Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The problem of reading habits
Different kinds of reading habits of students
The problem of reading habits
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The problem of reading habits
A well-functioning society consists of well-functioning people. Well-functioning, in most peoples’ eyes, means being a part of the literate population, but for those who aren’t a literate person does this mean that they are not a part of society? When I think of literate people, I think of the normal person I walk by every day. The students I pass in the halls and sit next to in class are all part of the literate population. Most days I don’t think of the illiterate population, which is also the case for most other literate people in our society. But what would happen if we, the literate population, did think about those suffering from illiteracy?
Think of ways we could help illiterate people. It’s as easy as reading a sign for them or the back of a box of cereal. Helping an illiterate person only takes a few minutes out of our day, but the help is very seldom seen in our society. It may not be easy to just spot someone in a grocery store that is struggling to read a label, but think of how hard it is for an illiterate person to walk up to someone and ask for help reading the ingredients on a box of cereal. Not only would it be hard for them to build up the courage to ask for help, but they would also have the fear of embarrassment or getting shut down.
Thinking back to a few months ago, I remember an interesting trip to the grocery store. My mom had called me on my way home from school and asked me to pick up a few groceries for dinner that night. As I walked down the aisles, trying to remember all the things I had to buy, I came across a young woman with a young child in the cart. She had a blank stare on her face as she looked at the numerous shelves of cough suppressants. The thought of her literacy, or lack ...
... middle of paper ...
...r head, but the thought of getting the wrong help at the grocery store doesn’t strike you until later when you’re at the doctor with your child. The doctor tells you that the flu medicine you thought you gave your child, turned out to only be a multivitamin. Although this did not hurt your child it still scares you and worries you that someone would lie to you, an illiterate person who was only looking for help.
Cases like these happen on a daily basis throughout our society. There are many people out there willing to help our problems with illiteracy, but I’m afraid that there are too many literate people that don’t care and are more willing to hinder the illiterate population. Even though illiteracy may not be on your mind every day, you should know that it is a problem in our society and that you can do something to help our society’s illiteracy problems.
Deborah Brandt (1998) wrote “Sponsors of Literacy”, a journal where she explained her findings of the research she has done on how different people across the nation learned to read and write, born between 1900, and 1980 (p. 167). She interviewed many people that had varying forms of their literacy skills, whether it was from being poor, being rich, or just being in the wrong spot at the wrong time.
I previously have mentioned, in prior reflection essays, just how important literacy is for a person’s future. Notice how I didn’t say “student’s” future? Literacy fluency effects several aspects of life, not only academically speaking. Ultimately, the literacy level of a child can directly affect their future as an adult. The whole point of Torgesen’s article “Catch Them Before They Fall” is about preventing students with literacy deficits from slipping through the cracks without the best possible, research-based interventions.
My mom is Panamanian and a very bright woman and loves school, while my dad is African American and didn’t care for school at all and isn't very educated. My mom first came to America to study at Vanderbilt University and my dad never went to college. When I was four my parents got a divorce and my mother maintained custody of me. In this day in time people would say that my odds are against me when it comes to becoming literate. Why? Well, I didn’t grow up in the best neighborhood. The area I was raised in was nicknamed "Little Mexico" because many illegal immigrants lived there. I quickly learned that most of the people around me didn’t know how to read or write and they only spoke Spanish. Imagine them living in an English speaking country. If they couldn’t read or write in their own language living in America must be pretty complicated. It would clearly seem like I wouldn't have much access to literacy sponsors at all. Literacy sponsors can be people, places, or even events that shape how a person reads and writes. Those same people, places, and events can play a big factor in a person's opinion about reading and writing as well. However, it was almost impossible for me not to have any literacy sponsors with my mom being in my
As the world advances through the modern age of information and connectivity, having a literate society is crucial to being able to work effectively with the outside world. Jonathan Kozol’s book, The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society, portrays the life of illiterates in the modern world and argues that society has an ethical obligation to fix the problem of illiteracy. Kozol believes that illiteracy has the greatest effect on the education of current and future generations, the way food is consumed and wasted, and various economic costs to both illiterates and those around them. Kozol’s main point throughout his book is that society as a whole needs to face the problem of illiteracy, as not one single group or person can do it on their own.
“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is a bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development, an essential complement to investments in roads, dams, clinics and factories. Literacy is a platform for democratization, and a vehicle for the promotion of cultural and national identity. Especially for girls and women, it is an agent of family health and nutrition. For everyone, everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human right.... Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which every man,
Finding a definition of literacy is not as easy as it sounds. The Webster definition says that to be literate is to be” able to read and write.” But to some researchers, this definition is too simplistic, leading to multiple models of literacy. Most Americans adhere to the autonomous model, which falls closest to the standard, dictionary definition. Believers in this form say that literacy is a cognitive activity that students learn like any other basic skill. It has a set of proficiencies that one must master in order to be capable of decoding and encoding text (Alvermann, 2009; SIL International, 1999). A competing theory is the ideological model, which claims literacy is intrinsically linked to culture, and therefore what constitutes a “literate” individual is ever-changing. Society is the largest influence on literacy, according to this thought, and it is affected by politics, religion, philosophy and more (Alvermann, 2009; SIL International, 1999). These two are just the tip of the iceberg. For example, some studies recognize “literacy as competence,” which is a “measure of competence to do a given task or work in a given field,” (SIL International, 1999) such as being computer literate. Although more researchers are recognizing and exploring multiple literacies, the one that most influences American schools is the autonomous, cognitive model – the ability to read and write. For many, it seems a simple task, but millions of adolescents are struggling or reluctant readers, and there are many reasons why young readers have difficulty with reading. XXXXXX------NEED HELP WITH THESIS STATEMENT HERE PLEASE—(This paper will focus on the effects of low reading skills, some of the possible causes of reluctant and struggling readership...
Being literate does not only mean that you understand to read and write. I believe that it’s a way you take advantage of what is given to you. Having the power to understand and acknowledge what is being said and read gives and great advantage of literacy. Graduating with honors from my senior class has given me greater self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment .Now being literate has given me great opportunities such as coming to college and given hope that we can do anything in this world
Last school year, I took a college class that required hours of field experience in a high school English class. I was able to observe different English classes and different high school grade levels. What made a big impact on me was to hear some of those high school students struggling with reading more than the third grade students I was teaching that same school year. These students were expected to read and comprehend grade level text when they were reading at an elementary level. Illiteracy “is considered the blackest mark of a person’s finally in school and the greatest failure in the American school system” (Tchudi, and Tchudi 75) and there are around twenty-five million functional illiterates in the United States (75). Why are our middle school and high school students still struggling with reading? What can English/Language arts teachers do to help these struggling readers?
What does illiteracy and literacy mean? Illiteracy means for a person to have the inability to read and literacy means for a person to have the ability to read. Document A chart represents the illiteracy of the United States during the late 1800 and early 1900. The chart shows the race of the Black People, Foreign-born White People, and Native-born White people. Illiteracy by Race shows the percentages of people over the age of nine unable to read.
Literacy programs should be an integral component of every community. Not only do these programs serve adults and foreigners, but they also serve those that live with the problems of poverty throughout their daily lives. In 2000-2001, 15.7% of students missed 21 or more days during the school year. Students who miss many days of school because of illnesses beyond their control often fall behind in their studies. Many literacy programs help these students excel in what otherwise would have been a deficiency in their learning.
On the contrary, a person that is illiterate has many limitations in their life. Limitations can consist of any disadvantage that can stop a person from becoming successful in their life. For one of many examples, illiteracy has a significant impact on the economy, because it affects the jobs and basic living skills that people need to survive. Mental disorders can possibly ensue in an illiterate person’s life. In some cases, it is like they live in a world of their own and alienate themselves from other individuals.
Their shock was a result of the common belief that literacy is solely the ability to read and write. According to the dominant culture, if one cannot read or write at an expected level, he or she is considered illiterate and thus must be caught up to speed with the rest of society. Consequently, when the majority of students failed the entrance test, they were viewed as illiterate and unable to communicate properly because they did not have adequate language skills, as explained by the “skills discourse” (Barton 160). However, a newer perspective on literacy is that it is not just based upon one’s ability to read and write in the dominant language. Instead, it is based upon people’s abilities to communicate in a variety of ways; these multiple methods of communicating with the world manifest themselves further and change as people experience more and change themselves. In the context of education and this new perspective on literacy, written works are not the only form of literacy in the classroom. Instead, teachers consider other forms of literacy familiar to students and use those forms to mold well-informed and self-sufficient students (Barton 206-208). Perhaps if Harvard had not labeled their prospective students as literate or illiterate based on writing and reading skills, the entire issue of abolishing versus
For my community involvement project, I volunteered at Memminger Elementary School for a program called “Reading Partners.” The program focuses on helping children build strong literacy skills to carry with them into their academic careers. It requires the tutor to read to the student that has been assigned and in turn the student reads to the tutor. The program assists in teaching the students valuable reading skills. Being able to read is critical to a child’s educational success. The program works with more than 100 schools within seven states. The program is geared toward students of low-income families. The statistics for children’s literacy in the United States are astonishing. “In 2011, just thirty-four percent of the nation’s fourth graders in public school could read proficiently” (National Center for Education Statistics, 2011). The program itself has had exponential success. Principals and teacher have reported that “Reading Partners” has helped increase students’ reading levels. During my time at the program I accumulated twelve volunteer hours.
First of all, lack of education will increase illiteracy rate. For individuals that lack of education, they will be lack of reading and writing skills. Illiteracy is an enormous social problem. It does not only prevent a person from getting a job, but it can also be dangerous. For example, people who are unable to read warning labels on medication packages may be at risk for overdose. In addition, they may
What exactly is illiteracy? Illiteracy is defined in the Webster’s dictionary as: 1) not educated; especially, not knowing how to read or write. 2) showing a lack of education --noun. a person who does not know how to read or write -- illiteracy. May-be someone can read just a little, some can make out the sounds of a word and some just cannot read at all. Illiteracy is a “loss” to those who cannot read or write. The impact of illiteracy is devastating. This problem causes other problems as listed below.