Variety of Texts
Text Forms

Technology gives students opportunities to explore and make connections with the world that they live in.

Technology supports lifelong learning

Can be used in lessons to support learning ie. digital learning

Computers, laptops, iPads, chromebooks, SmartBoards are some examples of the technologies used in junior classrooms.

Fiction

Non-Fiction

Multimedia resources

Computer access to websites

Electronic newspapers

Posters

Magazines

Comic books

Graphic novels

Picture books

Brochures

Song books

Reports

Journals

Flyers

Reference Material

Dictionaries

Thesauri

Style-guides

Word-game material

Notes

In order to help student meet the literacy demands of a multicultural, multimedia world, the classroom collection needs to expose them to a broad range of text forms and genres (p. 75)

Poetry

Offer multiple resources because of this rather than one resource that you think may suit/interest all the learners. Never assume this.

Consider the student's cultural backgrounds

Language-books in the students first language is a helpful starting point. Especially for ESL/ELL students.

Consider the interests of the junior learner

Use a survey to find out the interests of the students in your classroom.

Make the students active participants in the process of selecting, organizing, and maintaining the classroom resources.

Student's reading levels

Look into your own school boards policies and standards about the resources available to you.

Consider talking to your colleagues about the resources used at the junior level

Consider the relevancy of the resources. Make sure that they are up to date

Consider stories about identity, heroes, and role models

Choose resources that keep in mind the learning of all learners in the classroom. This means giving students a variety of texts and text forms.

Independent reading

Guided reading

Read-alouds

Shared reading

Autobiography

Biography

Memoir

Students need to see examples of good writing using different styles

Being exposed to different reading materials/variety of forms of text allows students to make connections between reading and writing

Being exposed to non-traditional books such as electronic and multimedia texts, allows students to assess materials critically

High-quality and well-written texts that can be used by teachers. They introduce students to a strategy, literary device, or text feature that students can use to remember how to apply the strategy.

Students read and imitate

Examples:

Strategy: questioning
Literary device: foreshadowing
Text feature: diagrams

Library

Ask the school librarian (teacher-librarian)

These librarians will help find a collection of resources that reflect the diverse reading levels, interests, and instructional needs of the students.

Public librarian

Internet

Computers

Digital Cameras

Video Cameras

Scanners

Cellphones can be used

VCR/DVD players

Audio recorders

Projectors/overheads

Give students opportunities to have shared reading and writing activities.

Translation programs

Notes

Allow students to have multiple ways of obtaining information from visual/various sources.

Graphic organizing, assistive technology, voice recognition

Great for students that have special accommodations for reading and/or writing

Reviews in professional journals

Websites dedicated to the needs of young readers

List of books that win awards (Ex. The Governor General's Award for Children's Literature).

Contests where students are asked to pick their favourite book/movie. This is made each year by the Ontario Library Association. It is called The Silver Birch Award- https://accessola.org/web/ola/Forest_of_Reading/Programs_For_School_Aged_Readers.aspx

Adventure

Epic

Fable

Fairy tale

Fantasy

Folk tale

Historical fiction

Horror

Humour

Legend

Romance

Science fiction

Myth

Mystery

Verses

Rhythm

Imagery

Words

Evokes emotion

Procedural Texts

recipes

street maps

instructional manuals

Reports

magazines and newspaper articles

research reports

critical reviews

essays

diaries or journals

Functional Texts

grocery and other lists

Invitations

Advertisements

Business letters

Scripts