Literacy has become a priority in Ontario schools: uninterrupted literacy blocks are now part of the daily timetable in many primary and junior classrooms. But for literacy to genuinely flourish, parents and educators must provide the conditions and support that sustain children’s interests and needs.
Literacy experts emphasize the importance of meaningful experiences to support children’s reading and writing. David Booth, Canada’s internationally recognized literacy guru, states: “childrenneed to read and write frequently for auth entic reasons as they come to realize that being an efficientreader and an effective writer contributes to their communication success and personal satisfactions,and gives them control ov er their lives.1″
Educator and academic, Alﬁe Kohn concurs: “ Children are people who have lives and interests outsideof school, who walk into the classroom with their own perspectives, points of view, ways of makingsense of the world and formulating meaning. What we teach and how we teach must ta ke account ofthese realities.2″
Booth further emphasizes the importance of authentic needs and interests, especially in encouraging reluctant male readers. In Even Hockey Players Read – Boys, Literacy and Learning,