School break reading sharpens skills

For kids looking for ways to stimulate their brains this summer in preparation for going back to school, "Have fun, relax, enjoy yourself, read a book or two, and don't worry about the upcoming tests next school year," advises Jill May, professor of literacy education at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.

May maintains that virtually any book can be beneficial, as long as it holds the child's interest. "Children should find books they enjoy and read them," May says. "Books give them a chance to escape into a new world. That's why Harry Potter is so popular."

May points out that teachers can see a big difference between children who read during the summer and those who do not because reading helps develop a wide range of skills, including spelling. "Kids who read can write," she asserts. "Kids who don't read as much can't write as well."

Much of that has to do with the way books teach about characterization--the motivation of characters and how they relate to one another. This instructs young writers on logical story development and how various characters fit in as a story progresses. Also, reading allows future writers to develop their "voice."

"Every writer writes with a tone, and that's how you learn it, by reading other people's writing," May contends. "We subconsciously get a voice by what we read."

Moreover, "children learn spelling by reading and writing. Seeing the same words over and over makes for good spellers? In addition, all the skills reading teaches children can help when taking an exam, because test taking and schoolwork involve more than studying and knowing the answers to a particular subject. Understanding the wording or phrasing of questions often is the key to giving the right answers, May contends.

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