The National Assessment of Educational Progress, an exam commonly known as the nation’s report card, found that the reading skills of 12th graders tested in 2005 were worse than those of students tested in 1992, and essentially flat since 2002.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress, an exam commonly known as the nation’s report card, found that the reading skills of 12th graders tested in 2005 were worse than those of students tested in 1992, and essentially flat since 2002.
Drop Everything and Read Day encourages students of all grades to read something new, engage imaginations, and foster one of the most valuable skills for their adult lives.
“There is no such thing as succeeding without reading,” says Dr. Richard Bavaria, vice president of education at Sylvan Learning Center, in a press release. “Developing solid reading skills in the early years means children are more likely to become confident learners all throughout school.”
In support of Drop Everything and Read Day, taking place Thursday, April 12, Sylvan Learning Center has compiled a list of suggested reading to help elementary, middle, and high school students achieve age-appropriate reading levels.
Following are a few of the titles (Grade 1-8 titles taken from Sylvan’s Book-Adventure.com, a free reading motivation program containing over 7,000 recommended books):
Elementary School
Grade 1: “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr. Seuss, “The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree” by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Grade 2: “Poetry for All Seasons” by Demi, et al., “Come Back, Amelia Bedelia” by Peggy Parish and Wallace Tripp
Grade 3: “The BFG” by Roald Dahl, “The Snow Queen” by Hans Christian Anderson
Grade 4: “In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson” by Betsy Bao Lord, “Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Case” by Donald J. Sobol
Grade 5: “White Fang” by Jack London, “Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein
Middle School
Grade 6: “Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling, “The Incredible Journey” by Sheila Burnford
Grade 7: “Watership Down” by Richard Adams, “The Last of the Mohicans” by James Fenimore Cooper
Grade 8: “Jungle” by Upton Sinclair, “The Catcher in the Rye” by JD Salinger
High School
Grade 9: “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien, “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte
Grade 10: “The Hound of Baskervilles” by Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Mark Haddon
Grade 11: “Blackout” by John J. Nance, “Big Mouth & Ugly Girl” by Joyce Carol Oates
Grade 12: “The Sun Also Rises” by Ernest Hemingway
• For more information visit www.dropeverythingandread.com
