RPI today, talked about some of the following points:
In today’s classrooms, we have access to an incredible variety of texts—both print and digital. The key is to ensure that students are exposed to diverse reading experiences that encourage critical thinking and deep engagement. Here are some practical ideas for making the most of both print and digital texts in your teaching.
Print vs Digital: It’s important to offer a mix of print and digital texts, ensuring that students engage with different formats to develop well-rounded literacy skills. Digital texts can be interactive and convenient, while print texts often promote deeper focus. The goal is not to limit students to one format but to provide opportunities for meaningful engagement with both.
Reading Apps:
There are countless reading apps available, and most teachers have their favourites. While these apps are fantastic for independent reading time and offer great choices for students, they should never replace direct reading instruction. If you use reading apps, consider setting up accountability systems—such as having students take screenshots of their progress at the end of a session—to ensure engagement and track their achievements.
Tools for Digitising Print Texts
If we are wanting to bring print texts into the digital world, there are several ways to do this: A couple of these include:
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Voice Typing: Use Google Docs or Google Keep to convert spoken words into text.
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Photo-to-Text Extraction: Many apps allow you to snap a photo of text and convert it into editable digital text.
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YouTube Ripping & Transcription: Record a Google Meet session, then generate a transcript for students to read along.
These tools are especially useful when offering students multiple ways to interact with a text—whether through written words, video, or audio.
Offering Texts at Multiple Reading Levels
One of the benefits of AI tools is the ability to adjust the reading level of a text without changing its core message. This ensures that all students can access the same content in a way that matches their reading abilities, promoting inclusion and comprehension.
The Power of Images in Reading Engagement
Students are far more likely to engage with a text when it includes visuals. Images provide context, support comprehension, and make reading feel less intimidating. If we want students to connect with what they’re reading, we need to provide them with texts that include relevant and engaging images.
Choosing Appropriate Texts: Supporting Literacy and Engagement
When selecting reading materials for students, we’re not just building their ability to decode words and gain meaning—we’re also fostering self-efficacy and confidence as readers. Providing a multi-modal approach (text, audio, video, images) helps cater to diverse learners and makes reading more engaging and meaningful.
Balancing Decoding with Critical Thinking
While decoding skills are essential, reading is much more than simply recognising words. It’s about making meaning, thinking critically, and engaging with texts in deeper ways. We need to ensure that the texts we choose not only support literacy skills but also challenge students to interpret, analyse, and reflect on what they read.
Representation in Texts: Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors
Rudine Sims Bishop’s concept of Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors reminds us that students need to see themselves in texts, but they also need exposure to other perspectives.
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Mirrors: Books where children see their own lives, cultures, and identities reflected.
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Windows: Books that offer a view into other people’s experiences.
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Sliding Glass Doors: Books that allow readers to step into new worlds and immerse themselves in different realities.
When selecting texts, we must be mindful of inclusivity. Are we representing diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences? Are we addressing our own biases? Ensuring a variety of perspectives enriches students’ understanding of the world.
Grouping Learners for Reading Success
Grouping students effectively can enhance reading experiences, but each approach has its pros and cons:
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Levelled Groups: Support targeted instruction but can limit lower-level readers if not managed carefully.
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Mixed-Ability Groups: Encourage rich discussions but may be challenging to cater to everyone’s needs.
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Flexible Grouping: Prevents students from feeling “stuck” at a certain level and allows them to engage with different peers and texts.
Selecting Texts for Groups
Consider using resources like:
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SchoolTalk and Journal Surf to find a variety of texts at different levels.
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Sequencing texts so that a lower-level text builds background knowledge before a more challenging guided reading session.
Building Reading Skills
Summarising
Strong readers summarise automatically, but struggling readers often find it difficult to pause and reflect on key ideas. Teaching summarisation explicitly—such as highlighting main ideas and eliminating unnecessary details—can help build this skill.
Providing Ample Reading Opportunities
To develop fluency, comprehension, and confidence, students need frequent and varied reading experiences:
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Shared Reading: Supports all learners and integrates reading across subjects. It also provides a space for rich discussion and links to writing.
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Guided Reading: Allows targeted teaching based on students’ needs.
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Independent Reading: Builds fluency, stamina, and personal reading habits.
Reading to Learners
Simply listening to a teacher read aloud can be incredibly beneficial. It exposes students to new vocabulary, models fluent reading, and encourages engagement with complex ideas. This can also help students experience texts beyond their independent reading level.
Strategies to Encourage Independent Reading
Independent reading fosters fluency, confidence, and enjoyment. To support this, consider:
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Helping students choose books they’ll enjoy
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Providing access to a range of reading levels
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Encouraging students to read widely
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Giving structure and accountability (reading logs, book discussions, response journals, etc.)
By thoughtfully selecting and structuring reading experiences, we can help students develop into confident, engaged, and skilled readers. The goal is not just for students to read but to love reading—and that starts with choosing the right texts and making reading an exciting, inclusive, and meaningful experience.
Paired Reading
Paired reading is a valuable strategy where students read together, supporting each other’s learning. This aligns with the tūakana-teina approach, where a more capable peer (tūakana) guides and supports a less experienced learner (teina).
Benefits of Paired Reading
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Encourages oral fluency and confidence in reading aloud.
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Allows students to give and receive feedback on their reading.
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Empowers learners to take ownership of their reading progress.
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Supports peer discussions, helping students engage with the text on a deeper level.
Implementing Paired Reading Effectively
To ensure paired reading is purposeful, teachers should:
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Set a Clear Focus – For example, improving fluency, expression, or comprehension. The success criteria should be explicit and revisited regularly.
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Plan and Timetable It In – Make sure it happens consistently as part of the reading program.
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Consider Book Selection – Who chooses the text? Options include:
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Teacher-selected books based on reading goals.
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Browsing boxes with a curated selection.
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Books from the National Library or digital resources.
