The Importance of reading aloud

Great teachers around me have always encouraged others to read aloud to students. Not just on a once-in-awhile basis, but daily. It is a time that students can sit back and actually enjoy the experience of text, without having to do all the "work". Furthermore, due to young children beginning to read, there are still "limitations" on what they are able to read. With a read aloud, young children can deal with grappling ideas and challenging content. It is a time to develop vocabulary and language development (Beck & McKeown, 2001). It is also a time to demonstrate fluent reading. And most importantly, it is a time to simply show a love for books and reading.

Teaching 2nd grade, my students still love picture books and I read them often. However, it's also fun to get into a series, where you continuously read about the same characters and see how they change. I read a Magic Tree House book by Mary Pope Osborne, and most of my students knew the book already. In first grade, almost every teacher read the Magic Tree House books throughout the year (awesome!!). Needless to say, despite already knowing what would happen, they immensely enjoyed it. I found that it was a little simple for this time in the school year- more of a book they could read on their own. Like mentioned previously, with a read aloud, I can choose a more challenging book. So while the kids checked out their own books, I perused the library for a chapter book with some more depth. Honestly, I just randomly chose some books, mostly based on their title and what I thought kids might enjoy. I chose 3, and that day we voted on which one they wanted me to read next.

We began reading the Wishbone series, which students now tell me is on television (yuck! what happened to leaving books to books and creating different TV programs?!). At first I was upset that I had chosen a series they had seen on TV, but then I realized that it can only help them connect to the characters. They can instantly visualize (though I prefer to leave that to the imagination) and leave their thinking to what is happening in the story.

I'm never quite 100% sure that the decisions I make for my students is going to be effective, though I plan and certainly hope for effectiveness, especially something that "takes time" out of our day, like a read aloud. Although all the research is indicating how beneficial it is for students, I am one that constantly questions what I do.

But now I know it is worth our 10 to 15 minutes each day...

After coming back from specials (Art, Music, P.E.) the students know our schedule and that it is read aloud time. For some reason, on our way back into the classroom, they asked if we were going to read Wishbone. I said, "Of course!" and they all shouted with joy! Not just "yay", but more like, "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!". It was like music to my ears, and I suddenly realized the importance of reading aloud. It wasn't just to develop vocabulary, to have them think about more challenging content. It was to let them enjoy the act of reading. And enjoy they do!

Teachers and parents wonder if they should still read aloud past a certain age. I believe you should most definitely read aloud through high school, and should still curl up with your child to read aloud as long as they will let you! High school students may smirk at first, but research indicates that it is still beneficial for them for the same reasons as young children. And they, too, will enjoy.

Yesterday, my students were so involved in the story that they were crowded around me, hanging onto my legs, sitting as close as they could. Of course, you'll have some that look like they're playing or daydreaming. Don't worry. They're still listening.

Use the time however you want. But make it fun. No reading response journal entries, no graphic organizers, no vocabulary searches in the dictionary. Just have fun.