Given the importance of book reading during the early childhood years, how can you increase the amount of time spent on book reading during the day? Share some of your goals for book reading in your classroom.
Stopping the implementation of AR tests and incentives is a way to increase the amount of time spent on book reading during the day. Typically, at a school with AR, the students have to read and take tests on their specified levels. But, educators need to present a new type of program where students can either take tests on any level desired, or do away with it. Research has shown that students are more motivated to read, if they simply read what they want. If a child enjoys books about horses, but his or her level does not employ books about on that topic, will that child really enjoy reading that book? Or, will he simply read it for points? As adults, we read what we want, whether it be above, at, or below our reading levels. Most adult novels are written at a fifth grade level, the Classics, more like middle or high school. Adults read what interests them, not to satisfy a point system, and so that is how we should teach students to read, since we are raising children to be competent lifelong learning adults.
Students can also have opportunities to share books with the class. For Kindergarteners who are not able to read independently, they can have a show and tell by showcasing a book read to them by their parents. Preschoolers can do the same. That way, if a home does not have a culture of reading, the student can be encouraged to ask a parent to read to him for sharing purposes. One book a week can be assigned, or not even assigned, encouraged or simply promoted. That is simply a stepping stone. If a parent reads a couple of times to a child, maybe the parent will slowly progress to reading more and more, seeing how enjoyable it is to read to a child.
A huge goal of mine, once I return to the classroom or as a school librarian, is to market reading like companies market toys! Celebrating all the notable authors’ birthdays, just like we celebrate Dr. Seuss’ should be in place. Look at how enthusiastic children become about reading his books in the month of March! In an article published on August 14, 2014, by Anna Russell, in the Wall Street Journal, it states that a team at Random House publishing company have marketing campaigns pegged at schools. They are always looking for opportunities to expand sales of his books. What if the publishing companies, or school libraries, did that for all notable authors? There is a wonderful author for every month of the year to be celebrated. Here is a great site, Happy Birthday, Author, to get started: http://www.happybirthdayauthor.com/.
Poetry is also my favorite. Ask an adult volunteer to pop into classrooms sporadically for a poetry break. They could be dressed a certain way or in their regular clothes and read a poem relating to a particular theme. Have this happen every day for fun and a great, short, happy break.
One more thing, although I do not have a degree for teaching preschool and younger, since there aren’t any defined objectives for them by the state, I would center my whole day around books. Constantly having the pattern of a book then an activity relating to the book is what I have in mind. For example, read a book about apples, then have a paper cutout apple hunt in the classroom or outside. The students can sort out the apples into red, green, and yellow. Then, they can put them on a graph. Next, settling them back on the carpet, there could be poem about zoo animals. Students can play a game, pretending to be a particular animal when the teacher yells one out every ten seconds or so. They can also sort out animals into self-chosen groups and explain why they sorted them the way they did. This can go on and on around snack, playtime, lunch, and nap.