Reading Is Our Business: How Libraries Can Foster Reading Comprehension

by American Library Association

Reading Is Our Business attempts to cultivate literacy and to encourage library media specialists to resume/assume (depending on who you are talking to) their rightful position as critical partners in the development of reading comprehension. ―Sharon Grimes in the Preface Motivating children to read is essential to building a lifelong love of reading. Many parents cannot model engagement with books and instead, teachers, school media specialists, and children's librarians must step into the breach to help children embrace a love of reading. According to award-winning librarian-educator and author Sharon Grimes, to help students love books and reading, their skills must go beyond merely recognizing words and turning pages without comprehension. She frames the situation with an insightful overview of current research on reading and how children learn. Reading Is Our Business then outlines a unique seven-step reading strategy. Each step is illustrated by actual classroom examples teaching students how to understand what they read and is supplemented with age-appropriate author and book lists. Strategies to enhance reading comprehension Sample worksheets and websites make the process easy to use and replicate, and help break down reading comprehension into its component parts for learners for whom this doesn't come naturally. As young people engage with books, they develop connections with their own lives and lay the foundations for logical thinking and more learning. Following these practical guidelines, librarians can continue to foster this community of readers and thinkers.

Genres: Nonfiction, Teaching, Librarianship

155 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2006

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seems to provide a great how-to on integrating reading comprehension into library services and programs. Ideas may not be feasible in many libraries.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good entry for elementary school librarians who have no experience teaching reading comprehension. Grimes outlines 10 ways teacher librarians can include reading comprehension into their library work.

It's helpful enough. But it felt dated to me, and I found many other texts to be much more explicit and thorough.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book includes a seven-step reading strategy. It gives great examples and sample worksheets. The writing is simple to read.