5 Articles Worth Reading
This article is about effective think-aloud techniques. Effective think-alouds explain what expert readers do before, during, and after they read (Block and Israel 2004). Step one is how to select an enjoyable book. The teacher will begin with choosing a book he or she is interested. They will talk about the reason why they like this book and a little bit about the author. hey can also describe the writing style, details, or vocabulary that make this book stand out. If the students see how excited their teacher is about reading they may also get more interested. Teachers also need to know there students and figure out what content area they like to read. Let your students know that when choosing a book, think about how much they want to learn about the topic. They can choose a basic, easier book if they do not know very much about the subject and a more detailed book if they know a great detail about it (Block and Israel 2004). Books need to be relevant to the students lives then they might be more interested in reading it. Choose books they can relate to, allowing them to put themselves in the book. The teacher should also ask questions to stimulate thinking and to broaden students perpectives. Activate their learning and guide them into more books!
Block, C. C., & Israel, S. E. (2004). The ABCs of Performing Highly Effective Think-Alouds. The Reading Teacher,58(2), 154-167. doi:10.1598/rt.58.2.4
Young, J. L. (2017). One Book and One Girl at a Time: Analyzing and Explaining Black Girl's Reading Achievement in Elementary School. Literacy & Social Responsibility ,9(1), 1-10. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
This article talks about the importance of having culturally diverse books for young children. Books need to be a reflection of the reader so that means there should be a variety in the classroom or at home. Books can help students learn about those around them as well as give them a glimpse into their history. Early reading is an area that requires emphasis on engagement and discovery (Young, 2017). Sometimes young readers do not like to read because they cannot relate to the books they are handed. If they can visually and contextually bond with the book they are more likely to keep reading it. Provide multiple books by the same author, topic, and culture. Also, the need to have parent and family members involved in reading activities with their children is well-documented and is especially significant for parents of color (Young, 2017). People with different backgrounds have different family structures. For example, grandparents are often seen as caregivers, Godparents, and leaders; parents might include mom and dad, mom and mom, dad and dad, or adoptive parents. Books should have these types of family dynamics so that students can make connections. A strategy that is suggested is to not confine reading to home and school only. Reading should be a daily routine and should be done anywhere.
Chapman, M., Filipenko, M., Mctavish, M., & Shapiro, J. (2007). First Graders Preferences for Narrative and/or Information Books and Perceptions of Other Boys and Girls Book Preferences. Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de léducation,30(2), 531-553. doi:10.2307/20466649
Researchers took a sample of twenty first grade boys and twenty first grade girls. The students were asked if they preferred informational books or storybooks. Both boys and girls would rather read storybooks over informational books. Through this analysis, there was no relationship between reading ability and book choice. They also developed eight categories for reason of book choice based on the responses of the children. Books should be visually appealing, interesting topic, humorous, literary awards, tactile quality, gender, observations about the book, and connections to experiences. Critical literacy needs to become part of the early years curriculum, to help children, teachers, and parents (Chapman, Filipino, Mctavish, and Shapiro 2007).
Braxton, B. (2007). Read-Alouds: Choosing the Right Book. Teacher Librarian,34(3), 52-53. Retrieved March 26, 2018, from https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/224887550?accountid=7113.
This article talks about the importance of choosing the right book for read alouds. It states that the first step is to find a book that you yourself can enjoy reading. If you are disinterested then so will the students. Children's mind tend to wonder when they can hear the boredom in your voice. Age, gender, current interests, and the size of your audience are the prime considerations for selecting an appropriate story ( Braxton 2007). Students seem to like rhyming books or repetition. That way they are able to make predictions. Themes could include family, pets, fairy tails, sharing, and being loved. Books for elementary readers should also include pictures. Illustrations help them make connections and draw conclusions about the story. Pictures need to be big and bold so that they are about to detect meaning. Stories for young readers need to short enough so they do not lose interest. This article also provides a list of guides for anyone who needs help finding the right title for their readers.
Correia, M. P. (2011). Fiction vs. Informational Texts: Which Will Kindergarteners Choose? YC Young Children,66(6), 100-104. Retrieved March 27, 2018, from https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/906049203?accountid=7113.
In this article research was conducted to see what type of books readers tend to like more. Mrs. Correia is a kindergarten teacher who wanted to see what her students took interest in reading. She started off by noting what kinds of books the students checked out from the school library. Each week she counted the number of books that were fiction and informational/nonfiction. She also observed the students choices from the classroom library. When chooses a book to read to the class, Mrs. Correia found it very difficult. She was reminded to read about something that interests the class as a whole. These books were mainly about bugs, trucks, butterfly cycle, and famous athletes. Again, note how important is it to know your reader. Not everyone has the same interest. After weeks of observing, she noticed that the majority go her class would read nonfiction and informational books over fiction books. More boys also chose these types of books when compared to girls. Her class also liked to share their books about dangerous animals, dinosaurs, weather, and other topics. She also encouraged her students to bring books for home to share with the class. More times than not, they would bring nonfiction books. It is evident that "incorporating informational text in the early years of school has the potential to increase student motivation, build important comprehension skills, and lay the ground work for students to grow into confident, purposeful readers" (Correia 2011).