About I Love To Read

The Manitoba Reading Association (MRA) is a provincial council of the International Reading Association. MRA is committed to the promotion of literacy throughout Manitoba.

Local councils of MRA are Brandon Reading Council, Portage Area Reading Council, and Reading Council of Greater Winnipeg. A special interest council, Manitoba Council of Reading Clinicians, is also part of the association. MRA consists of educators, parents, Faculty of Education students and other individuals interested in promoting literacy.

The theme of "I Love to Read 2010" is Reading for the Love of It.

The I Love to Read Committee discussed these thoughts, looked into their readings, their schools and their literacy experiences to bring you this booklet of ideas and resources. Thank-you to the Manitoba Reading Association council members and the members of this committee: Fay Cassidy, Susan Hayward, Theresa Hyrich and Susan Barnabe for their time, support and contributions. We share with all who work to promote and celebrate literacy during this annual celebration of I Love to Read Month and throughout the year.

Hayward, Theresa Hyrich and Susan Barnabe for their time, support and contributions. We share with all who work to promote and celebrate literacy during this annual celebration of I Love to Read Month and throughout the year.

For further information on MRA, or if you would like to become involved in MRA, please visit our website at: www.readingmanitoba.org. To join the International Reading Association, visit their website at: www.reading.org.

Further Information
You may also wish to visit the International Reading Association website.
www.reading.org
Look for Children’s Choices and Teachers’ Choices.

CM Magazine
Another site to try is CM Magazine. The site is an electronic reviewing journal of mostly Canadian publications. The books are reviewed by Children’s Literature teachers, librarians and classroom teachers across Canada. The nice thing is that it originates from the University of Manitoba. Just Google CM Magazine and you will find it on the first link.

Use this site as a model for your students to illustrate book critiques, research and bibliographies for citing sources.

Also refer to the MRYCA, Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Awards site for information on literature titles and choices.

Visit the Children’s Literature Service website where you will find ―Read Up on It,‖ a publication that promotes Canadian children’s literature and reading.

For the Pleasure of Reading

This year’s theme for I Love to Read is ―Reading for the Love of It‖ corresponds to the 34th annual Language Arts Conference theme in 2010.

Unless individuals experience reading as a pleasurable activity, they will stop reading and choose more enjoyable alternatives. Becoming a lifetime reader is predicated on developing a love of reading (Sanacore, 2002).

  • Parents are one of the most important literacy teachers. Reading together is a central element of early years’ programmes. We would therefore urge schools to capitalise on and encourage reading that is done at home, by providing guidance on how to build on materials used at school while also engaging their children with reading for fun.
  • Pupils can become reluctant readers for a variety of reasons, including boredom, low self-esteem, or an inability to keep up with their peers. We must therefore address the possible issues that make an individual a reluctant reader and use creative solutions to combat this disengagement.
  • But most importantly, we must see reading for pleasure as an activity that has real educational and social consequences.

Research with children has shown that reading for pleasure is positively linked with the following literacy-related benefits:

  • reading attainment and writing ability (OECD, 2000) for reading that is done both in school and out of school (Krashen, 1993; Anderson et al, 1988; but also see Taylor et al., 1990);
  • text comprehension and grammar (Cipielewski & Stanovich, 1992; Cox & Guthrie, 2001), even after a variety of health, wealth and school factors were statistically controlled for (Elley, 1994);
  • breadth of vocabulary (Angelos & McGriff, 2002), even after other relevant abilities such as IQ or text-decoding skills are controlled for (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1998);
  • positive reading attitudes (Guthrie & Alvermann, 1999), which are linked to achievement in reading (McKenna & Kear, 1990);
  • greater self-confidence as a reader (Guthrie & Alvermann, 1999);
  • pleasure reading in later life (Aarnoutse & van Leeuwe, 1998).

Research has repeatedly shown that motivation to read decreases with age. An important factor in fostering lifelong reades is choice. Students who choose what they read and have an informal environment in which to read tend to be more motivated, read more and show greater language and literacy development. The Reading Connects survey (Clark & Foster, 2005) showed that when pupils were asked what types of materials they were reading outside class, magazines, websites, text messages, jokes and books/magazines about TV programmes emerged as the most popular reading choices. Over half the pupils also indicated reading emails, fiction, comics, while newspapers were also popular choices. When asked specifically about what type of fiction, if any, they preferred reading adventure, comedy and horror/ghost stories were the most frequently chosen types. An Ofsted report (2004) noted that too few schools have given sufficient thought to promoting pupils’ independent reading or have built on pupils’ reading interests. Although reluctant readers may need guidance in recognising their reading interests, pupils can be shown a number of selection criteria, including looking at the book cover, reading the reviews in the blurb or the back cover and reading sections of the book (Primeaux, 2000). Results from surveys such as the one described above show that schools and families need to ensure they tap into this richness in pupils’ reading, which is not necessarily print-based, in order to hook children into reading.

"We have a lot of functionally literate people who are no longer engaged readers. We’re seeing an enormous cultural shift from print media to electronic media, and the unintended consequences of that shift." Dana Gioia, National Endowment for the Arts Chair.

A study of 74 schools by the National Foundation for Educational Research found that there is a substantial decrease in pupils reading for pleasure. "Children are learning skills and reading material that has usually been chosen by the teacher rather than themselves. There may have been less emphasis on the sheer pleasure to be gained from books." (Marian Sainsbury, NFER principal researcher)

Reading for pleasure correlates strongly with academic achievement.

  • Voluntary readers are better readers and writers than non-readers.
  • Children and teenagers who read for pleasure on a daily or weekly basis score better on reading tests than infrequent readers.
  • Frequent readers also score better on writing tests than non-readers or infrequent readers.

Convenient access to reading material, regardless of a student's reading ability, was associated with more frequent reading. Studies on reading motivation have found that access to reading materials has an important influence on the amount students choose to read. In addition, more voluntary or "free" reading was associated with higher levels of reading proficiency.

Ideas to Promote the Love of Reading in School

  • Promoting reading for pleasure is central to the school's policy to achieve and enjoy.
  • Reading celebration and advocacy involves all groups of the wider school community, including catering staff, caretakers, governors and parent groups.
  • Providing ideas for promoting reading is integrated into the school’s culture.
  • Curriculum delivery integrates developing reading independence and promoting reading for pleasure and research in class and beyond.
  • All pupils’ attitudes to reading are monitored via journals or other methods. This information is used to personalise provision and meet individual needs.
  • Pupils are a central part and have a lead role in planning and delivering the school’s reading for pleasure promotion.
  • Pupil involvement in ensuring the visibility of reading for pleasure throughout the school is maintained in both an imaginative and interactive way.
  • Pupils play an important role in running the system for peer-to-peer reading recommendation.
  • School uses web technology to link with other schools on reading projects – for example, using video conferencing to develop international links.
  • Reading promotion events take place regularly throughout the year including a school book week/reading focus week.
  • Parents, staff and the wider school community take part in school reading groups. Pupils have a lead role in organising pupil reading groups.
  • Pupils are central to developing and sustaining school buddying scheme.
  • School or class library is presented in bookshop style, and is also open beyond the school day.
  • Classrooms have a class library corner which is well stocked and regularly updated. It includes children’s own published work.
  • Pupil involvement in selection of school reading resources and library management is integral to the system.
  • School runs an effective project involving boys promoting reading for all ages – for example, the Reading Champions scheme.
  • Pupils and families from diverse cultures and backgrounds are involved in promoting reading to pupils.
  • School develops a reading for pleasure strategy with local secondary schools to ease transition, and pupils’ views are taken into account during planning.
  • Parents/caregivers are offered regular support sessions on choosing reading materials and reading with children.
  • Family reading events/ activities are run for target groups – for example, dads, grandparents or EAL families.
  • School develops reading for pleasure strategies and shares good practice with a group of schools in the area as part of an authority-wide focus.
  • Joint projects and events are held by school and public library. Pupils are part of focus groups.
  • Community organisations, including possible business partnerships, are involved through coordinating reading activity in joint projects with schools.

What Makes Students Want to Read in Middle School Classrooms?

  1. Students valued independent reading and the teacher reading out loud as part of instructional time.
  2. When asked what they liked most about time spent in class, students focused more on the act of reading itself or personal reasons for reading rather than on social aspects or activities related to reading.
  3. When students were asked what motivated them to read at school, they emphasized quality and diversity of reading materials rather than classroom settings or other people. When considering how middle school classrooms measure up, issues emerged about access to reading materials at school. These findings raise questions about the range of materials used for middle school reading/language arts instruction and the place and purpose of student independent reading.

Why not have them read it than bluff it?
In March 2007, the Library and Information Update reported on a survey of 4,000 readers, which found that a third of those questioned read "challenging literature" in order to seem well-read, even though they couldn't follow what the book was about.

The top book for impressing people is Lord of the Rings.

Bluffers favourites, in order, were:

War and Peace – Tolstoy
Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus – John Gray
1984 – George Orwell
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – J.K. Rowling
Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
The Diary of Anne Frank
(The survey was carried out by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.)

Students: How to Choose a Good Book

Finding a good book isn't difficult, you just have to know the right questions to ask and the correct assumptions to make.

  1. Judge a book by its cover. If it has a picture of a gavel and a gun on it and you hate shows like Law and Order, put it back! Don't go overboard though. Just because the illustrator used your favorite color for the title doesn't mean the contents are going to be more appealing.
  2. Read the front and back covers for a brief description, genre, plot summary or questions that pique your curiosity.
  3. Spend a minute or two skimming a few pages to get the feel for the author's writing style. Is the pace fast or slow? Do you like fast or slow? Do you like pace? Do you have an attention span for elaborate description or would you rather just read dialogue and simple-minded narration? Is the language eloquent, colloquial, or just boringly logical? Is the author going to insult you with vanilla words or a three-volume thesaurus? Remember, synonyms are cowardly redundancy and plain language is just plain and simple.
  4. The author’s choice of font is very helpful in making first impressions. "Courier New" may be a sign that the story wasn't long enough to be published in "Times New Roman." Also, keep in mind that some authors send a much more powerful message in the "large print" section.
  5. Read the section about the author if it's included (usually in the back or on the inside back cover). This is the person who wrote the whole book! You definitely want to know about the author before you discover his subjective viewpoints.
  6. Look at the publishing date of the book. Is it a new release? Or is it an older version of a title you’re looking for? There are times you may want to have the original version, so looking at the date may help you serve your purpose.
  7. How long is the book? Flip to the end and look at the page number. How much time are you willing to devote to a single person's perspective?


Parents: How to Develop the Love of Reading in Children

Here are LittleHeroes.com top tips on how to develop the love of reading in children:

  1. Use variety for interest. Read lots of different stories, poems and rhymes with your child. Guide your finger across the words to help your child follow along.
  2. Encourage participation. Let them ask questions about the story or pictures. Take time to stop and talk about the tale. And when you read a familiar book, let the child finish the phrase. This will encourage them to become more active in the story.
  3. Make it fun! Make reading a time to look forward to. If it isn't fun, your child won't enjoy it. Use different voices for characters and even introduce sound effects. Never underestimate the value your child places on your one-on-one time together.
  4. Engage your child in the story. A good way to engage them is through personalized children's books. These are books that tailor the story to include the child's name and real references to their family and friends. The illustrations can also be personalized to resemble the child. You can imagine how excited children get when they see themselves in the story. They will want to read it again and again.
  5. Be a good reading role model. The more often your children see you reading, the more they will think about reading as an activity.
  6. Read often! Build reading into a daily routine. Whether its bedtime, weekends, or part of 'story hour' at school or daycare, ensure that the program, caregiver or you, slot in a time to read.

Baumann and Duffy (1997, p. 22), highlighted the following five factors that help children become readers:

  1. A print-rich environment, where they are read to and given opportunities to read, where they see their caregivers read, have opportunities to engage in pretend play, are encouraged to interact with environmental print and visit the public library.
  2. A language-rich environment, where they are encouraged to have discussions with their caregivers.
  3. A knowledge-rich environment, where they learn about the world through such media as television and computers, and where they interact with the outside world by taking trips and talking with people about topics of interest to them.
  4. A nurturing environment, where they interact with a variety of people who believe that one purpose of literacy is to entertain.
  5. A home environment, where they make connections with their schools.

IN CONCLUSION:
We know that certain elements promote a love of reading, which include:

  1. Freedom to choose reading materials
  2. A print-rich environment
  3. Access to a variety of texts
  4. Time for reading in school
  5. Encouragement to readers
  6. Quiet, comfortable places to read.

Other relevant factors to support the lifetime reading habit have been succinctly summed up by Sanacore (2002):

  1. Determining students’ attitudes toward reading
  2. Giving them experiences with different texts
  3. Providing them with opportunities to select resources and to read them in school
  4. Helping them to connect skills and strategies to interesting and meaningful contexts Other factors include:
  5. Building resilience in literacy learners
  6. Finding time to engage children in pleasurable reading across the curriculum
  7. Making picture books acceptable and respectable for older students
  8. Guiding students to solve authentic problems through reading
  9. Conducting book talks
  10. Encouraging different interpretations of text
  11. Supporting a variety of projects and outcomes
  12. Promoting leisure reading at home.

 

Resources

Reading Connects primary audit: Is your school a reading school? http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/readingconnects/primaryschoolaudit.html

Ivey, G. & Broaddus, K. (2001). "Just plain reading": A survey of what makes students want to read in middle school classrooms. Reading Research Quarterly, 36, 350-377.

McQuillan J.; Au J. (2001). The effect of print access on reading frequency. Reading Psychology, 22, 225-248.

Reading for pleasure: A research overview – Christina Clark and Kate Rumbold, National Literacy Trust. November 2006

Online Resources

The International Reading Association www. reading.org provides many links to children’s choices, brochures such as What Kids Really Want to Read, Parents, Teens, and Reading: A Winning Combination and the link to read.write.think, www.readwritethink.org, a collaborative effort with the National Council of Teachers of English which provides educators with high quality practices and resources in reading and language arts instruction.

Additional web sites include:

Association for Library Service to Children: www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/booklists/booklists.cfm

Canadian Children’s Book Centre: www,bookcentre.ca Carnegie and Kate Greenway Children’s Book Awards: http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/

CM: Canadian Materials reviews: www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/cm

National Council for the Social Studies: www.socialstudies.org/resources/notable/

National Council of Teachers of English: www.ncte.org/elem/awards/orbispictus

Parents Choice Foundation: www.parentschoice.com

The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease 2006, Penguin. www.trelease-on-reading.com

Support Internet Resources include:

Doucette Index (Doucette Library of Teaching Resources) http://www.educ.ucalgary.ca/litindex/

Manitoba Education and Literacy Curriculum-English Language Arts. There are links to the Developmental Reading Continuum and Quality Literature List of Developmental Stages.

Journals such as Booklist, Horn Book, Resource Links, and School Library Journal which provide book reviews and information to keep educators current with the publications.

Winnipeg Public Library and various library sites in Manitoba provide links to reading materials and activities in the area.

Internet Resources for Teens and educators to explore:

TeenHoopla http://www.ala.org/teenhoopla

The Hungry Mind Review www.bookwire.com/hmr/Review/recom.html


Children's Choices & Teacher's Choices

Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Awards 2010 Nomination List

After by Hazel Hutchins Smith
The Ancient Ocean Blues by Jack Mitchell
Breathing Soccer by Debbie Spring
Child of Dandelions by Shenaaz Nanji
Death in the Air by Shane Peacock
Dog Lost by Ingrid Lee
The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
Greener Grass by Caroline Pignat
Libertad by Alma Fullerton
Res Judicata by Vicki Grant
The Séance by Iain Lawrence
The Shadow of Malabron by Thomas Wharton
Tweaked by Katherine Holubitsky
War Brothers by Sharon E. McKay
What World is Left by Monique Polak
Withershins by Susan Rocan
Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen
Would You by Marthe Jocelyn


 
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