Day 7 - Reading with a Purpose

Today we read the Third Chapters of The Pictures of Hollis Woods. (The book alternates with a third chapter about a picture she has drawn, then another third chapter about the current action.) Before reading I reminded Ben to read with an eye for important events and details.

After he finished reading I asked him some questions about important things that had happened and details presented. He was not able to answer the questions.

I then had him read a Blog post that asked some questions about the chapters. I asked him if he thought he would have read the chapters differently if he had read the chapters first. He said that he would have. I told him that the Blog post would have engaged his brain and got it looking for answers to the questions posted. I explained that in learning to read were are trying to get him to ‘read with a purpose’. We want the brain to get turned on and searching for information that the author is giving us. The hope is to get the brain to turn itself on each time he picks up a book. The Blog is a resource to help train his brain. In the future we will be reading the Blog Posts before reading.

I sent him off with a printed copy of the Blog post, a highlighter, a pen, and the suggestion that he find a place to read that would be conducive to working rather then a comfortable spot. He returned with the paper unmarked, highlighter still tightly covered and pen unused. The book was pristine. Had picked up a couple of things with the second reading, but still missed an essential point.

On important element of ‘reading with a purpose’ is curiosity. Ben is quite curious about the things that interest him. So far this book is just creeping into that world.