Complex Reading is Fundamental

April 10, 2006

I’m an avid reader. I devour any book that crosses my path, whether it be fiction or non fiction, biographical or autobiographical, even plain ol’ gossip. I am trying to instill this passion onto my kids. My son LOVES to read. My daughter, on the other hand, can take it or leave it. It is SO frustrating, because when I was her age, I would get lost in the literary world.

We all know that reading is fundamental, but did you know that the most important skill teens need for college is the ability to handle complex reading?

What makes an article or book complex to read? Complex reading is characterized by an elaborate organization where the messages are often implicit rather than overt. The interaction between ideas or characters may be subtle instead of obvious. Most of all, the vocabulary is demanding and intricate, notes AP.

According to this article, out of the 1.2 million high school seniors who took the ACT in 2005, only 51% scored high enough to really handle the first year college-level reading requirements. Wow.

My daughter is only 11, but I’m going to really push for her to make time for reading. I want her to be in the 51%!