Effective Reading: The Backbone of Literacy

It is easy to forget at times that there are millions of people who cannot read, so it can be said that many of us who grew up in Canada may have taken for granted how there is so much focus on teaching students how to become effective readers. I must admit, it was not until I was in the later years of my secondary school that I actually enjoyed reading. I read some novels when I was younger, but only ones that were short enough but still surrounded topics that I liked. It took me forever to be able to say that I was ever “lost” in a book, but I have come to realize just how fun reading can be. How fun reading is one of the reasons why we as educators must develop reading skills in our students, but the main reason is that their lives in general will be improved by being effective readers. The curriculum states that effective readers do not only understand what the text reads, but are able to apply the things they have learned into new contexts. When we talked about what Media literacy is, one of the main components of being Media literate is having the know-how to determine if sources are creditable or not. One could not do this, or be Media literate at all, without being an effective reader. Reading not only opens doors to people and ideas that a students may never be exposed to in real life, it is the crucial backbone to all strands of literacy.

Morgan. (March 22, 2011). The Kids Reading. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2f5p5KI

                Let’s talk about what students should read. The answer to that is everything, and anything. Many factors motivate students to read. Relevant reading asks that students can connect to in a real-life sense, which can be facilitated by providing a wide range of reading materials for your students. Ontario’s curriculum focuses on some key teaching strategies for teachers to use while trying to enable their students into effective readers. Independent Instructional approach is one of the strategies that educators use which is based around providing reading material for individual students that is a level that is “just right” for them, which the curriculum states that the student should be able to read 95-100% of the material. This approach is designed to try and foster interest into what they are reading, attempting to have the students “get lost in the book”. Educators may also chose to give the same reading to students that are at a similar level so they are able to collaborate and pick apart what the text is really saying.

               A great resource for teachers to use in order to better serve their students in regards to how they can become an effective reader is www.edugains .ca The website provides resources on array of topics, but their modules and guides for instruction of Reading is amazing.  Within the site, they have links to “Eworkshops” that guide educators on how to better structure their lesson plans, which in turn allow them to better meet the overall and specific expectations from the curriculum. I have provided the link to a eworkshop based around Shared Reading for grades 4-8. The link is actually takes you to eworkshop.ca and focuses on educating teachers on how they can better structure their lessons when trying to promote better reading in a group and aloud, two expectations that the ministry asks educators to do.

www.edugains.ca/newsite/literacy/classroomlearningK_6/Reading.html 

Eworkshop: Shared Reading for Grades 4-8

Just as they say time flies by when you are having fun, I believe that with the right instruction and selection of material, all students can discover that pages fly by as well when they are having fun and enjoying what they are reading! Being an effective reader enables students to be writers that are more effective and be more effective when it comes to oral communication. Reading is an important step for all learners, as it is the basic foundation they need in order to succeed throughout their time in school and beyond.

Thank you for reading!