How do we select a graded reader that students want to tackle?

Fostering reading habits is one of the objectives of the Primary Stage, and the Foreign Language Area can contribute by using graded readers. Reading for pleasure also enhances foreign language learning, mainly when the language and the content are suitable for the learner. In this post, I am going to examine some criteria in order to choose the proper book first, and then, I am going to talk about the advantages of establishing a reading corner.

Graded readers are book designed for language learning purposes, being adapted. The contents of these books can be stories, descriptions of factual data or adaptations of authentic material.

To make it worth it, we, as teachers, must select them with several criteria in mind, so that the reading would be enjoyable experience for the learners:

• Appropriateness: The book should be adapted to the pupils’ characteristics, needs and interest. There is a huge range of topics that we can choose:

- Fairy tales, folk tales & films: Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, Hansel and Gretel, The Selfish Giant, Cinderella, Up, Frozen, Tangled, Pocahontas, Snow White… This topic has the advantage that students may already know the plot, so it would be easier for them to read it.

- Fables: The Milk Woman and Her Pail, The Grasshopper And The Ant… This topic has the advantage that we can teach values through the moral of the fable, and we can explain with kind of a tale why something is right or wrong.

- Greek Myths: Troy, Penelope, The Minotaur, Midas…

- Literature for children: There are some novels made especially for children, such as Charlie and the chocolate factory, Peter Pan…

- Comics: Asterix, Garfield, Snoopy, Mafalda… This topic has the advantage that every piece of writing is illustrated, so the comprehension will be better.

However, as I said before, we should take into account the maturity and interest of our students: For instance, fairy tales would be great for 1^st graders, or even 4^th graders, but for 6^th graders students would be child-like. They would prefer books with everyday-life, adventure or fantasy.

• Language level: The book selected should include language items (functions, structures and vocabulary) both known and new. A good balanced between them will allow for new material to appear interspersed throughout the reading, but not too often so that comprehension is impeded and thus motivation for continuing reading stops.
• Language content: The story should be relevant, interesting and include elements for the target language society and culture.
• Book layout: The design and use of visuals must be attractive. Pictures that illustrate concepts should appear in the text, so that it will help bringing the text to life, and students will follow the storyline more easily.

• Audio: A book including audio support will offer learners the chance to improve pronunciation and assimilating new vocabulary. Moreover, dialogues would help to the improvement of spoken interaction.

• Availability: The book should be easy to find in the bookstores and not very expensive.

I am not going to talk about how to teach reading, because my friend Sara explained it very good on her blog, you can see it if you want (http://smurma13.blogspot.com.es/2014/05/teaching-reading.html)

However, it is not enough. The biggest enemy to successful reading is the lack of motivation. So, how do we encourage our students to read? A good idea would be the reading corner.

The reading corner is a particular corner of the class where we place the books at our students’ reach. Here, they can come and read a book after having finished the task assigned, having received the consent of the teacher. Other times, students will be asked to take books from there to read for a specific task (finding words, pictures…).

The use of the reading corner comes with the follow advantages:

- The reading corner provides access to authentic materials, belonging to English-speaking countries, so students will come into contact with the real English and its culture.

- It will help creating and maintaining reading habits.

- Students can improve their general knowledge, not only vocabulary and grammar, but expressions and cultural knowledge.

- It provides additional practice of reading skills.

- We can use the reading corner to break the routine of the class, to change the pace of the lesson, maintaining the students’ interest and motivation.

- Students can provide any material (in English) they consider appropriate for the reading corner. In this way, students are given more responsibility.

- It is a good task for those students who finish soon their duties and have nothing to do.

Nevertheless, stablishing a reading corner has its drawbacks as well:

- Discipline rules: Students should be taught some rules, such as total silence.

- Students’ use of materials: We should tell our pupils that they have to be careful when handling the books. -- They have to be responsible and take care of the books. One way of doing it, is nominating a different learner every week as the ‘Reading Corner Monitor’. His duty will be picking up the books, writing down any disturbance and ordering the books.

And... Do not forget...