Reading itself, is at the heart of lifelong learning, regardless of age, language and culture. Maximising reading time in classrooms and even, at home can develop different sets of skills other than just plain literacy skills. Reading opens up realms of creativity, curiosity, and problem-solving skills amongst children, and adults! You and I may not have the same favourite book, but we are definitely being refined and inspired with the reading texts that we read. There are many different reading habits or routines in schools around the world, and in this post, I would love to share my perspectives on independent reading.
What is independent reading?
Two keywords here, independent and reading. This reading routine celebrates the choice of the reader to select his/her favourite reading text independently with no assistance from adults or peers. It is fair to say that readers will definitely choose something that he/she enjoys to read, therefore with that notion of natural or personal interest and motivation, readers will be tuned to increasingly develop reading fluency, spelling skills, vocabulary, and other literacy areas. For fiction-based texts, these literacy areas include the ability to analyze the story plot, characters, theme and setting as well as making different reading connections and predictions of the story.
There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates' loot on Treasure Island and best of all, you can enjoy these riches every day of your life.
(quoted by Walt Disney)
How can we facilitate independent reading in classrooms, and at home?
Pre-conferring with your child, or students individually. Pre-conferring sessions help you and the child to navigate his/her favorite story genres and reading texts such as adventure, fairytale, animals, spooky stories, and many others. Then, you can suggest some recommended authors to him/her to consider. If you are unsure of the authors, just ask a teacher friend you have, or the librarian expert in your school! OR... Click here to explore wonderful, inspiring authors around the globe.
Encourage choice and love for reading, with a gentle reminder on selecting age-appropriate texts. Remember it is your child or student taking on this reading routine independently at his/her own pace. Readers should be able to read at least 85% of the entire book on their own, or else it will be too difficult for them to do independent reading. You may offer assistance to dive deeper in the sentences or paragraphs that the child is not too sure of, but remember to encourage him/her to read again for the second time on his/her own to solidify his/her comprehension skills.
Model it. Readers are more likely to be engaged in independent reading session when it is modeled for them. You don't have to read the same book as theirs, because it is also your independent reading time. You could be reading the day's newspaper while your child is reading his/her story book. In the classroom, if you have set aside some time for independent reading, it is therefore expected of you to put aside everything and get into the same reading routine with no other distractions. 30 minutes to 45 minutes are sufficient for independent reading time, depending on the child's age and readiness.
Establish reading logs. It is always a good idea to track your child's or your individual student's reading progress. In fact, it serves as a good self-reflection tool for readers themselves to assess and reflect on their choice of books. Over a couple of months, it will help them gain more confidence as a reader too. Personally, I would recommend details like the book's title, date, author and a short paragraph or summary (for younger readers, adults may need to jot down short notes) to be included in the reading log template. Make sure that these reading logs are not an "extra chore" for them, make it a purposeful one!
Offer a variety of reading texts. Think about the decodable books, leveled books, child-friendly magazines and newspapers, story videos, phonics readers, books with high-frequency-words, fiction books, non-fiction books, encyclopedias, and many others. A visit to your school's or local library and bookstores may give you a wider spectrum of reading texts to consider. I highly recommend Storyline Online for online video stories and these are some of the amazing stories that I have been using in my classroom for years!
Find creative ways to reflect and share understanding after reading. Aha, post-reading reflections are absolutely vital in building literacy skills. This can be done through simple dialogue or conversations, or as more exciting or complex ways like book clubs, retelling presentations, speeches, and role plays. Here are some suggested question prompters that you may use:
1. Who is your favourite character? Why?
2. If you were the main character in the story, how would you feel?
3. Which part of the story was the funniest, scariest, happiest or saddest?
4. What is the most important thing you have learned from the book?
5. Would you change any part of the story? Why?
6. Have you ever had a similar experience with the story?
7. What was the problem in the story?
8. If you are author, how would you continue with the story?
9. Do you think it can happen in our school/home/town/country?
10. Would you recommend this story to your friends? Why, or why not?
Hope you are benefited from my post today, and I look forward to writing the next one on guided reading routines. I am currently on my ten-day spring break, so I am really taking some ME time with my family and friends, and of course, you know, working on those report card comments in my pyjamas!
