Thinking About My Readers

While sipping tea and surfing some blogs on Sunday morning I started looking at different apps available for reading stories. I've got a school full of readers, or soon to be readers, and a wide variety of books, print and digital is important. The article about Bookboard caught my eye; not only does Sharpio talk about the app, he explains his pedagogy about ebooks and print. It's similar to my own, in it's belief that children need both. My son loves the iPad but like many things it's finding something that is developmentally appropriate as well as somewhat intellectually stimulating. Not that he can't have brain candy sometimes, his fix is YouTube and he loves the option to scroll to different cartoons. Truly the important thing about books and shared reading is what you do with them, the tool isn't as important as the discussion. Talking to kids about what they notice and think is the beneficial part.

Getting to know my readers is critical for success, this week I'll assess a range of skills - everything from book handling and parts to literary elements and genres. Equally as important, I'll be asking them what they like to read, why they enjoy books and who they enjoy them with. I shall photograph their journey to share with you and I'm looking forward to setting up some inquiries for the students to learn more about different genres and skills.


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