Welcome to our Literacy Matters news for Week 4!

We all know that reading, apart from being an enjoyable habit, expands our word knowledge and consequentially widens the way we look at things. If our goal is to develop lifelong readers then what is it that sparks a hunger for reading.

Mem Fox, an Australian children's writer tells parents to ‘just read with your children’. Further to this she asks that we make this fun, even when the young reader wants to read the same book night after night, day after day. The habit of reading grows communication skills.

A recent article on ‘How to raise a reader’ gives these tips:

1. Read to the little and the big kids. Why? Because reading aloud grows confident speakers and builds correct pronunciation.
2. Discover book series. We are so lucky that we have many wonderful bookshops and libraries around that can help in this area. 
3. Count on old favourites - the oldies engage generations helping storytelling to flourish which enables the invaluable talk around reading for everyone regardless of age. ‘Narnia”, ‘Lord of the Flies’, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and many more provide insights into the way stories and storytelling change over time.
4. Pick books you love. Give permission to readers to choose and self-select their books.
5. Feed funny stories to readers. Humour connects us all to the happy and positive nature of the silliness that alleviates those busy moments in life.
6. Value reading. Who knows where it will lead us.

Regardless of these tips our College values reading as a way of expanding our perspectives, our curiosities and our wonderings that life offers us.

The Premier's Reading Challenge has started. If you know anyone up for the challenge to read daily, share the link below:

And remember… learning 4000-5000 words a year keeps us literate in the adult world.