Reading in School Tag

I recently found out about this Reading in School tag from Pip on YouTube. Its sounds interesting so I thought I would do it too!

For those who aren't familiar with tags online, it's basically a questionnaire that people answer and they tag a number of people to also answer them as well. For my tags, I will try to vary my answers without making them up and ask that everyone else try to do the same. Feel free to answer the questions here in the comments below ;) You can still answer these questions if you want to whether I tagged you or not!

Elementary:
1. What techniques do you think teachers should use to engage young readers?
Good question, since I want to be a teacher in the future iA :) The easiest thing teachers could do is to give students some time everyday of class to read for fun. Reading books as a class to students might also be fun depending on the book and grade level. Teachers could also assign book reports monthly/ bimonthly where the students get to pick the book and write a page or two (depending on the grade level and age). The point with younger children is to get them to read for fun and a hobby from a young age and the best way to do that in my opinion is to let them read books they find interesting (and that are age appropriate ;). Basically, don't shove reading down student's throats and then expect them to enjoy it.

2. Do you think that it's the schools job to instill a love of reading in children?
No. I think the love of reading should start in the home when the child is still young. Reading bedtime stories, looking through books with pictures, making up stories, etc. But, I do think schools should continue the effort of getting students to love reading by doing any of the above (#1).

3. What was your favourite elementary school read?
My 4th grade teacher read the first 2 books from A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. At the time, I loved them so I finished reading the series on my own. As for my fav. assigned book, I don't remember...

High School:
1. Do you think that an incorporation of YA books should be made? If so, which YA book would you add?
Yes, because students are going to read them regardless of any restrictions so might as well include them openly, but make wise choices when picking assigned books. I would add The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins because it will make students think deeply about if our world was actually like that and learn to appreciate things in their life. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is also a good choice in my opinion (see my book review @ http://sfraww.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-haul-collective-7-book-review.html 

2. Do you think it's important to read books from a wide variety of nationalities?
Definitely. Being exposed to different nationalities/ cultures and ways of life at an early age should help people learn to be more open minded and tolerant.

3. What was your least favourite book in high school?
I disliked A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (boring).

Beyond:
Do you think there should be an emphasis on creative writing?
1. Yes. Reading and writing go hand in hand in my opinion. Everyone should be decent at both.

2. How do you feel that the reading you did in school has affected the reading you do now?
I think reading in school exposed me to books I wouldn't have picked out on my own. Nowadays, I am exploring different genres of books that I would never have thought I would read, for example, crime fiction, historical fiction, YA books, etc.

3. If you had to choose one book that you've read in the past year, outside of school, that had to be taught in high schools, which would you choose?
Besides the 2 books in highschool question #1, I would choose The Zion Deception by Laurence B. Brown (read my review @ http://sfraww.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-zion-deception-by-dr-laurence-b.html and Far from Home by Na'ima B. Robert (read my review @ http://sfraww.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-haul-collective-7-book-review.html (scroll down).