Read voraciously

If you see readers who . . .

• have a limited vocabulary.
• want to learn new words.

In her book What Really Matters in Vocabulary, Patricia Cunningham (2009) reminds us that reading is one of the best ways to learn new words, saying, “The number of words in your meaning vocabulary store is directly related to how much you read. Children who read the most have the biggest vocabularies. Children who read only when they are assigned something to read have smaller vocabularies” (15).

You need to read books that are a good fit, and look for interesting words.

Reading voraciously is found under each goal area on the CAFE Menu. The same principles for teaching this strategy hold true in all goal areas. In this case readers need to spend a tremendous amount of time reading to increase their vocabulary. Our language for introducing Read Voraciously changes slightly, depending on the goal.

Create a whole class of students who see the value and joy in reading and are motivated to read by

• reading to the class each and every day from a wide variety of materials, modeling a love of reading and a love for words;
• providing time each day for children to read material of their choice that is of high interest to them;
• matching readers to texts based on interest and ability;
• providing a wide range of reading material that is of interest to all your students; and
• sharing your reading journey, including books you are reading and words you are learning.

Suggested language:

• What interesting words did you find in your reading?
• What are you doing to read voraciously?
• What is a topic you would like to learn more about?

Possible ways to differentiate instruction:

• Carving out time during the day for all students to read, especially our students who need voracious reading as a strategy, can be a challenge. We might add these students to our conferring calendar every day for a week or two, to help them get in the habit of reading and being accountable.
• Check in with readers often to monitor the constant consumption of reading material and the words they are learning.
• In school and classroom libraries, maintain current copies of a wide range and variety of reading materials for readers to choose.

Reconsider materials, setting, instruction, and cognitive processes.

These strategies may provide support before, during, and after teaching this strategy:

• Set a Purpose for Reading
• Read Text That Is a Good Fit
• Tune In to Interesting Words
• Read the Whole Time
• Ignore Distractions
• Persevere