"Reading aloud in
school is not a frill. Go out of your way to make each book a special
experience for your students. Allow them to live literature, to become so
involved in a story that they become a part of it. It could change their
lives."
Judy Freeman.
A recent post on OZTLNet
reminded me of the importance of reading to all students, regardless of age.
Some secondary schools are beginning to rediscover the importance of reading
aloud to adolescents and have even timetabled weekly ‘Library-English Reading
Lessons’ as part of their school improvement plans to lift student learning
outcomes.
It makes sense for us to keep reading
to our teens.
Reading aloud helps them develop and
improve literacy skills - reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Additionally, it gives students a shared experience
conducive to group activities and exposes them to literature that they are
unlikely to read independently. Jim Trelease
asserts that because children “listen at a higher level than they read, listening
to other readers stimulates growth and understanding of vocabulary and language
patterns”.
Indeed, reading aloud to adolescents
does enrich their vocabulary. They are provided with new words in context that
would be normally too difficult for them to read independently. These new words
can then be added to their speaking and writing vocabularies and serve as a
foundation for acquiring additional vocabulary. Carefully chosen material
encourages the broadening of vocabulary and the acquisition of new concepts and
stretches general knowledge, improving performance in all KLAs!
Another benefit of reading to secondary students is
that the process improves listening stamina and skills. It also gives them a ‘taste’
of sophisticated writing and is useful going into stage 6. It exposes them to
classical mythology and classical literature that they may have missed as
younger students and may prove useful in their senior years – particularly in Advanced
English. The allusions to classical, biblical and mythological literature by
poets and writers are many and numerous!
The National Library of New Zealand
offers a list of ‘musts’ for reading to older students. These include:
·
As well
as novels, read short stories, poetry, magazine articles, newspaper columns or
editorials and young adult (YA) books.
·
Always preview
the book.
·
Read a
chapter or a good “chunk” each day – keep the momentum going.
·
Read
books that suit students intellectually, socially and emotionally. Semi-literate
readers do not need semi-literate books.
Additionally, I would also add:
· Use picture books –
this also improves visual literacy
· Read from a variety
of genres
· If a read aloud
falls flat, drop it and select another – keep them engaged at all costs!
Finally, I think the best approach
to reading aloud to older students is best summed up by Jim Trelease when he says:
“Reading aloud is a
commercial for reading. ...Think of it this way: McDonald's doesn't stop
advertising just because the vast majority of Americans know about its
restaurants. Each year it spends more money on ads to remind people how good its
products taste. Don't cut your reading advertising budget as children grow
older."
Research and resources on reading
aloud
Chambers, A. (1991). The reading environment : how adults help children enjoy books. PETA
Freeman, J. (1992). Read Aloud Books: The Best Of The Bunch. Teacher Magazine. Available at: http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr081.shtml#sthash.8IYDaZPk.dpuf
Krashen, S.D.(2004). The power of reading: insights from the research. 2d
ed. Westport CT, Libraries Unlimited.
McPherson, K. (Oct 2008). Reading lifelong literacy
links into the school library. Teacher librarian. 36
(1): 72-74. Reprinted from Dec 2005. (Available through EPIC MasterFile)
Miller, D. (2009). The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child. Jossey
Bass Wiley, Chichester.
Mills,W. (Aug 2009). The Importance of reading
aloud .Journal of reading, writing and literacy. Vol 4(2):64-78
National Library of New Zealand (2015). Reading to
older students. Available at: http://schools.natlib.govt.nz/creating-readers/creating-readers-strategies/reading-aloud
Phelps Zientarski, D., Pottorff, D.
(1994). Reading Aloud to Low Achieving Secondary Students. Reading Horizons, Volume 35, Issue 1. Available at: http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1386&context=reading_horizons
Trelease, J. (2013). The Read Aloud Handbook, Penguin Books, New York.
