Ideas to promote literacy: 10 Ways to Promote Independent Reading

25 Ways Schools Can Promote Literacy And Independent Reading

60.7k

Views

FacebookTwitterSubscribe

contributed by Kimberly Tyson, Ph.D.

In the age of modern literacy and its emphasis upon having students take on more challenging text, independent reading and student choice can easily take a back seat to the demands of increased rigor. However, in a balanced literacy program, they remain important.

Motivation and choice play key roles in reading.

And, strong and capable readers are those who read widely and diversely in a wide variety of genres and text types.

In the quest to build capable readers, promoting independent, self-selected reading remains key. Creating ravenous, lifelong readers doesn’t just happen, it takes a schoolwide culture to help reach that goal.

We want kids to read more. We want them to enjoy reading. We know that reading builds vocabulary, fluency, and background knowledge. So let’s do our part to promote and encourage independent reading across our schools. Below are 25 ways schools can create a reading culture for independent literacy.

See also 24 Of The Best Digital Tools To Build Vocabulary

25 Ways Schools Can Promote Independent Reading

1. Set aside time for independent reading. Time for reading independently doesn’t just happen. Plan for it by making it a priority in schedules across K-12 classrooms. You may need to get creative by stealing minutes here and there, but find at least 15 minutes a day (20 recommended) for self-selecting, independent reading.

2. Create Literacy-Rich Environments in every K-12 Classroom. A literacy-rich environment – full of print, word walls, books, and reading materials –  not only supports the academic growth, but also provides a setting that encourages and supports speaking, listening, reading, and writing in a variety of authentic ways – through print & digital media. Make it a priority for every K-12 classroom to be an inviting, print-rich environment that supports independent reading and student learning.

3. Support High-Quality Classroom Libraries. Students need access to interesting books and materials – both in print and online. When students are provided with well-designed classroom libraries, they interact more with books, spend more time reading, exhibit more positive attitudes toward reading, and exhibit higher levels of reading achievement (NAEP, 2002). Additionally, research-based classroom libraries support balanced literacy instruction. Support teachers in building classroom libraries through budget dollars, grants, and book drives.

4. Encourage Read Alouds. In the Becoming a Nation of Readers report (1985), experts reported that “the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children. ” Not only did the experts suggest reading aloud in the home, but they also suggested reading aloud in schools. Read alouds not only allow teachers to model that reading is a great way to spend time but also expose students to more complex vocabulary than they typically hear or read.

And, that doesn’t exclude reading to older students, too. Occasionally reading more difficult text aloud provides opportunities for rich discussion and vocabulary development. And, reading young adult selections such as The Fault in Our Stars (affiliate link) by John Green provides the background and context for meaningful discussions about current topics, too.

5. Create a ‘Caught Reading’ Campaign that features Teachers as Readers. Creating a school-wide reading culture is important to promote reading as a lifestyle. Students need to see their teachers as readers. Create posters of teachers and staff reading their favorite books and display them in hallways throughout the schools. You can also produce bookmarks that feature teachers’ favorite book picks to help guide students as they select books for independent reading.

6. Invite Guest Readers into Classrooms. What better way to promote reading than by having guest readers read aloud to students. Invite parents and community members to select a book or article to read aloud and discuss with students. You can even make it fun by announcing them as ‘mystery readers’ and providing clues during the week to create anticipation for the guest reader.

7. Encourage Students to Read Widely. Sometimes students get in a rut and don’t read beyond their favorite genre or author. Encourage students to read outside of their preferred genres. To build a wide vocabulary and broad background knowledge, students need to read in a wide variety of genres and text types. Through book talks, read alouds, and book displays, open students’ eyes to new authors, genres, and text types.

8. Create a Twitter Hashtag for Sharing Books. Move beyond traditional book reviews by creating a schoolwide Twitter #hashtag such as #GESTitleTalk or #PS41FavBookswhere students and teachers write super-short reviews and highlights of recently read books. In addition, the librarian can create interest in books by posting new titles on the school hashtag. Teachers can create a classroom hashtag, too, such as #4thReads.

9. Host Book Clubs for Students and Parents. A community of readers sometimes happens naturally; however, book clubs are a perfect way to foster connectivity around books and reading. Students can even host their own book clubs within a classroom, grade level, or school.

Reading is important for parents, too. Host a book club at school or online to help create an adult community of readers and build strong parental support for reading.  “Books and Bagels” can be a perfect duo for an early morning book club.

10. Financially Support School Libraries. In an era of tightening budgets, the school library/media center needs to continue receiving financial support. While classroom libraries are vitally important to a balanced literacy program, media centers are as well. Each serves a distinctly different purpose in supporting readers. And, media centers should be staffed by licensed librarians who are experts in both children’s literature and how to build and maintain a high-quality collection that supports independent reading, research, and instruction.

11. Collaborate with the Local Library. Work with the local library to learn about and support their programs, services, and resources for students. Invite them into your school so students can easily obtain a library card and learn about how the public library can support their reading and research needs.

12. Provide Opportunities for Summer Reading. The summer reading slide is real. Schools can play an important role in providing opportunities so that students read over the summer. Ranging from giving away books to providing summer library hours, there are many ways that schools can support independent reading during the summer months. 

13. Support Author Visits. Students need to learn about how writers get their ideas and turn those ideas into books. Author visits help make those connections visible for students. If your budget is tight, work with a local library or another school district to help financially sponsor an author visit. 

14. Sponsor a Young Author Conference. Along with author visits, a ‘young author’ conference provides a venue for readers to showcase their writing. Some schools invite an author and illustrator while showcasing student books. It’s a perfect opportunity to connect reading, writing, and illustrating. And, parents and community members can share in the celebration of literacy.

15. Read what Students are Reading. Creating a culture of reading includes teachers, too. Students need to read, and so do you. As classroom teachers and librarians, it’s important to help students find books that grab their attention and interest them. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to keep your book knowledge current.

It’s not easy keeping current with new books in children’s and young adult literature; however, there are many excellent book lists, reviews, websites, and blogs to steer you in the right direction. As you explore book lists, websites, blogs, and twitter feeds, I’m certain you’ll find several that will become your favorites! And, students will benefit from your first-hand knowledge of books.

16. Host a Read-In. A combination of books, pizza, and p.j.’s party can be lots of fun! Be inventive. Invite parents, community members, and sports figures to be mystery readers read each hour. Wrap up new books and unveil them during the read-in. Invite a local author. A fun way to liven up reading.

17. Solicit Donations from Local Book Stores. In a day of tightening budgets, building classroom libraries can be a financial strain on schools and individual teachers. Local bookstores such as Half-Price Books often willingly donate books to schools. It can be a cost-effective way to build classroom collections of books to support students.

18. Share Books through BookTalks. Readers need to share books with one another. Book Talks are a perfect way for teachers and students to share books with one another. 

19. Create a Readbox to Promote Schoolwide Reading. A new display can do wonders to highlight favorite books, new releases, and best-loved authors. The ‘readbox’ is, of course, a play off of ‘redbox.’ It’s a creative way to display books, create interest, and support reading choice.

Another possibility? A movie poster (using a movie poster template) but for books.

20. Host Reading-Related Events at School. Many schools host Scholastic Book events as a way to promote reading and to bring affordable books into the hands of readers. How about coupling the book event with a school play since many parents will be visiting your school?

Or, host a “Book Blast and Bar-B-Que” as Regional School District No. 6 in Connecticut recently did. According to Language Arts Coordinator Tracy Keilty @TraKeilty, the “Book Blast & Bar-B-Que” event recognizes K-8 students for the volume of reading completed over the summer as part of the Connecticut Governor’s Reading Challenge. Superintendent Ed Drapp @edrapp  joins in on the fun (see image) as parents, students, and community members eat, dance, and celebrate reading!

The name alone makes me want to join the reading celebration.

21. Create Video Book Commercials. Creating videos is easier than ever and people love to do it. Have students, teachers, staff, and community members create book commercials promoting a favorite book or author. Display them on your school website or on a dedicated page for the library. If you have morning announcements through a production system, you could feature live book commercials or show recent entries.

22. Create Attractive Displays of Books. Feature attractive book displays throughout your school. Create book displays in likely and unlikely places such as the front office, principal’s office, in classrooms, labs, display cases, and the school library. 

23. Encourage Students & Teachers to Write Book Reviews. Readers need to share books with each other in the form of book reviews. Experiment with the form. For example, short book reviews or snippets can be featured on a series of bookmarks. Longer book reviews can be displayed in the school library or classroom library or hosted online.

24. Partner with Parents. Schools can do their part to support and encourage reading; however, parents play a key role as well. Support parents by informing them of school library hours and resources available at the school and public library.

25. Host a Mystery Check-Out Day. Create a little mystery around books. Wrap selected books in brown paper and encourage students to check out a mystery book. After they check the book, they can unwrap it to reveal their selection. Mystery selections can encourage students – in a fun way – to venture further and try a new genre, author, or series.

25 Ways Schools Can Promote Literacy And Independent Reading

Creating a Reading Culture | Importance & Ideas for Schools

Reading transcends class, race, age, and gender. It’s a free magic carpet ride to anywhere on Earth (or beyond), at any point in time. Every child, regardless of age or ability, deserves to be able to access the written word. Readers who go on to develop a life-long love of literature not only decode, segment, and blend with ease, they have a genuine adoration for the power of prose. In order to stimulate a lasting love of reading, it’s crucial that we build a strong reading culture in schools.

In this article, we’ll be addressing the question: what is a reading culture? We’ll also look at the importance of creating a reading culture in schools, and the innumerable benefits it brings. Finally, we’ll end by outlining how you can promote a reading culture in just 15 steps.

Whatever your role may be, headteacher, head of department, literacy lead, classroom teacher, governor, or budding reading champion, read on to discover how to promote an effective and impactful reading culture in your school.

What is a Reading Culture?

A reading culture is an environment where reading is championed, valued, respected, and encouraged. Reading lies at the heart of the curriculum, and it’s of the upmost importance to a child’s personal, social, and academic success, as well as their general wellbeing.

Creating a reading culture should not be the responsibility of an individual. It takes dedication, perseverance, and effort. It’s led by an enthusiastic and dedicated senior leadership team, and advocated by every pupil, parent, carer, and staff member in the school community.

In a report commissioned by the National Literacy Trust, research indicates that, “if reading is to become a lifelong habit, then people must see themselves as participants in a community that views reading as a significant and enjoyable activity. Parents and the home environment are essential in fostering a love of reading.”

A reading culture takes more than quality-first teaching. Where a reading culture exists, children read of their own free will, on a regular basis. Students select their own reading material, at a time and place of their choosing. They are willing and active participants, who anticipate the satisfaction they’ll get from picking up a book.

To make sure children don’t experience reading difficulty and demotivation, we should ensure students become fluent and engaged readers from an early age. Creating a reading culture where students are disaffected, hold negative attitudes, and whose reading ages are well below chronological, can be challenging, but not impossible.

Why are Reading Cultures Important in Schools?

People cannot be active or informed citizens unless they can read. Reading is a prerequisite for almost all cultural and social activities.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (2003)

Building a strong reading culture puts reading at the forefront of school improvement. A creative and exciting reading culture not only breeds capable and committed readers, it boosts wellbeing, community connectedness, and student outcomes.

In a recent report from The Department for Education, Nick Gibb, Minister of State for School Standards, states that reading is “the key unlocking the rest of the academic curriculum.”

Children will need high levels of literacy in so many aspects of their lives. Everywhere children look, there’s a sea of information for them to digest – in school, at home, on public transport, on the roads, and on digital technology interfaces. Not only is reading required for success in future employment, an ability to read will help children in future relationships, when running a household, and when navigating all aspects of their personal lives.

We know that reading fluency is a strong indicator for achievement in further education, higher education, and future employment. The government acknowledges that reading can achieve something teachers and policymakers have been trying to attain for years: to lessen, or even eradicate, the impact of early life disadvantage.

In short, only competent readers will be able to access the wonders of the curriculum, and thus improve their life chances.

How to Build and Promote a Strong Reading Culture

1. Live and Breathe Literature

Place reading at the core of your school’s improvement plan. Head teachers should actively prioritise reading. Their aim should be for every student to become a fluent, and motivated reader.

Create a mission statement that will drive future agendas, targets, and personal development plans. Make sure the language used is accessible for everyone in the school community to follow, including pupils. Give prominence to this statement on displays throughout the school.

2. Spark Curiosity Within the School Environment

Create vibrant displays, and unique installations which celebrate a love of all things reading. Think a bubbling cauldron in KS3, with Macbeth quotes hanging from the ceiling, or a school book tree in reception, filled with reviews and recommendations.

Place key words throughout the building, and accompany them with visual stimulus. For example, an equipment display of the main items students use in physical education, with the name of each apparatus clearly labelled on each item.

Create reading nooks throughout the school, where pupils can escape from the world, and sit and read their favourite book.

3. Keep Talking

Build a language-rich environment where adults talk with children regularly throughout the day, and where students are given opportunities to get involved in a variety of conversations. This will boost their vocabulary awareness, and support them with their comprehension.

Where possible, feature prose in every assembly and form time session. Read stories or extracts of texts in assemblies. Ask staff to share their favourite poem, or character description. Similarly, invite children to share a text which they find inspiring.

4. Make your Library Space Magical

Transform your school library space to make sure it’s creative, engaging, and welcoming to all. Fill it with colourful displays, and comfy seating. Yes, a brand-new library can be a costly investment, but a re-design doesn’t have to cost the Earth. See if any local businesses would be prepared to partner with you in the process, or donate materials. Equally, consider enlisting the help of local college students, or willing parent volunteers to help with the painting.

Make sure every child is timetabled in the library, ideally once a week, so that they can renew books regularly. Host library inductions to inform children how to use the library safely and respectfully. Once the library is complete, ask older students to run lunch time story clubs, and ask for volunteer library helpers to restock shelves, and keep the room neat and tidy.

5. Run DEAR

DEAR, or Drop Everything And Read, is a daily designated reading programme. Run on a rolling rota, DEAR gives every child 15-minutes every day to just sit and read, in a quiet, calm environment conducive to reading. Everyone in the school community should drop everything and get involved, from the head teacher to the caretaker. Through DEAR, reading becomes a habitual and consistent act.

6. Host Guest Speakers and Organise Trips

Memorable experiences can deeper learning, so give your students the opportunity to get out and about on as many curriculum-linked school trips as possible. Think The Imperial War Museum, a forest, a National Trust property, or the local farm. Where possible, let the children hear extracts of the text whilst on location. Immerse them in the narrative.

Similarly, invite guest speakers to come in and talk to the children about their texts. Schools might not have the money to host authors, but many community representatives will visit for free, or for a nominal fee. Whether it’s a picture book aimed for the early years or a KS4 set text, find links to enrich the curriculum, and engage with the wider community. For example, a local artist could lead an outdoor craft and painting day linked to the children’s current text, or a police officer and local solicitor might visit the children for a question-and-answer session linked to a character’s wrongdoings. Equally, local college students might also be willing to organise and deliver a drama session linked to your chosen text.

7. Create Competitions

Motivation is thought to be a critical factor in learning outcomes, determining their success and quality. In a report commissioned by The University of Maryland, Guthrie and Wigfield found that, “outstanding teachers invest substantial time and energy in supporting students’ motivation and engagement in reading.”

For some students to become intrinsically motivated, staff may have to use extrinsic motivation at first. In certain demographics, we may have to incentivise the act of reading until it becomes as natural as breathing.

Staff should offer children acknowledgment and praise for their reading achievements, however small they may be. The school’s behaviour policy should detail how staff can do this effectively. For example, staff could be given six wristbands every half-term to give out to the children who’ve shown the most commitment, or made the most progress in their reading. These wrist bands can then be exchanged for a prize. 

Using on-screen reading programmes, such as Accelerated Reader, students can take online quizzes on their reading books. If they receive a certain percentage pass mark, they’ll begin to build up a word count. Schools can use this information to set children specific targets to achieve by the end of the year.

Teachers can build a bespoke reward scheme around their online reading programme. For example, pupils could get a treat from the reading treat box if they pass their book quiz at 80% or more, or two if it’s 100%. Work with the school’s parents and friends’ association, or reach out to local businesses for sponsorship in order to fund these prize boxes. Similarly, hold a word count war to see which classes can achieve the highest word count each term.

8. Empower Children with their Next Steps

If we want children to take ownership of their reading, they need to be able to verbalise their next steps. Clear and accessible targets should be used in order to boost children’s self-esteem, rather than to make them more accountable. A consistent, whole-school approach to target setting will highlight the profile of reading across the curriculum, and remind students that we’re all readers, and we’re all in this together.

9. Host Events

Throughout the year, host events to celebrate all things reading. Whether it’s Shakespeare in the sun, campfire storytelling, book-themed cake sales, or second-hand book fairs, use all the monies raised to replenish your library stock to keep it fresh and inviting.

At the end of the academic year, why not organise a festival of reading to celebrate all of the children’s reading achievements? Think fairground rides, bouncy castles, makeup artists, tribute acts, and sweet stalls.

10. Utilise your Students

To support the school in raising the profile of reading, invite students to help. Create a peer-to-peer reading scheme, where an older, more competent student supports a child whose reading age is below their chronological age. Similarly, ask for volunteers to be part of a reading committee – who meet regularly to discuss the school improvement targets, reading incentives, and ideas to further promote a strong reading culture.

11. Work with Local Businesses

Reach out to big companies and local businesses for support in meeting the school’s reading targets. This could be reading posters from a local book shop, a gift experience from an outdoor adventure company, or a voucher from the local shoe shop to use as a reading prize.

Ask members of the reading committee to write to local suppliers to see if they would be willing to help. For example, they may be willing to provide the hot chocolate and marshmallows for the next campfire reading event. Get in touch with the local press to feature key events, and mention the names of suppliers and businesses who have helped.

12. Make Sure your Titles are Engaging and Accessible

Children should be aware of which library texts are pitched at their level. By creating a colour code linked to reading age ability, students can confidently and independently select texts which are accessible. This will help them to become assured and resilient readers.

13. Celebrate Literacy Days

Whatever literacy day it is, celebrate it. Events such as World Book Day, Roald Dahl Day, and National Poetry Day bring fun-filled opportunities for students, and help to build a vibrant reading culture across the school.

Furthermore, why not create your own days to celebrate? In October, could you host a Harry Potter Day? Think dressing up, themed school dinners, potions, spells, drama, broom stick races, and animal encounters.

14. Get Parents and Carers Involved

Not all students have the support of committed parents or carers at home. As a result, engage with parents and carers as much as possible. Run webinars to introduce the school’s online reading programmes. Host live question-and-answer sessions to inform parents how they can help from home. Run family reading challenges and competitions, and host a virtual book club for parents and children. 

15. Unite your Staff

Take all of your staff along with you in your school’s reading journey. Involve them at every step of the way. A committed team can achieve wonderous things. Ask for their feedback, and value their contributions.

Train them on the reading programmes the children will use, so they can feel informed when providing support, and keep them up to date with effective differentiation strategies. All teachers should be aware of children’s reading ages when planning, as materials used must be appropriate and accessible to all students. Providing glossaries, word mats, and visual stimulus, for example, can help weaker readers to access the curriculum.

Finally, continually make staff aware of the incredible power they possess. Hearing a teacher read a text aloud can be transformative for some pupils. If teachers read with passion, and varied intonation, they really can capture hearts and minds.

Sadly, children can become reluctant readers, whether this be through low self-esteem, boredom, or an inability to compete with peers. We need to work together to provide creative and innovative solutions to eradicate disengagement in reading. Schools can promote a reading culture which allows all children to shine, academically, socially, and personally. We hope that this article has given you the inspiration needed to revolutionise the reading culture in your school.

Further Resources

• Why Reading is Important for Children
• Ideas for Genius Hour in the Classroom
• High Speed Training Education Courses

25 Ways to Build Your School’s Reading Culture

The story that went viral earlier this year about the teacher who had the genius idea of installing a basket of books on her school’s bus has a crucial message behind it: Small acts can have a big impact when it comes to fostering a culture of reading in your school and community. When we let students know that reading is worthwhile and empower them to experience it joyfully, it creates a chain reaction of literacy learning. Here are 25 of our favorite strategies for fostering a reading culture.

Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. We only recommend items our team loves!

1. Leave reminders about books everywhere.

Whether it’s on your classroom bulletin board, or in the hallway, or even on the wall clock, dropping not-so subtle hints about great books gets students’ attention.

Source: @weareteachers

2. Make sure actual books are everywhere, too.

Display books attractively in all areas of your classroom to highlight their many uses. Little kids can use books as pretend play props—baby dolls love bedtime stories! Kids of all ages will be intrigued if you leave a field guide near the window for birding or with a cool rock or shell collection.

3. Make your classroom library a sacred—and accessible—space.

Make sure your library is organized to allow kids to get in, find a great book, and get reading immediately. For tons of insight about effective classroom library setup, we’re loving the professional book It’s All About the Books: How to Create Bookrooms and Classrooms that Inspire Readers by Tammy Mulligan and Clare Landrigan.

Source: @sunshineandchalk

4. Ditch the level labels.

Yes, it was standard practice at one point to organize classroom library titles by level, but this approach is outdated.Organize your library by topic, author, or genre instead to encourage readers to choose books they will love.

5. Stay up to date on the best books.

There will always be classroom classics that every kid should read, but kids gravitate to what looks fresh and new. Replace worn or dated titles, assess your library regularly for representation, and celebrate new releases and book arrivals as notable classroom events. (Do you need to brush up on the newest, best titles to share with students? WeAreTeachers’ book list archiveshave you covered. )

6. Share those recos.

Source: Bookriot

Create a community in which readers recommend books to each other in visible ways. Create a What I’m Reading bulletin board, highlighting picks from teachers and other school staff (the more unexpected, the better) to model lifelong reading for students. Peer recommendations pack incredible currency, so make sure you have an ongoing way for kids to promote their favorites. (It doesn’t have to be fancy to be effective.)

7. Give lots of book talks.

Hearing someone rave about a book immediately makes it more appealing. Give frequent book talks to highlight titles for kids.

8. Dial up the fun factor.

Gimmicks tend to work with kids. Add a fun reading-themed element to your school to spark excitement about books. This book vending machine got rave reviews from kids. Repurpose an old gumball dispenser into a poem vending machine or make your own from recycled materials.

9. Read aloud to all ages.

What’s the one practice that should happen in classrooms at every grade level (plus, we’d argue, at assemblies, faculty meetings, and parent events, too)? Reading aloud. You’re really never too old to enjoy being read to, and reading aloud a compelling title is one of the BEST ways to promote enjoyment of books. To get reinspired, check out The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction by the Wall Street Journal children’s book reviewer Meghan Cox Gurdon.

10. Make reading a social activity.

Reading is a solitary pleasure, but reading in a community makes it even better. Ask compelling questions and give kids plenty of low-stress opportunities to talk about books. How about encouraging Lunch Bunch book clubs?

11. Try a whole-school read.

There’s a special connection created by shared book experiences. Scale this phenomenon. Elementary school classes can all read aloud the same title. Classics like E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web appeal to a wide range of ages and have curriculum tie-in possibilities for any grade. Middle and high schools can select a title everyone reads to provoke important community conversations and build empathy. Check out the One School, One Book program website for ample resources.

Source: @busybrizzywithfirsties

12. Incorporate literacy into your morning announcements.

Get kids to stop chatting and start listening to the announcements with a fun literacy-themed component each day. Share a quote from a favorite book or book trivia fact. Or, share a joke of the day to build vocabulary and show students the fun of word play.  

13. School leaders, be literacy leaders.

School administrators set the tone in a school in so many ways. Make sure authentically promoting reading is one of them. Be that principal who’s always carrying a book around, excited to talk about it with students. Be that principal who invites students into your office to browse your principal’s bookshelf or pick out a book to keep as a birthday treat.

14. Connect kids with authors.

It’s so powerful for kids to realize that books are created by real people. In-person author visits can be expensive, but virtual visits are a fantastic option. Author Kate Messner offers an extensive list of authors who Skype with classes for free. Writing to authors can also be a powerful exercise for kids. This post has some helpful tips.  

15. Make it reading for the win.

Everyone’s loving the March book madness ideas on social media, but you don’t need to stop there. Organize a book pennant race during the World Series, a book Super Bowl (who will play the halftime show?), or host the Library Olympics à la Mr. Lemoncello. Who says reading can’t be a sport?

Source: @ramonarecommends

16.

Roll out the red carpet.

Source: Patch.com

Participating in a book award process as a class or school generates excitement about great titles and builds community around reading. Join in with one of the many state book award programs, submit a class nomination for the Nerdy Book Awards, or create your own. Do it up right: paparazzi, a red carpet, sunglasses, and feather boas are totally appropriate when you announce the big winners.

17. Take on a challenge.

A good challenge can build intrinsic motivation for reading. (Plus, checking off items on a list IS a reward, as to-do list addicts everywhere know.) Challenges can also encourage readers to try out books they might not otherwise have chosen. Brightly is a reliable resource for monthly reading challenges, or create your own.

18. Tap into the power of social media.

There are lots of ways to use Insta, Twitter, and Snapchat to get kids excited about reading and connect with the wider reading community. Have kids join the #bookstagrammer ranks to recommend books to others or create fake profiles for book characters. Even the act of publicly logging page-number progress or books read on a book-driven social platform like Goodreads can be motivating.

19. Change it up with theme days.

Inject a little novelty into reading time by planning special themed reading days. Grabbing a flashlight to curl up and read in a blanket fort on pajama day is a perennial favorite. You could also try a reading picnic outdoors, a book-themed treasure hunt in which the treasure is a stack of new books for your classroom library, or a fractured fairy tale day.

20. Host a community read aloud day.

What’s even more exciting than a teacher reading aloud a fantastic book? A firefighter reading it. Or a police officer. Or a local athlete, news anchor, or even a notable school face like the custodian or a favorite bus driver. Put the call out for volunteers to grab their favorite titles and spend time sharing them in classrooms.

Source: @theextraelementaryteacher

21. Celebrate book holidays.

There are plenty of other reading-themed celebration days in addition to Read Across America Day. How about bringing World Book Day to your school and ask everyone to dress up as a favorite book character? Or honor Día, (Children’s Book Day), a national celebration that promotes literacy for children from all backgrounds. Need more ideas? This month-by-month list of book-themed holidayshas plenty.

22. Get books in kids’ homes.

The power of book ownership is unparalleled for kids. Host a book giveaway event with your school’s book fair to make sure all kids get to bring home new books, even if they can’t buy them. Donalyn Miller and Colby Sharp’s book Game Changer! Book Access for All Kids has tons more ideas for getting books in kids’ hands (plus lots of online resources you can unlock with a hard copy purchase).

23. Celebrate libraries of all sizes.

Source: littlefreelibrary. org

You can’t beat the charm of a Little Free Library . Involve students in bringing one to your school or other community location, or create a list of existing local ones kids can seek out. Give your public library every shout out possible, too. Meet with your local librarians to determine barriers to kids’ public library use and work together to overcome them.

24. Provide virtual read-aloud alternatives.

Of course, there’s no perfect substitute for a snuggled up, in-person read aloud, but if you’re worried students don’t have anyone to read to them at home, offer an online substitute. The Internet loves Texas principal Dr. Belinda George, who hosts the Tucked-in Tuesday read aloud for her students each week via Facebook Live. Check out the WeAreTeachers Storytime series, too! 

25. Highlight and support literacy champions in your wider community.

Source: Barbershop Books

We love hearing stories of literacy-themed community programs, like barbershops stocked with books, or efforts to bring books to places kids tend to hang around waiting, like the laundromat. Identify places where your students spend out-of-school time and offer to partner with community members to get kids reading when they’re not in class.

How does your school foster reading culture? Share your tips in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, 21 ways to build background knowledge and support readers.

Interesting facts about literacy | Blog 4brain

Do you have any associations with September 8th? Yes, this is World Crane Day, and Tanker Day, and Lake Baikal Day. And it is also International Literacy Day, and it has been celebrated for several decades – since 1966. But even if this fact does not impress you, we think the facts about literacy, which we will cover in this article, will impress you.

By the way, if you do not attach much importance to literacy, we suggest reading the article “Literacy. Is it necessary in the modern world”, where we talk about why every person should be literate and educated. But for now, we will do without philosophy and reflection, so let’s immediately move on to the interesting.

Interesting Facts About Literacy

Here are some interesting facts about literacy that we have found through a little research. We will only briefly talk about some things, but we will touch on some things in more detail. To begin with, let’s talk about some of the facts that we learned about literacy in general:

• At the beginning of our era (after the birth of Christ), the Jews were the most literate people, and each Jewish city had its own school where they taught literacy.
• In ancient India, a woman’s literacy was equated with disgrace, because only priests and some men were allowed to write and read.
• In the era of Antiquity, the Greeks were considered especially literate. Boys were educated in schools, and mothers and nannies were responsible for the literacy of girls.
• In the Middle Ages, not even all noble people were literate; most of them only needed to develop oratorical skills to deliver speeches. Writing in those days was entrusted to scribes, and reading to readers.
• In the Age of Enlightenment, only representatives of the nobility could boast of literacy. Any girl from a noble family knew Latin, spoke fluently in French, wrote and read in her native language.
• The English philosopher of the 16th-17th centuries Francis Bacon, speaking about literacy, said that reading forms a full-fledged personality, discussion prepares it, and writing completes it.
• According to the compilers of the Oxford English Dictionary, the English term literacy, meaning “literacy”, began to be used in speech only in 1886, while the term illiteracy, meaning “illiteracy”, was in use since 1660 (by the way, in the dictionary English Samuel Jackson has the term “illiteracy”, but the term “literacy” is not in it).
• Generally, literacy refers to the ability to read and write. If a person cannot read, he is called illiterate, but if he cannot only write, the term “illiteracy” or “illiteracy” does not apply to him. Instead, they say that he suffers from dysgraphia.
• There is a concept of innate literacy. People who possess it are able to express their thoughts beautifully and concisely without much difficulty, write without errors and read quickly. However, these skills, of course, are absent at birth. There is only a predisposition to literacy, which allows people to learn faster and better than others.

And here is what we saw about the peculiarities of literacy in the world and different countries:

• UNESCO experts have calculated that today about 877 million people are absolutely illiterate in the world, and the majority are women.
• More than half of all illiterate people on Earth live in the South and East of Asia – out of ten people there, four cannot read. The percentage of people who cannot read is 37% in North Africa and 38% in the Arab countries. In the Caribbean and Latin America, 12% of the population never went to school.
• According to UNESCO, it is not only the world’s poorest countries that can “boast” of a low level of literacy. There are many illiterate people in countries with a fairly high economy, such as Brazil, Egypt and China. Despite this, China (as well as India and the United States) is dominated by the literate population.
• 3.6 billion people around the world can read and write simple texts, which is approximately 82% of the world’s adult population (people over 15).
• It is noted that people in the UK read on average about 5.3 hours a week and watch TV for more than 18 hours. Also in the UK in 2013, book publishers printed 184 thousand books with different titles. This means that every three minutes there was one new book.
• Since 1989, the Republic of Korea has presented the annual King Sejong Award for literacy work. Each laureate also receives a prize of $20,000.

There is also interesting information on the topic of male and female literacy:

• Two thirds of the world’s illiterate population are women.
• In Yemen, 69% of men and only 28% of women are literate, in Nepal 26% of women are literate and 62% of men are literate, and in Lesotho 70% of men are literate and 88.3% of women are literate.
• In Eastern Europe, the most illiterate women are found in Turkey, in Asia, in Indonesia, in North America, in the United States, and in Central America, in Guatemala.
• Literacy rates for men and women in South America and Western Europe are about the same.
• Only 19 countries in the world have more literate women than men. And in 41 countries of the world, the number of illiterate women is twice the number of illiterate men, plus the probability of being illiterate for a woman is twice as high as for a man.

Something interesting was also found about children’s literacy: only 60%.

A few words about youth and adult literacy in different countries:

• Young people in almost all countries of the world can read and write, and in only five countries less than half of the younger generation are literate. Four of these countries are in North Africa.
• The country with the highest youth literacy rate is Japan.
• East Asia has a youth literacy rate of 98.9%, and in eight of Asia’s twelve regions, 9 are literate at all5% of youth.
• Worldwide statistics show that the young population is more literate than the adult population. This is especially pronounced in African countries: in Central Africa, there are 13% fewer literate adults than young people, in the northern part – by 17%, and in the southeast – by 11%. Interestingly, in Japan, the same difference is only 1% nationwide.

Separately, it is worth mentioning literacy with regards specifically to Russia (here we give just a few facts; more information about literacy in the Russian Federation can be found in our article “Literacy. Is it needed in the modern world”):

• Until the beginning of the 20th century in Russia, literate writing in schools for the proletariat was obscene, and students who could write literately could easily be reported to the relevant authorities.
• According to the 2010 census, over 90% of Russians have graduated from high school and received higher education.
• Russia ranks first in the world in terms of the number of graduates (Canada and Israel are in third and third places, respectively).
• In the world list of the best educational institutions, two Russian universities are mentioned at once – Moscow State University (ranks 112th) and St. Petersburg State University (takes 251st place).

And, continuing the theme of Russia, it would not be superfluous to mention a few interesting facts about the Russian language:

• There are several unique words in the Russian language with three letters “e” in a row. These are the word “long-necked” (as well as other words ending in “-neck”) and the word “snake-eater”.
• In Russian there is only one single-syllable adjective – the word “evil”.
• There is one word in Russian with an unusual prefix “ko”, and this word is “back street”.
• In the Guinness Book of Records you can find the longest word in the world, and it is also Russian. That word is “highly contemplative.”
• In the spelling dictionary of the Russian Academy of Sciences there is another longest word in the Russian language – “water-mud-peat-paraffin treatment”.
• The rules of the Russian language allow you to come up with many very long words, for example, the word “eighty-four”. And if you try to designate the age of a tree or some space object according to the same principle, you can make an even longer word.
• In Russian there are no restrictions on the number of uses of prefixes “pra-“. It turns out that you can come up with an incredibly long word if you try to name your most distant ancestor, for example, the word “great-great-great-great-great-grandfather.”
• A literate person knows that the word “coffee” is masculine; “he”. However, in 2009, an order was issued by the Ministry of Education, according to which coffee also became neuter (i.e., “it”), so both options are correct today. By the way, according to philologists, after the word “coffee” went out of use, they simply forgot to change its gender in the dictionaries, so for a long time it was believed that coffee could only be “he”.
• To remember the correct use of the words “put on” and “put on”, you can use a simple mnemonic rule: “They put on Hope, and put on clothes.”
• For a long time there was an opinion that TV and radio announcers have the most literate speech. But this belongs to the past, because today announcers often allow themselves to make a variety of mistakes. It is not uncommon to hear a voice on the radio or TV saying “call,” “high,” “catalog,” “leisure,” “precedent,” or “drain” instead of “so much.”
• What do you think is the correct way to say: “go”, “go” or “go”? In fact, none of the options is correct, because. the verbs “to go” or “to go” have only an imperative form – “go”, “come” or “drop in”. You can use the word “drive”, but linguists believe that it is undesirable to use it in colloquial speech.
• You can’t say “I’ll win” or “I’ll win.” Oddly enough, but the verb “to win” does not have a form of the first person singular in the future tense. But you can replace it with the phrase “I will win.”
• In Russian there are no words “in general” and “in general”, there are only words “in general” and “in general”.
• If we turn to lexical literacy, the phrase “the best” sounds ridiculous – about the same as “more beautiful.”
• It is incorrect to say “loan me money” because to borrow means to borrow. You can’t borrow from someone – you can borrow from someone. It would be correct to ask to borrow money or ask if it is possible to borrow from someone.

If you want to learn more interesting things about the correct use of various words in the Russian language, or if you want to improve your literacy level in general, we recommend that you take our online Russian language program. If you are looking for something simpler, check out our article “How to quickly improve your literacy”, which has many useful exercises and ways to increase literacy.

And to sum up this short review of facts about literacy, we want to give a brief history of the emergence of International Literacy Day, because this is not just another red day of the calendar, but a truly significant date, which even has its own traditions.

International Literacy Day, its origin and meaning

As you already know, there are over 870 million illiterate adults and children on Earth today. The problem of literacy is of particular importance in countries where hostilities are often conducted, revolutions and civil unrest occur – in third world countries. This is what became the main prerequisite for the emergence of International Literacy Day, because it is designed to draw public attention to the problem presented.

On September 8, 1965, Tehran, the capital of Iran, hosted the world’s first conference of education ministers, which discussed the problems of eradicating illiteracy. And already in the next 1966, UNESCO, sharing the proposal of the conference members, proclaimed September 8 as the International Literacy Day, the purpose of which was to intensify the efforts of the world community to spread literacy.

Since then, on September 8, international conferences have been organized annually on a variety of topics related to literacy: Literacy and Health, Literacy Enables Development, Literacy Empowers, The Importance of Literacy for Women, Literacy in the Digital World ”, “Reading the past, writing the future”, etc. , and the Day itself began to acquire its own traditions and customs.

From now on September 8:

• competitions, quizzes, olympiads and open lessons are held, where teachers identify the most diligent, diligent and successful students;
• lectures are organized that highlight the problem of illiteracy of the world population and residents of individual states;
• meetings and conferences of teachers are organized with awards for the most outstanding specialists;
• literacy classes are held in libraries and educational institutions and specialized literature is presented to help improve the quality of people’s literacy;
• Activists in different countries are handing out leaflets on the streets with the rules of their native languages, books and magazines that increase the level of literacy.

Experts around the world unanimously recognize the need to deploy literacy programs aimed at “problem” groups of people (especially those who for some reason are deprived of the opportunity to study at school).

International Literacy Day develops and proposes innovative ways to address literacy challenges to improve the literacy rate of the world’s population in the future.

Today, International Literacy Day is celebrated around the world, and the celebration is attended by representatives of many states, governmental and non-governmental organizations, individuals, communities of all kinds, as well as educators, experts and students. September 8 also marks the awarding of international literacy prizes to those who have managed to come up with promising ideas.

As you can see for yourself, the problem of literacy in modern society is very acute, and the most serious attitude towards it is observed. We hope that this problem has at least some significance for you (we also recommend reading the article “Why it is important to be literate”), especially since the picture of the state of affairs on the presented topic, based on the facts presented by us, is not at all rosy.

Of course, we understand that not everyone is able to contribute to the spread of literacy among the illiterate population of the planet, but it is up to each of us to make sure that there will be at least one more literate person in the world. And all that is required is to practice your own literacy.

As for the facts about literacy itself, of course, we have presented far from everything that can be found. Therefore, if you also have some interesting information on this issue, we will be very grateful if you share it with us in the comments. We, in turn, wish you good luck and a clear understanding that literacy is one of the surest paths to personal happiness and the well-being of the society in which we live.

See you soon!

Keywords: 1 Russian

Author: Kirill Nogales

Get