Little Red School House
and Elisabeth Irwin High School

A Pre-K-12 Progressive Education

Our Program

Middle School

In Support of Reading

Ana

Please see the below guest post from our Director of Library Services, Jennifer Hubert Swan

Dear Families,

I read aloud to many of your middle school children once a week and they have become skilled at settling in, listening deeply, making observations, drawing connections and conclusions and making predictions. Research says it increases their reading comprehension, study stamina and understanding of human interaction. Try it and see. Watch the squirming slowly cease as they sink in. Watch their eyes close in relaxation or widen in wonder as they "see" the story unfold in their imagination. I won't say it's magical, because that word is entirely overused outside of Hogwarts, but it is wondrous. And transformative. It's simply the most lovely part of my week.

When we launched the 7th grade iPad program many years ago, I vowed to join the students and do everything they did on my own iPad: read, write, create and communicate. I spent one entire year doing all my recreational reading on the device, alongside them. As a librarian and instructor of digital literacy, I was excited to take part in this initiative and was eager to see how the students would react. But after doing so much of my reading digitally, I was bothered by what I perceived to be my lack of focus after a year dedicated to reading on screens. Suddenly I was skimming, impatient with long descriptions, and no longer able to sink into a story the way I once did. So I resolved to build it back up, no matter what. And it was hard work. I deleted my iBooks and Kindle apps and made myself stay on the print page, even when I wanted to jump over to email (which you can't do on paper, though I tried mightily). Bit by bit my focus has returned, but I have to work at it. And I’m not alone. Now we are seeing more and more research and professional literature, that reflect that same feedback. Scientists and educators are now publishing the early troubling results of too much screen time--shortened attention span, lack of focus and shortening of stamina.

Of course, screens are a part of our lives now, and it would be not only inconvenient, but literally impossible to banish them completely. Nor should we. It's a format and manner of communication that is being utilized in our world, and it would be foolish not to educate students on their proper use. But that doesn't mean that screens need to dominate our lives outside of school and work, when we use them to complete necessary tasks. Together we can teach our students - your children - how balance their screen and print lives, with an emphasis on print in order to cultivate their attention, focus and inner imaginations. Maryanne Wolf, the Director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice in the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA, says we have to help children develop a “bi-literal” brain when it comes to print vs. screen reading.

If screen time during down time is a concern for your family, I have a suggestion for you. Not only is it easy and free, but it's incredibly pleasurable. Reading. Reading together silently and independently in the same room or around the table, or reading one book aloud as a family, after dinner or before bed. Listening to an audio book while doing a craft, doodling or completing a jigsaw puzzle. Sharing the New York Times Weekender on Sunday morning. Together. One of my fondest memories is the summer my husband and I spent a reading aloud The Cider House Rules to each other before bed. I often bring home choice picture books to read aloud to him, because as an artist and librarian himself, I know he will enjoy the story and appreciate the illustrations. You're never too old to be read aloud to. You're never too old to derive pleasure from reading aloud to someone else.

Summer will be here before we know it, and I am happy to help you make sure you all head off on your warm weather adventures well stocked with news, stories and poetry. The book swap will be happening at Sixth Avenue next week from Wednesday to Friday. The summer reading lists for each grade level can be found here, and your child's teachers will be talking to them about this in class. I am here in the library five days a week, ready and able to make recommendations and suggestions. Please do not hesitate to find me or make an appointment for a longer consultation, either alone or with your child. Put my well-honed, 20+ years reader's advisory skills to work!

I look forward to seeing you in the library,

JHS

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