Sometimes Books Aren’t the Best Choice

We at Zinc believe that you can never have too many books. How could you? Books add SO much to life. Like Stephen King said, they’re “a uniquely portable magic.”

But, despite our great love of books, we don’t think they’re always the best assignment for middle and high school students. Sometimes, articles are a much better choice. Here’s why:

• Asking reluctant readers to tackle a 200-page book is akin to suggesting they climb Mount Everest. Articles are different; they feel more manageable but still offer a payoff at completion. It feels good to read an article from beginning to end. With an article, students get the complete experience that the author wanted to transmit to them—and they learn something new. Finishing a book feels even better, of course, but you have to crawl before you walk! So, articles are a great place to start with students who need to be eased into a reading practice.

• How students see themselves makes a big difference in how they respond to your instruction and assignments. Do they think of themselves as bad at reading or as someone who hates reading? Many do, and we can start to change this with short, engaging reading assignments. Prioritize making time for kids to pick articles on topics they want to read about, and watch them transform into eager readers.

Once students are comfortable with the training wheels of shorter reads, direct them to the long, rich texts that can consume them for days or weeks and change their lives.

Browse Zinc’s articles, and make time for your students to check them out too. And visit our “Great First Pages” channel to entice students with the opening pages of great literary works.