NEA's Read Across America: Is There a Doctor in the House?

NEA Today, Feb 2005 by Walker, Rachael

More and more Americans are choosing not to read. Which is worse? Not reading because you can't or because you won't?

When was the last time you picked up a book and read for your own pleasure? Not a magazine. Not a Web page. An actual book with characters and a plot. Can't remember when? You could be one of the millions suffering from aliteracy.

That's aliteracy, not illiteracy. Aliteracy strikes those who can read but choose not to. According to the National Endowment for the Arts, more than half of America's adult population isn't reading literature, and this malady isn't limited to adults. Aliterate students may never become strong, fully engaged readers.

NEA's Read Across America and the March 2 birthday celebration of Dr. Seuss provide a day of reading excitement to focus attention on reading. But the good Doctor can't inoculate against all the ills of aliteracy, so NEA offers a year-round calendar of activities, programs, partnerships, and resources to help get kids of all ages wanting to read. Here are just a few of the partners and programs that have kids reading across America all year.

PRESCRIPTION FOR SOON-TO-BE READERS

What's the cure for children as young as two years of age who watch more than three hours of television daily? Doctors and nurses who participate in the Reach Out and Read (ROR) program think they've found it: regularly prescribe reading and make sure there are books in the home. The Reach Out and Read program trains medical providers to advise parents about the importance of reading aloud and to give books to children at pediatrie check-ups from six months to five years of age. The more than 2,000 ROR programs throughout the country also depend on volunteers to demonstrate the joys of reading aloud to chjldren by sharing books with families in pediatric waiting rooms.

Recent research shows that ROR is having direct effects on literacy development: children are more experienced with books and have the language skills they need for reading acquisition. Educators in the Virginia State Reading Association have recognized the benefits ROR brings into the classroom, have adopted several Virginia ROR sites, and are working hard to spread the word in their communities to all doctors. Says ElIi Sparks, the coordinator for the Virginia Coalition of Reach Out and Read programs, "Educators know their communities so well. Without their outreach, we couldn't begin to reach the doctors whose patients can really use the ROR program. Their help in providing books, volunteers, and funding to local clinics and hospitals ensures a regular dose of reading for hundreds of low-income children."

EXERCISE FOR THE BODY, MIND, AND SOUL

Movies and popcorn go together, kind of like teachers and classrooms. But soccer and poetry? Sometimes it takes an unusual combination to get kids' attention. America SCORES thinks it has found the right mix, and so do the thousands of kids who benefit from the innovative after-school program that uses soccer games and poetry classes to help urban students score in the classroom and on the playground.

How does this combo work? America SCORES sets up a soccer league at a public school. Students who sign up for the league play soccer three days a week and get creative writing instruction the other two days from teachers who serve as writing and soccer coaches. The rules are simple. No poetry, no soccer. Fortunately, that's not a problem because poetry classes have become a huge hit with the children. "The kids love it because poetry has no parameters, there's no judgment," says Eden Mendel, national director of Public Relations, Marketing, and Education for America SCORES. "It's the opposite of testing. The kids are motivated and encouraged to express their ideas and emotions when teachers have the freedom to say yes."

America SCORES-started IO years ago by a Washington, D.C., teacher-has grown from a local grassroots project to a nationwide program. Educators from around the country attend an intensive 10-day workshop at the University of Iowa where they learn new methods for using poetry as a gateway to literacy.

A DOSE OF THEIR OWN MEDICINE

When their most important issue is what to wear to school tomorrow, picking up a book and reading for fun doesn't always occur to middle school kids. So it's up to teachers and parents to help these reluctant readers connect the worlds they don't know to the worlds they do know.

Since television and the Internet are often the main pull away from books, educators can use multimedia to help students recognize the relationships between their culture and-other communities. PBS TeacherSource can direct educators to a wide variety of multimedia opportunities to engage students. For example, a search for middle school and American literature leads you to the series American Roots Music. Here they can find a video series, a teacher's guide, and a companion Web site to talk about the diverse musical styles of blues, gospel, traditional country, zydeco, tejano, and Native American pow-wow and relate them to the. American storytelling tradition and literature.