By Timi Alabi
‘High Quality Texts’. This is a terminology that is frequently used within the school setting. When I facilitate professional development sessions on reading, I often invite participants to pause and reflect on what we actually mean by the term ‘ high quality texts.’ When we say, ‘We need to expose pupils to high quality texts’, what do we really mean? How do we measure the quality of a text or distinguish between a text that is high quality and one that isn’t?
From a ‘reading for pleasure / reading aloud’ point of view, when it comes to high quality texts, there is no ‘one size fits all’ answer. To identify a text that is high quality for your pupils, first you need to know your class well enough to understand what they need and the sort of exposure they will benefit from.
Here are a few questions that might help guide you when deciding whether a text is the right fit for your pupils:
· Why is this the ideal text for my pupils at this time?
· How is it relevant and meaningful to them?
· What personal connections can they make with this text?
· What values would I like to instil in them through this text?
· Does it promote diversity and belonging?
· It is addressing the challenges I’m facing with my class at the moment e.g. friendships, self-esteem, kindness etc?
· It is addressing ongoing world issues?
Of course, one text may not tick every box or address all of the questions above and that’s absolutely fine. You might choose to focus on just one or two of these areas at a time, depending on what your pupils need most.
