Student A reads 20 minutes a night 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 min. x 5 times a week = 100 min./week
Student B reads 4 min. x 5 times a week = 20 min./week
¥ 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.
¥ Step 3: Multiply minutes a month x 10 months/school year.
Student A reads 4,000 minutes in a school year
Student B reads 800 minutes in a school year.
Student A practices reading the equivalent of eleven whole school days a year.
Student B gets the equivalent of only two school days of reading practice.
By the end of 5th grade if they maintain these same reading habits,
Student A will have read the equivalent of 66 whole school days. (3 months when counting just school days!)
Student B will have read the equivalent of only 22 school days. (Just 1 month!)
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?
