LITERACY

Literacy

Strategies that can improve reading comprehension reading comprehension

Strong reading comprehension skills are one of the foundations of a successful academic career. According to the Institute of Reading Development, students with strong reading comprehension skills get a big boost in all subjects, including math and science.

Though the benefi ts of reading comprehension are well documented, many students are struggling in this area of their academics. Offi cials with the National Center for Education Statistics note that, over the last decade, students have made no progress in reading performance. That likely comes as no surprise to seasoned educators, as data indicates students are reading less outside of school than they have in years past. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicates the percentage of public school students who said they read 30 minutes or more a day declined by 4 percent between 2017 and 2019, dipping below 50 percent overall in the latter year.

There’s likely a multitude of reasons why students now read less than they used to. Parents concerned about their children’s reading comprehension can try these strategies to bolster this highly valuable skill. • Let kids read what they like. The tutoring professionals at Oxford Learning® report that 73 percent of students indicate they would read more if they found books they liked. Parents can address this issue by taking children to their local libraries and letting them choose which books to check out. The more practice kids get with reading, the more their comprehension skills develop.

• Read aloud to children. Various studies have found that reading aloud to children signifi cantly benefi ts literacy development. One study from the National Association for the Education of Young Children found that listening to others read helps children develop key understanding and skills, including how stories are written. In addition, the Reading Rockets project, which aspires to bring reading research to life in the hopes of helping young children develop into strong, confi dent readers, notes that children can listen on a higher language level than they can read. That makes complex ideas more accessible.

• Ask questions when reading to children. When reading to children, parents can compound the benefi ts of this activity by asking youngsters questions about the book. Asking what, when, where, why, and how can encourage children to look for answers to these questions while they’re being read to. As students advance and then read more on their own, parents can encourage them to ask these questions of themselves (if they’re not already doing so on their own). Asking and answering these questions is a great way to strengthen reading comprehension skills.

Strong reading comprehension skills can help students reach their academic potential. Parents can employ various strategies to help children bolster those skills.

Favorite books for young readers

Here are some of other young readers’ favorite books for different reading levels, as shared by Great Bend Public Library’s Assistant Director/Youth Services Manager Amy Mayhill:

1st-3rd Grade Mercy Watson A to Z Mysteries Magic Treehouse The Boxcar Children Who Was series (non-fi ction)

Younger readers Frog and Toad Pinkalicous Amelia Bedilia Humphry series

PreK (normally working through reading and sight words) Clifford Elephant & Piggy Mo Willems Books llama llama

10

The Importance

of

Sleep Health

Being chronically tired can lead to serious health consequences

The busiest people might decide to shave off some sleep hours in order to fi t in a few more responsibilities each day. Some of us simply have trouble turning off our brains. Others may have a physical problem that prevents them from falling or staying asleep. But the health risks involved with not getting enough rest are very serious.

Huge Health Impacts

Sleep plays an important role in metabolism, immunity, memory and other vital brain functions. Those who sleep more are obviously better able to focus. But new studies suggest that getting a good night’s rest is directly related to learning. Restorative, deep sleep cycles allow our brains to process new information, and consolidate it in ways so that these details can more easily be retrieved later. Not getting enough sleep can also lead us to rely too much on caffeine, and that can have its own negative impacts if used to high doses.

How Much is Needed?

Despite huge advances in the technology of sleep in the form of adjustable mattresses and memory pillows, a good night’s sleep can remain frustratingly elusive. Work and family concerns can couple with a constantly changing world with a constantly changing world of information sharing to create of information sharing to create what feels like a neverwhat feels like a neverending buzz. How ending buzz. How much sleep you much sleep you muchsleepyou need varies need varies based on based on age, from age, from 14-17 14-17 hours a hours a day for day for newborns to 7-8 hours for average older adults. The basic rule of thumb, however, is that your body will tell you when you’re not getting enough.

Getting More Sleep

Maximize your opportunity for sleep by maintaining a consistent bedtime and waking hour, even on weekends. The National Sleep Foundation also recommends avoiding late-afternoon naps — and not napping for more than 20 minutes. Stay away from caffeine late in the day, as well as alcohol.

Daily physical activity is good for your health, and for getting more sleep. Turn off all screens — yes, s including the phone — at least an i hour before you’re ready to lie down. h They tend to artifi cially awaken us. T If you’re still struggling with sleep I issues, consider the environment i around you. Is there too much light? a Too much noise? Design a room T that’s sleep friendly. If you continue t to feel sleep deprived, reach out to t your doctor. y