Do you know what drives me mad when I’m reading? When an author doesn’t describe a character’s physical appearance until a couple of chapters in. By then, the movie in my mind has already determined that character X is an attractive man with flowing blond hair, a muscular physique, green eyes, and a rakish scar on his left cheekbone. Now I find out that he’s dark complected with short hair and a slight limp? I’ll have to do some major movie editing.
In all seriousness, that’s exactly what I enjoy about reading: reading creates a movie in your mind. Did you know students who have a difficult time with reading comprehension can’t transform the words into a mental movie? With that disconnect, I can understand how reading could be considered a boring task. Take a look at this terrific online article for fabulous suggestions to help students develop imagery. Transforming a bored reader into an excited one can completely change a student’s life. Now that’s good stuff!