Search results

Building a reading culture: A selection of articles from FYI and Synergy

By Pat Pledger

Issue 118, TERM 3 2021

mended. When finishing this wonderful collection of articles published in FYI and Synergy, I found myself enthused about the importance of promoting reading in schools and really enjoyed the historical overview given by the articles, ranging from some written in 2000 to those written in 2020. The b

Dyslexia: can we read with our ears?

By Sarah Asome

Issue 106, Term 3 2018

xic students get lost in the sea of words, but it doesn’t have to be this way. The Five from Five website  explains why the following five keys to reading are needed every day for all children from the age of five, and offers activities for parents and teachers, and resources for principals and p

A national celebration of storytime

By Brendan Eichholzer

Issue 105, Term 2 2018

ools, preschools, childcare centres, family homes, and bookshops. Now in its 18th year, NSS is a fun, vibrant event that aims to promote the value of reading and literacy, using an Australian children’s book that explores age-appropriate themes, and addresses key learning areas of the Australian Cur

Stories make us: in conversation with Morris Gleitzman

By Nicole Richardson

Issue 105, Term 2 2018

r 2018–19. As laureate, he will join his predecessors, Leigh Hobbs, Jackie French, Alison Lester and Boori Monty Pryor in promoting the importance of reading. Morris kindly shared his time with us to discuss the laureateship; why the need for stories is more important now than ever; how he will ad

Read, respond, celebrate: engaging with the CBCA short list

By Josephine Laretive

Issue 102, Term 3 2017

ajor event of Children’s Book Week during August. The five CBCA short list book categories offer schools an abundance of opportunities to engage with reading, responding to, and celebrating literature. Exploring the short list books aligns with the Australian Curriculum and provides important opport

Celebrating Book Week

Issue 132, Term 1, 2025

y of a wimpy kid book, or flipping through the pages of the latest Guinness book of world records and how books like that kick-started their love of reading. Evidence indicates that young people are avid readers during primary school, but as they enter secondary studies, their engagement with readi

Emily Rodda on treasured stories

By Nicole Richardson

Issue 108, Term 1 2019

elop their own love of stories. His Name Was Walter Emily’s most recent book   His Name Was Walter   explores the power of stories, of shared reading experiences, and of long-ago hidden books as sacred as buried treasure. Weaving together fairytale and historical fiction, entwined with the m

To inspire or to instruct

By Ta'afuli Andrew Fiu

Issue 91, Term 4 2014

many students find life at school tough and often lonely. Some students are having their own 'midlife' crises. The very least we can do is to provide reading materials that have some bearing on what is happening today. If you are finding it hard to influence reading or to increase student literacy,

The cathartic experience: understanding grief through the written word

By Nicole Richardson

Issue 106, Term 3 2018

t her writing novels since she was 14 — along with the love of the craft. Eliza’s debut novel, In the Quiet , landed her on the shortlist for the Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction and the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, and on the longlist for the Indie Awards and ABIA Awards. Eliza’s fir

Stories that matter

By Helen Stower, Krystal Gagen-Spriggs

Issue 107, Term 4 2018

ng of their story and this clarifies both societal attitudes and the personal experience of being transgender. The glossary, resources, and suggested reading also provide wonderful tools for those wishing to better understand gender fluidity. Conclusion The power of YA fiction is that young read

Decodables - they're a thing, right?

By Sarah Handscomb

Issue 120, Term 1 2022

Much of my time working in reading intervention has been supporting students, frequently teaching mainstream education to boys in middle and upper primary years, and teaching disengaged students in special educational settings. Virtually every student had internalised feelings of worthlessness, and

Students Need School Libraries (and teacher librarians)

By Cherie Bell

Issue 128, Term 1 2024

the works of clever picture-book creators. As children learn to read, they need a wide range of books to choose from as they rapidly graduate through reading levels and search more broadly for information and stories that interest them. The more autonomy children have over their reading materials,

Improving literacy levels in remote Indigenous communities

By Karen Williams

Issue 111, Term 4 2019

es of culturally appropriate books to remote Indigenous communities. Many early literacy academics and researchers argue that cultivating a love of reading is the key to developing reading and language skills. The ILF engages with close to 300 remote communities across Australia to close the liter

The importance of multicultural literature

By Marianne Grasso

Issue 96, Term 1 2016

case study confirms this, revealing that African- American students prefer to read texts they can relate to culturally, increasing their interest in reading. Familiar concepts in multicultural literature help to build security, familiarity, and confidence, which can lead to an improvement in studen

Daring to be different: celebrating diversity in literature

By Ruth Devine

Issue 105, Term 2 2018

as a disability of one kind or another, including 3.2 per cent of 0–4 year olds and 8.3 per cent of 5–14 year olds. Whether they are being read to or reading themselves, these children, all children, need to see themselves reflected in the books they read. They need stories about people who look lik

School libraries supporting literacy

By Stephanie Ellis

Issue 99, Term 4 2016

ms. These programs may aim to increase student knowledge of and skills in information and digital literacies, though it is important to remember that reading literacy underpins all of this. After all, despite the proliferation of digital devices in schools, our students still require the skills to f

Developing low-budget literacy programs in schools

By Sue Bursztynski

Issue 109, Term 2 2019

letter. Sometimes big name authors are in town and speak at their shops. I once took a few young fans to hear a favourite fantasy writer. Premier’s Reading Challenge Another free option for a teacher librarian is the Premier’s Reading Challenge. I only did it once, in my last year, realised how

The great escape

By Sarah Bakker

Issue 102, Term 3 2017

‘If you truly want to escape this reality all you have to do is open a book and your imagination.’ — Unknown This idea that reading can magically transport you somewhere else is at the heart of this year’s Children’s Book Week theme, Escape to Everywhere. With Book Week fast approaching, w

Book launches: connecting schools, students and local authors

By Jenna Hildebrand

Issue 109, Term 2 2019

Reading culture As school library staff, we strive every day to establish libraries and resource centres as places that support our students’ reading and information literacy. In our relentless quest to promote reading for pleasure, one major challenge is the structured class context.  We need

Leigh Hobbs on the invaluable, irreplaceable school library

By Nicole Richardson

Issue 106, Term 3 2018

tor Leigh Hobbs finished his time as Australia’s Children’s Laureate for 2016–17. The role is to promote the importance and transformational power of reading and creativity for young people. During Leigh’s two years as laureate, he passionately campaigned for school libraries and school librarians