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Reading Program Combats Illiteracy and Boost Childhood Reading
March 21, 2000 - With an alarming 75 percent of 4th grade students not able to read at their grade level, Americans are faced with an urgent mission -- to help our young people learn the rewards of picking up a good book. It's not an easy task with 60 percent of 4th graders watching three to six hours of television a day and an untold number spending hours playing computer and video games. Book Adventure, a free, online reading incentive program taps into kids' love of computers and encourages them to read. Book Adventure has met with remarkable success nationally since its launch last year, by using interactive technology to engage students in reading at home and at school. Today more than 195,000 parents, teachers and children have registered to take advantage of the program created by the Sylvan Learning Foundation -- and the number of new users is growing by more than 20,000 each month. For Ingrid Sizemore, Book Adventure has been a godsend. Her son Eamon, 5, was a "reluctant" reader. " Actually reluctant is a nice word for it -- he didn't want to get near any books," said Sizemore. "He'd rather do anything else. It was impossible to get him to read his homework books which are eight lines and super-easy." But when Eamon saw his brother Elliott, 7, printing out a mask -- one of the rewards for reading a book and correctly answering online quiz questions -- he immediately became interested. "He's a totally changed boy," said Sizemore of Marietta, Ga. "Now he'll ask 'Can we read a book?' five times a day." Here's how the program works: Children can log on to www.bookadventure.org anywhere -- at home, at school, or at the library -- at any time. With the help of the program's mascots, Rex Reader and Bailey Bookmark, children (K-8) create personalized book lists from over 4,000 recommended titles, take multiple-choice quizzes on the books they've read at school or at home, and earn prizes for their reading success. Rewards include activities that can be printed from a computer or with parental consent, prizes from corporate sponsors including Barnes & Noble.com, Lycos and Houghton Mifflin. "We are thrilled that so many parents and teachers are taking advantage of this valuable resource to encourage children to read," said Kelly Hodge- Williams, executive director of the Book Adventure Foundation. "Reluctant readers and avid readers alike are engaged and challenged by the program. In fact, kids have completed more than 670,000 comprehension quizzes on this innovative Web site." Several of the nation's leading literacy and educational organizations are providing guidance for the Book Adventure initiative. The program's Educational Advisory Committee includes the International Reading Association, Reading Is Fundamental, Inc., National Center for Family Literacy, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Catholic Educational Association, National Alliance of Black School Educators, DC Public Library System and Baltimore Reads, Inc. |
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