Reading, Writing & Twilight

Motivating Children by Celebrating Their Interests

How can parents and homework compete with PlayStation and Edward and Bella of Twilight? The simple answer is that they can’t compete. However, parents can use these hot trends to motivate tweens and teens to learn more and, in the process, teach their children skills that will transfer to their classroom learning and, ultimately, lead to higher standardized test scores.

Writing in the journal, Neuron, in December 2009, Carnegie Mellon University brain researchers Marcel Just and Timothy Keller said that after just six weeks of intensive reading, students who had been poor readers were not only able to improve their skills, but grew new white-matter connections in their brains. This means that the brain can actually change its connections through learning and adaptation, and the study shows that white-matter improvements had more to do with how many hours students “trained” or practiced reading than how “good they were.” In essence, the more students read, the more enjoyable reading becomes and the more those skills are used in real-life situations.

Sylvan Learning has developed several techniques to turn the things students enjoy into “training” opportunities to promote a love of reading and help them build the reading comprehension and vocabulary needed for success on standardized tests, the SAT and ACT, and writing college entrance essays.

The first step for you, as a parent, is to identify what gets your child excited and to learn about it yourself. Read the “hot” tween books, watch the movies with them, and listen to the movie soundtracks together. Discuss how the book and movie differ. Did the plot change? Did the movie introduce new characters? In short, learn about the books and trends that
dominate your teenager’s world. Then, look for creative ways to add an educational component to your child’s favorite activities.

For example, if your teen can’t get enough of Twilight, leverage that interest to learn about geography and international culture. Ask her to identify locations from the books on a map – do they exist or are they fictional? Or, encourage him to find a “pen pal” in Italy to compare his life and everyday activities. Use this as an opportunity to learn new words in Italian and determine if your teen can guess the vocabulary word based on if it resembles the English pronunciation.

Discuss the similarity of Romeo and Juliet to Edward and Bella in Twilight. Ask your teenager to read Romeo & Juliet and compare the plot, the historical trends, and the story conclusions. By comparing and contrasting classic prose and trendy literature, students can further develop their critical thinking skills while obtaining additional exposure to new writers and new writing styles and practicing their reading comprehension for standardized tests.

Yes, even Linkin Park and Muse have lessons to teach. By memorizing lyrics or even writing their own, students can learn the importance of the written and spoken word. They can research the artists’ backgrounds and
find out the process to make a CD. Parents can combine these enjoyable activities with the basics of motivating a student – goalsetting,
rewards, and reinforcement. Plan out activities and classroom assignments with your child. Determine together the steps of the process and when the assignment will be finished. Sylvan recommends that you offer mini-rewards throughout the process to keep your tween motivated. Rewards can be as simple as a pat on the back or the ability to stay out an hour later on the weekend. When the project is complete, review it together, and congratulate him or her on a job well done.

The more your teen reads, the more he or she will know! All of the skills learned through these activities will translate into the classroom - and SAT and ACT success - by reinforcing geography, analytical comprehension, reading and research skills.

By joining in your tween’s fun, you’ll also demonstrate that learning takes place everywhere and that it is enjoyable.

For additional tips to instill the joy of reading and make learning a fun family endeavor, visit www.SylvanLearning.com.