Can Reading Adventure Packs (RAPS) Complement and Enrich the Literacy Program in Your Classroom?

Abstract

<p>Children’s personal experience, confidence and</p> <p>success (or otherwise) with books and reading,</p> <p>particularly at the initial stages, is directly</p> <p>related to their attitude towards reading (Wang,</p> <p>2000).</p> <p>Many of these attitudes are developed prior to</p> <p>school commencement and often are closely linked</p> <p>to early literacy experiences in the home. Economic</p> <p>conditions of the household may determine</p> <p>children’s exposure and access to quality reading</p> <p>materials in the home. Some low-income families</p> <p>find it extremely difficult to resource their children’s</p> <p>early literacy needs. While it appears that most</p> <p>families are aware of the importance of the home</p> <p>literacy environment and the need for reading</p> <p>resources, too many are without books or lack an</p> <p>adult who is willing to read to children.</p> <p>With the realisation that family members can</p> <p>contribute positively to early literacy development,</p> <p>there has been a plethora of programs and initiatives</p> <p>in recent years designed to support and encourage</p> <p>family participation in children’s literacy education.</p> <p>Surprisingly, most current programs assume (often</p> <p>incorrectly) that parents/carers have sufficient</p> <p>available finances to resource the literacy needs of</p> <p>their children.</p>