Ben Franklin Reads

Ben-Franklin-Reads-02-01-16Making time for reading is crucial to student success. In today’s educational world, copious standards and mandated testing often make it challenging to include time for free reading. The benefits of reading are well documented. Readers are exposed to more background knowledge and vocabulary than students who rarely read.

Voracious readers are often the most competent writers as well. In addition, students who do the most pleasure reading score higher on standardized tests. To maximize these benefits, Valparaiso’s Ben Franklin Middle School has recently introduced a new strategy to include free reading time for all students. Every Wednesday, all Ben Franklin students will read for a minimum of fifteen minutes using a rotating subject schedule. For example, the first Wednesday, the students read with their language arts teachers. Each subsequent Wednesday will be another subject including math, science, physical education, speech, general music, etc.

Personal choice plays an essential part in motivating students to read. Students are allowed to bring magazines, novels, or nonfiction books of their choosing to enjoy during BF READS time. Teachers model desired behavior by reading during this time as well. The BF READS program was conceptualized by the Late Start Wednesday Reading Comprehension Study Group. This group of teachers was challenged to find strategies to meet our school wide goal of improving reading comprehension.

Additionally, this study group has also created the BF READS A BOOK program modeled on the previous VALPARAISO READS A BOOK program. We have chosen the novel Endangered by Eliot Schrefer. Using the proceeds from this year’s Scholastic Book Fair, every student and staff member at Ben Franklin will be given a copy of this novel. The school will host book discussions, movie nights, and possible guest speakers in conjunction with Endangered starting this month. All reading and activities are voluntary, but research shows that students are motivated most to read when they feel like they belong to a reading community. We value reading at Ben Franklin and hope BF READS A BOOK and the Wednesday BF READS time will extend that value to our entire community.