Lesson video

Hi there, Mr. Charlesworth here.

Working on a reading lesson today.

In this lesson, we're going to explore how to give a text recommendation.

Do you have a favourite text that you enjoy? Do you regularly recommend it to others? We'll be discovering different ways that we can recommend texts and different ways that we can tailor those recommendations to the audience that we're giving them to.

I hope you're looking forward to the lesson.

Today's lesson outcome is I can make recommendations to other readers.

The key words for the lesson are my turn, your turn.

Recommendation.

Reading community.

Author.

Illustrator, A recommendation is a suggestion for a text that is well suited to a reader's age and their interests.

A reading community is a group of readers who read, share, and discuss their reading experiences with one another.

An author is responsible for crafting the words that make up a text.

And an illustrator is responsible for creating the pictures, drawings, or images that make up a text.

This lesson is all about developing reading preferences through text recommendations.

The first part of the lesson focuses on why we should recommend text to one another before we then start to look at creating an effective recommendation.

Let's look at why we recommend texts.

Text recommendations are an important part of developing reading for pleasure.

A well-matched recommendation can capture a reader's interest and engage them in reading.

They can also encourage readers to explore different themes, cultures, and perspectives, which can help us widen our understanding of the world.

A recommendation that I got recently was "Can I Build Another Me?", and it really got me to consider what it might be like to be somebody else and also to think about what makes us human.

Have you ever received a text recommendation from a friend, an adult, in a bookshop, or even in a library? Pause the video now and have a think.

Making a text recommendation is an enjoyable experience.

It allows readers to share common interests and passions, exchange thoughts and opinions about a text, introduce new ideas, a range of perspectives or different types of knowledge.

Also allows readers to create an exchange of recommendations, so as you give and receive recommendations, it's a really good opportunity to widen your reading repertoire.

Discussing recommended texts with others can create a sense of community and connection among readers.

We call this a reading community.

Another text that was recommended recently to me was "How to Read a Book".

This picture book text is a really good recommendation for recommending texts.

It explores the different ways and different meanings that you can gain from reading a text.

When you're thinking about text to recommend, there are lots of features that you can draw out.

Here's an example using the text, "A Day in the Life of a Poo, a Gnu and You".

And you might pick out the themes, plot or the subject matter of the text.

You could focus on the form.

For example, in this case, it's in graphic novel, picture book form.

You might recommend a text because you like the author, the illustrator, the editor or the translator.

The person you're recommending the text to might like them as well.

You can also recommend a text by giving a personal connection, a reason of why it resonated with you.

You might like to recommend the text because of the illustrations, the artwork, or perhaps the length.

Is it a longer read or can it be read in sections? Can you dip into it over a number of days or is it something that you just couldn't put down? You could also recommend the text due to its genre.

For example, here, it's nonfiction and uses humour as well.

Here's our first check for understanding.

Based on what we've just learned.

True or false, an effective text recommendation can capture a reader's interest.

Is that true or false? Pause the video now and decide.

Well done.

It's true.

An effective text recommendation can capture a reader's interest.

I'd like you now to justify your answer.

Is it because recommendations make the book easier to read and understand, or because recommendations can motivate readers to read, they add an element of anticipation and excitement.

Pause the video now whilst you consider your justification.

Great work.

Recommendations can motivate readers to read.

They add an element of anticipation and excitement.

Recommendations don't make the book easier to read and understand, but by giving an effective and tailored recommendation, you can avoid this from happening.

In this task, I'd like you to reflect what reasons might you have to recommend a text to someone else? Talk with your talk partner or perhaps a family member or friend from home.

You might like to use the sentence stem I might recommend a text because of its.

Pause the video now and discuss with your talk partner.

Great work.

There are many reasons why you might recommend a text to somebody.

Here are two examples.

You might recommend a text because it's about a place that you've visited that gives you a personal connection, or you might recommend a text because you like poetry and want to share your favourite poems. That's a recommendation based on genre, the style or type of text.

I wonder what reasons you and your partner came up with.

In the next part of the lesson, we're going to focus on creating an effective recommendation.

I'm going to recommend some texts and then hopefully you'll be able to do the same either in the classroom or at home.

My first recommendation is a nonfiction recommendation.

It's "Pokemon Super Deluxe Essential Handbook".

This is a really good nonfiction text because it includes facts and figures and statistics about the different types of Pokemon.

It's really good for any reader who enjoys playing video games, as well as someone who likes the illustrations and artwork.

There's over 800 characters to look at and to learn about.

Can you think of a nonfiction text that you would recommend? Pause the video now and share with your talk partner.

Up next is some poetry.

The text I'd like to recommend is called "Cloud Soup".

This text is a poetry collection and has a range of poems on a lot of different themes.

I really enjoy the poems based on science.

They're really imaginative and made me think a lot.

I hope that if I recommended it to somebody that they might find a favourite poem in the collection too.

Can you think of some poetry or perhaps a novel that you would recommend? Pause the video now and discuss with your talk partner.

Great work.

I hope you're able to recommend some poetry or perhaps a favourite poem from a text that you've read.

Our final recommendation is based on magazines or comics.

This example, "Aquila" is great for inquisitive and curious minds.

Each month has a different focus.

This one focuses on festivals and folklore.

It's full of facts and figures as well as questions to make you think.

Can you think of a magazine or a comic that you would recommend? Pause the video now and discuss with your partner.

Fantastic work.

I wonder which magazine or comic you recommended.

When recommending a text to a specific person, it's really important to consider your audience.

That means the person's age, background, and their interests.

It's important to consider the text, so you should know the themes, the genre, the form perhaps, and it's really important to note down any standout features.

These are things that you think sets it apart from other texts that you've read.

This check for understanding is all about text recommendations.

Which text would you recommend for Jacob? He says, I really enjoy learning about the wider world.

One of my favourite genres is nonfiction.

Would you recommend text A or text B? Pause the video to have a think Great work.

It's A, "A Wild Child's Book of Birds".

Now I'd like you to consider why.

Why does this make such a good recommendation? Have a think and discuss with your talk partner or person from home.

Some really nice ideas.

I think that the text links really well with Jacob's understanding of the wider world.

He likes non-fiction texts.

Therefore, a book all about birds and the natural world is better suited to him.

It's really important to consider the person's interests when you're giving a text recommendation.

You're not just giving the text recommendation because you like the book.

You're thinking carefully about the audience too.

Recommendations can also focus on features of the text.

Here are a few examples using "The Can Caravan".

This text celebrates the traditional traveller values of resilience, adaptability, loyalty, and independence.

You might also recommend it because you enjoyed reading other books written by the author Richard O'Neill.

You could also recommend it because it includes a glossary where you can develop your own understanding of the Romani language.

It's a fantastic text.

I hope you are intrigued to find out more and maybe read it yourself.

Recommendations can also focus on the illustrations.

Here's an example using "The Lost Words".

Jackie Morris, the illustrator uses gold leaf to give each image a magical quality.

The artwork is really detailed.

It draws our attention to the creatures, plants, and habitats discussed in the poems. Before we make our own text recommendation, I'd like you to think of a text you might recommend.

Think about its genre and form reasons why you would recommend it, and then think about how the text made you feel.

We are going to make a recommendation to a friend, a family member, or a teacher first.

Let's have a look at a few examples.

This text recommendation is based on "Even More Lesser Spotted Animals".

I would recommend "Even More Lesser Spotted Animals" because it is a perfect mix of nonfiction and humour.

I think you'd love this text if you really enjoy finding out interesting facts about animals from all over the world.

The text made me laugh and taught me about animals' diet, lifestyle, and why they are under threat.

In this example, we focused on the texts genre.

In this case, it's a mixture of nonfiction and humour.

We've also picked out a standout feature, something that we think really will engage the intended audience.

Finally, we've added in a personal response, what effect the text has had on us, the reader.

Another example is a poetry collection, "Werewolf Club Rules".

I would recommend "Werewolf Club Rules" because it's a collection of poetry.

I think you would love it if you're a fan of author's other work.

There are poems about friends, family, school, and even ravenous hamsters.

The poem, "If All the World Were Paper" made me reflect and think of my own family and how much I value them.

In this example, we focused on the form of text, how the text is presented.

In this case, it's a collection of poetry.

We've then added in a standout feature, something that we really enjoyed about the text.

This can include themes, but also a particular poem.

Finally, we've made a personal response, a link to our own lives.

In this case, a poem in the collection made me think and reflect on my own family and my own experiences.

In this task, I'd like you to choose one person to make a text recommendation for.

It could be a friend, a family member, or a teacher.

When you're recommending a text, you can think or use the following sentence stems. I would recommend this text because.

I think you would love it if.

And the text made me feel.

When you are writing your text recommendation, have a think back to the examples that we looked through.

Pause the video now and write down your recommendation.

I can't wait to hear which text you've recommended.

Well done.

I hope you enjoyed making an effective text recommendation.

Have a look back at your writing.

Did you include the following? Did you reference its genre and form? Did you write down reasons why you would recommend it? Finally, did you tell your audience how the text made you feel? In this lesson, we've been developing reading preferences through text recommendations.

We've learned that text recommendations are an important part of developing reading for pleasure.

We've discovered that discussing recommended books with others can create a reading community, building connections amongst readers.

We've thought carefully about when we are thinking about text to recommend that there are lots of different features that we could draw out.

Finally, when recommending a text to a specific person, it's important to consider your audience, the reader, the text you're recommending, and any standout features that it has.

I hope you've enjoyed this lesson, all about text recommendations and are looking forward to exploring this more in other units.