SWJH Media Center
Week of December 8-12
Why is Reading Important? Here are 10 Reasons...
1. Reading is fundamental to function in today's society. Filling out applications, reading road or warning signs, following a map, and reading the directions on medication are just a few of the tasks that require reading skills.
2. Reading is a vital skill in finding a good job. Many well-paying jobs require reading as a part of job performance. Reading reports and memos, research, and simple communications require these skills to be top notch.
3. Reading is important because it develops the mind. The mind is a muscle. It needs exercise. Understanding the written word is one way the mind grows in its ability. Teaching young children to read helps them develop their language skills and it also helps them learn to listen. Lack of listening skills can result in major misunderstandings which can lead to job loss, marriage breakup, and other disasters.
4. Reading is important because it is how we discover new things.
5. Reading develops the imagination.
6. In line with the above, reading develops the creative side of people.
7. Reading is fundamental in developing a good self-image. Nonreaders or poor readers often have low opinions of themselves and their abilities. Many times they feel as if the world is against them.
8. Good reading skills, especially in a phonics reading program, improve spelling and expand a person’s vocabulary.
9. We need to read and research to build on the good ideas and expose the bad ideas before they bring destruction. Ideas written down have changed the destiny of men and nations for better or worse.
10. Reading is important because words - spoken and written - are the building blocks of life. You are, right now, the result of words that you have heard or read AND believed about yourself. What you become in the future will depend on the words you believe about yourself now. People, families, relationships, and even nations are built from words. Think about it.
Credits: Glenn and Diane Davis, Reading Instruction Specialists, Reading Center in Prince George
Here are three great reads for your enjoyment...
A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
But when she arrives in Midnight Gulch, Felicity thinks her luck's about to change. Felicity sees words everywhere---shining above strangers, tucked into church eves, and tangled up her dog's floppy ears---but Midnight Gulch is the first place she's ever seen the word "home." And then there's Jonah, a mysterious, spiky-haired do-gooder who shimmers with words Felicity's never seen before, words that make Felicity's heart beat a little faster.
Felicity wants to stay in Midnight Gulch more than anything, but first, she'll need to figure out how to bring back the magic, breaking the spell that's been cast over the town . . . and her mother's broken heart.
Foul Trouble by John Feinstein
Terrell Jamerson is the #1 high school basketball player in the country. His team is poised to win state, top colleges are lining up to give him scholarships, and everyone says he could play in the NBA tomorrow. But it only takes one false step to lose everything.
Danny Wilcox is Terrell’s best friend and teammate, and a top prospect himself, but these days it seems like everyone wants to get close to Terrell: the sneaker guys, the money managers, the college boosters. They show up offering fast cars, beautiful girls, and cold, hard cash. They say they just want to help, but their kind of help could get Terrell disqualified.
Danny and Terrell struggle to stay focused with all of these distractions to try and reach the state tournament...
The Infinity Ring: A Mutiny in Time by James Dashner
Scholastic has created this very quick series of eight books with multiple authors so that readers can continue enjoying this time travel journey. It all starts with this first installment...
When best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste stumble upon the secret of time travel -- a hand-held device known as the Infinity Ring -- they're swept up in a centuries-long secret war for the fate of mankind. Recruited by the Hystorians, a secret society that dates back to Aristotle, the kids learn that history has gone disastrously off course. Now it's up to Dak, Sera, and teenage Hystorian-in-training Riq to travel back in time to fix the Great Breaks...and to save Dak's missing parents while they're at it. First stop: Spain, 1492, where a sailor named Christopher Columbus is about to be thrown overboard in a deadly mutiny!
A Video Production Room is taking shape...
Shakopee West Junior High Media Center
Email: bfinke@shakopee.k12.mn.us
Website: http://www.shakopee.k12.mn.us/domain/345
Location: 200 10th Avenue East, Shakopee, MN, United States
Phone: (952) 496-5752
Twitter: @ShakoJHMedia