The Importance of Reading

I am going to post some scary stats that I find totally unacceptable and I am sickened by.
33% of students entering both the county and city school kindergarten classes are below average in language skills!
51% of students entering kindergarten are unprepared for kindergarten work!
66% of fourth grade students are not reading at grade level!
To get our students where they can be successful in the world we all have to work together. We don't need to blame each other but instead come together. This means teachers, parents and students have to be on the same page and work towards making sure our children are successful.
How do we this?
The most important thing we can do is set expectations for our children. We tell them they will succeed and then we don't give up on them when things get hard. Trust me, I know how easy it is to tell your child he or she doesn't have to read tonight because everyone is tired. I have 3 boys that have my wife and me going to all different sporting and academic functions. Our children know they will have to read and do their homework if they want to continue doing  extracurricular activities. It is easy to give in when they are throwing fits about homework and reading but you have to stand your ground. I promise you it will become easier if you stand your ground and tell them they have to read and do their homework. We send conflicting messages when some nights we tell them they don't have to read or do their homework.
We like to have our boys come in and do their homework as soon as they get home. By doing this they can spend the rest of the day and night doing whatever they want to do. We found out the closer to bedtime the less likely they were willing and able to get their homework finished.
Each week I am going to provide you with some strategies that you can do at home with your children to make reading more fun for everyone.
This week I am going to provide three fun ways to get your students to memorize those tricky words on their word lists.
Get a sheet of regular notebook paper and draw 16 boxes (or fold it in half, half again, half again and half again). Pick 8 words that are giving your child fits and write those 8 words 2 times each. Next, cut those boxes out and play a game of memory match.
You can also write each word 5 times and cut those out and play a game of sight word tic-tac-toe. Every time a child puts a word down they have to say the word to you.
You can also play connect four with sight words. You put the sight words in a pile and you and your child each draw a card. If they name the word correctly, they get to put a chip in.
We have a chance to make our students not only survive in this world but thrive in it. We just need to come together and show our children how important a great education can be.