3 A classroom reading corner

Having a reading corner in your classroom provides students with a special place where they can hold books and explore their content independently.

It is important to involve students in the design and resourcing of a classroom reading corner. In this way they will want to use and improve it.

Figure 3 A classroom reading corner.

Case Study 2: Resourcing a classroom reading corner

Mr Dilip teaches Class III in a primary school in Madhya Pradesh. Here he describes how he collected together some books for a reading corner in his classroom.

I know how important it is for students to have the opportunity to handle books from a young age. Although my students enjoyed their textbooks, I wanted to offer them other materials to browse and read. However, funds to buy new books were in very limited supply.

I began by asking relatives and friends with older children if they had any books at home that their children no longer wanted. I wrote to the educational charities I knew and asked if they could contribute in any way. Finally, I used my annual TLM (teaching–learning material) allowance to purchase a few books.

I started my reading corner with just ten books. After two years I have built up a collection of almost 60 fiction and non-fiction books, which are suitable for a range of levels. I also have a range of magazines and newspapers. I now share these with other teachers in the school.

Activity 3: Incorporating a reading corner in your classroom

Working with a colleague if possible, make a plan for a reading corner in your classroom, noting down all the ideas that come to mind. Consider the following:

  • What sources for obtaining suitable books and reading material are available to you?
  • In what ways could your students contribute to the supply of material (for example, by creating books themselves)?
  • Where could you locate a reading corner in your classroom?
  • What do you need to set it up (for example, boxes to store the books, a mat for sitting on, etc.)? Where can you locate these items?
  • How would you incorporate use of the reading corner into your classroom activities?

Resource 1 provides some useful ideas to help you introduce a reading corner in your classroom.

2 Examples of writing in the classroom

4 Radio as a classroom resource