Discovering new insights when professional world turns personal
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Reading has always been a great pleasure and reward for me. Belonging to a generation who learned to read by sounding out the words and following along with my finger, I remember the pride that came with being able to read the Dick and Jane books. A love of reading also led me to study English at university, then again as a subject I would teach, and finally branching into Teacher Librarianship.
Until recently, reading — as a skill to be developed — was largely a professional matter and the domain of parents who came into the library to ask for advice on how they could improve their child’s reading ability. Now, with a baby of my own, the question has become much more personal. I feel I need to brush up on ways to maximize my daughter’s exposure-to, love-of, and skill-in reading.
So, just like an army of mothers before me, I have consulted the experts on this matter: teachers! Fortunately for me I work as a Primary Teacher Librarian at Yew Chung International School of Shanghai’s Regency Park and Century Park campuses, where there are highly qualified and experienced teachers whose opinion I value as both a peer and a parent. I received the following tips about how to get kids hooked on reading from my fellow teachers:
Deborah Pedraza, K3 co-teacher
“For pre-readers, choose stories with catchy rhythms and rhymes that can be sung (think ‘Five Little Monkeys’ and ‘Silly Sally’).”
Diana Yalowica, Year 1 co-teacher:
“Making a reading log with your child helps them set and achieve reading goals. Watch your child’s motivation grow as they chart their progress to reach their objectives.”
Amita Patel, Primary Information Communication Technology Integration leader:
“When your child starts reading chapter books, consider getting them a Kindle. Devices like this are naturally appealing for children.”
Lynn Xie, Year 1-4 EAL teacher:
“There is no substitute for reading aloud to your child. Research highlights the benefits which include increased vocabulary and interest in reading, in general.”
Jeanne Webster, Year 4 co-teacher:
“Act it out! When reading aloud, use different voices and gestures to captivate your audience.”
Lydia Tkaczuk, Year 5-6 EAL teacher:
“Introduce your child to a book series. If they enjoy one book in the series, chances are that they’ll get on a roll (The Magic Tree House and the A-Z early chapter books are great choices).”
My advice? Let your child choose the books they want to read, but not unconditionally! For younger children, put together a group of stories that they can choose from. For older children, talk about their choices together and make sure they are reading a variety of books.
It’s not difficult to go online and find lists of what to read, but teaching children how to read creates more self-motivated readers. Inspired by these tips from teachers who I trust, I myself will be putting this advice into action to help my daughter develop her own love for reading.
The libraries at YCIS campuses
The libraries at each of YCIS Shanghai campuses are warm and inviting places, catering for the students from kindergarten through high school.
At YCIS’s Hongqiao campus in Puxi, there are two libraries, one for the kindergarten to Year 2 students, and the other servers the Year 3-6 students.
The Gubei Campus Library in Puxi for the secondary students features a collection that includes both fiction and non-fiction to provide for reading, language learning, and research needs. Students regularly gather in the library after school for peer and teacher tutoring.
At YCIS’s Regency Park campus in Pudong there are two libraries. The Early Childhood Education library caters for the kindergarten schoolchildren and the Primary Library serves Year 1-4 students.
The Century Park campus Library in Pudong includes a primary section for upper primary students in Year 5-6 as well as the secondary collection for high School students of all ages.
At all YCIS libraries, students have access to computers and electronic resources for research purposes. Additionally, children and parents are welcome to check out English and Chinese books. Parents are also welcome to come before or after school to choose books or read with their children, enjoy the comfortable environments, and use the interactive displays.
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