# data[].attributes.headline
Four compelling reasons to shut off your screen and open a good book

# data[].attributes.subject
Four compelling reasons to shut off your screen and open a good book

# data[].attributes.body
As readers become engrossed in a story line, they empathize with characters and learn their motivations and behavior patterns. This increases a person’s understanding of human behavior which is knowledge that carries over to life outside of a novel. Furthermore, when readers select novels that are set in locations with cultures other than their own, they further develop an awareness of diverse human populations and perspectives.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In the eighteenth century, essayists Joseph Addison and Sir Richard Steele wrote, "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." Hundreds of years later, this quote could not be more true. Studies conducted over the last few decades have proven the scientific benefits of reading. Curling up with a good book is not only enjoyable, it can positively impact your mental and emotional health.
Reading is proven to reduce stress and increase relaxation.
Reading books, particularly fiction, fully engages the mind and imagination. Any activity that possesses meditative qualities in which the brain is fully focused on a single task is proven to reduce stress and enhance relaxation. In a study conducted by the University of Sussex, individuals who had read for merely six minutes exhibited slower heart rates, less muscle tension, and reduced stress levels. Dr. David Lewis, the neuroscientist who conducted the study, reported that reading , "is more than merely a distraction but an active engaging of the imagination as the words on the printed page stimulate your creativity and cause you to enter what is essentially an altered state of consciousness." It turns out getting lost in a good book truly is the ultimate form of relaxation!
Reading combats mental decline and Alzheimer's with old age.
The benefits of reading expand beyond reduced anxiety and stress. have linked reading to good brain health in old age. Individuals who read regularly across their lifespan showed increased mental capacity as they aged. Those individuals who read less frequently throughout their life and did not continue to engage their brains in old age experienced a mental decline rate that was 48 percent faster than those who kept their brains active across their lives.

found a positive association between cognitive based activities such as reading and a decreased chance of developing Alzheimer's disease. Just like the heart, the brain is a muscle that needs to be taken care of in order to function at its fullest capacity throughout our lifetimes.
Doctors have prescribed reading as a treatment for certain mental health conditions.
One in five adults in the United States experience a mental illness at some point in their lives. Reading self help books has proven to be an effective method for helping adults cope with mental illness. In the UK, doctors have embraced the approach of using bibliotherapy, or treatment through the use of books, for patients with mental health conditions. Doctors have been incorporating required reading as part of a patient's prescription. The goal is to bring the benefits of reading to millions of patients with anxiety and depression.
People who read often, become more empathetic.
As if stress reduction, improved mental health, and healthy brain function weren't enough, reading can also help individuals become more empathetic and increase their self-awareness. In particular, reading literary fiction can increase one's understanding of others and improve relationships. As readers become engrossed in a storyline, they empathize with characters and learn their motivations and behavior patterns. This increases a person's understanding of human behavior which is knowledge that carries over to life outside of a novel. Furthermore, when readers select novels that are set in locations with cultures other than their own, they further develop an awareness of diverse human populations and perspectives.

With all of these benefits, there is no doubt that reading is truly the powerhouse of leisure activities. When you're done reading this blog, why not shut down your computer and pick up a good book!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Reading is good for your mental health - Reading Partners | Reading Partners

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In the eighteenth century, essayists Joseph Addison and Sir Richard Steele wrote, "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." Hundreds of years later, this quote could not be more true. Studies conducted over the last few decades have proven the scientific benefits of reading.

# data[].attributes.headline
Brain function 'boosted for days after reading a novel'

# data[].attributes.subject
Brain function 'boosted for days after reading a novel'

# data[].attributes.body
Reading a gripping novel causes biological changes in the brain which last for days as the mind is transported into the body of the protagonist http://esciencecommons.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-novel-look-at-how-stories-may-change.html

# data[].attributes.headline
Students Have a Right and a Need to Read Diverse Books

# data[].attributes.subject
Students Have a Right and a Need to Read Diverse Books

# data[].attributes.body
by Millie Davis

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
We know our classrooms should be rich with diverse books, but we may need explanations to share with colleagues about why we choose a diverse book over an old standard and, perhaps, recommendations on which books to select and a few ideas for how we might use those texts in our classrooms. NCTE, its members, and friends offer the following.

Author Tytianna N. M. Wells Smith says, "Books must mirror the lives of readers...many students related to the stories as they reflected on their lived experiences that connect their home and school identities."

Author and Illustrator Duncan Tunatiuh notes, "The United States is such a diverse country, and we need diverse books to reflect the different cultural experiences that children have...we need multicultural books so that different kinds of children can see themselves reflected in the books they read, and so that children can learn about people from diverse backgrounds and cultures."

Violet Harris says, ""inclusive diversity matters." And I use the term "inclusive" because I don't want to push some groups to the forefront and push other groups to the back"

Ezra Hyland notes, "When you have children in school and the literature doesn't look like them, it doesn't sound like them, it does not deal with their issues, you're pushing them out rather than inviting them in...We need diverse books because diverse books reflect the world as it is, not the way the world never was and the way the world never will be....Literature and language are life, you know." Amiri Baraka, I heard him say one time - he was quoting someone else, paraphrasing someone else - that human beings don't make up stories, but it's our stories that make us human. And so literature is the repository of our stories and the repository of our humanity, a reminder of our humanity."

Robert Needlman, a pediatrician in Cleveland, Ohio and cofounder of Reach Out and Read, talked about his approach to primary care, which puts literacy front and center by having literacy-rich waiting rooms and demonstrating to parents how to read to their children. He pointed out new evidence that literacy acquisition and listening to stories changes the structure of the human brain, contributes to the brain's health, strengthens a child's attachment to his or her parents, and increases overall emotional health and resilience. His concern, however, is the lack of diversity in the books he collects for his patients, who are predominantly African American.

Ellen Oh, author and CEO of We Need Diverse Books, stresses the importance of diverse literature for children of color.

Sybil E Durand writes, "To resist "the danger of the single story," as Chimamanda Adichie discusses in her 2009 TED talk, we need books that tell many different kinds of stories about a particular cultural community."

"Those of us from minority backgrounds," note Christina V. Cedillo, "often fail to see ourselves in our school texts, let alone have opportunities to engage with the kinds of knowledge that meaningful representation makes possible. By that we mean representation that transcends mere depiction to encourage meaningful engagement with and reflection on diverse experiences and ways of knowing. As educators we must provide students with texts that reflect their respective backgrounds and engage the perspectives they bring to the classroom

... Coauthor Kimberly S. Covertadds, " In fostering students' appreciation for the unique worldviews and practices integral to their home cultures, teachers can show respect for students' "home places" and recognize their own positionality as members of cross-cultural communities (Royster, 1996). They can also advance rhetorical awareness that makes transcultural repositioning possible. Transcultural repositioning involves being able to "move back and forth with ease and comfort between and among different languages and dialects, different social classes, different cultural and artistic forms" in order to "open the door to different ways of seeing and thinking about the increasingly fluid and hybridized world that is emerging all around us" (Guerra, 2004, p. 8). Inviting Ethnic Studies into the classroom helps educators foster respectful learning environments while promoting vital communication skills."

"I didn't always know all of the places that I was from until I encountered them in books. I think that we can and should be intentional about including diverse lit as a matter of course whenever we discuss lit in different genres, styles, and so forth." Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich writes.

Latrisse Johnson points out, " In the predominantly Black high school where I am Professor in Residence and sponsor of the writing club, ELA teachers continue to teach books from the canon like To Kill a Mockingbird, The Scarlet Letter, The Great Gatsby, and Of Mice and Men. And although they are great stories, they do very little when it comes to inspiring the lives of youth of color. Nor do these texts reflect the lived experiences of the students who attend the school. My issue with teaching these texts is not necessarily that they are culturally irrelevant for our students. In fact, I do not propose teaching texts just because they are diverse. Instead, as teachers and teacher educators, our selection of diverse texts must be intentional and must play a role in eradicating racial and social injustice and inequality...Teachers must choose texts with the students in mind."

Mollie Blackburn points out, "I am one among many who have called for bringing LGBTQ-themed literature into English language arts classrooms and queering literature already there. By queering I mean interrogating the notion of normal, particularly relative to sexual identities and gender expressions, but also related to broader notions like family and friendships. Oftentimes these two suggestions get pulled apart, as if teachers can or even should do one or the other, but I think they go hand-in-hand." U

Bring your students a little "bookjoy," as Pat Mora calls it, not only on El día de los niños/El día de los libros but all year long

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Students Have a Right and a Need to Read Diverse Books - NCTE

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We know our classrooms should be rich with diverse books, but we may need explanations to share with colleagues about why we choose a diverse book over an old standard and, perhaps, recommendations on which books to select and a few ideas for how we might use those texts in our classrooms. NCTE, its members, and friends offer the following.

# data[].attributes.body
Use the book feature to allow students to make one page each in a book about topics that are relevant. Let them share and express ideas in a safe space.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ladder to the Moon by Maya Soetoro-Ng by Yuyi Morales

# data[].attributes.subject
Ladder to the Moon by Maya Soetoro-Ng by Yuyi Morales

# data[].attributes.body
Little Suhaila wishes she could have known her grandma, who would wrap her arms around the whole world if she could, Mama says. And one night, Suhaila gets her wish when a golden ladder appears at her window, and Grandma Annie invites the girl to come along with her on a magical journey. In a rich and deeply personal narrative, Maya Soetoro-Ng draws inspiration from her mother's love for family, her empathy for others, and her ethic of service to imagine this remarkable meeting.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ladder to the Moon by Maya Soetoro-Ng.JPG

# data[].attributes.headline
Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey

# data[].attributes.subject
Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey

# data[].attributes.body
Ruth was so excited to take a trip in her family's new car! In the early 1950s, few African Americans could afford to buy cars, so this would be an adventure. But she soon found out that black travelers weren't treated very well in some towns. Many hotels and gas stations refused service to black people. Daddy was upset about something called Jim Crow laws...

# data[].attributes.body
A fun app that adds voice to any image and allows students create and share stories.

# data[].attributes.body
Art and writing prompts to help students create meaningful writing responses.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Storybird - Read, write, discover, and share the books you'll always remember.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Become a better writer with Storybird's creativity tools. Online courses, challenges, and reader feedback will help you improve your writing.

# data[].attributes.body
Create a storyboard that depicts a scene from a book or passage from the book.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Free Storyboarding Software — Online Storyboard Creator

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Storyboard That: Easy online storyboard creation! Perfect for filmmakers, teachers, and students. Create storyboards and comics with Storyboard That today!

# data[].attributes.headline
Facts about access and availability to diverse books and authors.

# data[].attributes.subject
Facts about access and availability to diverse books and authors.

# data[].attributes.headline
1. Why are diverse books  important in your classroom?

# data[].attributes.subject
1. Why are diverse books  important in your classroom?