READING LITERACY OR HOW PUPILS READ IN BULGARIAN HIGH SCHOOLS

n this article we have reflected on the term reading literacy in the context of the Bulgarian educational paradigm. We have tried to find the link between first reading, reading comprehension and the formation of reading techniques as a base for building up reading literacy as early as grades 1-4.
We have discussed skills for understanding, comprehension and use of written texts to achieve different objectives. Such skills allow people to accumulate knowledge, tackle real problems in real situations, and participate fully in social life.
Teachers in elementary schools face the question of whether they have managed to develop pupils’ motivation for reading, apart from mastering reading techniques in literacy education. Everyday reading exercises should not become a burden to pupils, therefore motivation work for this language activity must vary and be interesting. Only by doing so will children be inspired to read independently, build skills for individual choice of books, and form a certain culture of readership.