Reading is a pivotal part of building strong literacy skills. However, reading is one of the most challenging tasks to have students complete in the classroom. This is because reading requires concentration and time!
Make reading easy by considering the following tips:
Read with them
Shared book reading has a lot of benefits. It stimulates language and reading development and instills confidence in the reader. It can also create positive reading attitudes and expand their speech and language awareness.
Set goals
Whether it is to read a certain amount of pages a day or complete a number of books per month; children can really benefit from setting goals. Setting goals can also make reading more fun and therefore more likely for children to read.
Search for common themes
Have your students look for common themes when they are reading. Getting students to announce themes to the class is a useful way to cement their learning.
Take notes while reading
Taking notes while reading forces students to pay attention and can help jog their memory. You might have students summarise at the end of a chapter or highlight and annotate throughout the text.
Ask questions about what they’re reading
To encourage reading comprehension, ask questions before, during and after reading. For example, “What do you think is going to happen?,” “Do you enjoy reading this book? Why?,” or
“Would you have done the same thing as the main character?”
