamed for wreaking havoc on education. Details:
  • The test: The National Assessment of
...

'Nation's Report Card' Offers 'Sobering' Pandemic Update

Kids' math, reading scores took an unprecedented hit over the past 2 years

(Newser) - It's undisputed that kids had a rough time of it during the pandemic. Now, results from national tests show just how rough, at least in terms of how their academic skills have suffered. The "nation's report card"—ie, the National Assessment of Educational Progress—was released...

What Obama Has Been Reading
What Obama
Has Been Reading
Jul 27, 2022 9:40 AM CDT

What Obama Has Been Reading

Former president is out with his annual summer reading list

(Newser) - Former President Obama wants Americans to explore why the country is so polarized at the moment and to consider ways in which a democracy can succeed at being both diverse and equal, according to his annual summer reading list. "I've read a couple of great books this year...

Here's a Way to Stave Off Dementia
Here's a Way to
Stave Off Dementia
new study
Nov 16, 2019 4:00 PM CST

Here's a Way to Stave Off Dementia

Illiterate people are nearly 3 times as likely to suffer from it

(Newser) - Good thing you're reading this—it might help keep dementia at bay. A new Columbia University study finds that illiterate people are nearly three times as likely to suffer from dementia, CNN reports. Scientists reached this conclusion after visiting 983 people over age 65 in the Washington Heights area...

Obama's Summer Reading List Is Out
Obama's Summer
Reading List Is Out
Aug 15, 2019 8:13 AM CDT

Obama's Summer Reading List Is Out

First-time author Lauren Wilkinson gets a nod

(Newser) - It's not too late to get in some summer reading, and former President Barack Obama knows where you should start. Toni Morrison, who died earlier this month , tops No. 44's annual summer reading list shared Wednesday on Facebook . "Beloved, Song of Solomon, The Bluest Eye, Sula, everything...

Bill Gates Recommends 5 Books for Summer

New works on Da Vinci and Lincoln make the cut

(Newser) - Bill Gates is out with his annual list of summer reading recommendations, and he explains in a blog post that they tackle questions such as "what makes genius tick?" and "where does humanity come from, and where are we headed." The "genius" in question is Leonardo...

To Remember Something, Read It Out Loud
To Remember Something,
Read It Out Loud
study says
Dec 3, 2017 2:40 PM CST

To Remember Something, Read It Out Loud

Study suggests that it's more effective for memory than reading silently

(Newser) - Anyone who's crammed for a test may have suspected as much, but a new study finds that reading something aloud is the best way to remember it. Researchers at the University of Waterloo tested 95 students over two semesters using four different methods: reading silently, reading aloud, hearing someone...

Florida County Has Banned the Bane of Kids' Existence

The superintendent wants nightly reading instead of homework

(Newser) - The superintendent of Marion County schools in Florida has just issued a "no homework" mandate for the district's 31 elementary schools starting this fall, reports WESH 2 . Superintendent Heidi Maier cites research that nightly homework assignments haven't been shown to directly impact a child's academic advancement,...

Think It's Weird When Parents Read to Babies? Think Again

Reading even in early infancy can help boost literacy later

(Newser) - OK, your baby isn't going to get the finer points of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, but there are benefits to be reaped from exposure to books even in early infancy. New research presented at the 2017 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting on Monday shows that when babies...

Here's a Bold Strategy for Reading Your Next Novel

Skip to the end, advises a book lover

(Newser) - The writer who covers the books beat at the Guardian has some advice for fellow readers that might sound like heresy: When you're halfway through a novel, skip ahead and read the ending. Danuta Kean does this routinely and makes the case that knowing how things turn out doesn'...

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