Read Alouds

Not only am I learning about read alouds from the book, but I also learned a lot from last semester about read alouds too! I even got to participate in one! It was so much fun and I learned a lot about how to do one. Let me tell you what I know about read alouds though.

1.      It’s not just reading a book to children.

Trust me, when I heard about read alouds for the first time in my spring semester, that’s all I though a read aloud was. When I started reading the book “Reading Magic” though, it shocked me. It’s so much more than that!

2.      They are so important!

Apparently doing read alouds to children from birth is a good way of getting them interested in reading later in life. I thought it sounded ridiculous at first but I later found an example in my own life. I have a friend that is very envious of how fast I can read. He told me it takes him a week to read a book that takes me a day to read. When I asked him if his parents ever read to him as a child, he responded no. I was read to all the time as a child so I guess that is part of the reason why I am such an avid reader today.

3.      They need to be engaging!

You need to vary your voice. Make it slow if the character is moving slow or creeping around the house. Make it fast if the character is running. Make your voice high pitched if the character speaking is a female. Make it deep if the character is a male. Use your judgement.

4.      Ask questions.

You should stop and ask questions every once in a while. This will make sure they are focused and comprehending the story you are reading.

5.      Have fun!

If you have fun reading aloud, the children will see that and might even start to enjoy reading too!

Hope this all was a helpful summary of read alouds. Go out and buy Reading Magic if you want to know more than what our textbook teaches us. It really is a good book and an easy read!