Objective 2.2: Reading Promotion
Indicator: Candidates use a variety of strategies to promote leisure reading and model
personal enjoyment of reading in order to promote habits of creative
expression and lifelong reading.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” This quote is from beloved children’s author, Dr. Seuss. His whimsical books remind us of the time when reading was fun. The excitement that children feel when they open a new or favorite book is something that we must strive to recreate as they grow up. It is our job to help students establish a lifelong love affair with reading.
It is important that we promote a love of reading across the grade levels. From what I have seen of elementary aged students, they are genuinely excited to read. My time in the library also allowed me to observe that they love being the center of attention. One reading promotion activity that I created joins the above aspects and allows for older elementary students to be a ‘Star Guest Reader’ in younger classrooms. This activity motivates older students to read so they may participate as a guest reader; which in turn helps them to feel proud in their reading accomplishments. The activity also allows the young students to see that reading is an exciting and ever-changing experience. I can think of no better way to help students learn about the world around them than reading. It is crucial that we model good life habits for children, and reading is a skill that they will need to succeed in many aspects of life. We must promote reading, not only to find information, but also as a means for a creative outlet. If we inspire children to love reading at a young age, the skill will ultimately grow with them throughout their lives. In high school, it can be a bit more difficult to motivate students to read for pleasure. I found that book talks are a great way to hook students’ interests and expose them to resources across all genres and subject areas. I was fortunate enough to do book talks for a reading class about Graphic Novels. The lesson helped students understand what graphic novels are and allowed me to showcase a diverse range of titles. This activity forced me to explore a genre with which I had little experience. I spent the weeks before the activity selecting graphic novels that covered an array of subject matter (romance, action, Manga, biography, etc.), as to highlight books that would suit the many interests of this particular class. This selection method gave me a greater chance of appealing to as many students as possible. By doing so, I ultimately helped students to see the possibility of and value in reading for pleasure. Using book talks as a strategy to promote reading reinforces the necessity of having a well varied collection. To do so, we need to know and cater to the academic and personal interests of the students—we must consider all audiences when choosing items for the library. I hope to do many more book talks in the future because I feel that they are a fun and more intimate way to get students excited to read. By using books to captivate children’s’ minds at a young age, we can show them that reading is an invaluable lifelong skill. When we give children a book, we help them to open their minds, challenge them to explore new possibilities, and hand them the keys to the world. |
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