Page 70 - SEN115 - November/December 2021

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“Empowering teachers and parents with tools and skills”
8. Talk with parents. Parents are such a great resource when it comes to getting to know what students like or dislike. Ask them what or if they’re reading at home and offer to loan books for holidays and weekends. Books are expensive and libraries are less and less available. To keep that reading habit up, continue and encourage it home.
9. Build reading into an established routine. James Clear discusses ‘habit stacking’ in his book ‘Atomic Habits’. Essentially, to build a new habit, you slot it into an already established one. I feel this can be applied to every facet of life. My students have a well-established routine. You could share a class story in the afternoon before home time or have ‘time with books’ in the morning before lessons.
10. Pages don’t mean progress. Forgetting about how far the child has got through the book or how many books they’ve read will not only take the pressure off the student, but it will enable you to focus on their skills in greater detail.
■ Enjoying a book together.
11. Bring stories to life. Story sacks are great for students who are more kinaesthetic or visual but also very engaging overall. If you’re reading a story about food, bring some sensory items in or even cook meals from the story. Bringing words or actions from the story to life will not only help students understand what’s happening but will also support future references when they come across those words in the future.
To ensure your students have a natural desire to read, we must ensure they’re at the centre of every decision. Tapping into what makes your students feel excited, happy, and enthusiastic as well as understanding their learning style, you’ve got the key to unlocking their reading potential.
SEN115
senmagazine.co.uk
Literacy