EDN340 Blog 2 Post

Hi EDN 340!

Here is my link to the shared reading/read aloud blog.

https://us2-broadcast.officeapps.live.com/m/Broadcast.aspx?Fi=295f82a28e872da1%5Fbd11bb7e%2D6593%2D4c25%2D9910%2D7acd2201e157%2Dasync%2Edocx

             Read aloud is when one adult reads a book to one child, or a group of children, while they listen. Most exposure to read aloud must come from home, starting from baby hood on through middle school. Reading aloud and sharing the world of books, is the single most important thing a parent can do to assure their child will be a lifelong reader. By a lifelong reader, I mean someone who does not only read for assignments at school, but for pleasure on their own free time. I was surprised to find out that by 12^th grade only 19% of students read on their free time. During read aloud parents can share books with their children, discuss the book, and farther develop their child’s reading skills. Even though the children are not reading the book themselves, they are looking at the words, and learning new vocabulary. The books chosen for read aloud do not necessarily need to be on the child’s reading level. Most of the time children can comprehend a level much higher than they can read on their own. Unfortunately, after children reach middle school, most parents stop sharing books with them, assuming they will read on their own. Read aloud does not directly teach children to read, but it shows children reading is something we do for pleasure. It is not a dreaded “hard and boring” skill we only use for school, but something we look forward to. For read aloud, children can choose books that really interest them, and parents can share their own personal favorites. Also, when a child sees their own parent reading for fun, even if not reading to the child, it instills the thought that this is something everyone enjoys, adults too. They will naturally want to learn a skill that will help them unlock the fun of books on their own, if they see reading in this perspective, and are frequently exposed to good books.

                Shared reading occurs in classrooms, with the teacher reading to one student, a small group, or an entire class. During shared reading, the teacher guides class through a book, often a large print classroom editions. The class may read along with the teacher out loud the entire story, the teacher may read some parts and then insinuate for class to read all together others, or the teacher may be reading a book to the class and stopping frequently to discuss with class. Before beginning the book, teachers will usually point out things like the title, cover, back, author, and illustrator. The discussions may be about characters, plot, settings, or sequences of events, and sometimes just talking about what was read to make sure all students comprehend. Shared reading can be very beneficial for helping struggling readers, while ensuring they all feel successful by providing help to the entire group, and increasing sight word knowledge/fluency for the entire class. Although shared reading is very beneficial in the classroom, it cannot be the only exposure to reading children experience. Reading aloud at home with parents daily, in addition to shared reading at school, are the best ways to assure a student become an avid reader.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OG2Q6pPQYw---   This short video gives some really good tips about how to make the most of read aloud with your child. Things like identifying the title, and asking them to make predictions will get them engaged. Throughout the book, it is a good idea to stop and kind of re[cap] what was just read every few pages or so. Children are easily distracted, and this will ensure they are following along and comprehending. In a very short amount of time, it gives parents and teachers some very good tips on reading aloud.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu3QH9AJn0s--   This video is of a teacher practicing shared reading with either a pre-k or kindergarten class. The teacher in this video stops on every page to ask questions. After the class reads a sentence together “I am yellow. I am a banana”, she asks “does anyone know what this letter is?”. “What sound does it make?”  She doesn’t call on any kids that don’t want to answer, however most of them raise their hands on every question.

   It’s funny just day before yesterday I was having this exact conversation with my mom about the benefits of read aloud. I am lucky to say, I was exposed to books at home from a very early age. My mother read bed time stories to me when I was a baby, through about 6^th grade. By the time, she stopped reading to me, I was already an enthusiastic reader. The library was walking distance from my house in downtown Cary, and I went there all the time, in summer especially. Back then older children could still walk a few blocks alone, without parents worrying CPS will be called by neighbors. When I started kindergarten at age 4 (cutoff date was in October back then), I already knew how to read simple books. Because kindergarteners were not expected to read, my teachers were very impressed, especially with my vocabulary (according to mom). She continued reading to me all through elementary. My favorites were historical fiction. In the 3^rd grade, I remember my mom reading my “A Little Princess” by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I remember she read me “Christy”, which was a young adult novel, in the 4^th grade, after I saw the movie. I also loved Goosebumps, Junie B., and in 4^th and 5^th grade the “Dear America” series were my favorites. My mom did not enjoy reading “The Babysitters Club”, and I knew it, so I always read those on my own. Today I still love books and use my library card almost every two weeks. My favorites are still historical fiction, and now historical non-fiction, and non-fiction about real people and issues in society. In my kindergarten classroom, teacher would read aloud big print books to class like Clifford and Eric Carle books, since we weren’t expected to be reading along.

   I think in first grade I started experiencing some shared reading settings at school, but especially in 2^nd grade. I remember in first grade our class reading a book together about a cow and a bed, and skiddle dee doo. In 2^nd grade, I remember the teacher shared reading the first book in the Junie B. Jones series, and we had many discussions and assignments based off it. I was bored because I had already read the book, even though I liked it. In 5^th grade, I remember us doing shared reading, and having students take turns reading a page aloud to class. This was very embarrassing for some students. I remember one boy couldn’t even get through easy words like “locker” and “house”, which I’m sure did not significantly improve any reading levels enough to make it worthwhile to humiliate these students. (One could see it on their faces). Thankfully, for me, this wasn’t a problem, and I could read the books selected for my class, about as good as the teacher. In fact, I was selected as the narrator for my 5^th grade Christmas production. I didn’t get a pretty costume, like the girl that played Santa Lucia, but I had more speaking lines than any other student in my grade.

  I know for a fact that reading aloud frequently at home makes a kid enjoy books. Reading, words, and writing in general have always came easy to me, because it is something I enjoy, and was exposed to from an early age. I read to my own children, as much as my mother read to me. I hope they too will enjoy finding all the worlds of knowledge in books.