ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the potential of reader response approaches in the classroom for exploring narrative and teaching children about its characteristics. It also explores the ways in which readers and texts interact, with both sides contributing to the making of meaning. If the ultimate aim of a reading curriculum is to enable children to read for pleasure and purpose, a key approach for teaching lies at the heart of reader response: begin with the reader's response and use that to explore the features of the text. Reader response is about reflection – thinking about what has been read. Reading for pleasure appears under 'Comprehension', with little advice on how to encourage personal responses from children. In the UK, the Teachers as Readers research undertaken by the United Kingdom Literacy Association found evidence that a focus on reading for pleasure in the primary classroom led to increased reading attainment.
