Building Communities Of Engaged Readers

Reading for pleasure urgently requires a higher profile to raise attainment and increase children’s engagement as self-motivated and socially interactive readers. Building Communities of Engaged Readers highlights the concept of ‘Reading Teachers’ who are not only knowledgeable about texts for children, but are aware of their own reading identities and prepared to share their enthusiasm and understanding of what being a reader means. Sharing the processes of reading with young readers is an innovative approach to developing new generations of readers. Examining the interplay between the ‘will and the skill’ to read, the book distinctively details a reading for pleasure pedagogy and demonstrates that reader engagement is strongly influenced by relationships between children, teachers, families and communities. Importantly it provides compelling evidence that reciprocal reading communities in school encompass: a shared concept of what it means to be a reader in the 21st century; considerable teacher and child knowledge of children’s literature and other texts; pedagogic practices which acknowledge and develop diverse reader identities; spontaneous ‘inside-text talk’ on the part of all members; a shift in the focus of control and new social spaces that encourage choice and children’s rights as readers. Written by experts in the literacy field and illustrated throughout with examples from the project schools, it is essential reading for all those concerned with improving young people’s enjoyment of and attainment in reading.

nursing children read for pleasure and develop a life-long love of reading is a priority for all primary school teachers. The National Curriculum focuses heavily on promoting reading for pleasure and engaging pupils using a range of diverse and inclusive texts and materials. This text supports trainee teachers working towards primary QTS and Early Career Teachers to understand the importance of supporting children to become readers, enjoy reading for pleasure and develop higher level reading skills. It includes guidance, case studies and theoretical perspectives to show trainee teachers how they can develop children’s reading.

What does it mean to become a reader? What are the challenges and opportunities of engaging children in reading for pleasure in the 21st century? This book explores the ways in which reading for pleasure is changing in the era of globalisation, multiculturalism and datafication. Raising the next generation of engaged readers requires knowledge of the enduring characteristics of engagement and markers of quality in books and e-books. In addition, in order to develop new insights into children’s experience of reading on and off screen, nuanced understandings of psychological and socio-cultural research are offered. The cross-disciplinary examination integrates key research from educational psychology, new literacies, multimodality and socio-cultural perspectives and explores consequences for practice. An authoritative guide - it invites graduates, researchers and teachers to participate in the authors’ interdisciplinary dialogue about reading for pleasure.

This authoritative book covers qualities and practices of engaged readers; practices for elementary, middle, and high school classrooms; the influence of family literacy beliefs and interactions; the range of methodologies used by literacy researchers; and policy implications of the engagement perspective."--BOOK JACKET.

This volume demonstrates how promoting children's engagement with reading can greatly enhance reading achievement. From leading literacy researchers and educators, the book illuminates what a child needs to become an engaged reader and presents a set of instructional principles designed to facilitate this goal. Helping teachers offer a coordinated emphasis on competence and motivation in reading instruction, chapters blend research evidence with practical recommendations. Topics covered include ways to provide children with a good foundation at the word level, help if they are in trouble, ample time and materials for reading, opportunities to share in a community of learners, instruction that is coherent, motivating, and responsive to each child's strengths and weaknesses, school-wide coordination of instruction, and continuities between home and school.

Preparing students to be active, informed, literate citizens is one of the primary functions of public schools. But how can students become engaged citizens if they can't read, let alone understand, their social studies texts? What can educators—and social studies teachers in particular—do to help students develop the knowledge, skills, and motivation to become engaged in civic life? Building Literacy in Social Studies addresses this question by presenting both the underlying concepts and the research-based techniques that teachers can use to engage students and build the skills they need to become successful readers, critical thinkers, and active citizens. The authors provide targeted strategies—including teaching models, graphic organizers, and step-by-step instructions—for activities such as * Building vocabulary, * Developing textbook literacy skills, * Interpreting primary and secondary sources, * Applying critical thinking skills to newspapers and magazines, and * Evaluating Internet sources. Readers will also learn how to organize classrooms into models of democracy by creating learning communities that support literacy instruction, distribute authority, encourage cooperation, and increase accountability among students. Realistic scenarios depict a typical social studies teacher's experience before and after implementing the strategies in the classroom, showing their potential to make a significant difference in how students respond to instruction. By making literacy strategies a vital part of content-area instruction, teachers not only help students better understand their schoolwork but also open students' eyes to the power that informed and engaged people have to change the world.