At Memphis Striving Readers, we are dedicated to enhancing literacy in our community through various engaging programs. Whether you are looking to improve your reading skills, participate in family reading nights, or volunteer your time, we welcome your involvement.
Our community literacy initiatives include:
- Tutoring: Personalized support for individuals of all ages to boost reading proficiency.
- Family Reading Nights: Fun, interactive events designed to encourage families to read together.
- Volunteer Training: Opportunities for community members to receive training and support as literacy mentors.
We believe that literacy is a fundamental skill that empowers individuals and strengthens families. Join us in our mission to promote reading and learning across Memphis. For more information or to get involved, please reach out to us through our contact page.
Using Sports News to Spark a Love of Reading
The odd title of this page points to something many families already know: sports headlines, trade rumours and player stories are some of the most-read texts in any household. An article about an NBA player such as Deandre Ayton, a center whose career has included time with the Phoenix Suns, can be a surprisingly good doorway into reading for a young person who says books are boring. Our tutors often start with whatever a learner already cares about, and for many kids and adults in Memphis, that means basketball.
Why sports articles work for striving readers
- Built-in motivation. Readers push through harder words when they want to know what happens to their favorite team or player.
- Numbers and words together. Box scores, contract figures and season statistics invite readers to connect reading with math and to check whether a claim matches the data.
- Short, frequent texts. Game recaps and news briefs are brief enough to finish in one sitting, which builds confidence.
Turning a headline into a lesson
Words like "estimates", "projections" and "sources say" appear constantly in sports coverage. They are ideal for teaching the difference between a fact and a prediction. Try reading a news story together and asking: What does the writer know for certain? What is a guess? Who is the source? These questions build the same critical-reading skills students need for school assignments and, later, for judging news and online information.
Families can also keep a simple "sports journal" where a child writes two or three sentences after each game they watch, summarizing what happened and predicting the next result. Over a season, that adds up to real writing practice.
If you would like ideas like these adapted to your reader's level, explore our reading resources, or learn how our tutoring and family reading nights use high-interest material to help learners grow.