The purpose of reading is comprehension; to make meaning from what is read, not just saying the words. When teachers complain their students read but don't understand the text, their students are decoding, not reading.
Automatic recall of what words mean makes learning efficient. During these times when many students will be spending a lot of time learning online, it’s a good idea for them to spend time developing their vocabulary.
Teachers often tell me that they find it difficult to get their students to read. Just giving students a text and asking them to read it will probably not work as students need a clear purpose for reading.
If round robin reading is not effective, then what works when setting up a reading activity? The approach I use when organising a reading, viewing or listening activity is based on Directed Reading and Thinking Activity.
It is not uncommon to hear schools have a particular focus for a year, but it always concerns me when schools focus on reading and writing separately.
Teacher as teller is a short talk that provides the background information to the reading or viewing. It ensures that all students approach the reading or viewing with the necessary background information.
It is much easier to understand what we read when we have some knowledge of the topic. This is, of course, something of a Catch 22 as background knowledge is acquired by reading.
When I show teachers this tool, they get very excited because it provides many ways in which vocabulary can be taught and learned.
