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= **Welcome to Reading Is Important** =

Do students still need to read "books"?
Reading is a key to school learning and helps us in all aspects of our lives. Perhaps one of the best thinks a student can do to improve skills in all areas of his or her life is read, and read a wide variety of materials. And nothing encourages reading like a good book!


 * When children read for pleasure, when they get “hooked on books”, they acquire, involuntarily and without conscious effort, nearly all of the so-called “language skills” many people are so concerned about: they will become adequate readers, acquire a large vocabulary, develop the ability to understand and use complex grammatical constructions, develop a good writing style, and become good (but not necessarily perfect) spellers. Although free voluntary reading alone will not ensure attainment of the highest levels of literacy, it will at least ensure an acceptable level. Without it, I suspect that children simply do not have a chance.
 *  Reading is an important gateway to personal development, and to social, economic and civic life (Holden, 2004). It allows us to learn “about other people, about history and social studies, the langue arts, science, mathematics, and the other content subjects that must be mastered in school” (Lyon, 1997).
 * ** The path of a reader is not a runway but more a hack through a forest, with individual twists and turns, entanglements and moments of surprise. ** (Holden, 2004)

These quotes were taken from the following document:

**Reading for pleasure: A research overview**

**//The National Literacy Trust The entire document can be viewed at:// **
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