Journal+3+-+Basgall

// Journal 3 // : What makes a good reader? A reader is by my own definition someone who can pick up any type of reading material and read through it understanding main points and concepts. A good reader doesn’t just develop overnight but spends countless hours within texts developing themselves as amateur readers to having reading be a part of their daily literate lives. When students begin their reading process in the elementary level they spend time working on basic vocabulary and comparing words to pictures to expand knowledge and personal vocabulary. As students go through their educational years they spend time expanding their literate lives by delving into more difficult and challenging texts where they learn harder vocabulary terms and concepts within the texts. Not only do readers read novels, but readers encompass all reading material such as magazines, newspapers, online blogs, papers, and even small texts such as billboards and nutrition information on food labels. I believe that there is no such things as a “good” reader, per say, but rather there are more advanced and basic readers. A basic reader would be someone who gets by in every day life by reading road signs, directions, and labels. An advanced reader would be someone who reads difficult novels by authors such as Charles Dickens or Jane Austen. Everyone else who can read basic material along with enjoyable reading such as magazines, novels, and newspapers are at a regular level of reading capability. I believe it is important that everyone continue to develop and grow as readers and continue to challenge themselves to expand vocabulary and knowledge. Again, the label of being a good reader is inappropriate as there should be no such label of a bad reader, because no one is technically a bad reader, but may be less advanced than others. Reading should be a part of everyones daily life and that reading doesn't necessarily need to be a book, but can take any form and make the reader grow and learn new things on a regular basis.