We are really proud of the work we have put into developing our reading strategies this year. We have been working very hard to build excellence in our reading. I am proud of you. During literacy block, reading has been an important focus in our activities. Early on we looked closely at what good readers do. Mrs Godfrey worked with us to make chart that we could look back on and remind ourselves what we should be doing when we read.

So that we could build stamina in our reading, we needed time to read. Finding a comfortable spot, working on our stickability and be respectful of others need for quiet were all important factors to consider.

Once we had our stamina ticking along nicely and challenged ourselves to keep building more it was time to build efficient reading strategies.

We looked closely at what we would do before we read…

• activate our prior knowledge
• know why we were reading this particular text
• make predictions
• know how to ask questions

 

Then during reading we focussed on..

• constructing meaning
• checking we understood the text
• looked at our predictions
• learnt a lot of different ways to work out tricky words
• made connections with ideas in the text
• learnt how to infer the hidden meaning, reading between the lines

 

Then after reading

• we learnt how to evaluate texts
• went back to check predictions and questions again
• learnt how to summarise important facts
• worked out how to synthesise and bring together all that we learnt

 

 

How good were we at getting all our Premier’s Reading Challenge completed  by term two! Fabulous effort.

As most of us have set clear targets for our accelerated reading, these strategies have helped us become very successful in reading. Last term many of our super readers managed to zoom past their target and beyond. Poor Mr Grant’s hand was sore from signing all those great reading certificates too.

This term we have made a fabulous start, with lots more than a third of the way. Bravo Super Readers there’s nothing stopping you now. Now you and I know that you need to read at least 30 minutes a night, right. Of course there’s lots who read more, you wonderful little book worms you.

 

I found this letter which might be an interesting thing to think about the next time you skip a reading session or perhaps regularly miss them…. mm. Read on.

 

Why Can’t I Skip My
Twenty Minutes of Reading Tonight?
(Source Unknown)

Let’s figure it out — mathematically!

Student A reads 20 minutes five nights of every week;
Student B reads only 4 minutes a night…or not at all!

Step 1: Multiply minutes a night x 5 times each week.
Student A reads 20 min. x 5 times a week = 100 mins./week
Student B reads 4 minutes x 5 times a week = 20 minutes

Step 2: Multiply minutes a week x 4 weeks each month.
Student A reads 400 minutes a month.
Student B reads 80 minutes a month.

Step 3: Multiply minutes a month x 9 months/school year
Student A reads 3600 min. in a school year.
Student B reads 720 min. in a school year.

Student A practices reading the equivalent of ten whole school days a year. Student B gets the equivalent of only two school days of reading practice.

By the end of 6th grade if Student A and Student B maintain
these same reading habits,  Student A will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days Student B will have read the equivalent of only 12 school days.

One would expect the gap of information retained will have widened considerably and so, undoubtedly, will school performance. How do you think Student B will feel about him/herself as a student?

Some questions to ponder:

Which student would you expect to read better?
Which student would you expect to know more?
Which student would you expect to write better?
Which student would you expect to have a better vocabulary?
Which student would you expect to be more successful in school….and in life?

 

Now that does make you think a little doesn’t it.

Letter courtesy of Ms Marley Sanchez

Some other things to think about.

Where is your favourite place to read?

Do you have a favourite author?

What types of reading takes place in your homes and who does it?