Reading

Reading is a constructive meaning-based act which, depending upon purpose, background knowledge, and reading task, requires readers to use a variety of skills and strategies before, during, and after reading. It is a process that develops over a long period of time and through extensive practice.

The goal is to help students become fluent, independent, strategic readers. According to the International Reading Association (1999), reading requires teachers to help students develop:

motivation to read extensively
appropriate active strategies to construct meaning from print
sufficient background information and vocabulary to foster reading comprehension
ability to read fluently
ability to decode unfamiliar words
skills and knowledge to understand how phonemes or speech sounds are connected to print.

When developing students' reading skills and strategies, consider the following guidelines. A sample planning guide and teacher checklist are also provided at the end of this section to support the development of students' reading abilities.

1. Provide students with many opportunities to read.

Students need the opportunity to read, read, read (Braunger & Lewis, 1998, p. 53) and teachers should schedule sufficient time and opportunities for reading several times per week. For example:

Type of Reading	Amount of Time
Reading Aloud	10-15 minutes per session
Reading Along (Shared)	10-15 minutes per session
Buddy Reading	10-15 minutes per session
Independent Reading	10-15 minutes per session

Teachers need to develop daily and weekly routines. For the youngest emergent literacy learners, this might involve the use of big books and predictable books as part of a shared reading routine that includes a brief focus on one aspect of the reading process on each occasion. An example of this would be a demonstration of tracking the words in the text from left to right and top to bottom as the teacher reads. As well, even the youngest learners can participate in independent selection and reading of favourite books. As students mature, shared reading time can be extended and a greater number of strategies and activities can be incorporated into it. As students move towards the Developing Phase, they should be involved in guided reading with other students who are at approximately the same level of literacy development.

It is important to use every opportunity for students to read the environmental print in the classroom and beyond. In addition to providing a print-rich classroom, teachers must seize a multitude of opportunities for reading throughout the day, including the morning message or plan for the day. Additional activities are described below.

Read Aloud: The teacher (or other fluent reader) reads aloud to students and fosters the development of a community of readers. Students who are read to regularly:

learn how the act of fluent reading looks and sounds
develop a sense of story
attain knowledge of written language and the ways print texts are structured
increase their vocabularies
acquire new sentence patterns and use them in conversation and their own writing
grow in their understanding of themselves, others, and the world around them
learn that books provide enjoyment and information.

Rereading: Rereading helps students consolidate what they have learned, gives them confidence and pleasure, builds fluency, increases reading rate, and encourages application of both reading skills and self-monitoring strategies (Allington & Baker, 1999, p. 307).

Paired/Buddy Reading: Partner reading gives two students the opportunity to practise as they read or reread a text together, and talk and share interpretations.

Oral Reading: Oral reading is prominent in early grades and can help students interpret text and develop fluency. It allows the teacher to diagnose pronunciation, fluency, and understanding. However, students need the opportunity to prepare and practise their reading. The teacher should model purposeful oral reading of texts for practice and enjoyment.

Choral Reading: Choral reading allows a group of students to explore together the oral reading and to achieve a deeper understanding of a text in a safe and pleasurable way. Choral readings can use poetry, prose, or drama (written on chart paper or from a student or teacher-developed booklet) and can take various forms including two-part arrangements, a soloist and a chorus, a line or part per student, reading in unison, or reading sections by groups.

Reading/Literature Circles and Book Clubs: Readers participate in small group discussions about a common piece of literature by responding to the text and building on the ideas of others. They usually spend the first week of the cycle reading and rereading their books (by reading themselves, listening to the teacher read aloud, or by reading along with a taped version). Each group meets with the teacher to discuss the literature, focusing on parts of the story that caught their attention. The teacher listens for their understanding and connecting of the text to prior experiences. Based on what is heard, a project is developed by the group to share with the class. This could take the form of a rewrite of the story (perhaps a parody), a comparison to another text or experience, a diorama, or a puppet show. At the end of the cycle, each literature group could present its project to the rest of the class and complete a group self-assessment (Short & Pierce, 1990).

Independent Reading: Students read a text independently and develop responsibility and ownership by selecting texts at the appropriate level. Every day, students need to spend time reading materials that are of interest to them. Teachers can review a reading strategy and encourage students to try it during their independent reading. A discussion of how it worked can follow. Students can reflect on their independent reading by reading an interesting excerpt to a peer or writing a journal entry about the excerpt.

A common way to undertake independent reading is to have a daily period in which everyone, including the teacher, engages in reading a book of choice in a quiet atmosphere. It is important to find time for students to discuss the books they have read independently and to develop personal responses to favourite books. Appropriate texts for independent reading are suggested below.

Selected Fiction Stories, Poems, and Books for Independent Reading

Teachers may find the following titles in their school library collections.

Grade 1
Galdone, P. The Gingerbread Boy
Asch, F. Happy Birthday, Moon
Ahlberg, J. & Alhberg, A. Each Peach Pear Plum
Gilman, P. Wonderful Pigs of Jullian Jiggs
Gay, M. Angel and the Polar Bear
Kellogg, S. The Mystery of the Missing Red Mitten
Martin, B. & Archambault, J. Chicka, Chicka Boom Boom
Morgan, A. Nicole's Boat: A Good Night Story
Morgan, A. Sadie and the Snowman
Schwartz, R. The Mole Sisters
Sendak, M. Where the Wild Things Are
Siddals, M. M. Millions of Snowflakes
Siddals, M. M. Tell Me a Season
Simmie, L. Auntie's Knitting a Baby
Stobbs, W. Little Red Hen
Thornhill, J. The Wildlife ABC

Grade 2
Brown, M. Once a Mouse
Beck, A. Elliot's Bath
Beck, A. Elliot's Shipwreck
Beck, A. Elliot's Emergency
Brett, J. The Mitten
Brownridge, W. Moccasin Goalie
Crimi, C. Don't Need Friends
Crook, C. Maple Moon
Priestly, A. A Gift for Gita
Giff, P. Today was a Terrible Day
Jeram, A. All Together Now
Khasla, D. I Want a Dog
Little, J. Emma's Magic Winter
Morgan, A. Magic Hockey Skates
Parish, P. Amelia Bedelia
Parker, S. & Dewan, T. Inside the Whale and other Animals

Grade 3
Cleary, B. Ramona the Pest
Dahl, R. James and the Giant Peach
Fitch, S. Hullabaloo Bugaboo Day
Fitch, S. The Other Author Arthur
Shreve, S. Flunking of Joshua T. Bates
Chyce, L. Famous At Last
Cleary, B. Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Gilman, P. Jillian Jiggs
LeGuin, U. Catwing's Return
Aardema, D. Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears
Siamon, S. Strange Lake Adventure
Van Allsburg, C. Polar Express
Wilson, B. Cassandra's Driftwood
Wood, S. Black Nell: The Adventures of a Coyote
Mak, C. The Year of the Panda

Grade 4
Avi. Poppy
Andrews, J. Pa's Harvest
Bannatyne-Cugnet, J. Prairie Alphabet
Booth, D. The Dust Bowl
Clearly, B. Ramona's World
Craddock, S. Rosemary for Remembrance
Dahl, R. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Danziga, P. Amber Brown in Feeling Blue
Fitzhugh, L. Harriet the Spy
Gardner, J. Stone Fox
Hammond, E. Beyond the Waterfall
Howe, J. Celery Stalks At Midnight
Hunter, B. Amy's Promise
Jam, T. The Stoneboat
King-Smith, D. A Mouse Called Wolf
Lottridge, C. Ticket to Curlew
Lowry, L. See You Around, Sam!
MacLachlan, P. Sarah, Plain and Tall
Mowat, F. Owls in the Family
Pelletier, D. Alfred Series
Selden, G. Cricket in Time Square
Silverthorne, J. Secret of Sentinel Rock
Smucker, B. Salina of the Bear Paw Quilt
Waboose, J. Firedancers
White, E. B. Charlotte's Web
Wilson, B. The Cat That Barked

Grade 5
Bailly, L. How Can a Frozen Detective Stay Hot on the Trail?
DeFelice, C. Ghost of Fossil Glen
DuBois, W. The Twenty-One Balloons
Henry, M. King of the Wind
Horne, C. Trapped by Coal
Johnson, A. The Grizzly
Lewis, C. S. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Little, J. From Anna
Little, J. Different Dragons
MacGregor, R. The Night They Stole the Stanley Cup
Mazer, H. The Wild Kid
McNicoll, S. Bringing Up Beauty
Naylor, P. Shiloh
Oppel, K. Silverwing
Paterson, K. Bridge to Terabithia
Rapp, R. Dragon of Lonely Island
Rau, D. Arctic Adventure
Rocklin, J. For Your Eyes Only
Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
White, T. H. The Sword in the Stone
Wynne-Jones, T. Lord of the Fries
Willner-Pardo, G. Figuring Out Frances

Selected Nonfiction Books for Independent Reading

It is important that, from the beginning, students read and have access to nonfiction books that they can read and use independently. These books should be about a range of topics that interest students.

Grade 1
DePaola, T. Cloud Book
Collicutt, P. This Plane
Gentile, P. Big Trucks, Big Wheels
Gibbons, G. Weather Words
Klinting, L. Beaver the Gardener
Siddal, M. M. Tell Me a Season
Van Allan, R. Weather the Weather

Grade 2
Aliki, A.. Digging Up Dinosaurs
Cole, J. The Magic School Bus Series
Gibbons, G. Dinosaurs
Hawker, J. Walk With A Wolf
Horowit, R. Crab Moon
Lye, K. Deserts
Wallace, K. & Wallace, B. Gentle Giant Octopus

Grade 3
Brown, D. Uncommon Traveller: Mary Kingsley in Africa
Florian, D. In the Swim: Poems and Paintings
McDermott, B. & McKeown, G. All About Series
Montgomery, S. The Snake Scientist
Swanson, D. Animals Eat the Weirdest Things

Grade 4
Coerr, E. Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
London, J. Panther, Shadow of the Swamp
McDermott, B. & McKeown, G. All About Series
Vande Griek, S. A Gift for Ampato
Woods, S. Black Nell: The Adventure of a Coyote

Grade 5
Duplacey, J. Hockey’s Hottest Goalies
Kaplan, W. One More Border: The True Story of One Family’s Escape From War-torn Europe
Kusugak, M. Arctic Stories
Malnig, A. Where Waves Break
McDermott, B. & McKeown, G. All About Series
Stille, D. Tropical Rain Forests
Wallace, I. Inukshakhook

Note: This list is intended to act as a starting point. Teachers should consult the bibliography and subsequent English language arts learning resource materials updates for other titles.

Book Browsing and Reading Centres: This is a simple strategy that works well with emerging readers. Teachers simply set aside a short time each day for students to interact with books, other reading material of their choice, each other, and the teacher. Teachers:

set out the browsing boxes or invite the students to the library corner to choose a book or magazine
show enthusiasm by choosing a book or magazine themselves
at times, make themselves and any other adults in the room available to talk with students about their book discoveries
remind students about the careful handling of books/magazines and the importance of returning them to the same place when they finish with them
choose one student each day to talk to the class about one book or magazine, why he or she chose it, something interesting in it, etc.

Keep the atmosphere for these book discussions comfortable and informal. Do not press students to volunteer or elaborate on their ideas if they appear reluctant.

Reading Logs: Reading logs encourage students to reflect upon their reading and explore the relationships between a selection and their own knowledge or experiences. Beginning readers may draw pictures or explain in writing thoughts and images that were evoked by a story or what they liked about the text. Older students may record thoughts, feelings, questions, and ideas about what they read, and relate the text to their own lives. Each entry can be dated and relevant pages from the text recorded. Teachers can model the procedure by keeping a reading log for selections read to the class. Questions and prompts can be displayed to encourage students to respond in various ways. For example,

Today we read about ...
This reminded me of ...
I like the part about ...
I understood the part about ...
I wondered ...
I noticed ...
One question I am going to think about is ...
What I think will happen next is ...

Home Reading: Reading alone and reading to an adult or sibling help students become more fluent. An out-of-school reading program can be used to help students and their families or friends read together. In home borrowing programs, books are borrowed on a regular basis for students to share with their families. Books can be copies of those read in guided reading sessions or chosen by the teacher and student because of interest and appropriate level. Students might have special book bags. Inservice sessions with parents are set up to ensure that they understand the program and that they know how to listen and interact with their child in a positive (not overcorrecting) way.

Comment booklets are useful for recording the title of the book to be shared, the name of the reader, and comments from both the reader and the listener. In homes where English is not spoken, students can be encouraged to tell their parents the story and to talk about the pictures in their first language. Bilingual books, or books and tapes can be used (Hart-Hewin & Wells, 1999, p. 120).

Resource Centre Visits: It is important for students to spend time in the school library or resource centre finding new books, learning what is available, finding an answer to a question, or listening to a book talk or reading. Students learn where to find books and other resources through these visits, how to use the resource centre, how to choose books that interest them and that are at their level, how to get books and read them without disturbing others, and how to borrow resources.