The National Reading Plan is a public institute that designs and implements public reading policies. PNL missions are to offer training, guidelines, resources, tools, assessment and monitoring, as well as initiatives at a national level, working with educational and cultural partners.  

Our flagship projects include diagnosis, intervention design, implementation, monitoring and assessment. We prefer bottom-up projects, which means that we have a strong capacity to personalise our interventions. We work closely with research, to contribute to knowledge building on reading, as well as to make sure our actions are research based and locally informed. Plano de Ação para a Leitura is one of our flagship projects.  

We also work closely with municipalities and local associations, companies, health providers and other local structures. Local Reading Plans are an example of dialogue with other entities, namely those linked to municipal and regional structures, cultural agents, science and higher education institutions. 

Studies 

PNL works with research units, to make data available regarding reading habits and reading promotion practices. 

In 2024, we’ve published the first Barometer on students’ reading habits. In 2026, we’ll have comparable data that will allow to understand tendencies and progress. 

We’re also conducting two qualitative surveys on reading mediators and on families reading habits. 

Cadernos PNL/ Notebooks PNL 

PNL Notebooks is a didactic publication of the National Reading Plan, designed to explore specific themes in reading promotion and literacy education. Each edition features reflections by authors, case studies, best practices, and reading recommendations on one specific reading topic per volume. The first volume, Reading Mediation: In Search of a Transitional Paradigm, is authored by Roberto Igarza. The second volume is on the 14-20 Reading Movement, focusing on promoting reading and writing among young people aged 14 to 20. The third volume, Reading Clubs, examines reading clubs as educational practices, with flexible and varied adaptations, in primary, secondary, and higher education, as well as some examples in community settings, and workplaces. 

Guiões PNL/ PNL Guides 

The Reading Plan has been publishing Guides to support teachers to improve their practices regarding reading.  

•  Guide on Individual Reading Projects: a curricular approach to reading promotion regarding extensive reading. This Guide explains how this practice can be better implemented, offers resources and practical activities.  

• Guide on Reading Poetry: published this year, on International Poetry Day, it helps teachers with choosing different and more varied poems and it suggests reading poetry as a pleasure, and not only to employ analysis’ tools.  

• Guide on Reading literature in Second language teaching: a guide meant to help teachers with a growing number of immigrant students in schools, with practical activities to read literature regularly in class.  

• Guides to read the museum: In 2024, we’ve published the 1^st Guide, in collaboration with the MACE museum. In 2025, we are preparing a second volume, in collaboration with the Natural Parc Foz Côa and its museum. 

LOSA II 

Recognizing reading as fundamental to academic success, PNL provides primary and secondary school teachers with structured reading activities.  

The Classroom Guided Reading Project – Phase II (LOSA II) provides teachers with instructional materials and methodologies designed to support reading development across all educational levels. These resources are aligned with national curriculum guidelines and address specific reading comprehension difficulties identified in standardized assessments. The project emphasizes: 

• Exploration of various text genres (e.g., biographies, short stories) across all grade levels. 

• Progressive development of reading comprehension skills, based on students’ needs. 

• Teaching strategies tailored to different reading stages, promoting intentional and reflective reading instruction. 

14/20 Movimento a Ler –1 4/20 Reading Movement  

The 14-20 Reading Movement encourages reading and writing among young people aged 14 to 20 by integrating literature with other disciplines such as science, comics, animation, music, theatre, dance, photography, graphic arts, cinema, and urban art. Since 2018, this initiative has supported interdisciplinary projects designed and implemented in collaboration with diverse cultural entities, positioning young people as active participants.  

Recognizing the school as a fundamental space for fostering reading skills and motivation, PNL has strengthened its collaboration with school libraries by expanding the Reading Schools network. This program, in partnership with the Rede de Bibliotecas Escolares (School Libraries Network), supports schools with strong reading cultures, focusing on comprehension, reading enjoyment, and writing, while valuing literacy within school communities.