1. There are lots of different ways we read in the 5G classroom. Sometimes it's for research, or to follow along with a shared text, or it can be for testing or for simple pleasure. We choral read as a whole class, wth groups and partners, by ourselves both aloud and in our heads. Students in 5G read every day, without exception. As well as observing modelled reading by me, they are expected to independently manage their reading records and contribute to the classroom vocabulary and comprehension activities. The boxes you can see in the image above (blue = non-fiction, pink = fiction) assist groups when we are doing Shared Reading. For more information, see no. 4.

2. Being a good reader can be an elusive goal; we know one when we see one but getting there can be confusing and at times, slow going. However, there are certain skills associated with talented readers. In 5G I use these principles to measure student success in reading. Great readers read with: sensible PHRASING, varied TONE, appropriate EXPRESSION, a maintained PACE, a recognition of subtle INFERENCES and they possess depth of COMPREHENSION. Students who can decode (sound out) difficult words successfully are often mistaken for being exceptional or gifted readers but they may lack an understanding of the meaning behind the text, or be unable to phrase appropriately. It's important to educate young readers towards all aspects of what a 'great reader' does before accelerating them to texts that are too complicated. This article has a cute idea using sticky notes that parents may find useful.

3. So, how can you assist your child to become a better reader? Depending on their individual circumstance, students tend to require similar things. Read every day. Read for a variety of purposes, read with and to your child, read for fun! Try to avoid treating reading each night as a chore or something that has to be 'gotten over with'. Take turns reading pages with reluctant readers, model the principles mentioned above, don't prompt children too quickly when they attempt unfamiliar words - let them try first. If you've ever tried to read another language, you know how much concentration it takes just to make your mouth form the sounds written on a page. This is the same experience for children; it takes a lot of brain energy!

4. In 5G we enjoy Modelled Reading, Shared Reading, Choral Reading, Guided Reading, Investigative Reading, Reciprocal Reading, Assessment Reading and Independent Reading. Typically, Modelled reading occurs when I read to the students for 10min after their lunch play time. This is always a novel and I usually select books that include vocabulary a little bit above what students could successfully read themselves - this allows for impromptu scaffolding of new words and concepts as we read together. I tend to alternate the gender of the protagonist and often select books that are the first book in a series to entice the students to pursue the series themselves afterwards. Shared reading occurs in small ability based groups and the 5G students have developed their own ways to manage this - it is a student-managed system often with a group comprehension/extension activity associated with their text. Choral reading occurs when we read together as a class, at the same time. Often these texts are incidental, introductions of new concepts and it is frequently poetry or song lyrics. Guided reading is when a small ability based group sits with me and a text is chosen just above the comprehension level of the students. I apply various deliberate questioning strategies to lift the level of reading success for that particular group and target specific skills for those readers such as paraphrasing or becoming fmailiar with the features of a new genre. Investigative reading occurs when students are required to read either by themselves or with partners to discover a particular concept or answer. Reciprocal reading is a system that focuses on interpreting non-fiction texts collaboratively in ability based groups. Assessment reading is when I listen to individual students read from a levelled but unfamiliar text and assess them against criteria that is based on the principles mentioned earlier. And finally, Independent reading is something 5G do four times a week alternating between levelled and free choice selections of texts and they read by themselves before recording the title, pages, author, genre and give a personal rating for the text they've just read. (Once they have completed a whole page in their reading record folder, it goes on my desk where I monitor their genre variety, quantity read and author variety before signing it and putting on a gold star which the students know equals 50earnies. Motivation maximised!)

5. I also adore Literature Circles. A wonderful ex-colleague of mine directed me to some really interesting research early in my career promoting its applications, especially for a upper primary classroom environment. The groups are not ability based, but interest based and temporary depending on the novel of their choosing. In this way, the students are able to support each other and enjoy the experience of reading with like-minded peers. I assign different roles (Super Summariser, Clever Connector, Vocabulary Enricher, Literary Luminary & Diagram Dynamo) to the students within each group and give them a procedure and prompting system so that they can manage the process themselves after initial instruction. I have found that in conjunction with an Author Study project, Literature Circles can be a very rewarding and memorable learning experience for students.  

"The more that you read, the more things that you'll know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."

Dr Seuss