LIBE 477B - Fostering Reading Cultures in Schools

This is an interesting topic for me right now, as this was a discussion I had with the library clerk at our school just a couple weeks ago. She has been at the school for eight years, and has a wealth of knowledge about the resources, and inner workings of the library space at Kidston School. We are looking at ways that we can increase our engagement in reading, and really draw students to the library space. As we start the transition to a LLC, technology will definitely be an area we would like to incorporate more, especially for some of our struggling readers. For now, however, we are starting small, and trying to implement a couple ideas that will in fact foster the reading culture Kidston Elementary.


Junior Non-Fiction

The first area we wanted to address, was the lack of non-fiction resources we had for our primary students. Last year, when I covered a maternity leave, in the same library, I noticed our younger students were often asking for books about non-fiction topics, such as animals, trucks, and machines. We just didn't have the easy reader books and resources to offer, as most of the non-fiction in those topic areas are geared towards our intermediate population. Below, I've shared a video, that discusses the importance of non-fiction as well as fiction books, and perhaps the comment that hit me the most, was the idea that we sometimes assume that young children "can't handle" information (Sasson, 2018).  The fact that they can, and often want to have access to information, is really what took our library in this direction. 

We decided to do some searching, for resources we could add to our new "Junior Non-Fiction" section. Also, instead of hiding these books in and amongst the vast amount of non-fiction on the shelves, we put these books in bins, so the students have easy access. The response has been incredible, and now we often see our primary population taking one fiction, and one non-fiction book during our circulation blocks. Below are some of the most popular resources we have already added, and we are currently looking for more!

The "Machines and Vehicles" bin is a big hit!

Animals are always popular with our primary students!

                               












I have found, that searching "primary non-fiction" often leads to sites like the one below. With a quick glance, it is easy to get new ideas for titles that may be of interest to our younger students, and also the intermediate students that need easy reader resources.



https://sawyerfreelibrary.org/2018/07/06/july-2018-new-childrens-nonfiction/


The article below, about the importance of non-fiction texts, discusses the importance of having good, quality resources that students can use from a young age. At Kidston, we have definitely seen an increase in interest and engagement in non-fiction reading, by our primary population. 

http://teaching.monster.com/benefits/articles/8581-why-non-fiction-is-important-to-reading-and-learning

I think moving forward, one area I would like to improve on, is finding resources that have an 'older' look, so our senior students feel comfortable checking them out, even though the text is geared towards easy reading.


Favourite Book of the Month

The next area, that I'm just starting to think about, is creating a way for students to share their favourite books. While initially I was thinking of a simple book report, geared toward each grade level, that could be posted on the bulletin boards outside of the library, I am now thinking about ways to incorporate technology as well. The website below has inspired me to find different ways for students to share what they've read, and likely more engaging for other students to read or watch!

http://teachingandtechnologyideas.weebly.com/alternative-book-report-ideas.html

Over the next few months, we would like to offer to our students both a written, and technology based option to create "book talks." These could be simple summaries or opinions that would allow the students to share their favourite books with the rest of the school. Hopefully this will create a culture of students engaging in their reading, and getting excited about sharing with their peers.




Resources:

Keyworth, N. (2018). Alternative Book Report Ideas. [online] Teaching and Technology Ideas. Available at: http://teachingandtechnologyideas.weebly.com/alternative-book-report-ideas.html [Accessed 6 Oct. 2018].

Gloucester Lyceum & Sawyer Free Library. (2018). July 2018 : New Children’s Nonfiction. [online] Available at: https://sawyerfreelibrary.org/2018/07/06/july-2018-new-childrens-nonfiction/ [Accessed 6 Oct. 2018].

Sasson, D. (2018). Why Non-Fiction Is Important To Reading and Learning. [online] Teaching. Available at: http://teaching.monster.com/benefits/articles/8581-why-non-fiction-is-important-to-reading-and-learning [Accessed 7 Oct. 2018].

YouTube. (2018). Non-fiction books for kids -- TVOParents Book Club. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9PKv-9SOw0 [Accessed 6 Oct. 2018].