“Summary
Students’ reading comprehension, vocabulary, general knowledge, motivation to read throughout their lives, and positive attitudes toward reading are enhanced when they have regular opportunities to choose reading materials for leisure reading. The International Reading Association, the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, and the National Council of Teachers of English offer this position statement as a guide to support teachers and families in providing daily opportunities for children’s and young adults’ leisure reading. This position statement is important at a time when the results of international surveys indicate a decline in students’ positive attitudes toward reading and when an emphasis on high-stakes literacy tests works against providing time for leisure reading in classrooms.
The position statement’s recommendations are based on these principles:
- Students should choose their own reading materials.
- Students are better able to choose engaging and appropriate reading materials when teachers and family members scaffold their selections.
- The benefits of leisure reading are increased when teachers scaffold school-based leisure reading by incorporating reflection, response, and sharing in a wide range of ways that are not evaluated.
- Students should be encouraged to engage in self-selected reading outside of school.
PS 1082
Copublished with the Canadian Children’s Book Centre and the National Council of Teachers of English”
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