Question:Fostering Reading Cultures in Schools - In your school and practice, how do you already foster a reading culture? What tools, strategies and resources can be implemented to encourage and support a school-wide reading program?
Figure 1: Daily 5 by The Daily Cafe
As a classroom teacher of 3 years now fostering a passion for reading has truly been one of my own passions. This curiosity to get students more engaged with books and give them both voice and choice has lead me to try lots of different things in my own classroom such as:
Running the Daily 5 program in my Intermediate Classroom which allowed students to have voice and choice
Keeping a well stocked classroom library which included over 1000 books in different forms (comics, manga, non-fiction, fiction) and of varying levels - With the goal being to have options for all readers
Daily read aloud to model good reading skills and fluency - This year we read all 5 books in the Magesterium series and students were engaged throughout
Giving students the option of reading different books for reading assignments such as: book talks, bi-weekly reading portfolios, reading responses and book reports
Battle of the books which is run with all 4 of the Grade 6/7 classes
However the truth is that reading is not engaging for all students because it is not easy for all students. Yet as teachers we have an incredibly strong role to play in our students lives we can make or break their love of reading. I strongly believe that there needs to be a whole school approach to making and meeting reading goals. An old proverb says that it takes a village to raise a child, if our school community is that village than we definitely need many hands to make sure all students literacy needs are met. Also, "school libraries have a critical role to play in the development of a reading culture" (p.1).
Figure 2: Drop Everything and Read a reminder that reading is important for everyone.
Some things that our school librarian has done to promote reading culture is the Drop Everything and Read program, 200 Nights of Reading Program as well as promotion of the yearly Young Reader's Choice award books. I believe these school wide initiatives are helpful and some such as the 200 Nights of Reading Program can have students strive to read goals. Wilson states that "adding a competitive edge to the reading culture can encourage even reluctant readers". In the future I would love to organize Drop Everything and Read on a monthly basis, such as on the last Friday of every month for 30 minutes after recess. This way both students and teachers will be able to look forward to the date. I also thought that the 30 minutes could become special because students could sit in the hallways together or meet with their buddy classes and read together. I also imagined a D.E.A.R. camp out where students brought blankets or tents and got comfortable while reading their favorite books.
Figure 3: Building A Reading Culture in Schools by LitFilmFest
At the end of this year a teacher at my school showed me how students could create their own book reviews in the Destiny system. This really sparked my interested in thinking about how to involve students more in the book selection and recommendation process. To make sure students voices are heard I would like to have a box in the library where students can write recommendations for books to purchase. I would also make sure to hold the book for the student who requested it so they could be the first one to take it out. Apart from the book reviews in the Destiny system I could also have a bulletin board dedicated to student recommendations. The above video by LitFilmFest shows how students can get so engaged about writing book reviews. LitFilmFest write that "allowing children to both choose and share their opinions about books was key to creating a new culture. Writing pupil-led book reviews was a clear choice that could encourage aspects of this ‘choosing culture’. It also encourages communication through writing, and can encourage oral discussion around the children’s individual preferences." Using the Reading Rocks Review project student utilized Adobe Spark and became both engaged and excited about reading books. I found it amazing how in the video you could see students from Grade 1 to Grade 7 engaging in the project. In the end I my goal is to show students that they are active contributors to the library environment and that their voice matters.
Figure 4: Example of an eye-catching display
The paper "Unlocking Shelves: Fostering a Culture of Reading and Inclusion through Open Libraries" reminds us that "a radical rethinking of the library space is imperative - one in which everyone is welcome, and all shelves are open" (p.157). Reading this line I immediately imagine a library space that is accessible. Accessibility means that books can physically be easily accessed by students, the shelves are not cluttered, the books are displayed and separated into easily understood topics. Furthermore there will be displays that showcase books attractively in hopes of catching the eye of any students or teachers that pass by. The library will also become a comfortable space for students to visit in their spare time. A teacher librarian colleague shared with me that she likes to keep her library open during recess this allows for students to come in and exchange books, they can also sit in the library and read or they can talk to the teacher librarian. By providing this extra time to students the teacher librarian is able to foster relationships. Providing weekly times for classes to have book exchange is also vital in bringing children into the library. It may even be helpful to allow intermediate classes who are independent to come down by themselves for a set time daily. This way students who have books to exchange can do so almost on a daily basis. But to me an open library is not just about the physical space, it also means that students see themselves represented in the literature, they can pick up different types of books that interest them because there are many forms of writing, and stories of all kinds are valued from graphic novels, to picture books, to fiction and non-fiction. In an open library students can not only physically access books but there is a wide array of material to choose from, and this material can help them grow mentally and enjoy their reading experience.
Figure 5: Strategies for Reading Aloud with Children https://smartreading.org/strategies-for-reading-aloud-with-children/
Figure 6: Teacher Read-Aloud That Models Reading for Deep Thinking
I will always believe that there is value in a good read aloud, no matter the age group. As I step into my first job as a Teacher-Librarian in September one of my goals is to become better at doing read-aloud. Although I have done read-alouds throughout my whole teaching career and absolutely loved the experience I also believe that this is an area I need to further grow This is because I know I am not great at creating discussions around the books we are reading. I have curated some resources to further help me towards this goal. The following Highscopes article also offers some examples on How to Build Comprehension Skills during Read Aloud. The follow two graphics helped me to think more about what constitutes an Interactive Read-Aloud and the steps. One step I can take in September is to pre-read the book, sticky not where I want to stop and have a discussion with the student and pre-write my questions, I can also continue practicing my skills by reading the same book throughout the week to multiple classes and changing to another book the following week. My goal is to become more comfortable in discussing the text and curating student discussion around the texts we are reading.
Ahuja, Sunisha, Ami Ehrlich, and Julie Maurin. "Fostering a Culture of Reading through School Libraries: Room to Read's Experience in India." International Association of School Librarianship.Selected Papers from the ...Annual Conference, 2008, pp. 1-16. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/fostering-culture-reading-through-school/docview/236095788/se-2?accountid=14656.
Grieve, Amelia, director. Teacher Read-Aloud That Models Reading for Deep Understanding. YouTube, 18 Oct. 2014, youtu.be/dhW8szgSTxU.
LitFilmFest. “5 Steps to Build a Reading Culture.” LitFilmFest, 21 Dec. 2020, litfilmfest.com/5-steps-to-build-a-reading-culture/.
LitFilmFest, director. Building A Reading Culture In Schools | YouTube Kids | Adobe | #Education #Withme. YouTube, 23 Sept. 2020, youtu.be/vyFCZPgM5sY.
Mukunda, Usha, and Vivek Vellanki. "Unlocking Shelves: Fostering a Culture of Reading and Inclusion through Open Libraries." Contemporary Education Dialogue, vol. 13, no. 1, 2016, pp. 157-165.
Smart, Reading. “Strategies for Reading Aloud with Children.” SMART Reading, 30 May 2014, smartreading.org/strategies-for-reading-aloud-with-children/.
Team, Fountas and Pinnell. “What Is Interactive Read-Aloud?” Fountas & Pinnell Blog, 25 Jan. 2019, fpblog.fountasandpinnell.com/what-is-interactive-read-aloud.
Wilson, Catherine. “Ten Ways to Create a Reading Culture in Your School.” Resources for English Language Learners and Teachers | Pearson English, 11 Mar. 2020, blog.pearsoninternationalschools.com/ten-ways-to-create-a-reading-culture-in-your-school/.
There are lots of great thoughts here! You mention keeping the library open during recess and having flexible times for students to exchange books. I have struggled to find a balance with this in the past. I want students to have as much access to the library as I can, but I also am only human! The first few months, I found myself burning out, so I no longer offer recess as a book exchange time. How can we provide maximum access for students without burning out?
You know I am thinking about that as well. Our jobs are very mentally and emotionally taxing. I personally do not know if I will be able to implement this in my first year. I have a lot on my plate and I'm not actually sure where to start. Our classes have been teaching us a lot about fostering community, collaboration and inquiry. However walking into my new library space the back office is full of books that need to be discarded, there are books to be catalogued, books that need to be mended, the shelves are overflowing with books that need to be weeded as there is no space to put the new books, the physical space in the library is not being utilized. And I know we are taught that this is all secondary to how we work with staff and students, but there is lots of things I feel I do not know how to deal with yet.
This is a good post that shares many great strategies for fostering a reading culture. I appreciate the variety of sources you have included and how you have modelled that ideas can come from traditional research as well as from places like social media. Many good takeaways for your reader here.
Thank you for the feedback! I think this is also how our students learn from a variety of sources. I personally love watching videos for educational purposes and bring these into my classroom in a variety of forms from math, science, language arts and social studies. Knowledge is not only in the form of academic articles afterall.
Hi, Olivera. I love the idea of students writing reviews directly into Destiny. What a great way for them to share and connect with other students. I will have to check that out! I've often had students write reviews to share with each other, but there was one experience that was pretty special. My Grade 8 class teamed up with the Grade 11/12 leadership class, and broke up into pairs. Each of them brought a book and talked with each other about why they liked it, or what they thought of it. They did that a few times throughout the first semester, and it was great to see the bonds being made. It was really nice to see the Grade 8s light up when they saw their "book buddies" in the hallways, and it helped them get more comfortable with being around so many older kids. Andrea
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There are lots of great thoughts here! You mention keeping the library open during recess and having flexible times for students to exchange books. I have struggled to find a balance with this in the past. I want students to have as much access to the library as I can, but I also am only human! The first few months, I found myself burning out, so I no longer offer recess as a book exchange time. How can we provide maximum access for students without burning out?
ReplyDeleteHi,
DeleteYou know I am thinking about that as well. Our jobs are very mentally and emotionally taxing. I personally do not know if I will be able to implement this in my first year. I have a lot on my plate and I'm not actually sure where to start. Our classes have been teaching us a lot about fostering community, collaboration and inquiry. However walking into my new library space the back office is full of books that need to be discarded, there are books to be catalogued, books that need to be mended, the shelves are overflowing with books that need to be weeded as there is no space to put the new books, the physical space in the library is not being utilized. And I know we are taught that this is all secondary to how we work with staff and students, but there is lots of things I feel I do not know how to deal with yet.
This is a good post that shares many great strategies for fostering a reading culture. I appreciate the variety of sources you have included and how you have modelled that ideas can come from traditional research as well as from places like social media. Many good takeaways for your reader here.
ReplyDeleteHello,
DeleteThank you for the feedback! I think this is also how our students learn from a variety of sources. I personally love watching videos for educational purposes and bring these into my classroom in a variety of forms from math, science, language arts and social studies. Knowledge is not only in the form of academic articles afterall.
Hi, Olivera.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of students writing reviews directly into Destiny. What a great way for them to share and connect with other students. I will have to check that out! I've often had students write reviews to share with each other, but there was one experience that was pretty special. My Grade 8 class teamed up with the Grade 11/12 leadership class, and broke up into pairs. Each of them brought a book and talked with each other about why they liked it, or what they thought of it. They did that a few times throughout the first semester, and it was great to see the bonds being made. It was really nice to see the Grade 8s light up when they saw their "book buddies" in the hallways, and it helped them get more comfortable with being around so many older kids.
Andrea