Literacy in the Classroom: Read Alouds, World Read Aloud Day, and more. . .
I can’t really remember when I couldn’t read. How fortunate I am! My earliest memories are of my mother reading to my brother and me, one of us on each side of her. Ours were the Little Golden Books. My favorite was The Little Red Caboose by Marian Potter. I especially loved the illustrations. That train took my imagination to places I had never been. Thank you Mom, for taking the time to give me the love of reading!
I remember 5th grade and how my teacher read aloud to us every day after lunch recess. Here I first heard the words of Mark Twain and discovered Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. I still recommend those after recess read alouds as an opportunity to engage students and provide a quiet time to settle and focus on classroom tasks. My reflections here are to remind all of us of the importance of sharing the love of reading. We do this by reading to and with our students. Taking time each day for read alouds or silent reading like DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) gives us an opportunity to model and cultivate a love for reading in our students. Using literature in the classroom provides a vehicle for teaching not only literacy but many valuable lessons that connect to real life and content areas like social studies.
This week I came across three articles/posts that really speak to the importance of literacy for all our children. If you find these useful, please let us know how you use them.
Have a great week.
Linda
Read Aloud and Literacy Resources
- Make Every Day Read Aloud Day blog post by Donalyn Miller on The Book Whisperer Blog. Donalyn provides valuable reasons for reading aloud, gives suggestions for books to read to 4th-6th grades, and invites readers to share their favorite read alouds. I thoroughly enjoyed this post and highly recommend it. She also shares World Read Aloud Day.
- World Read Aloud Day: March 7, 2012
- Celebrate the Power of Words and Stories and Take Action for Global Literacy with LitWorld
Worldwide at least 793 million people remain illiterate. Imagine a world where everyone can read…On March 7, 2012, LitWorld, a global literacy organization based in New York City, will be celebrating World Read Aloud Day. World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology. By raising our voices together on this day we show the world’s children that we support their future: that they have the right to read, to write, and to share their words to change the world.
To learn more about LitWorld and to register to participate in World Read Aloud Day, please visit: http://litworld.org/worldreadaloudday
- World Read Aloud Day Activities
- Recently I blogged that Walter Dean Myers was named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature 2012-2013
- An Education in Books blog has an excellent review of The Cruisers by Myers, Grades 4-7. Click on the links in the post for resources for teaching this book. I am currently reading it on my iPad. It looks like a great book for teaching both the civil war and current social issues. I’m adding it to my social studies lit set.
- Resources for Read Alouds
Trackbacks
- World Read Aloud Day Blog Challenge Week 3 | From Surviving to Thriving
- March 2 – Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss – Read Across America | From Surviving to Thriving
- World Read Aloud Day Blog Challenge Week 2 | From Surviving to Thriving
- World Read Aloud Day 2013 « From Surviving to Thriving
- Read-Alouds in the Classroom « From Surviving to Thriving
- World Read Aloud Day Wrap Up « Culture Bean
- Chapter Book Read Alouds: My Top Five List | The Lit Witch: A Book Blog
Read Aloud time was always my favourite when I was teaching–I could see the moment when each child fell in love with the story.