Inviting Beginner Readers to the Reading Circle

The way I would start my literary club is by reading Big Books then moving into Interactive reading and writing. Big books are a fun and useful for shared reading as well as great for the emergent readers. They promote cooperation and sharing in an addition to being very easy for a child to understand and remember. This will give them a better chance to develop understanding of the vocabulary and of their concepts. A teacher can find out how much background information each student has by using the "Big Books". These approaches will not only let the teacher know what the students already know, but also what they want to learn about the subject and finally what they have already learned though the readings. A child that does not have a wide variety of background experiences to draw from can learn from what the others are saying, though pictures and discussion to bring more meaning to the subject. For example, the class could begin with the topic on Farm Animals; the teacher could ask what kind of animals live on a farm. They could read stories, look at pictures, make a farm by choosing which animals they would want on their farm, draw different farm animals, some hay could be brought in to use in the quiet area, if possible have a farmer come talk to the class or maybe even take a trip to a farm. This way the students can see firsthand what a farm is, the animals that live there and how they live. Even though some students will have been to a farm or have some knowledge about what a farm is, they can also learn more from these experiences as well as those without firsthand knowledge. The more information that is given, the more print rich the environment is, the better off the students will be. According to Vacca et.al "Big books provide a developmentally appropriate context for interactive reading and writing experiences". (Vacca, 2007, p. 127)

In Figure 5.2 on page 130 of Reading and Learning to Read (Vacca) the suggestions given for before, during and after the reading of the Big Books where all great suggestions that I wasn't aware of their importance. However I see that I was already engaged in this type of reading for my son since he was a newborn. When I read to him it we both get lost in the story because mommy is changing her voice for each character, asking questions about what happened and what will happen next. I trail the words, at times I will ask him if he can spot any familiar words. This has enhanced his desire to read so much that I can say he is on the right track according to the Phases of literacy development.

References:

Vacca, J. L., Vacca, R. T., Gove, M. K., Burkey, L. C., Lenhart, L. A., & McKeon, C. A. (2008). Reading and Learning to Read (7th ed.). Boston: Pearson.