Reading Centers

Reading Centers Make "Language-Rich" Classrooms

According to educator Michael Graves, it is important to ensure that a schoolroom is "a language-rich environment that immerses students in print." One of the ways to do this is to establish reading centers in classrooms with books and other materials for free reading as well as to supplement other subjects.

A reading center may be simply a bookshelf in the classroom, or it may be an elaborate alcove, with shelves, tables, and comfortable chairs. The children receive opportunities to select materials to help them learn more about a particular subject under study, to select books for free reading, to read quietly for a period, or to read with a reading "buddy" or partner. Reading centers are mini-libraries that emphasize the reading needs and preferences of that classroom.

Reading centers are a way of providing adequate reading choices for students and demonstrating that the school deems reading to be a number one priority. If your child's school does not have reading centers, you may want to discuss with his teacher and the school staff the need for them. You might offer to organize parents to create school reading centers via donations of books, magazines, and furniture.

You will want to create one at home - if you haven't already. You don't need a lot of room - a comfortable corner is fine. Good lighting is essential, of course, and chairs and maybe pillows for lounging on the floor.

Populate this area with reading material. The library books of family members can be placed here - with the added advantage that you will be able to find them when they are due - as well as the daily newspaper, catalogs, travel brochures, maps, and, of course, a selection of books. Put up a bulletin board and tack short articles or poems on it.

This is where you can read to your child and where you can sit together reading your books on a rainy day. The family can gather to read together here. Your child will associate reading with good memories. He will become an avid reader and thank you for it.