ABSTRACT
The chapter outlines a range of perspectives on reading, including cognitive- psychological and psycho-linguistic theories, the so-called ‘simple’ view of reading and broader sociocultural and sociopolitical approaches, concluding that a balanced approach to teaching reading needs a sense of the complexity of what is involved in becoming a reader. The role of the teacher as a readerwho draws on personal reading experience is central todeveloping fluent and assured readers. As well as reading a range of printed texts, reading on screens is now an everyday feature of children’s reading experience, including reading e-books, the internet and film and teachers can use these reading experiences to good effect in the classroom. Examples are given for ways of organising a balanced and rich reading curriculumto include the key reading experiences: reading to children; reading with children (shared and guided reading);and reading by children (independent reading).
