Tamariki in Trina's class reading for pleasure. Image credit: Photo by Petrina Yuretich. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Petrina Yuretich of Mangōnui School in Northland has seen an improvement in reading engagement using 2 practices every teacher can implement.
Mangōnui School is a primary school situated in Doubtless Bay, Northland with tamariki from diverse backgrounds.
Read more about Mangōnui School
Petrina (Trina) Yuretich teaches year 3/4 and has library responsibilities. She is an enthusiastic reader and promoter of books. Trina implements many practices to support reading. This story focuses on 2 of her practices that have had a big impact on the tamariki in her class:
making high-interest picture books easily accessible
reading aloud.
Picture books are a valuable resource. From a literature perspective, they are full of literary and visual techniques. Beyond that, they are accessible, they encourage interaction and many have powerful messages to share with all ages.
In Trina's class, they have a box of high-interest picture books for older kids, from the National Library.
They label this box, ‘not read yet’ and try to read a new one each day. The tamariki love them. Once they have read it, the book goes onto a shelf — ‘Books we have read from the National Library’. Tamariki choose to read these books during literacy sessions.
The tamariki enjoy them so much that they have started to request books for Trina to read aloud to everyone. Sometimes, it is one they have already read and other times they are new ones from the box.
Some high-interest picture books from the National Library that tamariki read during their literacy sessions. Image credit: Photo by Petrina Yuretich. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Some high-interest picture books from the National Library that tamariki read during their literacy sessions. Image credit: Photo by Petrina Yuretich. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Tamariki choosing high-interest picture books to read independently. Image credit: Photo by Petrina Yuretich. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Tamariki choosing high-interest picture books to read independently. Image credit: Photo by Petrina Yuretich. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Research shows that one simple activity — reading aloud to children — is the best way to prepare children for learning to read and to keep them reading as they learn and grow. The benefits of reading aloud include:
helping children develop a rich vocabulary
giving them access to books that may be beyond their independent reading level.
Jeannie Skinner is the Northland facilitator with National Library Services to Schools. She shares what she saw and learnt when she had the privilege of visiting Trina’s class.
One of the picture books Trina received in her National Library loan was The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak — a read-aloud that makes the reader say some ridiculous things.
Trina read it to her class, and they were in stitches. She could hardly remember a book that had made them laugh as hard. When the Principal, Dave Sedcole, was coming to her class, she ‘set him up’ to read the book (with private advance notice). Trina put the book in front of the whiteboard with a note written and an arrow pointing, saying ‘Please will you read us this book, Mr Sedcole?’
He did, and hilarity ensued.
What was special though, was that over the rest of the week, and since, the tamariki started independently choosing books they wanted read aloud to them. They then put them up in front of the whiteboard and wrote their own notes requesting a read-aloud.
Tamariki requesting read-alouds. Image credit: Photo by Petrina Yuretich. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
This is a wonderful example of great classroom reading culture created by a brilliant teacher reader. These 2 practices of making engaging books easily accessible and reading aloud have led to better tamariki engagement and agency.
The willingness of the principal to embrace the joy of reading also sends the message that reading is important.
