How to Motivate Teens to Read

With lots of studies showing the benefits of reading, how can teachers motivate their students to open a good book or power up their e-readers?

Lead by Example

Require students to spend at least 20 minutes in independent reading every day.

【小题1】, teachers show that they consider reading very important. Therefore, they always find time to read even though they are terribly busy.

Freedom to Choose

【小题2】. For those who forget their books, provide them with access to novels, magazines or newspapers during required reading time. Consider allowing students to use their personal e-readers.

Share Your Excitement

Teachers’ excitement for a particular book may have a huge influence on their students. Give students a taste of what the book is about. 【小题3】, suggest your favorite.

Visit the Library

Make time to visit the school library and require students to borrow at least one book of interest. 【小题4】. By doing so, they can make sure the book fits their interests.

Stay Informed

Teachers can help motivate students by finding out the latest popular young adult reading matter, such as “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins and the “Uglies” by Scott Westerfeld.

With varied activities competing for students’ time and attention, it can be difficult to encourage youngsters to read. 【小题5】.

Teachers who make independent reading a daily part of the classroom experience and find creative ways to motivate their students may be on the way to writing a success story.

Any C.E.O. book ought to do two things. First, it should be a tale of how the author did it. In Bee Fearless, the 10-year-old C.E.O. Mikayla Ulmer's book, the origin story of Ulmer's company begins wit bee stings (蜇), after which her parents encourage her to learn about the insects rather than fear them. She does some research and finds out that bees are in danger, which raised her concern.

So the 4-year-old sets up a lemonade stand (柠檬汽水摊) outside her house in Austin, Tex.as. She sweetens her lemonade with honey, since bees make it and it's healthy. She sells it with an information card about bees. Her lemonade is awful at first, but a series of experiments produces something better. Best of all she donates money to bee-related organizations.

People around Austin notice it. The owner of a pizza shop offers to sell the drinks if she bottles it. Then she is invited to the TV series “Shark Tank" and later goes to Hollywood. She leaves Hollywood with $60,000 and expands her lemonade business.

So we have our good story. The second task is harder——for anyone, let alone a teenager selling her story to other kids: How do you make people believe that they too could accomplish something like this?

In Ulmer's book, she delivers the key to keeping in contact with customers like writing thank-you notes. She also writes about connecting with the strangers over a brief trade. Many grown-ups never learn the art of selling. Near the book's end, Ulmer describes telling a group of girls in South Africa to "imagine what it would feel like”" to buy things they want without having to ask others for help.

Chinese Literature Readers' Club was recently launched in Beijing in a bid to promote the country's literature around the world.

Initiated by China Writers Association, literature organizations and Chinese literature lovers overseas, this club will provide a platform for communication about, and the exchange of, literature from home and abroad.

Speaking at the launch ceremony in August, Tie Ning, head of China Writers Association, said that reading, appreciating and exchanging ideas about literary works from a country will help to break through ignorance, isolation and prejudices, enabling people to not be blinded by stereotypical views and really be able to understand a country's historical origins, cultural context, social development and philosophical ideas.

She added that it also allows people to spiritually get close to, and understand, the rich emotional world of the people there and their vibrant life, and to feel that “we are all a part of a community with a shared future for mankind”.

Chinese literature has a history of “several thousand years”, including countless jewels that can be called an inheritance of human civilization that can be kept as permanent memories, as well as excellent modern and contemporary works that can arouse empathy in readers around the world. However, few Chinese writers are really known by readers in other countries, apart from those who have won international literary awards, Tie noted.

“It is, therefore, our common cultural mission to establish Chinese Literature Readers’ Club to introduce Chinese literature to the world, and to increase the mutual understanding and friendship between different peoples,” Tie said.

The clubs in different countries will build a bridge for overseas readers to get in touch with contemporary Chinese literature and its writers. They will organize events, both online and in-person, through local educational institutions, publishing houses, libraries, traditional media and social media networks.

So far, the club has set up branches in 12 countries-Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, Iran, Russia, Poland, Serbia, Germany, France, Britain and Chile.