Reading badge project differentiation in the third grade of primary school

The master's thesis in its theoretical part describes the differences between pupils, who (can) influence the reading events or reading activities among pupils, which develop in the preschool period already, however they can be influenced on if we take them into consideration and adjust the education. The terms differentiation and individualisation are defined in the first part of the thesis. It also describes what a teacher can individualise and define in the teaching process to create a stimulative reading environment, which takes into consideration reading skills of each individual pupil. The reading badge is an extracurricular activity in primary schools, where individual reading is required. As such it takes a priority over the Slovene lessons as it offers a perfect opportunity to adjust the reading lists to pupils’ interests and abilities. The theoretical part presents the history of Bralna značka (Reading badge), its development and its tasks and aims. The reading badge in the 1st and 2nd triennial is described, with emphasis on recommended reading lists, and the role of the mentor in executing the activities, who needs to be aware that with years the perception skills develop and enrich, therefore, the understanding and perception of the relationships within a written text are in correlation with the reader’s age and abilities. If the mentor wants to encourage, develop reading abilities, and reading motivation of individual pupils, through the reading badge, one has to adjust the content, goals, and methods of the reading event. The research part includes the results of the research carried out, in the 3rd year of primary school, on the topic of reading badge. The reading test has shown that there are differences in reading among pupils. On basis of their reading skills, the pupils are divided into 3 groups where each group follows its own recommended reading list containing literature adjusted by the level of difficulty and interests. Each month the post-reading activities are executed enabling pupils the in-depth experience of read books. The final results show that the differentiation of the reading lists only does not suffice to stimulate free-time reading, however, it can with the help of reproductive activities and mentor encouragement bring pupils to successfully accomplish the goals of the reading badge