Reading skills are a crucial pillar of learning that will serve students throughout their academic careers and the rest of their lives. But beyond that, reading opens up a window to the world and can be a true source of enjoyment for students. If you ask us, reading is its own reward. Alloprof has a few tips for instilling a love of reading in your students and making it part of your daily classroom routine.
Learning new vocabulary is one of the many benefits of reading. You can use a word wall as a follow-up activity to enhance reading lessons. Read a text with your students and choose a list of new words to include on a word wall. A word wall is a literacy tool that consists of a bulletin board where new words are displayed in large letters with pictures. Word walls are usually used to help teach reading and writing. They are a great way to introduce new vocabulary and help students to make connections to other subjects and other related words, and even how to use them in their own writing. Why not get creative and decorate your word wall together as a class? You could make a word-eating monster, a word castle, a word robot . . . the only limit is your imagination!
One great way to encourage students to read is to let them bring in their own books to share with their classmates. Students are likely to find titles that seem interesting to them and pique their curiosity, whether it’s because they like the cover or because their best friend brought it in. The more books there are in your classroom, the more your students will want to read!
Ask your class to help you decorate a big box that you’ll use to share books. Plus, parents will most likely be thrilled at the idea of sharing books their children have already read! You can incorporate this initiative into your classroom routine by setting aside time each day to read books from the book sharing box. Make sure to encourage your students to keep adding to the box. This way, it’ll always be full!
To spice up reading lessons and to get kids reading more books, try organizing your own book awards with students as the judges! After your class has read a few books, have the students form small groups (“judging panels”) to deliberate. This will help them develop the four main aspects of reading response: comprehension, interpretation (meaning), identification of structures and features , and critical judgment. You can use the guide on our site (link in French only), which has a list of sample criteria for judging literary works. It’s a great source for discussion prompts for students. You could also have students bring in one of their favourite books for another “panel” to critique. A good resource for book inspiration is the Montreal review of books website.
Did you know that Alloprof’s immersive online game Book of Spells (coming soon in English!) is a fun way for students to improve their reading comprehension? This free game, designed for ages 8 to 11, features a library full of stories and book excerpts from Quebec children’s authors. Players read texts and answer reading comprehension questions to hatch adorable monsters and earn items to help them grow. This game is sure to turn your students into bookworms!
Books can transport you to new places, both real and imaginary. For this activity, you’ll create a reading itinerary with students that introduces them to different countries, climates, and cultures—all without leaving the classroom! Every week, you can focus on a different country. To add another layer of fun to the activity, have students make reading passports, and stamp them every time they “visit” a new country. Check out our reading suggestions here. City libraries also have whole sections of books that highlight peoples and cultures from around the world.
Another great way to make learning fun is to decorate your classroom to highlight the theme of the month or week, or with items inspired by an author’s world. With a little imagination and some materials from the recycling bin or from home, you can bring the books to life right in your classroom! For example, if you’re reading Élise Gravel’s children’s books, you could make costume accessories or classroom decorations with bugs, critters, and other creepy crawlies. You could also draw inspiration from the authors featured in our reading comprehension game Book of Spells. It makes reading an immersive and engaging experience that will stay with students for life.
Writing : Alloprof Teacher's team