Top Ten Reasons to Encourage Your Middle Schooler to Read:

10.  Kids are more likely to do better in 	school if their parents encourage 	them to read at home.

9.  Kids are less likely to get carpal tunnel 	syndrome due to excessive video 	game playing.

8.  It helps create a special bond between 	parents and kids.

7.  Kids are less likely to mistakenly 	substitute rat poison for flour 	when baking cookies.

6.  Even in a busy schedule, it allows for 	quality family time.

5.  Kids are more likely to be able to 	support parents in old age.

4.  Books are cheaper than DVDs and CDs.

3.  Kids are more likely to pass the driving 	test and chauffer PARENTS 	around.

2.  It introduces kids to the world and 	expands their horizons.

1.  Kids are more likely to be able to read the  fine 	print.

Recommended Reading List:

Bridge to Terabithia ~ Katherine Paterson
Sounder ~~~~~~~ William Armstrong
The Giver ~~~~~~~~~~~ Lois Lowry
Number the Stars ~~~~~~~ Lois Lowry
Good Night Mr. Tom ~ Michelle Majorian
Shiloh ~~~~~~~~~~~ Phyllis Naylor
Hatchet ~~~~~~~~~~~ Gary Paulson
Harry Potter Series ~~~~~ J. K. Rawling
Dealing with Dragons ~~~ Patricia Wrede
The Hobbit ~~~~~~~~ J. R. R. Tolkien
Lord of the Rings Series ~  J. R. R. Tolkien
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn  ~~Mark Twain
A Single Shard ~~~~~~~ Linda Sue Park
Boy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Roald Dahl
The Cay ~ ~~~~~~~~Theodore Taylor
Crispin: The Cross of Lead ~~~~~~ Avi
Holes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Louis Sachar
Out of the Dust ~~~~~~~ Karen Hesse
The Midwife’s Apprentice ~~~ Karen Cushman
Walk Two Moons ~~~~~ Sharon Creech
Sarah, Plain and Tall ~ Patricia MacLachlan

 Readers 
and 
Leaders
2003

Presented by: 
8th Grade Teachers
Piedmont Middle School

Helpful Hints

¶ 	Read in front of your child!  Your  	actions speak louder  than words.  	Believe it or not,  when your kids see 	you  reading the newspaper or 	curling up with a book,  they will 	want to follow your  example.
   
¶ 	Make sure your kids read 	SOMETHING every day.  	Reading, like shooting baskets or 	playing the piano, is a skill that 	gets better with practice.  
   
¶ 	Get into the literary habit.  Make 	sure everyone in your family 	has a library card, and schedule 	regular family trips to the 	library.  While you're there, 	check out a book yourself!
   
¶ 	Read aloud to your children, and           	have them read aloud to you.  	People of all ages love being told 	stories and having someone read 	to 	them.  Bedtime is a natural 	read-aloud time, but at breakfast or 	just after dinner can work, too.
¶	Talk to your child about things 	you read and ask him or her 	questions about things he or 	she reads, from books to 	magazines to newspapers to 	school work!
   
¶	Go places with your child!  Have 	some fun, learn something new, 	then talk about it!
   
¶	Monitor the TV time and 	programs.  Studies show that 	children who watch twenty or 	more hours of TV per week do 	NOT do as well in school.
   
¶	Give books and magazine 	subscriptions to your children 	AND others as gifts.
   
¶	Turn everyday activities in to 	reading games.  For example, 	send your child on a newspaper 	scavenger hunt by providing a 	list of things to find such as:

      	JA map of the United States.
       	JA picture of his or her favorite 		    athlete.
       	JThe temperature in the city 		   where a family member lives.
       	JThree words that begin with "w."
       	JA movie that is playing at a nearby 	     theater.

¶	Make reading a PRIVILEGE!  Say, 	"You can stay up 15 minutes later 	tonight if you read in bed."  
   
¶	Encourage activities that 	require reading such as 	cooking, building, or 	collecting.  Provide books and 	articles about things that 	interest your child (sports, 	nature, music).  
   
¶	Communicate with your child in 	writing.  Share a journal or 	reading log, email messages, ask a 	relative to send letters.
   
¶	Make reading a part of school 	vacations.  Set aside family 	time for EVERYONE to read.
   
¶	Start your own family book club.  	Read the same book and have 	regular "meetings" to talk about it!