The Reading Intervention Toolkit by Laura Robb

Author:Laura Robb
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shell Education

Chapter 5

Interventions for Reading Literary Texts

Stories define us; they recount who we are: our beliefs, hopes, and dreams. They have the power to transform us as we live the events through the lives of others. Stories frame our thinking and talking; we are a story-telling people (Wells 1985). Our literate lives start with the amount of meaningful talk and oral stories we hear and tell from birth on and from the number of storybooks read to us before entering school (Hart and Risley 2003; Wells 1985).

Katherine Paterson (2012), an award-winning author who served as our nation’s ambassador for children’s literature, said this about literature: “It’s not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading. Something that will stretch their imaginations—something that will help them make sense of their lives and encourage them to reach out toward people whose lives are quite different from their own.”

Robert Coles pointed out in The Call of Stories (1990), that readers are truly engaged with a story when they are “in cahoots” with a character (64). Paterson describes this reading as having the ability to transform lives. When readers “become” the character, they step into the character’s shoes and live life as if they had entered the character’s world and thoughts.

When I work with students in grades four to eight, I always survey the genres they love and read. Fantasy and realistic fiction are usually at the top of the list, followed by mystery, suspense, and adventure. Science and historical fiction are not what this age group usually chooses, unless the book is by a beloved author on a historical period they are burning to know more about, or a peer strongly recommended the book. Some of the units that you plan should introduce students to literature that they’re not reading by choice.

Supporting Students as They Read Fiction

Reading instructional-level materials should stretch students so that they enlarge their expertise by applying skills and strategies needed to comprehend. Following are ten tips that can help students unpack meaning from instructional-level and independent-level materials. You can use the tips with whole-class and small-group mini-lessons. A student version of these tips can be found in Appendix D.

Ten Tips for Reading Fiction That Work!

1.Do a Preview Before Reading. This includes reflecting on the cover illustration, the title of the book, and first chapter. Read the first chapter and think about what you have learned. In your reader’s notebook, record what you recall about the setting, the protagonist, problems and conflicts, and other characters. Skim and reread sections to collect specific details. You can turn and talk to a partner and try to connect the book and chapter’s title to what you have learned from the preview. Titles provide clues that focus you on themes and what’s important.

2.Set Reading Purposes. Having a purpose for reading can make the process motivating and engaging. With fictional texts, a first purpose for reading can come from a text preview, or you can use the title and read to discover why the author used that title.

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