READING AND LITERACY
Reading is making meaning from print. It requires that we: Identify the words in print – a process called word recognition. Construct an understanding from them – a process called comprehension. Coordinate identifying words and making meaning so that reading is automatic and accurate – an achievement called fluency. Literacy is the ability to read, write, speak and listen in a way that lets us communicate effectively and make sense of the world. Today, many children are being classed as ‘digital natives’ – just as comfortable online as they are offline. The internet enables endless educational possibilities, with constantly evolving information streams, however, the vastness of the internet can be a hindrance to those children who cannot effectively sift through and interpret the material presented. Literacy skills are a key tool used when children discern and interpret information. This page will provide you with some resources to help you develop your reading and literacy skills.
REASONS WHY READING IS IMPORTANT
Reading is essential for every human. Look at the 10 points below to help you understand the importance of reading and the positive benefits reading comes with. It is beneficial not only for children, but for youngsters, adolescents, adults, and elders alike.
1. It Improves your Creativity and Imagination: If you ever feel stuck creatively, reading can stretch those muscles. When you read a book, especially fiction, it stimulates your imagination. Your mind paints a picture of what you’re reading, so you become an active participant in the activity.
2. It helps you learn: You always want to stay curious and keep learning. There will always be things you don’t know, and reading can bridge the gaps and open up new worlds.
3. It increases your vocabulary: Avid readers have a 50% larger vocabulary. This is most likely because the more you read, the more unfamiliar words you come across. You can learn the meanings either through context or looking them up, and over time, your vocabulary gets bigger and bigger. The process of learning new words is good for your brain.
4. It improves memory: Research shows that reading, even if it’s just a little bit every day, can help improve your memory. This is because reading stimulates the part of the brain responsible for attention and memory. As you read through a text, you need to remember what’s happened before in order to follow the narrative or themes the writer is addressing. You may not even be aware that your mind is remembering things, but the process exercises and stretches the brain.
5. It increases your concentration and attention span: Reading takes more concentration than a passive activity, like watching TV. To follow where a writer is going, you need to pay close attention to the words you’re reading and their meaning. This action stimulates the brain, improving your ability to stay focused. People who can sit and read for hours have excellent attention spans, which can be harnessed for other tasks that require concentration.
6. It improves your writing skills: If you are interested in the craft of writing the more you read, the more familiar you become with structure, character development, and writing styles. This applies to both fiction and nonfiction writing. Even if you don’t need to write much in your daily life, reading prepares you for any time when you might need to, whether it’s a Christmas letter, email, personal blog, or journal entry.
7. It reduces stress: Stress is a common problem these days and there are many ways to deal with it. Reading is one of the best. By focusing on reading, people could distance and distract themselves from anxious thoughts and feelings.
8. It expands your understanding of the world: Speaking of the real world, reading both fiction and nonfiction can change your perspectives on things. How? Books are like windows. By looking through them, you can see different views on humanity, current events, history, culture, and more. If you intentionally seek out voices and authors who are very different from you, your understanding expands even more.
Taken from: theimportantsite.com/10-reasons-why-reading-is-important/
1. It Improves your Creativity and Imagination: If you ever feel stuck creatively, reading can stretch those muscles. When you read a book, especially fiction, it stimulates your imagination. Your mind paints a picture of what you’re reading, so you become an active participant in the activity.
2. It helps you learn: You always want to stay curious and keep learning. There will always be things you don’t know, and reading can bridge the gaps and open up new worlds.
3. It increases your vocabulary: Avid readers have a 50% larger vocabulary. This is most likely because the more you read, the more unfamiliar words you come across. You can learn the meanings either through context or looking them up, and over time, your vocabulary gets bigger and bigger. The process of learning new words is good for your brain.
4. It improves memory: Research shows that reading, even if it’s just a little bit every day, can help improve your memory. This is because reading stimulates the part of the brain responsible for attention and memory. As you read through a text, you need to remember what’s happened before in order to follow the narrative or themes the writer is addressing. You may not even be aware that your mind is remembering things, but the process exercises and stretches the brain.
5. It increases your concentration and attention span: Reading takes more concentration than a passive activity, like watching TV. To follow where a writer is going, you need to pay close attention to the words you’re reading and their meaning. This action stimulates the brain, improving your ability to stay focused. People who can sit and read for hours have excellent attention spans, which can be harnessed for other tasks that require concentration.
6. It improves your writing skills: If you are interested in the craft of writing the more you read, the more familiar you become with structure, character development, and writing styles. This applies to both fiction and nonfiction writing. Even if you don’t need to write much in your daily life, reading prepares you for any time when you might need to, whether it’s a Christmas letter, email, personal blog, or journal entry.
7. It reduces stress: Stress is a common problem these days and there are many ways to deal with it. Reading is one of the best. By focusing on reading, people could distance and distract themselves from anxious thoughts and feelings.
8. It expands your understanding of the world: Speaking of the real world, reading both fiction and nonfiction can change your perspectives on things. How? Books are like windows. By looking through them, you can see different views on humanity, current events, history, culture, and more. If you intentionally seek out voices and authors who are very different from you, your understanding expands even more.
Taken from: theimportantsite.com/10-reasons-why-reading-is-important/
READING AND LITERACY CURRICULUM CONTENT
The NCSE Reading Literacy Support Guide is intended for use at the Form One secondary school level. Its primary purpose is to provide support for reading instruction. The objectives are:
- To provide explicit instruction for those students who are reading below their class level.
- To assist the struggling reader to improve his/her reading skills.
- To eliminate the types of barriers that hinder student progress in reading.
- To motivate the student to improve his/her reading to support learning in other subject areas.
- To help the student to gain confidence and fluency in reading.
- To develop students’ decoding, vocabulary and comprehension skills.
- To foster enjoyment of reading of texts across genres.
E-BOOK COLLECTION
DISCLAIMER:
San Fernando East Secondary School does NOT reserve the rights to these e-resources. Therefore no part of these publications may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission from the creators of the work. It is to be used strictly for educational and NOT for commercial purposes. If you own the copyright to any of these resources and it is wrongfully on our website, please contact us at [email protected] and it will be taken down immediately.
San Fernando East Secondary School does NOT reserve the rights to these e-resources. Therefore no part of these publications may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission from the creators of the work. It is to be used strictly for educational and NOT for commercial purposes. If you own the copyright to any of these resources and it is wrongfully on our website, please contact us at [email protected] and it will be taken down immediately.