Do I Have To Read This?

Reading is a big part of school and is something that we all have to do. In school it is important to read books so that you can improve. Some students don’t read because they don’t have to or because they simply don’t like it. To get students into reading, should there be a book mandatory for everyone to read? I believe that this is not a good idea for many reasons. One reason is that not everyone is into the same books. Another reason is that not all students are at the same reading level. 

To begin with, not everyone is into the same types of books. Making someone read a book that they do not enjoy may make them dislike reading even more. For example if someone is interested in reading mystery books making them read a fantasy would not make them want to read the book. According to Common Sense Media in 2014, 45% of 17-year olds read books by choice only once or twice a year.

Additionally, not all students are at the same reading level. The books chosen might be easy for some students while they are hard for others. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 76% of 8th graders performed at or above Basic in 2015 (Basic indicates partial mastery of fundamental skills). This means that approximately 24% of students will not be able to understand the book chosen for them to read.

Reading is very important in school so having books that kids like to read is also important. If the book is too difficult to read it will lead to kids feeling frustrated and not wanting to read. If the book is too easy it will lead to boredom. This is why it’s critical that students are able to choose their own books to read. It should be a book that is interesting to the reader but still offers a challenge so they can learn something new.

In conclusion, there should not be a book mandatory for all students to read. Not all students like the same books and are not all at the same reading level. If we make students read books that they do not understand or are interested in then they may lose interest in reading books. To make students more interested in reading we should not have books that they need to read.

Leila Farhat

One Comment

  1. I’m very impressed with your point of view. As an educator, I agree with the points you have made. I think that students should read books that they enjoy reading and topics that are meaningful to them. When students are forced to read, they are less likely to want to read. It would be interesting to survey students on the types of books they would like to read. Maybe offering more engaging books will entice students to want to read more. I think your point about kids’ reading levels being different is one that needs to be addressed early on in their schooling. What can we do to ensure students are moving towards reading at grade level?

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