Many times, a teacher would encounter pupils who just hate reading and would need force or threat to just hold that book and read. There are also who just love to browse every book or reading material he can hold on to. If the child has developed love of reading at a young age, he would normally be a book lover as he grows up. The case is not the same for children who were not raised up to be book lovers.
As an elementary school teacher, you can begin by assessing your students interests in reading alongside with their reading skills. Start with the basic. Can the student read a text? Then, see if he can comprehend what he is reading. By learning these things, you can now work out a plan on how to develop love for reading among them of course, you will find that each pupil has his own level of reading skills. From there, you can now choose reading materials appropriate for their leve;s and see what stirs their interests.
It is important to give reading materials that your pupils can read with success. Do not give them sophisticated literature which they cannot understand. That would only be a waste of time. Little by little, you can move them up to higher levels of reading. The main point is to first establish enjoyment of reading. So, proper assessment is very crucial lest you might give them reading materials that are too simple for them.
By working with the pupil’s natural interests, reading would become a pleasurable experience for him. Thus, eventually, it will be the pupil himself who would ask you to allow more reading time in the classroom. This is good since reading comprehension would be a great foundation to learning other concepts and lessons not only in English class but as well as with other classes.
Reference:
Dawn Dodson (2010-04-20). Teaching Reading Fluency. Lesson Planet. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
Wolf, Maryanne; Stoodley, Catherine J. (2007). Proust and the squid: the story and science of the reading brain. New York: Harper. pp. 81-83. Retrieved on January 2015.
Early Reading Strategy: The Report of the Expert Panel on Early Reading in Ontario. Ministry of Education, 2003. Retrieved on January 7, 2015.
By: Marlon C. Flojo | Teacher III | Morong Central Elementary School | Morong, Bataaan
