The Value of Reading Magazines
All too often, parents and students, alike, believe that reading novels, especially classics, are the primary source for building and strengthening literacy skills. However, reading magazines are equally powerful and impactful in bolstering reading comprehension. There are many values placed on reading a wide selection of texts from diverse genres and disciplines. Not only does it develop life-long habits of reading, students who have the opportunity to choose magazines that are of interest to them are more willing to engage in reading for fun. Reading magazines also provides students with new information presented from a variety of non-fiction topics that draw upon an extensive array of disciplines, ranging from astrology to art, from economics to the environment, from biological and physical sciences to business.
For high school students who are preparing for the SATs and for those who want to increase their vocabulary, not only will reading magazines expose them to a wide range of content that is not necessarily available in fictional texts, it will also strengthen comprehension and reading speed. Non-fiction texts comprise of more technical wording can teach students the use of concise writing techniques.
While reading, students can also ask themselves comprehension questions that will help them to further their analysis: What larger ideas do the details of the article support? What’s the main idea/argument of this article? What is the purpose for each paragraph?
With the newly revised SAT English section, students are now required to have a far greater understanding of vocabulary words and how they function in different contexts. It is simply not enough for students to study flashcards anymore.
We encourage our parents to allow their students to subscribe to a magazine of their choice. In doing so, students will become more avid readers of robust magazine publications as well as rapacious readers of novels. Reading both fictional and non-fictional texts offer students the opportunity to increase their understanding of complex words and ideas while establishing habits that are necessary to become lifelong reader
List of top publications for High School and College students:
- The Wall Street Journal
- The Economist
- The New Yorker
- New York Magazine
- The Atlantic Monthly
- National Geographic
- Time
- Popular Mechanics
List of top publications for Middle School students:
- Odyssey
- Time for Kids
- Ranger Rick
- Scholastic
- National Geographic Kids
- Cricket
We hope you will subscribe to a magazine today and get your child engaged in reading for FUN.
