Read Alouds

As I look back on my childhood, there are few things that I remember enjoying more than cuddling up on the floor or in a cozy chair and listening to an adult read stories to me. This literacy strategy played a big role in the development of my love and passion for reading. Read alouds, when implemented properly, have the potential to reap lasting benefits for all parties involved. The Joy of Children's Literature claims that reading aloud can aid in areas such as:
-increased motivation and positive attitude
-conventions of print
-decoding and reading comprehension (Johnson, 388)
... and many more.
By a teacher reading out loud, he/she models proper speech which children will imitate. Without realizing, children are subconsciously learning about expression, vocabulary, adherence to punctuation, sentence structure, and many more important skills. Teachers could also incorporate explicit instruction by periodically pausing throughout the reading to assess children's comprehension through probing questions. Teachers should also strive to not only pay attention to HOW they are reading, but WHAT they are reading. It is essential that youngsters are exposed to a multitude of texts including: narratives, nursery rhymes, songs, fairy tales, poetry, non-fiction, and other genres. Their acquaintance with various genres will yield more well-rounded individuals as well as possibly spark their interest in a specific type of literature.

Needless to say, I could rant about the effectiveness of read alouds all day, but to state it succinctly: I highly recommend any teacher or parent utilizing read alouds to promote literacy with their children.