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Having the right books
As teachers, we aim to expose the children in our class to as wide a range of texts as possible, encouraging informal book talk and learning our children’s reading preferences. So where might it go wrong? In this blog we discuss an often-neglected area.
When you walk into a library or large high street book shop, how many sections do you see? History, science fiction, travel, cooking, music, graphic novel, thrillers, historical fiction, memoir and autobiography to name just a few. Whether you are an avid reader or someone who rarely reads and is picking up a book for the beach, chances are you will go to your preferred section first. That is not to say you can’t be tempted into another area by a recommendation from a friend, but you probably start your hunt with the familiar and favourites first. Now, take a walk through school and look at your library. Is there a range of quality texts in there to tempt every child in your school?
Can you see a book that you would recommend to a Year 6 child who loves graphic novels and adventure stories? What about a year 2 child who loves facts and learning about space?
Too often the best and latest books are reserved for the English curriculum and this level of quality is not matched by the books we give the children and then hope that they will love them. Let’s do a really quick audit; this is not meant to be exhaustive, but hopefully will identify possible areas of need.
Do you have enough stock to ensure your library isn’t empty when all the children have a book?
Do you have a wide range of high-quality fiction and non-fiction for all ages across the school?
Do you have picture books for all key stages?
Do you have graphic novels for all key stages?
Do you have a range of books for all key stages that represent a wide range of diversity? Can all children see themselves and their families represented in the texts?
If you have answered no to any of the above, then this could be one of the reasons your reading for please culture isn’t developing as you would like.
Why not take your findings to your next senior leadership meeting, to discuss the improvements you would like to make!
Have you checked out our Transforming your school’s reading culture CPD course? Check out our ‘News, Courses and Events’ page to register your interest.
