Why Can't I Skip My Twenty Minutes of Reading Tonight? Let's figure it out --- mathematically!! |
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Student A reads 20 minutes five nights of every week; |
Student B reads only 4 minutes a night ... or not at all! |
Step 1: Multiply minutes a night x 5 times each week. |
Student A reads 20 minutes x 5 times a week = 100 minutes a week. |
Student B reads 4 minutes x 5 times a week = 20 minutes or less. |
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Step 2: Multiply minutes a week x 4 weeks each month. |
Student A reads 400 minutes a month. |
Student B reads 80 minutes a month or less. |
Step 3: Multiply minutes a month x 9 months in a school year. |
Student A reads 3600 minutes in a school year. |
Student B reads 720 minutes or less in a school year. |
Student A practices reading the equivalent of ten whole school days a year. |
Student B gets the equivalent of only two school days or less of reading practice |
By the end of 6th grade if Student A and Student B maintain these same reading habits, |
Student A will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days. |
Student B will have read the equivalent of only 12 school days or less |
One would expect the gap of information retained will have widened considerably and so, undoubtedly, will school performance. How do you think Student B will feel about him/herself as a student? |
Some questions to ponder: |
Which student would you expect to read better? |
Which student would you expect to know more? |
Which student would you expect to write better? |
Which student would you expect to have a better vocabulary? |
Which student would you expect to be more successful in school...and in life? |