The Georgia Council on Literacy hosts Georgia Reads Week every September to support literacy efforts and encourage a love of reading at any age.
In this Q&A, Associate Professor Lisa Domke, coordinator of the dual language and immersion education programs, the reading endorsement and the M.Ed. in Elementary Education in the College of Education & Human Development’s Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education, talks about the importance of statewide literacy initiatives and recommends some easy ways that individuals and families can incorporate literacy skills into everyday life.
Q: Why are statewide literacy initiatives like Georgia Reads Week important for children, families and communities?
A: “One of the great things is that Georgia Reads Week focuses on reading, talking, singing, sharing and connecting, which shows that literacy is developed not just by reading (although the more we read, the better we become), but it is also developed through language and interaction. Georgia Reads Day and Georgia Reads Week spotlight how everyone contributes to children's literacy development. It's not just schools – it's everyone and everything in our daily lives.”
Q: Can you talk a little bit about your research on literacy education and dual language bilingual education?
A: “I research how children read in multiple languages (especially in English and Spanish) and how to prepare and support teachers in helping students learn in the subject areas while simultaneously developing language and literacy in English and an additional language.”
Q: How can literacy initiatives support multilingual learners and diverse communities?
A: “It's important to reinforce that there are many things that families do that support literacy development, such as having conversations and orally sharing stories (e.g., family memories or about their day). Many religious activities involve literacy, too, such as singing and reading/reciting/memorizing parts of religious texts. In addition, children can transfer language and literacy skills across languages. Studies have shown that children's literacy development benefits when families engage in their home language.”
Q: For adults who aren’t teachers or parents, what is one way they can support literacy in their local community?
A: “There are many ways. Supporting local independent bookstores is big because independent bookstores curate their inventory to match patrons and the local community with specific topics and titles of interest. They also host programs for the local community and work closely with schools to support literacy and match children with authors and titles that will spark a love of reading in them. If adults have relatives who are children, they can have conversations with them and read to them, both in person and over video on the phone. Adults can also donate books to the local library, which libraries can sell to support their programs.”
Q: What are some unexpected places in everyday life (like grocery stores or parks) where families can naturally build reading and language skills?
A: “One place is while driving. There are signs everywhere to read and discuss. Families can also play the alphabet game, where each person looks for the letters of the alphabet in order. The first person to reach Z wins. The grocery store is also a great place to read labels and signs and talk about what you're buying and why. When cooking, you might read a recipe or the labels to find the ingredient you need in the cabinet or refrigerator. Families can turn on the captions when watching TV or movies, which can also help viewers catch dialogue or sounds that are really quiet and easy to miss.”
Q: What are some of your favorite books to read with kids?
A: “I have too many because I absolutely love children's literature, visiting libraries and independent bookstores, and sharing books with children and teachers! My favorite titles to read depend on children's interests or what we're learning, but here are some of my favorite children's authors:
- Alma Flor Ada (poetry, picturebooks, and more, in English and Spanish)
- Andrea Davis Pinkney (often picturebook biographies)
- Brian P. Cleary (informational picturebooks)
- Cynthia Leitich Smith (picturebooks and novels)
- Cynthia Rylant (picturebooks and novels)
- David A. Adler (informational picturebooks)
- Derrick Barnes (picturebooks and novels)
- Donald Crews (beginning picturebooks)
- Duncan Tonatiuh (picturebooks)
- Eve Bunting (picturebooks)
- Ezra Jack Keats (picturebooks)
- Floyd Cooper (picturebooks)
- Gail Gibbons (informational picturebooks)
- Grace Lin (picturebooks and novels)
- Hena Khan (picturebooks)
- Jacqueline Woodson (picturebooks and novels for young adults and adults)
- Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow (picturebooks)
- Joanna Ho (picturebooks)
- Joyce Sidman (informational poetry picturebooks)
- Kadir Nelson (informational picturebooks)
- Kevin Henkes (picturebooks)
- Kobi Yamada (picturebooks)
- Kwame Alexander (poetry picturebooks and novels)
- Margarita Engle (poetry picturebooks and novels and biographies, English and Spanish)
- National Geographic Kids Readers
- Nikki Grimes (poetry picturebooks and collections)
- Pam Muñoz Ryan (picturebooks and novels, English and Spanish)
- Pat Mora (picturebooks, English and Spanish)
- Raúl the Third (picturebooks and graphic novels, English and Spanish)
- Sheetal Sheth (picturebooks)
- Steve Jenkins (informational picturebooks)
- Yuyi Morales (picturebooks, English and Spanish)
To learn more about Georgia Reads Week, visit https://georgiareads.org.