Why is reading aloud so important to your students in your classroom? We have been reading aloud to our students in our classrooms for over 3 decades. Within the last decade, we are just starting to realize the importance of the “a book a day” attitude we set for ourselves.
Reading aloud to our students comes very naturally to us due to the fact that we love children’s books. Our pile of what we want to read gets higher and higher as each year passes. Our passion for reading and the love of books has made a strong impact on each of our students. As teachers we can truly bring a book alive for our listening audience. It does not take long and soon that passion of reading is passed on to our students.
So now we find ourselves as book pushers, asking kids what they like to read about, finding books on all different kinds of topics and interests for current and past students, and making the school library a place like your family room at home.
Why the push for “A Book A Day” mindset………….
First, having knowledge of the world they live in is important. As teachers we have read in our own personal professional growth that building background knowledge is so important to their trajectory of learning how to read. The cold fact of learning how to read is to reach the ultimate goal of understanding and learning from everything you read. The one way to improve a student's comprehension might be to help students learn more about everything and the world around them.
Second, a robust vocabulary improves all areas of communication. In the areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing, vocabulary is critical to a child's success for these reasons: Vocabulary growth is directly related to school achievement. The size of a child's vocabulary predicts the ability to learn to read. Children’s books and picture books give students that opportunity to build vocabulary.
And lastly, fluency plays an important role in reading aloud to children daily. Students need to hear stories with great expression, rhythm, correct phrasing, and smoothness. This will only help them develop their own fluency when reading. Students with good and strong expressions while they read are more likely to comprehend what they are reading. Studies have shown strong connections between reading fluency and success in reading achievement.
These three reasons and so many others to help students in their reading development have given us enough cause why we need to read to our students daily and the push for “A Book A Day” campaign at all ages.
Happy Reading!
Heidi and Michelle
Hooked On Books ABC
* Picture taken in 2019
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