Most often, when people think about “reading” they think about school and how school is the place where reading occurs. Reading is often associated with Language Arts or Reading classes, if they still exist. Reading is a skill that should be practiced every day, throughout the day, in all classes. Just as athletes practice skills in a sport, the same holds true with reading; it should be practiced daily, multiple times throughout the day. In addition, reading should not exist only at school, but at home too (There will be another blog about reading at home coming out soon).
Reading in the Content Areas
Content teachers, outside of Language Arts (Reading and Writing), often do not imbed time for reading and writing in classroom instruction. Opportunities to read in every class should be made available to help students master skills and comprehend content. Research shows that student achievement is a result of high-levels of reading engagement. Opportunities of quiet time for reading should be imbedded in every content classroom, including Physical Education.
Scholars are usually motivated to read in school when a grade is connected, and sometimes, scholars develop a “love of reading” on their own; it takes only one book or one positive experience with reading that increases their curiosity. Teachers can read to their classes, and set time aside to read with small groups of students, or have scholars read aloud in class. Reading should be happening in every class.
In content classes, such as Science, History, or even Mathematics, have scholars read content-specific material. For example, in my Science classes, I allow my scholars to read with their “Appointment” partner. Students make appointments with each other so that when the time comes to work with a partner, they will know with whom they are scheduled to work based on the appointment time that is announced to the class. Students love working with a classmate or even a friend; pairing can be a powerful tool in Teachers may sometimes have to remind the students to stay on task, but not often and not every productive-pair. Students can even have reading time in Physical Education. When classes are playing a particular sport, teachers can find text focused on the origin of the sport, or scholars read directions on how to play a particular game or sport.
Another great strategy to encourage reading and engage scholars while they read, is the use of graphic organizers. Graphic organizers help students organize information from the text, and it can also be used as a study tool. Writing should always be paired with Reading. The only way to know if your scholars understand the text they are reading is by having them write down answers to specific questions about the text or respond to questions orally. So make time in your content instruction for your scholars to read 15 – 20 minutes at least twice a week; if you can schedule in more days great. Let’s help to create proficient readers.