Completing activities whilst reading a book has many benefits. It allows you to move from being a passive reader to an active reader. Activities help develop critical thinking skills, creativity, collaboration, communication. Readers can process, analyse, and synthesize information to gain a deeper understanding, evaluate their memory to engage in active recall, make connections with the world and themselves, assist with attention span, and develop literacy skills.

Reading activities can be conducted individually, in pairs, small groups, as a whole class, across classes and year levels. They are therefore ideal as an element of a reading program.

Possible uses:

Suggested activities:

1. After reaading the first paragraph/chapter of the book, identify if the story is written in the first person or third person.

2. Create a vocabulary list. Place unfamiliar words in alphabetical order and provide a simple definition.

3. Create a helpful terms and concepts fact sheet that coul dbe used for new readers of the book to use. Think about what they would find helpful to know that would improve their understanding of the characters and the story.

4. How is punctuation used in the text? Select a page and highlight and or write down the use of punctuation.

5.  When you come across an unfamiliar word you do not understand, write it down. Look at the words that come befoee and after the unfamiliar word. Read the sentence that comes before and after. Try to guess the meaning of the word. Try using a replacement word and see if it makes sense. Ask a friend what they think and compare their thinking to your own. Check a dictionary for an accurate meaning. Write the menaing down next to the word. Try to use the unfamilair word in your conversation and work.

6. Make ten predictions before you read. Review your predictions when you reach the half-way point in the book. Make another ten predictions and review them when you have finished reading the book.

7. Once you have read a chapter, answer what I now know, what I do not know and what I want to know?

8. Once you have read a chapter, make a note under who, what, why, when, where, how?

9. Create a mnemonic for the chapter.

10. Think of ways of how you can remember what has happened in the chapter. Link the events to what you do. For example, leaving home and arriving at school. Pick key points on your route and assign key points of the story. When you think of the route to school, you will be able to remember the events in the story.

11. Write five "What if" questions.

12. Imagine what the characters look like. Draw a picture and annotate it.

13. Create a mind map that lists the character traits that the characters demonstrate. Update this as you continue to read.

14. What would a character post on a social media account? create the post.

15. If a character was a hamburger, what would they look like?

16. Create a post for an online book club about the chapter you have just read.

17. Make five predicitons for each character. Update your predictions as you continue to read.

18. Write the chapter like it is a recipe.

19. Write an email/text to one of the characters offering advice.

20. Write a script for a scene in the story and act it out with friends.

21. Imagine one of the characters is going to be protrayed in a movie version, conduct an interview with this person.

22. What characters have been introduced and what is your opinion of them? Place your opinions on a sticky note and place them under the names of characters on the classroom wall. You can revisit this display throughout the book and adjust your thinking. Hold a class or group discussion at various stages of reading the book.

23.  Think of five questions you would like to ask each character. When you have reached the half-way point in the book, ask another five. When you have finished the book, write another five questions. Discuss your questions in a group or as a class.

24.  What are the names of the characters? Do you think the names are suitable? If you could change names, what would they be and why?

25. The teacher will provide text messages from each of the characters, how will you respond? Share your repsonses with the class.

26. If you could introduce a new character into the story, who would it be and why?

27.  Create a converstaion you would have with one of the characters and act it out.

28. Create a newspaper headline for the chapter you have just read.

29. Create a "Breaking News" headline for one of the characters.

30. Create a newsfeed making a prediction of what will come next.

31. Write a blog based on one of the scenes and pretend it has happened in real life.

32. Draw a picture of the setting and annotate it. Keep the picture in your file so that you can add further detail as you read more of the story.

33. Create a timeline of events.

34. Create a storyboard of the settings and see how they change.

35.Use  a timeline of events and create a key visual for each event.

36. Create a graphic organizer to show how time is used in the story.

37. Create a mind map of the ain ideas of the story.

38. What is the theme of the story? Sometimes there are major and minor themes. Create a table that distinguishes between the major and minor themes.

39. Explain to someone what you think the theme is.

40.  What would you say the plus, minus and interesting things are about the book so far?

41. Do you make a connection with any of the characters or storyline? Why? Why not?

42.  How does the story or characters connect with the outside world?

43. Create an audio/visual review of th ebook so far. Persuade people to keep reading the book.

44. Read a chapter and try to recall as much information as possible. Do this with a partner and count how many different points you can make. try to improve your points on the next chapter.

45. Create a trivia quiz based on what you have read so far.

46. Create a true/false set of statements and see if your group members can identify the false statements.

47. Sum up the chapter in a paragraph, sentence and then a word.

48. Complete chapter questions for each chapter.

49. Write a summary for each chapter. Try writing a paragraph. Try using dot points.

50. If a chapters were to be converted into a mini-series, what chapter would you select to work on and why?

51. Promote the book being converted into a movie or mini-series, promote the  convertion based on a chapter you have read.