Wide Reading in the Classroom

What is supported wide reading?

Supported wide reading is:

• personal reading in a social context
• an individualized program which matches students’ interests and abilities
• a regular opportunity for students to individually read texts of their own choice within the classroom
• an extension of students' reading to include a wide range of texts and genres

Examples of genres to provide for children include:

• fantasy/science fiction
• historical fiction
• biography
•   informational books
• poetry

The important features are:

• a broad definition of texts which includes a variety of fiction/non-fiction
• ease of accessibility for individuals to select texts
• self-monitoring and teacher monitoring of the process
• setting of personal goals for reading
• regular opportunities for students to talk about the texts they are reading
• teacher modelling of and enthusiasm for reading
• enjoyment and celebration of reading by students and their peers
• exciting reading corner in the classroom which includes information about texts and authors and displays of student and teacher recommendations for reading

How does wide reading support vocabulary development and word knowledge?

Sharing lots of different kinds, or genres, of books with young readers exposes them to different words, different pictures, and whole new worlds.

Selecting words to teach:

When selecting vocabulary to teach to students, teachers should carefully choose tier 2 and tier 3 words. Tier 2 words are words that mean different things in different content areas or contexts and tier 3 words are words that are content specific words. When selecting vocabulary, it is also important to consider a few important questions, such as:

• Will the word be used again during the school year?
• Will the word be used in group discussions?
• Will the word be used in other content or subject areas?
• Can students use context clues to determine the correct or intended meaning of the word without instruction?

Share your thoughts:

What steps do you take in building your students vocabulary? How many words do you believe should be taught at a time? 

References:

Douglas Fisher & Nancy Frey (2014). Content Area Vocabulary Learning. Content Area Literacy. pp.594-pp.598

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/importance-reading-widely

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