Reading Activity Handbook

The Reading Activity Handbook is an essential reference tool for all teachers of pupils aged 4-14. It provides a collection of brilliantly simple teaching ideas designed to help pupils engage with what they read, deepening comprehension.

 

You can use the ideas with any reading material in shared, guided or independent sessions. A treasure-trove for busy teachers, the ideas in The Reading Activity Handbook are presented in a simple, practical style with ready-made examples so they’re easy to implement. Most can be adapted to be used alongside whatever your pupils are currently reading, from a picture book to a magazine article to a novel.

Potential outcomes are highlighted for every activity, for example ‘developing comprehension through in-depth listening or reading’, so you can match activities to individual needs. Many activities lead naturally to work in other areas of the curriculum, for example a grid organiser could be used as a planning framework for a science report. The handbook also contains photocopy masters for extra support.

What are the benefits of using reading response activities?

Providing pupils with opportunities to engage in purposeful reading responses has many benefits. These include:

• Allowing teachers to work with individuals and small groups
• Creating opportunities to observe and monitor students’ comprehension
• Providing authentic reading, writing, talking and creative experiences for pupils
• Producing quality work that pupils value.
• Folder 5: Exemplar plans for the common text types (from Chapter 5)

The reading activities in this book will benefit your students by:

• Providing opportunities for choice
• Increasing motivation and engagement
• Deepening levels of comprehension, by requiring them to return to the text for different purposes
• Enabling them to make personal connections with literature
• Developing independence and a positive self-image as a reader.