The Teacher's Tool Kit For Literacy
The Habits and Behaviours of Good Readers
Episode Summary
Literacy expert Sharon Callen talks about why the habits and behaviours of readers are important, which are the most useful and how to activate them into the classroom.
Episode Notes
In this podcast, Sharon Callen explains:
- What habits and behaviours of readers are
- Why are they important?
- How do we know which are the most useful habits and behaviours?
- How do we get them going in the classroom?
- How we develop the ‘three selves’ as a reader - self-directed, self-motivated, self-regulated
Learning about what good readers do makes reading accessible to every child, every day.
GOOD READERS READ A LOT OF JUST RIGHT BOOKS:
- Lots of practice, lots of access, lots of success.
- Classroom practice to develop the habit of daily reading includes creating a culture of reading and helping to build the daily habit of reading, such as:
- Classroom library for easy access to books
- Time for reading carved out everyday
- Every child every day should have the opportunity to read something they choose, that they can understand and that they can read with accuracy. This is a habit of good readers
- Every child has an entry point with ‘just right’ books
- Read aloud is an entry point for young readers
- Encourage voluntary reading - choosing to read, reading at school, outside of school, seeing it as part of what they do
- We build up accuracy, understanding, fluency
- Forming the habits and behaviours is the first phase - with the help of an enabling adult - every child, every day
GOOD READERS ARE MOTIVATED TO READ AND TO GROW AS A READER (GROWTH MINDSET):
Interest, confidence and dedication.
Classroom practices:
- Read aloud, introduce students to many books, authors, genres, information, vocabulary that is beyond their independent level of reading but which extends them into a rich world of habits and behaviours they can take into their own reading.
- Good teachers use Read and Shared Text to demonstrate to students what good readers do, whilst engaging in an authentic reading process. Meanwhile readers are practising many of the strategies of good readers with the teacher as they listen to/view the text, giving them an opportunity to begin practicing these behaviours.
- Anchoring these reading behaviours on a Good Reader Anchor chart enables students to see the importance of these behaviours and to be reminded of what they can practice/give a go as they read independently.
- Book tasting and book blessings given by students/ teachers also opens the world into more books, building interest and confidence to make informed selections.
- With every child experiencing an entry point, this develops a growth mindset about what it is to be a good reader.
- Good readers are active: thinkers, questioners, picture makers.
GOOD READERS USE PROBLEM SOLVING, WITH A RANGE OF STRATEGIES:
Good readers are active readers - they have an extensive range of strategies they draw on as they are reading.
Classroom practices that establish these behaviours:
- Show students what good readers do as they read extended and continuous text (If we teach strategies outside of extended, continuous text, we fail to enable readers to grow the skills and strategies they need to read extended/continuous text, which is the very goal of reading).
Modelling good reader strategies includes:
- Word solving
- Monitoring and correcting/fixing up their reading when it doesn’t make sense
- Adjusting fluency
- Comprehending the text (visualising, predicting, questioning, summarising, inferring, setting a purpose for reading)
- Vocabulary learning and its influence on comprehension
- Fluency development
- Responding to reading - personal thoughts to discuss with others, recording some in a readers journal/notebook
- Metacognition, being aware of what they are doing as a reader and therefore developing self-regulation and self-direction
- Background knowledge - bringing what they have developed and what they know, their experience of other texts, knowing when to use particular strategies and processes.
GOOD READERS RESPOND TO FEEDBACK
Good authentic teaching means good teachers will learn a lot about the needs of their readers by listening to them read and providing next steps to developing reading behaviours whilst they are reading continuous texts.
- This further develops the behaviours of good readers, as readers learn to apply an ever increasing range of strategies.
- Good teachers also notice when a group of students are ready to be taught a new reading behaviour or are close to consolidating one, or simply need more practice.
- Close eyes on the habits and behaviours that readers are developing is what builds success, confidence, interest, motivation and dedication to continuing on a thriving path to the joys and insights that reading bring to us.
- Actions are anchored in child language on charts in the classroom.
- Conferring with children is powerful teaching.
- Children need to be able to name the action.
GOOD READERS TALK ABOUT THEIR READING
Good readers love to talk about and share what they are reading. Reading is a very social experience - afterall books are published so that more than one person can access the story! So our experiences with story and books are meant to be shared.
Classroom practices that give readers opportunities to talk about their reading include:
- Turn and Tell after reading - 60 seconds (What I liked, what I didn't like (emotions), what puzzled me, what patterns I am noticing)
- Book recommendations
- Most underutilised comprehension strategy
In summary – the themes today have been:
- Enabling all students to develop the habits and behaviours of good readers.
- Allowing all children to be problem solvers in their reading – using a range of strategies.
- How to define the habits and behaviours and how to let students in on what these are and how to use them effectively.
- NOTE: Watch how good reader strategies also play out for your students as writers.
Key questions:
- What is a good tool that Sharon has used with teachers in classrooms? Mt Barker South Teachers have turned their learning intentions into Good Reader statements - ensuring that they are teaching good reader actions, teaching good reader behaviours, building a growth mindset, motivation, reading habits, practice and interest.
- What’s a tantalising text that Sharon has used recently in a classroom? Going to the Volcano by Andy Stanton and illustrated by Miguel Ordenez (Pronounced OR DAWN EZ). It's a fun rhyming picture book text for two voices or more. Fun to read with your class, for readers to read in pairs and a great model for writing your own ‘GOING TO’ story. We’ll demonstrate, Sharon as the voice of Jane, whilst Phil is the voice of Dwayne.
SH: Going to the Volcano by Andy Stanton and Miguel Ordonez
Other: Going off with Jane-o to look at the volcano!
SH: Going off with Jane-o to look at the volcano!
Other: Walking down the lane-o to look at the volcano!
SH: Walking down the lane-o to look at the volcano!
Other: Riding the Great Dane-o to look at the volcano!
SH: Riding the Great Dane-o to look at the volcano!
Other: Sitting on the train-o to look at the volcano!
SH: Sitting on the train-o to look at the volcano!
Other: Jumping on the plane-o to look at the volcano!
SH: Jumping on the plane-o to look at the volcano!
Other: Flying off to Spain-o to look at the volcano!
SH: Flying off to Spain-o to look at the volcano!
Other: Splashing through the rain-o to look at the volcano!
SH: Splashing through the rain-o to look at the volcano!
Other: Going up the crane-o to look at the volcano!
SH: Climbing down the chain-o to look at the volcano!
PAUSE 3, 2,1
Other and SH: BOOM!
Other: In a lot of pain-o because of the volcano!
SH: In a lot of pain-o because of the volcano!
Other: NEVER do it again-o. STAY OFF THE VOLCANO!
SH: NEVER do it again-o. STAY OFF THE VOLCANO!
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The Teacher’s Tool Kit For Literacy is the free podcast for motivated teachers and school leaders who want the latest tips, tricks and tools to inspire their students and school community in literacy learning.
Hear from literacy expert and founder of Cue Learning, Sharon Callen, and special guests.
At Cue Learning, our literacy specialists draw on over 30 years of teaching and international consulting experience to deliver world-class learning solutions. We equip, empower and support teachers to become their authentic selves.
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