Reading Comprehension
Junior Great Books® improves reading comprehension and critical thinking by providing students deliberate, systematic practice in reading for meaning with outstanding, complex texts that students want to read, reread, and discuss.
Reading Fluency
Junior Great Books increases reading fluency by asking students to purposefully read texts multiple times, practicing speed and expression to convey meaning. They also have the opportunity to listen to professionally-recorded versions of many selections, and read-alouds are heartily encouraged, positively impacting students who are still learning to decode.
Vocabulary Development
Junior Great Books enhances vocabulary and comprehension, teaching students to analyze texts, understand complex language, and ask diverse questions. This builds students’ background knowledge, vocabulary, and comprehension through repeated readings of complex texts and thoughtful extension activities.
The Impact of Junior Great Books
The Great Books Foundation provides outstanding inquiry-based English language arts programs for grades K–12 that improve students’ academic achievement and contribute to vibrant, collaborative classroom communities in a wide variety of schools across the US and internationally.
Junior Great Books® programs combine high-quality classroom materials and the Shared Inquiry™ method to develop student competencies that directly align with best practices according to the science of reading. Junior Great Books combines rich, complex texts and student-centered inquiry to increase reading comprehension, develop critical thinking skills, foster civil discourse, and engage students in authentic learning experiences.
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“Junior Great Books has leveled the playing field for all learners. Now, regardless of their reading level, students are interacting with texts in a way that supports deeper understanding and interpretation.”
“Students benefit from the program because Junior Great Books stories are rich in content and vocabulary but still relatable and interesting. They urge readers to think deeply and push them to consider ideas that they hadn’t before. They are also culturally diverse and expose readers to lots of different ideas compared to the typical book pulled off the shelf in a classroom library.”
“The literature is so high quality. . . . Some of the language is just so rich and delicious. I really enjoy the selections just as much as the students enjoy reading and discussing them.”
What Makes a Good Reader? It’s Complicated
Editor’s Note: Our longtime professional learning consultant Denise Ahlquist wrote this additional piece on aspects of reading instruction and the “science of reading” recently, and it’s certainly worth sharing again.
When it comes to “essential questions” asked by educators and families, here’s one that is surely high on the list: What practices most help all students flourish as readers, thinkers, and communicators?
Teachers, schools, and districts rightly devote much time and many resources to teaching students to read because, more than almost anything else, mastering this complex skill makes such a difference in their future lives. Children who successfully learn to read are then able to use reading to continue to learn, in school and far beyond.
Yet despite decades of research and the dedicated efforts of educators, too many students still fall short of proficiency in reading, a situation exacerbated by the disruptions of the pandemic. In recent years, renewed attention has been paid to ensuring that the latest “science of reading” is being utilized by teachers to best serve all students as they learn and practice this complex skill throughout their education.