Reading aloud is a
family affair
For students in the primary and junior grades
Why read aloud?
"The single most
important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual
success is reading is reading aloud to children." (Trelease, 2001,
pg. 2; originally from a commission entitled Becoming a Nation of
Readers)
Choosing the right
book
When choosing books
to read with your child, ask yourself the following:
- What is my
child's age and what is he interested in?
- Do the
illustrations and story line avoid stereotypes (e.g. sexism,
racism)?
- Are the
illustrations appropriate and appealing?
- Is the text at
or above her reading ability?
- Is the page
setup well designed?
- Can he relate to
issues raised in the book?
Create an
enjoyable reading experience for your child
Sometimes your child
will read to you. Here's how you can make the experience productive
and fun:
- Sit somewhere
comfortable
- Create a routine
- Be as
enthusiastic and focused as possible
- Reward all
efforts
- Listen lots -
talk less
- For difficult
words, use prompts, then tell
- Anticipate
mistakes and offer praise when the child attempts to fix them
- Relax - if
things are not going well, set the book aside and do something
else
Reading with
Expression
"We can do at least
seven things with our voices to keep our listeners engaged. Six of
these seven vocal gymnastics are contrasts: loud and soft, fast and
slow and high and low. And we can p-a-u-s-e." (Fox, 2001, pg. 42)
- A loud or soft
voice can be used to emphasize certain parts or to differentiate
character's voices.
- A slow voice is
best used for the darkest moments in a book.
- A fast voice,
needless to say, is for the speedier parts of the text, or for
any section filled with excitement and drama.
- The high voice,
as with the fast voice, can also be used in moments of great
excitement or drama.
- Low voices are
terrific for frightening parts of a story or for voices that
should be low, like the voices of pirates or giants.
- The pause can be
a great effect to use before a dramatic mood change in the story
or if there is an obvious pause in the character's speech.
Related Web sites
For additional
information on the importance of and suggestions for reading aloud
to your child, check out these Web sites:
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