Posts Tagged ‘Read aloud’
As a classroom teacher, one of my favorite times of the day was the time I spent doing a Read Aloud for my students.
We developed as a community of learners as we listened to the wonderful words that took us on amazing journeys of imagination.
We learned ways to express ideas and paint pictures with words.
We learned story structure and extended our vocabulary. We also summarized and paraphrased along the way paying attention to the difference in main ideas and details.
We asked questions to help us discover why the author composed the story in a certain way and why specific words were used. We talked about the characteristics we thought would make the character a good friend to have or someone to avoid.
As we returned to our seats, our thoughts went beyond the words presented in the story as we made predictions for the future or changes we would make if we were the author. We also pondered how stories and characters within the same book were connected as well as ways they were connected to other things we had read.
We used this time to not only develop as listeners, readers, and writers but also as thinkers ….
As I now look at the Common Core, I realize how many of these things I was already doing …
As I look at the English Language Arts Standards for Reading:Literature , I notice how many of the things I did fit into the first 3 main areas:
- Key Ideas and Details
- Craft and Structure
- Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Think about the things you already do that fit into these categories …
Think about the ways the books you find on Big Universe can help you with these three categories …
I think the stories on Big Universe are great for read alouds, modeling strategies, comparing characters, and many other skills …
photo credit: Kathy Cassidy via photopin cc
When I’m reading a book, I tend to think about the child who might like that particular story or relate to those characters. Walking in a young readers’ shoes rather than adding my adult 2c. Thinking beyond my own experiences and goals.
What I have discovered is that sometimes in my enthusiastic rush to open that magic literacy box, I forget there are many facets to literacy. It isn’t just about decoding and comprehension. Sometimes it is a child’s own perception of themselves and how they see their place in the world as they are learning to read and “fit in,” all at the same time.
As I was thinking about this, I remembered a post I wrote my blog, Family Bookshelf, five years ago in response to a Washington Post article about the Virginia Tech shooting. What I drew from the article is a timeless reminder of how precious and fragile our children’s sense of self is. Particularly when “the world” is telling them how important something is – in this case learning to read – and they are feeling overwhelmed.
Here is that piece, lightly edited, originally published in August 2007.
At lunch today, I read a Washington Post article about Seung-Hei Cho, the student who killed fellow students, faculty members, and himself at Virginia Tech in April 2007. A lot has been written about Cho’s psychological profile, makeup, but that article introduced a new-to-me piece of information.
Cho suffered from a condition called selective mutism, a symptom of an anxiety disorder. A fellow student of Cho’s in high school offered this example:
when asked by a teacher to participate in class (like reading out loud), Cho would become paralyzed and could not speak. Then the students would start laughing at him.
That’s a paraphrase from the article. Still, I would bet that there are individuals whom you might recognize in that example. Kids who are shy, who might understand his feelings of fear.
Laurie Adelman (BSN, Masters in Family Health/Health Education) has dedicated her career to helping shy children. The principles she presents to parents and educators are readily applied to helping a child who is afraid to read. Reading or learning to read may be one of those things that causes great anxiety for our kids.
- Parents, teachers, TV commercials all tell us how important it is to read … and to do it NOW.
- Their friends may already be reading books.
- As parents, we fall into the trap of thinking our kids should be reading “just like their friends.”
- Kids may feel uncomfortable reading words aloud. They may be afraid someone will laugh if they mispronounce a word.
You can think of other reasons, too. The bottom line is this: some kids find the idea more than a little bit overwhelming. Regardless of their reasoning, in their mind, learning to read seems “too hard.” So our role is to encourage, not pressure!
You can read an an article about helping shy kids with ideas on how to help. You may be surprised to know that there are simple tings we can do to help with the every-day, completely natural anxieties our kids experience when moving to something new … and reading new material for the first time and having to do it out loud may be one of them.
Smiling and patience go hand in hand in instantly easing that calm!
Final note: Cho’s emotional disability ultimately contributed to the choices he made, and I am not suggesting that every person who is shy or afraid to read aloud will become a murderer. Cho’s was a severe reaction, due to a diagnosed emotional disability. But if there is any good that can come from our reflection about what happen, then let’s jump on that!
Bun, Pip, Tab, Sox and Ted are the fun characters that make up a team featured in the Problem Solved! Readers series of books from Red Chair. These five friends go on adventures that lead them to learn great things about such topics as friendship, responsibility, honesty and working together. My own young children love these books. They are somewhat easy for my fourth graders, but we have found a way to utilize them all the same. They are excited to read them to their Kindergarten buddies!
My fourth grade students have gone through the collection of stories and picked out ones they want to read and share with their young buddies in our school. Some students have been practicing their read aloud skills while others have been working on different questions they will ask their buddies as they get to certain parts in the story. Because we have been working a lot with comprehension strategies in our own lessons, my students have been thinking of how they can check in with their buddies to make sure they understand the story and the lesson in the story. They are becoming the teacher!
One girl, who has chosen the book “The Big Box” is planning on focusing on the question, “What would you do?” to guide her buddy through the story. She is also planning on pausing every page to ask her young buddy to discuss how the characters feel about the situation. I can tell she is excited to read this book.
My students and I like how each of these books have a page before the story that labels each character and gives a short teaser to what the story may be about. My students noticed how this is a great way to do some pre-reading discussion before the story starts.
I’m hoping my students get the chance in the next week or so to read with their buddies. It will be fun to watch them work with and read to their buddies in this new digital manner as that always motivates students.
Check out this series of books. They are cute and well done. Surely, no matter what age your students are, you will find a way to slide these into your day!
~EMP
Posted on September 20, 2012 by Terry Doherty in Classroom Ideas, Reading Lists.
Tags: building a home library for kids, children's authors, Dr. Seuss, Early Literacy Skills, easy readers, family literacy, Mo Willems, picture books, Read aloud
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This is an updated version of a post I wrote for the PBS Parents blog Booklights as part of my “Bookworm Basics” series. The original article appeared in August 2010. Although geared toward parents, teachers and librarians may find these posts valuable as hand-outs on back-to-school nights or for sharing in parent-teacher conferences, or even on their classroom blogs!
Oh, how I have procrastinated filling the early reader shelf! This is a very fluid period, not unlike your child’s transition from crawling to pulling up to walking independently. Looking back, one probably came pretty quickly on the heels of the other. Finding easy readers that have longevity on your bookshelf can be a challenge, but not an impossible task.
As the kids in our lives start learning to read, they are quickly moving beyond recognizing individual letters to combining them into words. Students move fairly quickly from books with one word per page to two or three sentences on a page. From there it transitions to short paragraphs and then short chapters.
There are days when it seems like the process moves at a snails pace, but then comes the moment when it looks like we got there in the blink of an eye!
Should I Buy or Borrow?
Aggie and Ben series by Charlesbridge
The short answer is both. Because kids will move through these books at a steady pace,quickly, variety is definitely an ally!Your local library and your child’s school library have lots of excellent choices that will engage young readers.
You definitely want an early reader bookshelf at home, too. It is important for kids to own their own books and to have fun reading at their fingertips. Remember when your toddler “read” a story to you? It was probably one you read over and over.
That same level of repetition and reading aloud are what helps reinforce what those letter combinations look like as we see them over and over again. Beginning easy readers have lots of “sight words,” also called high frequency words that we see all the time. They often use rhyme, as well, to help kids understand word families.
Recycle & Repurpose
Did “rhymes” remind you of any books? If you still have them, pull out some of those toddler books that have pictures and simple words. They are established favorites, but now your daughter can read them and use them to build a “bank” of words she recognizes. Bonus idea: Let her create picture/word cards that she can hang up or make her own book with.
You might pull out some favorite picture books, too. If you think your son has memorized the story, then ask him to point to each of the words as he reads. That will force him to look at the page and the content. You might also try reading the book from the last page to the first.
Recommended Classics and New Titles, Too
Although easy readers are not generally literary classics, Dr. Seuss has shown us that there are are always exceptions! Just like Hop on Pop and The Cat in the Hat, there are easy readers that we keep and enthusiastically wait to share with our grandchildren.
Dr. Seuss is the master of the easy reader classic, but there are other authors who ascribe to his philosophy of great books for new readers. Some of those books, like Mo Willems’ Cat the Cat and Elephant and Piggy series have the “I Can Read” imprimatur on them. But some – like Duck! Rabbit! and Little Oink! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal – don’t scream “easy reader” but are delightful choices for new readers, too.
When searching for books that can double as read-along stories and developmental readers, look for simple illustrations and lots of white space on a page; short sentences; and/or rhyming text.
Do you have any favorite easy readers … or picture books that can double as perfect selections for developing readers? What’s most popular in your early elementary classroom?
Terry Doherty is a Stay-at-Home Mom, reading mentor, and a family literacy advocate. She is the founder and Executive Director of The Reading Tub(r), and is the force behind Share a Story – Shape a Future, an annual blog tour for literacy. You’ll find reviews by families for families on The Reading Tub website; and her ideas for reading on Family Bookshelf, her blog.
Posted on September 3, 2012 by Terry Doherty in Literacy, Personal Experiences, Reading Lists.
Tags: Books, Children, family literacy, Family Time, Jim Trelease, Literacy, mixed age reading, nonfiction, nonfiction picture books, poetry, Read aloud, read aloud poetry, Reading, The Read Aloud Handbook
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This is an updated version of a post I wrote for the PBS Parents blog Booklights. The original article appeared in August 2010.
As I mentioned last week, reading with your kids – even when there are many years between them – can be enjoyable for everyone to share together. Sometimes it may be about the book, but every time it is an opportunity to connect with your kids and connect them with each other!
With homework looming most days, it can be very hard to find time to be together and remind the kids that reading is for enjoyment, too. Even a ritual like reading a [insert: poem, chapter, picture book, comic strip] at the table one morning or evening a week is great. It is your tradition, so do what works for you!
In The Read Aloud Handbook (now in its Sixth Edition!) Jim Trelease emphasizes that as readers, we have a listening level and a reading level. In Hey! Listen to This! (an article on his website), he re-emphasizes this point.
A consistent mistake made by parents and teachers is the assumption that a child’s listening level is the same as his or her reading level. Until about eighth grade, that is far from true; early primary grade students listen many grades above their reading level. This means that early primary grade students are capable of hearing and understanding stories that are far more complicated than those they can read themselves.
What does that mean? Well, you don’t have to read only picture books with simple messages or text. Young audiences can be enticed to enjoy text-heavy picture books and chapter books alike. There are a number of genres that naturally lend themselves to reading to mixed-age audiences, including …
Nonfiction. More specifically, nonfiction picture books, also called “informational picture books.” One of the best ways to hook kids of any age on reading is to give them some nonfiction books. They may be straight-up factual books, or they may be stories that have lots of facts in them (think: historical fiction for example). The great thing about informational picture books is that they have something for everyone. These are books that invite exploring, so whether you read all of the text or just talk about the illustrations, you’re in for an enjoyable, shared read.
Poetry. Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein write poetry that is meant to be read aloud.
Their poems are very “graphic,” allowing readers to “see” what they describe, and they often have a nonsensical quality that strike kids’ funny bones.
Humor. Despite the dictionary description, defining “funny” is a matter of personal taste. Still, a good laugh is something we all enjoy. As a parent, you understand the types of humor your kids enjoy … and you can decide what types of things you want to share together.
Books with lots of dialogue. “Dialog books” aren’t a specific genre, but a lot of short chapter books use conversation among the characters to tell the story. There are usually only a few characters (often school-aged kids and an adult or two) so it is an opportunity for everyone to take a role and read together.
These are by no means the only genres. On her website, storyteller Mary Hamilton offers a handy checklist that describes reading interests for various ages, from preschool through high school.
When you are selecting a book the whole family can enjoy, what types of books do you pick? If you have a family – or classroom – favorite, be sure to share!
Image Credits
Mom reading with kids: Family Story Minute by Sean Dreilinger on Flicker. Copyright. Some rights reserved.
Collage of nonfiction picture books: University of Maryland News photostream on Flickr. Copyright. Some rights reserved University of Maryland Press Releases.
Bookshelf with poetry books. Thingamababy Awesome Wall photostream on Flickr. Copyright. All rights reserved.
Roscoe Riley by Katherine Applegate. Book cover image by Mr. Biggs photostream on Flickr. Copyright. All rights reserved.
Posted on August 30, 2012 by Terry Doherty in Literacy, Personal Experiences.
Tags: family literacy, Family Time, Literacy, mixed age reading, nonfiction, poetry, Read aloud, read aloud poetry, Reading
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This is an updated version of a post I wrote for the PBS Parents blog Booklights. The original article appeared in August 2010.
Reading aloud is not only a great way to model reading, it can be lots of fun … especially when you add voices and noise and bring the story to life.
With “little kids,” reading aloud seems the natural thing to do. They can’t read the words on the page, so you do it for them. Once young readers become independent, though, we sometimes forget that they still enjoy – and can also benefit from – listening to you read. But who has time to read with each child every night? “Not I,” said the exhausted parent.
We need one book for sharing with everyone. But picking the right book can get tricky. The 9-year-old doesn’t want to hear “baby” books, and the preschooler isn’t ready for some of the subjects nor can they sit still that long! Finding books that interest your 4-year-old AND your preteen may be easier than it sounds.
Don’t give up on picture books. Librarian Pam Coughlan points out in a PBS Booklights post that sometimes those pre-teen protests are a surface reaction. See: Reading Aloud: Picture Books Rule! (MotherReader, March 2009). After the requisite “that’s for babies” teens will still sit and listen to a picture book. They may even surprise themselves with how much they enjoy their little brother’s reactions. The secret bonus: you are modeling reading for them so they can read to their brother later!
Chapter books need pictures, too. Illustrated chapter books are helpful because young audiences often need the images which engage their interest while you read pages with a lot more text. In general, the chapters in these books are short, making it easy to read in small spurts and over consecutive nights.
Mix it up. Sometimes you have enough time – and the kids’ temperaments are in sync – to read something that each child likes, and you can share a picture book and a chapter or two from a longer story. On those days when your energy is low, just pick one. The kids will understand … and be happy not to miss the chance to spend quality time with you.
Regularly sharing a book as a family will not only let you reconnect and renew a love of stories and books. Who knows, as everyone becomes readers, maybe everyone will want a turn!
Image Credit
Toes and a book: Public photo on Flicker.com. Copyright All rights reserved by Tina Cockburn Photography, tcockburn2002.
Picture Books in the library: Bozeman Public Library by JSemenza on Flicker. Copyright All rights reserved.
Rats! It seems like we were just waving the flag for the Fourth of July and POOF! We are now well into August. Ready or not, we’re barreling into the next season: back to school.
Those ads for new clothes and school supplies, backpacks, and lunchboxes also visible reminders that maybe our kids didn’t read as much as they’re “supposed to.” Summer slide is real. Rats!
The good news is that you can turn around the summer slide AND start preparing them for the routine that’s just around the corner.
Last month, the children’s book world lost Donald Sobol. You may not remember his name, but I’ll bet you know his hero: Leroy “Encyclopedia” Brown. Encyclopedia Brown has been inspiring readers since 1963. He is as popular with girls as boys and these crack-the-case books are perfect not only for summer reading, but in that initial transition when we’re trying to get kids back into a reading groove when school starts. We call them the 3 S’s of Summer.
- The story is short, with an illustration. The image helps readers create a tangible, visual scene from the words they’ve been reading.
- Lots of dialogue makes it to easy to share the reading aloud and mystery solving!
- Series books make it easy to add new titles and keep kids wanting more from their favorite characters.
It is easy to chop the book into smaller reading sessions (i.e., 1 story, 2 stories). The illustrations break up the pages and make it “go faster,” too. Last but not least, each mystery is independent. You don’t have to know the characters or previous events to enjoy the story. Put those things together and you have a book hook for even the most dormant reader.
Encyclopedia Brown is just one character that neatly fits into the 3 S’s of Summer Reading model. There are plenty more listed on the Family Bookshelf Blog in the story Encyclopedia Brown Inspires Readers – No Mystery There.
The good news is there is still time to keep summer going and start adding in a little more reading time over the next few weeks. Lazy afternoons with a book, the kids, and cold beverage … the perfect antidote to the Dog Days of Summer.
No more Rats, just Sweet!
Terry Doherty is a Stay-at-Home Mom, reading mentor, and a family literacy advocate. She is the founder and Executive Director of The Reading Tub(r), and is the force behind Share a Story – Shape a Future, an annual blog tour for literacy. You’ll find reviews by families for families on The Reading Tub website; and her ideas for reading on Family Bookshelf, her blog.
Summer has arrived for me and that means a lot of things: beach trips, family time, curriculum work and professional development. As I bone up for the new school year by perusing Big Universe, I was reintroduced to the read aloud section of the site and since I have no students to share my findings with, I brought my own children in on the fun. (Why didn’t I think of this sooner???)
Right away my kids (a 6-year-old boy and 5-year-old girl) were enthralled with the read alouds. We listened to classic stories like
My kids loved listening to the great narrations and fun music. Once we listened to the story, they enjoyed clicking the back, next, and stop/play controls. I think they really enjoyed sitting on Mommy’s lap, listening and laughing together. I know I did!
Some of the real fun was listening to stories in another language. My daughter liked hearing Cinderella in Spanish
Cinderella (Spanish) and we all loved hearing one of our favorite stories, Peter Rabbit read in Mandarin.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Mandarin Chinese)
(Especially since we have a Peter Rabbit living in our garden outside.)
There are so many great stories in the read alouds – something for everyone. It’s just another way to enjoy reading with your child, your students or even yourself!
Happy reading and listening!
~EMP
I participated in a Celebrity Read Aloud at an elementary school yesterday (not that I am a celebrity but I enjoying reading aloud). I read to a 1st grade classes and one 4th grade class. I misread the email and thought I would be reading to two 1st grade classes, so I picked books appealing to that age group to bring with me to read.
At the beginning of the day, two students holding a poster with my name on it came to accompany me to their first grade classroom. The poster was decorated and signed by all the students. I sat in a rocking chair with children at my feet and started reading the stories. We made faces. We talked ab0ut what we noticed in the pictures. Students made connections. We also brainstormed what we thought would happen next if the story continued. At the end, I got a thank you note and was accompanied back to the waiting area. I was feeling really good about the experience.
A few minutes later, I saw two more students approaching with my name on a sign. Those students looked bigger than the first pair of students. After we had our picture made, I followed them to their class. As soon as I stepped in the classroom, I knew it was not a 1st grade class. Looking around the room, I saw lists of latin root word, math terms like probability, and novels … not a first grade class. I knew I was now in a 4th grade class without even asking (I taught 4th grade for years). So I thought that I might have a problem since I had books that I picked out to read to first grade classes. I reminded myself that children of all ages enjoy read alouds.
As I was reading the first story, I noticed which parts of the story the students in this class noticed (it was not the same parts as the first grade class). So I also responded to the story in different ways. I thought back to my “4th grade teacher” days and focused on some of 4th grade skills. We talked about what we noticed about the words (how certain words sounds and some rhymed). We still discussed what we noticed in the pictures but also made mention of how the pictures added to the story events. One of the stories was very repetitive in certain parts, so the 4th graders read along with me some.
I think the children in this class enjoyed these books just like the children in the first grade classes. I used the same stories but focused on different skills to involve and engage the students in the read aloud time. I had a good time and I hope they did too!
Increasing a child’s vocabulary has a direct impact on reading and comprehension. But how does one go about teaching and reinforcing vocabulary?
Teaching isolated words and definitions don’t make an impact on students if the words are not used and forgotten quickly. We learn to read better by reading. We learn to talk better by talking. We can build our vocabulary by learning and using new words both in reading and talking.
Vocabulary is crucial for success in both reading and writing. I want to assist students in gaining new words, but I am not really sure how to accomplish this goal. My school experiences with vocabulary consisted mainly of the teacher handing students lists of words, then the students were instructed to use dictionaries to find definitions. Definitions were memorized only to pass the vocabulary test at the end of the week. After the weekly test, those vocabulary words were rarely referred to again. The lack of usage of vocabulary words did not encourage the memory of the words, so they were quickly forgotten. That is not how I want vocabulary instruction to be in my class. I want students to have repeated exposure to and experience with the words.
Knowing and understanding vocabulary is critical to reading comprehension. Books (like ones you can find on Big Universe) that are read aloud to students can be excellent sources of sophisticated vocabulary words. That makes the Reading Aloud component of a Balanced Literacy Program one of the most highly recommended ways for encouraging language and literacy. The teacher read-aloud is a major opportunity for children to learn the meanings of new words. As children listen to the teacher read, and as they read, they have many opportunities to add words to their vocabulary. Those words that are added can later be used in talking and writing opportunities.
Here are some other resources on the Read Aloud Component:
