Word recognition and vocabulary building will improve students' literacy. Whether you are introducing your elementary student to Lois Lowry’s “Number the Stars” or your high school student to Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises,” it helps to create vocabulary lists to aid in reading of the text. Having students define vocabulary words and practice using them will support their understanding of the text. Practice reading fluency by asking students to read aloud to the class. Students in all grades typically enjoy reading in class, and their cadence and fluency will improve with practice.
Improve reading comprehension by supporting readers in class and out with supplementary materials, guiding questions and literary discussions. Prepare students to read a new novel by giving them background on the author, setting and time period. Such information will be a foundation for the text that students are about to read. While students are reading, provide them with questions about the text, which will force students to read carefully and recall the text. In class, discuss the reading assignment that your students completed. Ask them to share their questions and observations. Finally, ask middle and high school students to annotate as they read.
Often student have not found the right book to hook them into becoming passionate readers. Use reading workshops to expose your students to a wide variety of genres and authors. Select five different texts for your reading class and allow students to choose which reading group they are interested in joining. Students should read together in class and discuss the texts as a group. For independent reading, create lists of books that will interest many different types of learners. If a student asks to read a specific book for class, as long as it is age appropriate, find a way to support him or her.
The teaching of reading and writing should be linked, for each supports the other in reinforcing critical literacy skills. While reading a novel in class, have students journal about different chapters and characters. Writing about the book they read pushes students to think critically about the text. In addition, assign assessments such as expository essays and book reviews, which will also encourage students to revisit the texts they are reading. Finally, allow students the freedom to write creatively about the texts they are reading in class. Ask students to create additional dialogue for characters, or challenge them to create a new ending for a class novel.