At Memphis Striving Readers, we are dedicated to enhancing literacy across our community. We believe that every child deserves the opportunity to read and succeed. Our program offers various avenues for involvement, whether through tutoring, family reading nights, or volunteer training.
We invite you to connect with us in several ways:
- Volunteer: Join our team and help us make a difference in the lives of children and families.
- Attend Events: Participate in our family reading nights and community gatherings to foster a love for reading.
- Stay Informed: Follow our updates on social media to learn about upcoming events and initiatives.
Your support is vital to our mission. Together, we can empower individuals and strengthen our community through literacy.
Turning Movie Nights into Reading Moments
The page title points to cinema, and films are a useful way into reading for many families. A child who has just seen a film is often curious about its characters, setting or story. That curiosity can carry them to a book, which is why we encourage parents and caregivers to treat a trip to the movies or a film night at home as the start of a reading habit.
Before and after the film
Many popular family films are based on picture books, chapter books or novels. Reading the book first, or a few chapters of it, gives children a sense of ownership when they watch the story on screen. Reading it afterwards lets them meet the characters again and find the scenes and details the film left out. Either way, the conversation that follows matters most. Ask simple, open questions:
- What was different between the book and the film?
- Which version of a character did you like better, and why?
- If you could add a scene, what would happen?
These questions build comprehension, vocabulary and confidence. They are the same skills our tutors practise in sessions.
Use captions at home
Turning on subtitles or closed captions during home viewing is a low-effort way to add reading practice. Early and struggling readers see printed words matched to spoken language over and over. Over time this can help with word recognition and reading speed. It works especially well with shows a child has already seen, because the familiar story frees them to pay attention to the text.
Bring the idea to family reading nights
Story-based activities, such as acting out a favourite scene, drawing a new movie poster or writing an alternative ending, appear often at community literacy events because they make reading social and fun. You can find more ideas and book suggestions on our Resources page. If you would like to help lead activities like these, our volunteer training prepares you to support young readers across Memphis.