As the end of this semester is approaching, I would like to reflect on the project that my class did. We focused on giving books to kids at multiple schools to improve literacy. We chose this project because in the book Wild, by Cheryl Strayed, Cheryl sees books as a sort of escape from reality. We noticed how important books were to Strayed, and came up with a project that would hopefully show kids that reading is a vital part of life. I hope that kids will take these books and find joy in reading them, and be able to see reading as an escape just like Cheryl Strayed did.
I remember when I would read books in first grade, and as soon as I finished one I would want another book. I was a book addict. I always wanted more and more. From the time I started reading in school I had a passion for books. Reading books is a beautiful thing. It truly is an escape. I get so immersed in a book I feel like I am actually there. I can see the characters, the setting, everything. Reading a book pulls readers in and takes them on a crazy adventure. From books I feel like I have been to Hogwarts, Narnia, and even travelled down the Mississippi River with Huck Finn. As George R.R. Martin says, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”
http://refe99.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/b69c33a1e01165098ae4d1a44f29a4c7.jpg
From this project, I hope kids find what I found when I was in elementary school. I want this project to inspire kids to give reading for enjoyment a chance, and while doing this learning valuable skills for the future. According to Krashen (1993, p. 85), who is a major proponent of the value of reading for
pleasure:
“When children read for pleasure, when they get “hooked on books”, they
acquire, involuntarily and without conscious effort, nearly all of the so-called
“language skills” many people are so concerned about: they will become
adequate readers, acquire a large vocabulary, develop the ability to
understand and use complex grammatical constructions, develop a good
writing style, and become good (but not necessarily perfect) spellers.
Although free voluntary reading alone will not ensure attainment of the
highest levels of literacy, it will at least ensure an acceptable level. Without it,
I suspect that children simply do not have a chance.”
http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0000/0562/Reading_pleasure_2006.pdf
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