Why Can't I Skip My Reading Tonight?

Have you ever wondered why schools ask students to read for 20 minutes every night?

Consider 3 Students:

Student “A” reads 20 minutes each day.3600 minutes in a school year
1,800,000 words
90th percentile

Student “B” reads 5 minutes each day.
900 minutes in a school year
282,000 words
50th percentile

Student “C” reads 1 minute each day.
180 minutes in a school year
8,000 words
10th percentile

By the end of 6th grade, Student “A” will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days.  Student “B” will have read only 12 school days.  Which student would you expect to have a better vocabulary?  Which student would you expect to be more successful in school? Which student would you expect to be more successful in life?

 (Nagy & Herman, 1987)

Read!