Voluntary Reading Be a Book Worm
I. Rational
Voluntary Reading must
be taught to encourage students to read for pleasure. When children
learn to love reading, they will be encouraged to be lifetime readers.
John Royce emphasizes, “We read for information, and we read to learn,
we use reading for a great many things, but we practice and improve our
reading skills by reading for pleasure.”
Students will be encouraged
to read voluntarily without receiving a reward or grade.
II. Materials
(a). Halloween Poem
(“Let the Children Be” by Judith A. Lindberg)
(b). Holes by Louis
Sachar
(c). Be a Book Worm
Graphic Organizer
III. Procedures
A. Read a Halloween poem (“Let
the Children Be” By Judith A. Lindberg)
(a). Talk about why we chose
to read this poem.
B. Discuss the need for voluntary
reading.
(a). The act of reading will
be less like work if children are given plenty of practice in reading.
John Royce
(b). They will make the most
of their practicing if they feel they are getting somewhere, if they enjoy
what they read. John Royce
(c). Clearly if we are talking
about individual readers, we can have no all-encompassing objective definition
of goodness. We need to think in terms of the best book for the child
at any particular time, and this calls for a wide range of books and of
children. John Royce
(d). Our concern is to get
kids hooked on books, because reading enables learning, and because reading
is an end in itself. John Royce
(e). Without voluntary reading
the negative drawbacks of the Matthew Effect will come into play.
Voluntary reading can encourage the positive outcomes of the Matthew Effect.
C. Ways to Implement Voluntary
Reading in a Classroom
(a). The class should promote
a reading friendly environment.
(b). The teacher must always
model the importance of voluntary reading within the class: read a variety
of text aloud to the students, read silently when the students are reading
silently, be open to students selection of literature, and always allow
time for independent reading in the classroom.
(c). Daily Uninterrupted Silent
Sustained Reading time such as DEAR (Drop Everything and Read)
(d). Frequent trips to the
library.
(e). Book talk sessions and
small reading groups.
(f). Research author of the
month, including Internet searches and emailing the author.
(g). Students may maintain
a reading journal.
(h). Students should be encouraged
to publish reviews of the books they read.
(i). The teacher should read
a small portion of a book to leave students interested in reading the book
on their own.
(j). Students can be given
a graphic organizer to chart which books they have read and if they liked
or disliked them.
D. Benefits of Voluntary Reading
(a). Students will learn that
reading can be for enjoyment or pleasure not just for a grade.
(b). Reading skills are improved
by reading for pleasure.
(c). Reading for pleasure
and information develops reading interests and offers children the opportunity
to practice their reading skills in meaningful ways. Beverly Swanson
E. Read a portion of a book
(a). Read a chapter from Holes
by Louis Sachar to get students interested in reading the book voluntarily.
Emphasize Holes is a Newberry Award winner to get the students interested
in award winning literature.
IV. References
East Dunbartonshire Council.
(2002). Services to Schools Promoting Reading for Enjoyment.
Available: http://www.ers.cqm.co.uk/rservice/serrea.htm
Lindberg, Judith A.
“Let the Children Be.” Available:
http://www.bry-backmanor.org/holidayfun/weenpoem.html
Royce, John. (1995).
Lifelong Reading Element #4: Interest and Enjoyment. Reading Matters.
Available: http://vm.robcol.k12.tr/~jroyce/read6.htm
Sachar, Louis. (1998).
Holes. New York: Random House Children’s Books.
Swanson, Beverly B. (1993).
What Can I Do For My School-Age Child Who Doesn’t Like
To Read? How Can
I Improve My Child’s Reading. Available:
http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content/improve.reading.html
For questions, email me at aew624@aol.com
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