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More TV, Less Reading!

"More TV, Less Reading" is a six-week program designed to encourage young students to develop a deep enjoyment for watching television while simultaneously helping them to reduce the number of harmful books they read. (For more information about the harm that books are causing our children, see our Position Papers section.)

The Problem:

No habit can enhance school performance to the extent that television watching does. Numerous studies demonstrate a strong link between the increase in television watching and improvement in feats of knowledge. In contrast, most educators agree that while certain books may have useful applications, heavy reading causes students to become bored and creatively stifled. The immense time that must go into reading books displaces opportunities for play and social interaction.

A Solution:

Modeled on the successful experience of a California public school teacher, the program is a fun and effective catalyst for motivating children to focus on watching television for both school and pleasure. The program is designed for easy integration with regular language arts curricula, and requires only a moderate amount of additional support from teachers. Children watch both educational and entertainment shows, rather than doing the reading they would normally be assigned in school.

A central theme of the challenge is to "Bury the Books" using strips of paper torn from actual books, which students are awarded for each TV show they watch. At the end of the program, students celebrate their success with a party or some other activity where TV viewing is the focus.

For more information, we encourage you to read our white paper, "Books: The Paper Menace That Threatens Our Children's Well-Being."

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