As a relatively new teacher, I am always wondering how can I foster a better reading culture in my class. There are some strategies and routines that work well in my class but I am always looking for new ways to further encourage the love of reading.

CURRENTLY

Read aloud is an engaging way to learn as well as to promote dialogue about social issues (Kesler et al., 2020). Some books I have used include, I am Not a Number by Jenny Kay Dupuis and Meet Viola Desmond by Elizabeth Macleod. Students are exposed to oral language, inferential learning, increased vocabulary and knowledge, and new perspectives (Kesler et al., 2020). There are so many books that beautifully illustrate stories and make the readers, regardless of age, culture, and reading abilities, aware of issues in this world.

https://www.cbc.ca/books/i-am-not-a-number-1.4001557

When I introduce new books to the class, my students get really excited and cannot wait to read them. I often go to book sales to find items to add to my classroom library collection. Sometimes they notice that the books may be a little challenging for them but their interest in the books motivates them to continue to practice and read more. This past year, my class received a grant so we used some of the money to organize a small cozy area in my class for reading. Students really enjoyed that and they are always deeply engaged in their books when they were there. I also allow time for my students to share what they are reading with a classmate during buddy reading. They eagerly share their love of books and are willing to help their friends with their reading.

IMPROVEMENTS

I think what I could do better is model this love for reading. What this could look like include having daily conversations with my students about a joke that I read or an interesting book that I wanted to share. Looking through Twitter, I could visually demonstrate what I am reading.

My student could be involved as well. They could show their classmates and possibly everyone else in the school what they are reading and to encourage them to read too just like how this school demonstrated.

This could be a first step in fostering a school-wide reading culture.

To add to the buddy reading program in my class, we could extend this into a school-wide event. My students are sharing the books that they love within my class but how about sharing it with the rest of the school? Students from other classes can do the same by bringing their books and finding a buddy from another class or grade level to read with them. This then would promote reading even more!

Another way to make this reading event fun would be to create a theme! For example, the theme could be outdoors where students can bring blankets with them to read outside. A sleepover or camping theme could get the students to wear their pajamas and bring a flashlight to read.

I would love to see more school-wide reading events in my school. Another idea could be author visits. I am sure there are costs to inviting authors to our school but if it promotes student reading, I am sure my school team will try to make it work. Also, when we were doing online learning for the latter half of the year, Mo Willems, a popular author among my students, did some virtual events that taught viewers how to draw his story characters along with giving thanks to essential service workers. Author visits do not have to be in person, it can be virtual too!

There are so many possibilities to continue to grow the reading culture in my class and school. Can’t wait to learn about more strategies that other teachers and teacher-librarians are doing!

 

References

Kesler, T., Mills, M., & Reilly, M. (2020). I Hear You: Teaching Social Justice in Interactive Read-Aloud. Language Arts, 97(4), 207-222.

NWLiteracyLab. (2018, September 20). Ms. Sauer’s @Northwest_Elem third graders sharing what they are currently reading by posting on their lockers. Great idea to create that culture of reading in our school!. [Tweet; image]. Twitter. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/NWLiteracyLab/status/1042912228465410048

Teacher2teacher. (2019, April 11). By sharing his reading list, T @bhubbardheitz sparks conversations around books! How do you foster a reading culture?. [Tweet; image]. Twitter. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/teacher2teacher/status/1116528928414294017.

TheKennedyCentre. (2020, May 7). THANK YOU THURSDAYS with Mo Willems! Episode 1 [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/G8u2gn5rmYc

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