Why Read Aloud?

For the last year, elementary school teachers in Westport have been studying read aloud and the positive impact it can have on students.  We have used both chapter books and picture books for this purpose. We have talked about the good places in our reading to stop and think.  This means not stopping to quiz but pausing to discuss, and to apply good comprehension strategies like questioning, visualizing, inferring and connecting. Most importantly, we have asked kids to think about how a book leaves them feeling.  What’s their take away?

Ginny Lockwood, a staff developer and former member of the Columbia Reading and Writing project, always reminds us, “Every person has to have some take away from their reading.” Reading shifts our opinions, strengthens our convictions and lets us live in more involved and more aware ways. Every reader should finish a text with a personal take away. This may not happen naturally for every child. As adult readers, we need to model this. We can do this by choosing high quality texts, reading them aloud, and stopping to discuss with our kids.  We do this frequently in the classroom. But is this enough? Research shows that this work cannot begin and end during school time.  Volume matters and kids need to spend time reading at home. Yes, they can read independently, but why not consider reading aloud too? We know from our own experiences that life is busy and making this happen can be challenging, but we are convinced that the benefits are well worth the effort.

In chapter 1 of The Read Aloud Handbook, Trelease explains that we read to children for all of the same reasons we talk to them: “to reassure, to entertain, to bond, to inform or explain, to arouse curiosity, and to inspire.”  But the work is also so much greater.  When we read to children, we begin to:

• condition a child’s mind to make a link between reading with pleasure;
• create background knowledge;
• build vocabulary;
• provide a reading role model.

It is very natural for parents to read aloud to their children when they are young. We all know the value of read aloud in preparing students for school and exposing them to the world of reading. However, sometimes, this practice dwindles as children get older. It is important to remember that at every stage of elementary school there are opportunities to continue to strengthen the above mentioned four areas, especially since we can always read aloud to children at a higher level than they can read and comprehend on their own.

Trelease goes on to define two basic “reading facts of life”.

Reading Fact 1: Human beings are pleasure centered.  People tend to voluntarily do the things that bring them pleasure in life.  Read aloud needs to become an activity that is associated with pleasure.  

Read aloud should not be looked at as a chore. Who doesn’t love to hear a great story? A child’s strongest role model is their parent. In our houses, our children look forward to read aloud each night, maybe it is because our enthusiasm is apparent. We want children to associate this same enthusiasm with read aloud. Even those who struggle with reading can gain pleasure from read aloud. Read aloud experiences level the playing field. No matter what level we read at, we can share a common reading experience. It is through the read aloud experience that children learn what the highest quality reading experience is like. There is usually 100% engagement.When you take away the decoding work for a child, they have more opportunity to consider the meaning of a text.

Reading Fact 2: Reading is an accrued skill. In order to become a better reader, we have to do it a lot.  

A common mantra in the KHS reading room is “How will you become a better reader” to which kids respond, “read a lot!.” Like anything else, we get better at reading by practicing reading. Not just practicing reading words, but practicing listening to a story and thinking deeply about it. Research shows that the volume of reading matters, not just the amount of time spent reading, but the amount of books. This reading can happen in many ways but one of the most simple ways to promote more reading is through read aloud at home. We have been convinced that powerful read alouds can support more engaged independent readers who begin to apply the same thoughtfulness that we promote in read aloud to their own reading.

Thoughts to Ponder and Discuss:

What positive impacts have you experienced with read aloud in your family?

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