Reading to and With Children

        It is extremely important to read aloud to children. Research shows that reading with your child is extremely important in helping your child to become a better reader, writer, listener and speaker.  Reading with your child helps them to become lifelong learners as they build vocabulary, develop listening and speaking skills and explore and learn about the world around them. Reading aloud shows children that you value reading and think it is important.  

      Reading aloud also:

• provides a context for teacher to demonstrate the nature, purpose, and act of reading and to model their own love of reading
• creates and environment where all listeners have equal access to knowledge
• builds interest in language and provides models of language in use
• extends opportunities for the development of new insights and understandings and for building on existing knowledge
• provides a context for teachers to model fluent reading and how reading think in the process of reading
• builds interest and develops tastes in a range of genres available in written language
• improves listening skills and develops use of imagery
• offers multiple perspectives and extends a listener's worldview

Tips for reading aloud:

• Make sure you make time every day to read a book aloud just for fun.
• Choose books with diversity.
• Give the book a "voice" by interpreting the mood, rhythm, tone and intensity of the book.
• Make sure all students can see and hear the book.
• Hold up the book while you are reading.
• Share the name of the author/illustrator.
• Give the children a preview of the book.
• Give children a chance to respond before, during, and after reading.
• Model, don't question.
• Connect the book to other books, authors, genres, and content.

Here are a list of the top 10 read alouds in which books come to life:

• The Book of Story Beginnings by Kristin Kladstrup
• Edward and the Pirates by David McPhail
• The Great Good Thing by Roderick Townley
• Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
• Lionel and the Book of Beasts by E. Nesbit
• Magic by the Book by Nina Bernstein
• My Book Box by Will Hillenbrand
• The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
• The Red Book by Barbara Lehman
• Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book? by Lauren Child

Johnson, D. (2009). The joy of children's literature. (2 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. pg 388-392,408.