by Karen Klotzbach - Facilitator of Mentoring & Induction and Elementary MTSS Reading aloud to my students was always my favorite part of our daily routine. I like to think it was also my students’ favorite part of the day. When I pulled out our latest book, everyone gathered in silence on the carpet, ready to begin the next adventure with the characters! Throughout the year, our read-alouds brought us closer as a class. We laughed together and sometimes we even cried together. (Reading How to Steal a Dog as a class was an experience like no other!) The time I spent with my class during read-alouds fostered a strong sense of community along with modeling my own love of reading while sharing various genres with my students. Reading aloud to my students was the #1 way that I encouraged my students to read!
Children love to be read to. Whether it is on the laps of their parents or on a rug listening to their teacher, it is a special time when they can listen and enjoy literature that they may not be able to access independently. In this day and age of shortened class periods and little wiggle room, it can be difficult finding time to share books. But it is worth it! Read-alouds are usually an integral part of the day for elementary school students, but the practice wanes as students enter the intermediate and middle grades. However, this is also the time when students begin to set aside books for video games, computer time, sports, and various social activities. While these are also important parts of growing up, modeling our own love of reading can foster the joy of reading in our middle school students. So how can teachers make time for read-alouds? 1) Establish a regular routine– Share a read-aloud each day at the end of your reading or writing workshop or the end of your class for five minutes. Students know that read-aloud will happen each day and they know it will be your wrap-up. It will be something many of your students look forward to! 2) Choose books that you enjoy- This is so important! Your students will be able to tell immediately if you aren’t enjoying the time you spend reading aloud. And if you aren’t enjoying it, neither will they. Share classics that you enjoyed as a child, or new favorites! What you read isn’t nearly as important as the enthusiasm you share with your class. Your passion will be contagious! When you are passionate about the book you're reading together, making time to share it will come naturally. It won’t seem like a chore, and your students will be begging you to read more. 3) Make connections to your read-aloud throughout the day and the course of the year– In my classroom, we had a bulletin board where we hung up copies of the covers of books we read as a class. Throughout the year, we would refer to our past read-alouds whenever possible. I tried to read a variety of genres, so that the students could draw on these books during various units throughout the year. It was a great way for the kids to come together and have a common shared knowledge and the opportunity to make connections between texts, the world around them, and their own personal experiences! 4) Read aloud books that connect with various parts of curriculum– In middle and high school, teachers are experts in their subject area. Because of this, we sometimes forget about the other content areas. A class read-aloud can be an opportunity to bring language arts into the content areas. Science teachers can read novels with scientific or environmental themes. Social studies and history teachers can choose from an abundance of historical fiction! In talking with another co-worker, they remember their college professor reading various picture books (such as books written by Patricia Polacco) at the end of each week. No one is too old to be read to! These are just a few of the ways that I made time for reading aloud in my classroom. Reading aloud with my students was honestly our favorite part of the day. I hope that you are able to take a few minutes each day to incorporate read-alouds into your classroom routine, sharing your own love of reading with your students and fostering a strong sense of community.
3 Comments
Jackie Panos
4/21/2023 12:35:36 pm
I love this, Karen! Read aloud time is my favorite time of the day as well! If there are days that things come up and we aren't able to do read aloud, my class is always disappointed. Thanks for sharing about the importance of reading aloud at any age!
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Carrie Nimrod
4/26/2023 05:15:27 am
Agreed! Wish there was more time for read-alouds!! A book suggestion that my class enjoyed this week: "Press Here" by Hervé Tullet.
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Tracy Maher
4/29/2023 12:50:21 pm
And ...
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