Honestly, I'd let them come to the classics on their own. I think it wold be better to tempt them with something more contemporary that they could relate to.
Mike
Mike
I agree.jmiked said:Honestly, I'd let them come to the classics on their own. I think it wold be better to tempt them with something more contemporary that they could relate to.
Mike
I agree! Especially that last sentence which really hits the nail on the head for me. I had to read so many books (classics) in junior high and high school that I just didn't enjoy that it really turned me off of reading for years. Reading wasn't something I did for pleasure, it was homework and a chore for me. It wasn't until I was in my late 20's that I started reading for enjoyment again and realized how much I enjoyed reading books in genres that I liked.history_lover said:I agree.
Does it really matter what they are reading as long as they are reading? So many kids and teens don't read at all unless it's for school and frankly, most kids will get exposure to at least some of the classic as required reading for school anyway. If it doesn't interest them outside of school, you can't force it on them.
Come to think of it, who cares what anyone else reads regardless of their age? There's plenty of adults who don't read the classics either - including myself. Does that somehow make me inferior?
Reading for enjoyment should be just that - enjoyable. And the only way it's enjoyable is if you read what you want to read, not what someone else thinks you "should" read.
I think one reason so many people don't read is that the things they were forced to read in school were so difficult and boring. If more children were encouraged to read things they find entertaining, they will be more likely to read for pleasure later in life.Andrea Pearson said:I agree with what a bunch of people have said - reading needs to start somewhere. Milk before meat. They'll eventually be ready for the classics, but if those books are forced on them, the students won't appreciate them, and in many cases, they'll end up disliking reading.
That said, there's a huge wave of authors right now who are re-writing the classics into modern, more contemporary stories. Jenni James, as one example, is taking on the Jane Austen novels and giving them a teen twist. A lot of her readers are then going on to the original stories and are really enjoying them.
So there's always that method.![]()
True - but personally, I think that comes down to the parents. I grew up with my mom always reading books to me, even when I was old enough to read them myself, she would read to me for some quality time together. She would also take me to the library and book stores regularly. Basically, she showed me from the start that even if I don't like what I have to read for school, I can read other things on my own that I will enjoy more. I don't think it takes much to show that to kids, as long as you do it early enough, but when you have parents who don't read for pleasure themselves, they aren't exactly going to make that effort with their kids.Geoffrey said:I think one reason so many people don't read is that the things they were forced to read in school were so difficult and boring. If more children were encouraged to read things they find entertaining, they will be more likely to read for pleasure later in life.
I completely agree with this. My parents are both avid readers, as are my hubby's parents. We both LOVE to read and our siblings do too. It's a family culture thing. My hubby and I were raised on the classics - my mom read to us all the time growing up. But I was homeschooled, and didn't have to read the classics for a school assignment. Rather, we read them as a family and it became a tradition I want to continue with my kids.history_lover said:but when you have parents who don't read for pleasure themselves, they aren't exactly going to make that effort with their kids.
If you have access to the kids standardized test scores, I'd check out the lexile levels that the kids are capable of reading at and the lexile levels of the books you'd like them to read and make sure that you are suggesting classic books for leisure reading that are at least a little below what their instructional reading level is. If they have to really work at getting through the books, they aren't going to enjoy them, and reading is going to feel like a chore. The jump in reading level from The Hunger Games or Twilight or even the Harry Potter books to The Lord of theSIU said:Does anyone have any idea (or vision) how to encourage kids and teenagers to read the classics? Seems that almost all high-school kids don't have the patience for 'heavy classics', such as Crime and Punishment or even Lord of the Rings (who needs to read when you can watch the trilogy).
I am just wondering if there can be some creative idea that would encourage them to download those classics and have some knowledge in literature?