Meghann T.

Roberts
LM 5300 Week 3 Discussion
Create Literacy Equity
April 4, 2019

Children that are read to at an early age are more likely to develop the joy of reading. Free voluntary
reading develops skill and competency. Children of poverty are at a disadvantage because they
often lack access to reading material. Therefore, children of poverty are quite often poor readers
due to their lack of access to appropriate and desired reading material. If the lack of access can be
fixed or resolved, these children will read more and develop more literacy skills (Krashen, 2016).

One of ways to support the literacy development of all students is to read aloud to the class.
Classroom read alouds have been labeled as a literacy swiss army knife due to its multiple uses
throughout the different grades and in all content areas. Research shows that children that are read
to at any age score higher on both state and national literacy tests (Why every class needs read
alouds, n.d.).

I work at a Title I school where 70% of the families qualify for free and/ore reduced meals. I see first
hand children and families that do not own reading material in the home. These students often
struggle with literacy and as the librarian I witness many of these children having a more difficult time
selecting reading material in the library and/or reporting that they don't enjoy reading.

I view it as my responsibility to read to the students in both small groups, such as reading clubs, and
classroom read alouds. I want to make my time with them fun and enjoyable so that perhaps over
time they may develop that interest or joy of reading and learning. I also want them to see me
enjoying reading. I want to be the literacy model that they may lack at home.

I also have made it my personal duty to help provide literacy equity by finding ways to provide more
or better access to reading materials for all children. This includes writing grants, requesting support
from the parents' club and local community and collaborating with the local public library to increase
awareness of available free services and reading material available especially during the summer
months.

In my brief tenure as an elementary school librarian, I would agree with Krashen's (2016) thoughts
that students that lack reading material and/or the experience of having been read to at an early age
quite often struggle with literacy skills and ultimately require more instruction at school and therefore
are not able to have and/or enjoy free reading as frequently as their counterparts. My goal is to help
provide what these students might be lacking, whether that's books, being read to, having an
opportunity to read aloud to someone else, modeling the joy of reading, and/or providing excitement
about literacy.

Krashen, S. 2016.T​he Researcher’s Perspective The Purpose of Education, Free Voluntary

Reading, and Dealing with The Impact Of Poverty.​ University of Southern California. Retrieved
http://www.plymouth.edu/courses/pluginfile.php/1454951/mod_resource/content/1/2016_purpose_of
_education.pdf
Why every class needs read alouds. (n.d.). ​Education Update. Retrieved from
http://www.plymouth.edu/courses/pluginfile.php/1454954/mod_resource/content/1/ascd.org-Why%2
0Every%20Class%20Needs%20Read%20Alouds.pdf​.