Fostering Reading Cultures in Schools

Ah! The joy of reading. I can’t think of time when books weren’t a part of my life. I think I am very lucky that my dad always encouraged my brothers and I to read by providing ample fodder in a very diverse range. He loved books himself, and they were one thing he was always generous in having available. Books for me were an escape and a source of wonder, my elementary school library and Mrs. Gowan (my librarian there), provided a safe and welcoming space that nurtured and developed my interest – I not only loved the reading aspect but the organizing and classifying and helping with the card sign-out was invigorating. I guess it comes as no surprise that I am now in the role of teacher-librarian, myself.

The sense of safety and inclusion is what I most revere of my school memories and I have worked hard over the years to ensure that my classroom, the LLC, has that same atmosphere. Regardless of the size of the collection, the shape of the room, or the décor – I hope the environment I created in the six school libraries I have had the privilege of serving in has always been one where my students felt welcomed and happy.

A decade ago, I came across the book Igniting a Passion for Reading: Successful Strategies for Building Lifetime Readers by Steven L. Layne. It is a book I have returned to often over the years and it has really helped me to be thoughtful in how I present reading, books and myself to my students. There are plenty of strategies worthy of attention but three really stood out. I had not consciously thought about them until Layne laid them out succinctly.

1. Target alliterate students

The most powerful words, states Layne (2009), is “I thought of you.” Often our students who choose not to read do so because they have never had exposure to books that are meaningful to them or maybe they haven’t had positive experiences with reading. To take a closer look at these kids, get to know them, and connect them to a book that you have specifically chosen for them can be a start of a beautiful relationship. I have used those words many times and it is just as potent every time.

2. Know your students

I ask my intermediate students to fill out an interest survey at the beginning of each year. It helps me to refamiliarize myself to their likes and gives me good input, especially in a year like this one, to be able to tailor suggestions to classes. It also keeps me on my toes to the new fads that I may otherwise miss.

3. Read with your students

This one was so important for me when I was in the classroom. I would often feel guilty when my students were reading to pick up a book and read too. Shouldn’t I be marking or getting the next activity ready? Being a model for the behaviours we want our students to exhibit is so important, so why shouldn’t we model reading?

In the LLC, I do frequent book talks and create thematic displays.

Photo booth wall for "I Read Canadian" Day. (Photo by author)

I have “Books of the Week” where students put their names in for a draw to be the first to take out new books. I also ensure my students have tools at their disposal to find what they need. I teach how to use our catalogue system and highlight resources like Novelist. During remote teaching, I built a Padlet to keep my students connected. I am still adding to it as we have transition learners at home, it’s a fun space to highlight resources and activities.

Leigh LLC Padlet

For me, the best part of fostering a school-wide reading culture are the exciting events for the students and staff. There have been inter-school competitions such as Battle of the Books and Reading Link Challenge in collaboration with the public libraries. We are taking part in the Global Read Aloud again this year, joining schools around the world in reading books and sharing our thoughts. 

One of our postcards from our postcard exchange. (Photo by author)

There have been school-wide reads and LiTerrific Day! where I have author visits, guest readers, noisy reading in the hallways, classroom teacher swaps to share their favourite books and the whole school dresses up as their favourite literary characters. 

Noisy reading in the halls with parent participation. (Photo by author)

Local hockey teams and other guest have come in the past to read to students for LiTerrific Day. (Photo by author)

Reading is fun and though I am pretty good at emoting and bringing my reading of stories to life, it is always good to have goals to work towards. One day, I hope to be able to hardcore rap Dr. Seuss like Wes Tank:

I know this year is different and I will need to rethink and restructure programs that I have offered before. It has been overwhelming but I am approaching it a bit at a time. I do hope to make a bigger online presence this year. With our staggered schedule, it has been difficult to coordinate school-wide activities or have student gatherings – I would like to look at ways to facilitate online meets, clubs and sharing spaces so that we might continue reading together.

References

Layne, S. (2009). Igniting a passion for reading: successful strategies for building lifetime readers. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

NoveList K-8 Plus | EBSCO. (2020). Retrieved 10 October 2020, from https://www.ebsco.com/novelist/products/novelist-k8-plus

Percevault, E. (2020). Leigh Elementary LLC. Retrieved 10 October 2020, from https://epercevault.padlet.org/Ms_Percevault/LeighLLC

Ripp, P. (2020). The Global Read Aloud. Retrieved 10 October 2020, from https://theglobalreadaloud.com/

Tank, W. (2020). FOX IN SOX: Dr. Seuss Raps over Dr. Dre Beats [Video]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/hqIbEHNqbPs