Read Alouds

It's not surprising to me that an overwhelming 62% of sixth grade students indicated a preference for teacher read-alouds as their best reading experiences in school when surveyed (Ivey). I have many fond memories of my teachers reading to me in elementary school. I can stilll remember many of the books that were read to me; On the Banks of Plum Creek in 2nd grade, Caddie Woodlawn in 4th grade and Rifles for Watie in 8th. Another very fond memory I have of elementary school, that revolves around reading, was "The Reading Center". This was a portable that had been converted into a reading "lounge". All the desks in the classroom had been removed and replaced with couches and comfortable chairs and racks and racks of books. Unlike the library, it was a comfortable place to read. An entire class period was devoted to reading. This idea was fairly revolutionary in its time. Now, however, many schools see the importance of integrating the love of reading into the curriculum and provide time during the school day for children to read. In the Lake Washington School District, my daughter, who's in junior high, participates in a program called NIB (Nose in Book). Every day (with the exception of Wednesday) she is expected to drop every thing and read at a predetermined time.

In my main placement at Rosa Parks, I've often had the opportunity to read to my students during story time. My mentor teacher mentioned that I could choose books from her library or bring in my own, so of course, I was anxious to share my favorite books with "my" first graders. Initially, when I started reading to them, I didn't pay much attention to their reactions to my books because I was so focused on reading with fluency and expression. It wasn't until about my 3rd time reading that I actually relaxed more and really looked at my "audience". I was amazed to see all eighteen faces looking at the book with such interest. They were totally engaged listeners! And, of course, it was awesome to think that I was possibly passing on my passion for books to them.