Bring back the Pizza Hut rewards for reading.
All jokes aside, literacy is a massive problem in the nation right now. Students should be graduating high school able to read and understand basic words and sentences that my millennial self knew at a young age, thanks to Pizza Hut and my fantastic teachers.
Unfortunately, today’s youth face challenges because of the technology that is used in and out of the classroom. While spell check is a blessing when writing, it hinders kids. They may know a word, but that doesn’t mean they truly understand the definition or how to use it properly in various situations. Grammar and spelling are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to literacy. The understanding of words is what will help kids excel and achieve more in the future. “…about two-thirds of all students do not attain proficiency in knowledge-based literacy and comprehension skills by the end of middle school. To the extent that high school success, as well as later educational and economic success, depends on the acquisition of these higher-order skills in middle school, many U.S. students enter high school in need of substantial improvement in literacy.” (NCBLA)
Reading a book doesn’t have to be boring. It doesn’t mean the books have to be over 500 pages, written in Old English, and boring. (Sorry, Bronte fans, they are just not my cup of tea.) Anyone can become more adept and advanced at any time, but starting simple is the best way to go.
Instagram and TikTok are two of the most popular social media platforms used by kids in the middle school through high school age range. Which is why the platforms would be the perfect place to launch a literacy campaign. The trick with kids is to keep them engaged, and that is what we would do.
Instagram.
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A book club. I know it doesn’t sound like it would be a popular thing with kids; however, it can be. Each month, three books will be featured in this book club. Recommending based on age and reading level, I wouldn’t recommend a middle schooler read The Hunger Games, but I would recommend it to high schoolers and older.
At least one of the three books would have a movie or TV adaptation made from it. This method may be unconventional, but some people, adults included may not realize how may book are adapted to movies and television. Plus, it can be exciting to watch a world come alive on the big screen or to realize they left out some of your favorite scenes or characters from the books.
The book club will be advertised on the 1st of every month, followed by reviews from participants of the previous month’s books over the next couple of days. Throughout the month, there will be reminders and motivation to keep reading, because we can all use a good motivational speech now and again. The TikToks that will be made will also be shared on the page.
TikTok.
The TikTok approach will be slightly different. As it is a short-form video platform, the campaign will be all videos.
The videos will also feature the book club but have someone vocally describing them. I would then take it one step further. Throughout the month, make short videos in some sort of cosplay that relate to the books that are in that month’s club. All the videos will be light-hearted and show that it is fun to channel characters in various ways. The Instagram page will also be mentioned in a way with every video.
“Both literacy and numeracy rates have been on a steady decline for the last decade, with the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating the drop. However, literacy is about more than simply being able to read the words on a page. It also means being able to comprehend, analyze and evaluate the information we come across every day.” (The Racquet Press)
Kids don’t have to read hard books to become more proficient in reading. Reading a book about dragons is just as helpful as reading a book about the French Revolution. As a society, we should engage in reading culture that not only broadens our horizons but sets up children for success with their future endeavors. (Preferably with insentives; I’m looking at you Pizza Hut!)
