Posted by Bruce_A_Clarke on January 08, 2003 at 08:57:49 from 203.101.152.7 user Bruce_A_Clarke.
In Reply to: Re: New Ransomites - reading aloud posted by Peter R on January 07, 2003 at 22:33:09:
Two comments:
1. The concept of reading aloud to children when they themselves cannot read is without doubt the best way to get them interested in books. I lay down alongside each of my children for 10 minutes or so nearly every night as they went to sleep and read them which ever book I thought suitable. This inculcated in them the desire to read before they went to sleep and the concept that reading was a warm, comfortable thing to do. When I taught grades 5 and 6 I always had a reading aloud session and read a book to the pupils from the class library, putting it back on the shelves after each session. The pupils who wanted to know how the story turned out would be way in front as they read on in the book but they also enjoyed listening to the reading. If the book was from a series, most students would read other books from the same author. This worked in the academically lowest level classes with 56 students in the room and they all became readers!
2. Books must be available to children if they are to read. My class library was made up entirely of second hand books. It was at a time when AR, Enid Blyton, Capt WE Johns etc were available. Later the reading of Blyton's books (Famous 5 etc) was deemed by the do gooders as not being politically correct, but my kids read, and really, it doesn't matter what kids read, as long as they read. They will very quickly form their own opinions of what is trash and what is not. The best we can do to encourage "New Ransomites" is to personnaly donate a set of paperback AR books to the teachers of grade 4,5,or 6 Primary School and have them put these in the school library after introducing the books to the pupils.