Teach-Reading-and-Writing-Issue-22

Jon Biddle explains how to put theory into practice in your classroom W hen you walk into a school where reading really matters, you can feel it almost immediately. Books are visible everywhere, children talk excitedly about what they’re reading, and staff understand the power of sharing stories. Establishing this kind of culture takes a lot more work than organising the annual World Book Day assembly. It means embedding habits that put reading at the centre of school life. In his pioneering book, Tell Me , author Aidan Chambers argues that there are four foundations on which a school reading culture needs to be built: independent reading, reading aloud, book talk, and access to high-quality reading material. This is backed up by a large amount of research. Time and choice It’s easy to say we value reading, but unless we give children actual time in the school day to read, they’ll get the message that it isn’t really important. Protecting space for independent reading , every single day, is essential. Choice over reading matter is crucial. Children need to feel that the books they pick up are their books, not just ones that have been selected for them. That might mean comics, joke books, non-fiction about dinosaurs or the latest football annual. We can guide and nudge them towards texts we think they’ll enjoy, but the final decision should be theirs, at least most of the time. Reading alongside our pupils is also important as, in many cases, school staff will be their main reading role model. There are always things to be done in the classroom, but when children see their teacher sitting with a book, totally absorbed, it sends the clearest possible message about why reading is important. The beating heart of reading culture Reading aloud should be happening in every classroom, from Nursery to Year 6, every day. The timing of it is important. Many schools now schedule it for earlier in the day, so that it isn’t squeezed out when a lesson overruns or because the cloakroom needs tidying. A daily read-aloud session can transform the culture in a classroom. It brings children together as a community, exposes them to stories and language they may not yet be able to access independently and shows them what fluent, expressive reading looks like. But more than that, it’s joyful and is often one of the highlights of the day. At the end of every year, I ask my class about their favourite memories of school. This year, three of them said it was when we read the last chapter of A Street Dog Named Pup by Gill Lewis. The fact that the vast majority of them were in tears when I closed the book was something that will stay with them in a way that we can’t measure. Make reading social Reading might look like a solitary activity, but in thriving reading communities it’s deeply social. Talking about books helps children build their reading identities, gives them recommendations from peers and shows that what they’re reading matters. This is where the Teachers as Readers project, led by Professor Teresa Cremin, is so influential ( tinyurl.com/ tp-TaRs ). The research shows that when teachers develop their own knowledge of children’s literature and share their personal reading lives, pupils become more motivated, engaged readers. Book talk , rooted in authentic enthusiasm and knowledge, helps to build strong communities of readers where every voice is valued. Book talk doesn’t have to be complicated. It might be a quick “What are you reading at the moment?” or “When did a book last make you laugh?” as children walk in. Creating a culture OF READING 28 | www.teachwire.net