Why Read Aloud - Hunter Supreme



Samuel Lasco

Research Paper

Why Read Aloud?

Why it is so important for us to read to children at this particular point in history; and why reading aloud so effective?[1] The nation's reading scores haven't changed in 30 years, despite school reforms.[2] Simply put, we have 100 percent in kindergarten and lose 75 percent of our potential lifetime readers by senior year. Any business that kept losing 75 percent of its customer base would be in Chapter 7 overnight. And that's why the scores haven't improved in three decades.    A school's objective should be to create lifetime readers, graduates who continue to read and educate themselves throughout their adult lives. But the reality is we create school time readers, graduates who know how to read well enough to graduate. And at that point the majority takes a silent vow: If I never read another book, it'll be too soon.[3]

In the dawning hours of our awareness, 1983, a national committee was created to discover its causes and its solution.[4] It was called the Commission on Reading, organized by the National Academy of Education and the National Institute of Education and funded under the U.S. Department of Education. It consisted of nationally recognized experts in how children develop, how they learn language, and how they learn to read.[5] Since nearly everything in the curriculum of school rested upon reading, the consensus was that reading was at the heart of either the problem or the solution.  As the most important discipline in education, reading generates more than 1,200 research projects annually. It took the Commission two years of pouring through more than 10,000 research projects done in the last quarter century in order to separate the wheat from the chaff, to boil it down to what works, what might work, and what doesn't work.    In 2001, the Commission issued its report, Becoming a Nation of Readers. It is, in my subjective opinion, the most important and "no child left behind" education document in 25 years.[6] Among its primary findings, two simple declarations rang loud and clear:

|[pi|"The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is|

|c] |reading aloud to children." |

|[pi|The Commission found conclusive evidence to support its use not only in the home but also in the |

|c] |classroom: "It is a practice that should continue throughout the grades." |

[7]

How do you get better at reading?

It boils down to a simple, two-part formula:

1. The more you read, the better you get at it; the better you get at it, the more you like it; and the more you like it, the more you do it.

2. And the more you read, the more you know; and the more you know, the smarter you grow.

   Contrary to what alarmists would have us believe, we are not a nation of illiterates. The average American student can read. And 95 percent of twenty-one- to twenty-five-year-olds can perform routine tasks using printed information one paragraph of simple sentences.[8] In “The Read-Aloud Handbook”, today's students not only don't think any less or any slower than their grandparents did, they're actually smarter. But the needs of today's world are far more complex than those of 1940, growing more complex by the hour, and outstripping the small progress being made by most American students, particularly its minorities. Seventy percent of the reading material in a cross section of jobs nationally is written on at least ninth-grade level.[9][pic]

    The scores tell us that many of our students know how to read, but their behavior as children and adults tells us they don't like it enough to do it very often. We've taught children how to read but forgotten to teach them to want to read. In so doing, we've created school time readers instead of lifetime readers.    If a nation doesn't read much, it doesn't know much. Thomas Jefferson explained the danger in that when he wrote: "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."[10]

   So where do we go from here? We follow the advice of the man who founded compulsory education back in the 1830s, Horace Mann. He wrote: "Men are cast iron; but children are wax."[11]

We begin with the "wax", then the children, finally we use the findings of the Commission on Reading to shape them.[12] We read aloud to them throughout the grades. Begin reading out loud to children as soon as possible in the classroom. The sooner you start them, the easier and better it is. During repeat readings of a predictable book, occasionally stop at one of the key words or phrases and allow the student to provide the word. Read as often as you and the students have time for. Set aside at least one traditional time each day for a story. Remember: the art of listening is an acquired one. It must be taught and cultivated gradually, it doesn't happen overnight. Start with picture books, with only a few sentences on the page, then gradually move to books with more and more text, fewer pictures, and then to chapter books and novels. Vary the length and subject matter of your readings. To encourage involvement, invite the child to turn pages for you when it is time. Before you begin to read, always say the name of the book, the author, and illustrator. The first time you read a book, discuss the illustration on the cover. "What do you think this is going to be about?" As you read, if you sense the student’s attention drifting, gain them back by asking, "What do you think is going to happen next?"

Follow through with your reading. If you start a book, it is your responsibility to continue it, unless it turns out to be a bad book. Don't leave the students hanging for three or four days between chapters and expect interest to be sustained. Occasionally read above student’s intellectual level and challenge their minds. Avoid long descriptive passages until the child's imagination and attention span are capable of handling them. There is nothing wrong with shortening or eliminating them. Prereading helps to locate such passages and they can then be marked with pencil in the margin. If you don't have enough time each day to finish an entire chapter, find a suspenseful spot at which to stop. Leave the audience hanging; they'll be counting the minutes until the next reading. Allow your students a few minutes to settle down and adjust their feet and minds to the story. If it's a novel, begin by asking what happened when you left off yesterday. Mood is an important factor in listening.

Don't read stories that you don't enjoy yourself. Your dislike will show in the reading, and that defeats your purpose. Don't continue reading a book once it is obvious that it was a poor choice. Admit the mistake and choose another. Make sure, however, that you've given the book a fair chance to get rolling. You can avoid the problem by prereading at least part of the book yourself. Don't feel you have to tie every book to class work. Don't confine the broad spectrum of literature to the narrow limits of the curriculum. Don't overwhelm your listener. Consider the intellectual, social, and emotional level of your audience in making a read-aloud selection. Never read above a child's emotional level. Don't select a book that many of the children already have heard or seen on television. Once a novel's plot is known, much of their interest is lost. You can, however, read a book and view the video afterward. That's a good way for children to see how much more can be portrayed in print than on film. . Don't get too comfortable while reading. A reclining or slouching position is most apt to bring on drowsiness. A reclining position sends an immediate message to the heart: slow down. With less blood being pumped, less oxygen reaches the brain, thus drowsiness.

Among the many purposes of reading aloud, a primary one is to motivate the child to read independently for pleasure. In academic terms this is called SSR - Sustained Silent Reading.[13]    SSR is based upon a single simple principal: Reading is a skill, and the more you use it, the better you get at it. Conversely, the less you use it, the more difficult it is.    How effective is SSR? When the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) compared the reading skills of 210,000 students from 32 different countries, it found the highest scores (regardless of income level) among:

[pic]children who were read to by their teachers;

[pic]children who read the most pages for pleasure daily.[14]

   Moreover, the frequency of SSR had a marked impact on scores: Children who had it daily scored much higher than those who had it only once a week. American NAEP assessments found the identical pattern for the nearly the last quarter century it had been testing hundreds of thousands of U.S. students.[15] The evidence for reading aloud to children and SSR is overwhelming — yet most children are neither read to nor experience SSR in the course of a school day.  The connection between reading aloud and sustained silent reading (SSR), emphasizes that the teacher must avoid reading too quickly while reading aloud to students as well as individualized reading, [16]Which are the most critical for reading aloud!

MS. Mendez and I spent time developing a reading workshop, “Read Aloud”.

Begin your day with a read aloud. This should only take about 5 minutes. This is a time to read poems or other short texts, perhaps a picture book or something you or a student has written. It isn't a time to teach, rather a time to enjoy great literature. Read aloud during a reading minilesson. Read aloud during a writing minilesson. Read aloud during other content area subjects, such as social studies, science and math. It was the perfect time to share great expository texts with students. They need to become familiar with the unique features of expository text. We also know that students need to hear many examples of expository texts before they will be able to write them. Use these texts to teach children the comprehension strategy of determining importance. Consider reading aloud a small portion of a variety of types of informational texts, such as newspaper headlines or the first paragraph of a magazine article. Read aloud during a genre study. Read many, many examples of the genre you are studying, whether it is poetry, expository, narrative, mystery, etc. Make sure students have access to these books so they can study the features of the genre.

Through my lesson, “Casey AT Bat”, I hope to touch upon three very important skills/concepts that will be very important for the success of my mini-unit: understanding different characters, similies, and listening skills.  Students will be demonstrating their prior knowledge of baseball through the Read Aloud activity.  During our group discussion, the students will be utilizing and developing their communication skills.  And while listening to myself and their peers throughout the Read Aloud and following discussion, the students will be demonstrating good listening skills.

By giving the students an opportunity to participate in an inquiry mini-unit on “Casey At Bat”, I hope they will begin to see the relevancy and fun side of learning.  I chose to begin this mini-unit using a Read Aloud and Baseball for a variety of reasons.  First, through this activity, I plan on giving my students an overview of the topics we will be discussing in our mini-unit on baseball.  Secondly, through this activity, I hope to create excitement for this mini-unit by peaking their curiosity through the use of a story and KWL chart that focuses on baseball.  Finally, through the use of a KWL chart, I will be able to assess their prior knowledge as well as pinpoint their misconceptions regarding this topic.

 

Brynildssen, S. C. A. E. C. o. R. E., Communication, B. I. N., & Family Learning Association, B. I. N. (2002). Recent Reading Initiatives: Examples of National, State, and Professional Organizations' Efforts. ERIC Digest. U.S.; Indiana.

Buckles, S., Melican, C. C. A. A. I. f. R. W. D. C., National Council on Economic Education, N. Y. N. Y., & Council of Chief State School Officers, W. D. C. (2002). Assessment Framework: 2006 National Assessment of Educational Progress in Economics. U.S.; District of Columbia.

Ediger, M. (2002). Reading Aloud To Aid Pupil Achievement. U.S.; Kansas.

Evaluation of National Literacy Project: Summary Report. Corp Author(s): Department for Education and Skills, London (England). (1997). United Kingdom; England.

Lubienski, C. (2000). Redefining "Public" Education: Charter Schools, Common Schools, and the Rhetoric of Reform. U.S.; Iowa.

Olmsted, P. P. (2001). Early Childhood Settings in 15 Countries: What Are Their Structural Characteristics? The IEA Preprimary Project, Phase 2. U.S.; Michigan.

Patrick, J. J. C. A. E. C. f. S. S. S. S. E. B. I. N. (2002). Teaching America's Founding Documents. ERIC Digest. U.S.; Indiana.

Presentation of Institutional Results Reports, 2001. Corp Author(s): Illinois State Board of Higher Education, Springfield. (2001). U.S.; Illinois.

Scully, P., & Roberts, H. (2002). Phonics, Expository Writing, and Reading Aloud: Playful Literacy in the Primary Grades. Early Childhood Education Journal, 30(2), 93-99.

Trelease, J. (1989). The New Read-Aloud Handbook. U.S.; New York.

Vandrick, S. (2000). Language, Culture, Class, Gender, and Class Participation. U.S.; California.

Wellborn, S. N. (1982). Ahead: A Nation of Illiterates? U.S. News & World Report, 92(19), 53-56.

Yoon, J.-C. (2002). Three Decades of Sustained Silent Reading: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Effects of SSR on Attitude toward Reading. Reading Improvement, 39(4), 186-195.

Zimmermann, J., & Brown, C. (2003). Let Them Eat More Than Phonics. Phi Delta Kappan, 84(8), 603-605.

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[1] (Scully & Roberts, 2002)

[2] (Evaluation of National Literacy Project: Summary Report. Corp Author(s): Department for Education and Skills, London (England), 1997)

[3] (Vandrick, 2000)

[4] (Brynildssen, Communication, & Family Learning Association, 2002)

[5] (Presentation of Institutional Results Reports, 2001. Corp Author(s): Illinois State Board of Higher Education, Springfield, 2001)

[6] (Brynildssen et al., 2002)

[7] (Zimmermann & Brown, 2003)

[8] (Wellborn, 1982)

[9] (Trelease, 1989)

[10] (Patrick, 2002)

[11] (Lubienski, 2000)

[12] (Brynildssen et al., 2002)

[13] (Yoon, 2002)

[14] (Olmsted, 2001)

[15] (Buckles, Melican, National Council on Economic Education, & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2002)

[16] (Ediger, 2002)

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