PRC Book fund
The PRC Book Fund was an initiative under the Building Stronger Communities policy which was released for the 2006 Victorian election. One-off funding was provided to selected schools for the purchase of books and materials to support participation in the Reading Challenge. This funding is no longer available.
Advice about collection development
The brochure 'The challenge: active, engaged readers' (PDF - 643Kb) provides advice to schools about building an effective library collection and supporting the development of a love of reading. It outlines ways in which engagement with reading and text supports students in their learning across the curriculum and provides links to strategies for teachers to assist them in engaging young readers. Material in the brochure is based on the sources listed below
Sources for material in 'The challenge: active, engaged readers'
- Anderson, R. C. Wilson, P. T. and L. G. Fielding (1988) ‘Growth in Reading and how Children spend their time out of School’ in Reading Research Quarterly, 23 (3) pp. 285 – 303.
- Bruner, J. (2003) Making Stories: Law, Literature, Life, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
- Campbell, J. R., Hombo, C. M., & Mazzeo, J. (2000) ‘1999 Trends in Academic Progress: Three Decades of Student Performance’ NAEP (National Assessment of Education Progress) Department of Education, Washington DC [Accessed October 2007] (http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/facts/reading_facts.html).
- Chambers, A. (1991) The Reading Environment: How Adults Help Children Enjoy Books, NSW: PETA, The Thimble Press.
- Clancy, S. (1999) ‘The Essential Luxury of Literary Experiences’ in Back to Books: Creating a Focus on Fiction, Melbourne: School Library Association of Victoria.
- Greaney, V. (1980) ‘Factors Related to Amount and Type of Leisure Reading’ in Reading Research Quarterly, 15 (3) pp. 337 – 357.
- Guthrie, J. T. and Greaney, V. (1991) ‘Literacy Acts’ in Handbook of Reading Research, Volume 2. Edited by R. Barr, M. L. Kamil, P. Mosenthal and P. D. Pearson, New York: Longman.
- Guthrie, J. T. & Alvermann, D. E. (Editors) (1999) Engaged Reading: Processes, Practices, and Policy Implications, New York: Teachers College Press.
- Haycock, K. (2003) The Crisis of Canada's School Libraries: The Case for Reform and Re-Investment, Toronto: Association of Canadian Publishers.
- Kelly, Paul, quoted in Kelly’s Lyrics Right on Course, The Age newspaper, Education section, 14 November 2005.
- Krashen, S. D. (2002) ‘Whole Language and the Great Plummet of 1987-92: An Urban Legend from California’ Kappan Professional Journal - Phi Delta Kappa International [Accessed October 2007] (http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k0206kra.htm).
- Krashen, S. D. (2004) The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research (2nd edition). Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited.
- Krashen, S. D. (2004a) ‘Children's Literature: Very Good News and Very Bad News’ [Accessed October 2007] (http://www.sdkrashen.com/articles/childrens_lit/childrens_lit.pdf ).
- Krashen, S. D. (2004) ‘Free Voluntary Reading: New Research, Applications and Controversies’ [Accessed October 2007] (http://www.sdkrashen.com/articles/singapore/singapore.pdf ).
- La Marca, S. and Macintyre, P. (2006) Knowing Readers: Unlocking the Pleasures of Reading, Melbourne: School Library Association of Victoria.
- Lonsdale, M. (2003) Impact of School Libraries on Student Achievement: A Review of the Research, Report for the Australian School Libraries Association (ASLA), Melbourne: Australian Council for Education Research (ACER).
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2002) Reading for Change: Performance and Engagement Across Countries Results from PISA 2000 (Executive Summary) OECD - Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Available: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/43/34/33690986.pdf [Accessed October 2007].
- Page M. and Ingpen, R. (1986) Out of this World: The Complete Book of Fantasy, Landsdowne Press.
- Senior,C. (2005) Getting the Buggers to Read, Continuum.
- Taylor, B. M. Frye, B. J. and G. M. Maruyama (1990) ‘Time Spent Reading and Reading Growth’ in American Educational Research Journal, 27 (2), pp. 351 – 362.
- Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority (VCAA) (2005) Victorian Essential Learning Standards: Overview, East Melbourne: Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority.
- Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority (VCAA) (2006) Victorian Essential Learning Standards: Discipline-Based Learning Strand English [Accessed October 2007] (http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/essential/discipline/english/index.html).
- Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority (VCAA) (2006) Victorian Essential Learning Standards: Interdisciplinary Learning Strand [Accessed October 2007] (http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/essential/interdisciplinary/index.html).