“There is almost no part of the primary curriculum that won’t be assisted and supported by literature in the classroom.”
(Morris Gleitzman cited in Richards, 2018)
The ability to read is the most powerful tool in the world. Reading and comprehension benefits all curriculum subjects, not just English (Haven, 2007). To get students to read because they want to is the first step in developing a skill that will influence the rest of their lives. Providing students with a wide variety of fiction texts allows them to discover their favourites, which in turn, develops that ‘want’ to read. Just like no two people are the same, no two readings of a book are the same. By providing a diverse library collection including plenty of fiction texts, exploring a range of themes, covering an assortment of genres and authors and incorporating stories from other countries we will be offering our students the opportunity to connect, empathise, examine and explore other lives, while staying right here.
In an age where NAPLAN results are used to judge a school, reading is vitally important. Listening to stories alone can improve comprehension (Haven, 2007) and comprehension of written text is vital for any standardised / written test. The school system in which we work is still very much “dependent on a student’s facility with and command of language” (Manuel and Carter, 2015) so to best serve our students we need to give them the skills they need to succeed. Further, to create 21st Century learners, who will be heavily reliant on digital technology, who can think logically and creatively and be able to use, understand and control language in all its forms is important. Stories and learning go hand in hand (Haven, 2007) so a library full of great stories is the first fundamental step in developing learners.
