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Benefits of Reading as a Teen
Q: What are the benefits of reading as a teen?
A: Reading as a teen leads to success. When teens read more than just their classroom assignments, research clearly shows that they generally do well in school. First of all, the extra reading expands their vocabularies. It also shows them how different writers put down their thoughts leading to better writing skills. And teens who read more serious literary works gain skills in handling complex ideas. The more teens read, the more information they pick up. This leads to a solid core of knowledge that is useful in a wide variety of classes. For example, the teen who reads biographies has a better understanding of prominent people studied in history classes.
Another big dividend of reading as a teen is a good score on the verbal section of a college admissions test. No other activity builds the vocabulary and comprehension skills needed to do well on these tests as well as reading.
Besides helping teens do well in school, reading also helps them expand their horizons as they learn more about people and the world. Plus, reading can show teens that everyone has problems in his or her life and may even help teens see solutions to their own problems. Finally, reading is enjoyable. It can bring a great deal of pleasure to teens.
Parents can encourage their children to stay involved with reading by expressing interest in what they are reading and tying it to other activities. If a teen is fascinated by racing stories, try to take the child to a race. If a teen likes a book that has been turned into a movie, make sure he or she sees the movie.
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Peggy Gisler and Marge Eberts are experienced teachers who have more than 60 educational publications to their credit. They began writing books together in 1979. Careers for Bookworms was a Book-of-the-Month Club paperback selection, and Pancakes, Crackers, and Pizza received recognition from the Children's Reading Roundtable. Gisler and Eberts taught in classrooms from kindergarten through graduate school. Both have been supervisors at the Butler University Reading Center.