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First Choice is the Vital Link reading promotion for emergent
adult readers (text readability level 9 - 14). First Choice
actively promotes how libraries support and help adult learners
with their reading. It offers a flexible package to help you
promote reading for pleasure to adult learners and build partnerships
with basic skills providers.
The Vital Link has developed 'First Choice: getting learners into reading' - a one day training course aimed at public library staff and reader development librarians. Please contact jenny.warner@readingagency.org.uk for more information.
A central focus of the Vital Link has been to identify collections
of titles from mainstream fiction and non-fiction stock that
will appeal to emergent readers and act as a key tool for
reader development work. We have branded these First Choice
to emphasise the idea that they are recommended titles for
adults for whom the whole process of choosing books for their
own enjoyment is a new experience. It also gets away from
the idea that a basic skills collection should be separated
out from "normal" books. Instead the aim is to help
adults who are improving their reading skills to move on from
easier mainstream books to more challenging ones within their
area of interest.
The First Choice collections have been developed with feedback
from emergent readers combined with recommendations from library
and basic skill professionals about what works for their learners.
The underpinning stock
selection criteria were developed by librarians in partnership
with basic skills tutors and draw on work done previously
by Essex Libraries to create their Quick Reads fiction collection
which was tested further during the Vital Link programme.
These criteria include elements such as length, presentation,
nature of content and structural issues such as plot complexity
for fiction and layout for non-fiction. The
SMOG methodology has been used for assessing the readability
level of each text.
This updated First Choice booklist of titles for emergent
readers features books by New Island Open Door, Sandstone
Vista, Barrington Stoke, WF Howes, World Book Day Quick Reads
and Story Sydyn (Welsh Quick Reads) which have been specifically
written for basic skills learners by well-known authors. The
list features titles already in print and forthcoming titles
from publishers.
Titles written for
emergent readers (January 2006)
Mainstream
titles for emergent readers
The First Choice Core Booklist is a selection of 80 titles
taken from both the First Choice Mainstream and First Choice
titles for emergent readers lists. The core list has fiction,
non-fiction, poetry and graphic novels and has a focus on
titles specifically published for emergent readers. The list
has been sent out to library suppliers.
First Choice
Core Booklist (updated October 2005)
www.firstchoicebooks.org.uk
is a world first - an online database where librarians and
tutors can search for books by different themes, genres, titles,
author and readability level and see the stock selection criteria
for each title. Fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, poetry
and children's titles are featured on the site. Titles can
be submitted that you think should be on the database and
fit the stock selection criteria, you will also be able to
see rejected titles. Learners will be able to submit their
own reviews of books they have read. Titles featured on the
database are in of the First Choice and/or Got kids? Get reading
booklists.
We are working to identify appropriate titles for this database.
Please get in touch with ruth.harrison@readingagency.org.uk
if you would like to get involved with this process.
For bookshops providing dual texts and texts reflecting a wide
range of cultures see www.literacytrust.org.uk/Database/EALres.html
One of the challenges has been the lack of attractive books,
especially for lower reading ages. However, a group of UK
publishers has begun to address this issue through the
Quick Reads initiative launched on World Book Day on 2
March 2006.
The Vital Link is also keeping in close contact with a group
of specialist publishers who have published titles for emergent
readers by well-known authors in the knowledge that this audience
wants 'proper' books to read. These publishers are:
- New
Island, based in Dublin, who have produced five
series of Open Door titles, the most recent including
books by Cecilia Ahern, Nick Hornby, Roddy Doyle and Patricia
Scanlan.
- Sandstone
Press, based in Dingwall near Inverness in Scotland,
who launched the Vista series 'for the enjoyment of readers
with differing levels of reading skills, from the emergent
to the accomplished' in 2004. Three series have now been
published including titles by Lin Anderson, Des Dillon,
Muriel Gray and Janet Paisley.
- Barrington
Stoke, based in Edinburgh, who publish titles
mainly for younger 'reluctant, dyslexic, disenchanted
and under-confident readers' but have some fiction suitable
for older emergent readers.
- Audio publisher W
F Howes who have published audio editions of the
Quick Reads, New Island Open Door series and Sandstone
Vista series.
Read an article about this work
The Vital Link programme is interested to hear from any publishers
or booksellers who are interested in extending the range of
choice for emergent readers. Please contact genevieve.clarke@readingagency.org.uk
or ruth.harrison@readingagency.org.uk
Re-designed and featuring the BBC RaW logo, and recognized by
the BBC as the reading element of the RaW campaign, First Choice
is the Vital Link reading promotion for emergent adult readers
(text readability level 9 - 14).
The First Choice package includes:
- attractive banners, headers, posters and stickers designed
to highlight the First Choice books
- personal reading diaries to use in classes and with reading
groups
- eye-catching postcards as giveaways in the library and
for marketing
'A very professional production that appeals to new
readers.' Librarian
'Attractive and non-stigmatised.' Basic skills
tutor |
Ordering First Choice materials
First Choice display materials include: banner 495mm x 700mm;
A3 header for dumpbins, A4 poster, A6 postcard, reading diary
and stickers and are available for immediate despatch from
The Reading Agency.
Download
order form here
The First Choice screensaver is a great way to flag up the
collection in libraries and computer suites. Download
it here for free.
Please note: you will need to use Winzip to open the
files (this programme is free to download, click Winzip
if you do not have it and follow the instructions. You can
then come back to these pages to get the screensavers). Your
computer may already have Winzip, so when you click to download
the screensavers you will simply have to follow the instructions
onscreen. It is recommended that you download the programme
to your desktop, and then you can open it from there.
Guidance and case studies on building and using appropriate
book collections with emergent readers is available via the
online toolkit.
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