Reading is a Novel Idea

(Natural Beach Living. (2016). 100 reasons why reading is important. Retrieved from https://www.naturalbeachliving.com/reasons-why-reading-is-important/)
The knowledge and skills that reading requires is one of the most important skills one can possess. Reading is not only fun, but it also helps the student develop their language skills as well as their understanding of the written word. Reading material comes in a variety of formats such as picture books, novels, graphic novels, audiobooks and should all be explored to allow the student to learn new things and discover what interests them.
According to the Ontario Curriculum for grades 1-8, there are four overall expectations students are meant to achieve:

1. read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literary, graphic, and informational texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning; 
2. recognize a variety of text forms, text features, and stylistic elements and demonstrate understanding of how they help communicate meaning; 
3. use knowledge of words and cueing systems to read fluently; 
4. reflect on and identify their strengths as readers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful before, during, and after reading.

(Ontario Ministry of Education (2006). The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8 language (Revised). Toronto: Queen’s Printer.)

Reading Strategies

Reading can be difficult for some when they are first starting. It can be an intimidating skill to try and master. There are 5 key components to consider while reading. These include:

1. Phonological Awareness - the ability to hear and identify the sounds in spoken words
2. Phonics and Decoding - the ability to identify the relationship between the sounds of a word and the written letters of the word and then make meaning of the word
3. Fluency - the ability to  read with speed and accuracy
4. Vocabulary - the set of familiar words in a person's language
5. Comprehension - the ability to understand something

(All About Learning Press. (2019). All about reading. Retrieved from https://www.allaboutlearningpress.com/all-about-reading/)

All About Reading is an award-winning, interactive and fun program you can use to help your students become stronger readers. There are 5 levels the student can attempt, but a pre-test is available to assess which level is the best fit. This program allows the student to learn the 5 key elements involved in reading in an interactive way. It also includes an evaluation guide for the teacher to better assess their students reading capabilities. There is a cost attached to this product depending on the level being purchased, but it may be beneficial to many students in the long run. Their website also includes many free resources, activities, games and how-to articles you can access covering a wide variety of topics such as 20 best tips for teaching reading and writing, symptoms of dyslexia checklist and 200+ Chapter Books Your Kids Will Love!

There are multiple strategies that your students can use while reading. Having your students make connections is a great start. This can be done in 3 different ways, text-to-self, text-to-text, or text-to-world. The students can ask questions before, during and after reading to better grasp and understand the content of the readings. They can visualize what occurred in the text through creative imagination. They can infer about what they just read, meaning they can take their prior knowledge on a topic and combine it with what they just read to make inferences and predictions before ultimately coming to a conclusion. Students must learn to determine importance from the text to better understand it. Finally, a student can combine new information from the text with their prior knowledge to form new thoughts and ideas through synthesizing. 

Check out these posters available at Teacher Thrive that you can download and put around your classroom! 

(Teacher Thrive. (2019). Reading strategies that work. Retrieved from https://teacherthrive.com/2019/05/reading-strategies.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes&utm_term=716311476_28418046_13571)

Audio-Books and Graphic Novels
At times, it can be very difficult to get some students interested in reading. It may be beneficial to introduce different reading formats to these students. For example, Storybook Online is a wonderful resource to introduce audio-books to your students! This site features hundreds of videos of different stories being read to the viewer by someone else. Some are even read by people your students will recognize! Storybook Online also includes activity guides for teachers to use in their lessons if they wish. These activity guides include themes found in the book, suggested reading level, suggested strand focuses and suggested activities to run with your class pre and post-reading. Below, I have included a video featuring Kristen Bell, a famous actress known for the voice of Anna in Disney's Frozen, reading Quakenstein Hatches a Family by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen.

(Storybook Online. (2018). Quackenstein hatches a family read by kristen bell. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoiS5ZFtqVg)

It is important to remember that books can be absorbed in several different ways. The Ontario Language Curriculum states that as early as grade 1, students should "read and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of literacy, graphic and informational texts, using a range of strategies to construct meaning" (OME, 2006, pg 39). Graphic novels are a great option for those students who just don't enjoy reading. They are quick and fun reads with illustrations that help guide the reader through the story and are often less text-heavy, which may allow the reader to feel less intimidated to pick them up. There are even some great educational and diverse graphic novels you can have your students read! I have included a blog, that discusses 16 great diverse graphic novels, with a quick synopsis of each that you can check out.

(Pragmatic Mom. (2015, ). 16 great diversity graphic novels for kids and teens. Retrieved from https://www.pragmaticmom.com/2015/06/diversity-graphic-novels/)

Online Games for Reading
No student wants to learn something if it is boring. Another fun way you could introduce reading to your class could be though online games. Online games provide an interesting, interactive and enjoyable way to reinforce reading skills your students will need to be successful. There are thousands of websites you can explore to find the best games for your students. These can help students become familiar with unknown words in a fun and interactive way. They can help with spelling, vocabulary, grammar and even reading comprehension. One of my favourites for younger groups is PBS Kids, which features characters from the student's favourite shows. Another great site comes from Education World, which features 36 reading games suitable for students in kindergarten up to grade 12 on a wide variety of topics depending on what you wish to focus on. The Fine Print Blog is another great resource that includes a list of different websites featuring links to online reading games for kids. These lists range from ages 3-6, 6-10, and 10 and up. It also includes a list of reading sites for parents to explore as well.

(PBS Kids. (2019). Reading games. Retrieved from https://pbskids.org/games/reading/)

References: 

All About Learning Press. (2019). 20 best tips for teaching reading and writing. Retrieved from https://info.allaboutlearningpress.com/20-best-tips

All About Learning Press. (2019). 200+ chapter books your kids will love. Retrieved from https://info.allaboutlearningpress.com/chapter-book-library-list

All About Learning Press. (2019). All about reading. Retrieved from https://www.allaboutlearningpress.com/all-about-reading/

All About Learning Press. (2019). Reading placement. Retrieved from https://www.allaboutlearningpress.com/placement/

All About Learning Press. (2019). Symptoms of dyslexia screening checklist. Retrieved from https://info.allaboutlearningpress.com/symptoms-of-dyslexia-checklist
Education World. (2013). The reading machine: Reading games. Retrieved from https://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/archives/readingmachine.shtml

Natural Beach Living. (2016). 100 reasons why reading is important. Retrieved from https://www.naturalbeachliving.com/reasons-why-reading-is-important/

Ontario Ministry of Education (2006). The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8 language (Revised). Toronto: Queen’s Printer.
PBS Kids. (2019). Reading games. Retrieved from https://pbskids.org/games/reading/
Pragmatic Mom. (2015, ). 16 great diversity graphic novels for kids and teens. Retrieved from https://www.pragmaticmom.com/2015/06/diversity-graphic-novels/

Storybook Online. (2018). Quackenstein hatches a family read by kristen bell. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoiS5ZFtqVg
Storybook Online. (2018). Quackenstein teacher activity guide. Retrieved from https://www.storylineonline.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Quackenstein_TeacherActivityGuide.pdf

Storybook Online. (2019). Storybook online. Retrieved from https://www.storylineonline.net/
Teacher Thrive. (2019). Reading strategies that work. Retrieved from https://teacherthrive.com/2019/05/reading-strategies.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes&utm_term=716311476_28418046_13571
The Fine Print Blog. (2019). Online reading games for kids. Retrieved from https://www.readers.com/blog/education/kids-online-reading-games/