At Memphis Striving Readers, we are committed to fostering literacy in our community. We offer a variety of programs designed to support families, enhance reading skills, and empower volunteers.

Whether you’re interested in tutoring, participating in family reading nights, or volunteering your time, there are numerous ways to get involved. We believe that literacy is a shared journey, and we welcome everyone to join us in making a difference.

If you have questions, need assistance, or want to learn more about our programs, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are always ready to help you.

Here are some ways you can connect with us:

Join us in our mission to promote literacy across Memphis!

Reading Together: Turning Sports Talk into Literacy Practice

Many young readers who resist chapter books will happily pore over a box score, a game recap or a player profile. Hockey is a good example. A phrase like "the Penguins' glass defense" might sound like jargon, but working out what it means is exactly the kind of puzzle that builds reading skills. Children use context clues and ask questions. Then they check their guesses against what they already know. In hockey, "the glass" is the clear barrier around the rink, and players often clear the puck "off the glass" to relieve pressure in their own zone. Unpacking language like this shows kids that words can carry special meanings depending on where they appear.

Why sports reading works

Sports writing is short and full of action, and it is tied to something readers already care about. That motivation matters. A reluctant reader who follows a team will often tackle vocabulary well above their usual level because they want to understand the story. Sports pages also mix text with numbers, charts and photos, which gives practice in reading more than one kind of information at once.

Simple ideas for families

  • Read a game recap together. Ask your child to retell what happened in their own words, or to predict what the team might do next time.
  • Build a jargon list. Write down unfamiliar terms such as "power play," "icing" or "clearing the zone," and look them up together.
  • Compare two accounts. Read two reports of the same game and talk about how each writer described it differently.
  • Write a headline. After watching a game, have your child write a one-sentence headline and a short summary.

These activities fit easily into everyday routines and need nothing more than a newspaper, a library book or a few minutes online. You can find more ideas for building reading habits at home on our resources page. Our programs, including family reading nights, welcome readers of every interest, whether that is hockey, history or picture books.