By: Kasey Short, 6th Grade English Department Head, as published in Edutopia
This article was originally posted in the the Edutopia blog, in which Kasey Short is a regular contributor.
Hearing books read aloud benefits older students, enhancing language arts instruction and building a community of readers.
By the time many students reach middle school, they no longer have books read aloud to them at home or at school. But research shows benefits of hearing books read aloud, including improved comprehension, reduced stress, and expanded exposure to different types of materials.
For five minutes of each class period, I read aloud to my middle school students. I’m often asked how I “give up time” each day to read, but the five minutes are a gift to my students. Spending this time each day enriches the classroom community, allows me to share a love of reading, enhances my language arts instruction, and exposes students to new authors, genres, and themes.
Enriching Classroom Community
During daily independent reading, students choose a book that is both interesting to them as individuals and appropriately challenging for their ability. Reading aloud provides an opportunity for students to experience a shared text together.
When choosing a book to read aloud, I look for stories that represent diversity in a way that counters stereotypes and provides opportunities for students to develop compassion and understanding for others. As we read and discuss these powerful topics, students develop common connections and have an opportunity to practice civil discourse. Blended, by Sharon Draper, provides an opportunity to discuss code-switching, divorce, racism, police prejudice, and the biracial experience. Wishtree, by Katherine Applegate, tells a beautiful story through the eyes of a tree and provides an opportunity to discuss religious tolerance, Islamophobia, and friendship.
Scheduling read-aloud time for the last five minutes of class means that students walk out of class talking about the book and wondering what will happen next in the story. The suspense facilitates excitement around reading and engagement in the content for the entire instructional block.
Connections to Content
Reading aloud allows me to model reading strategies. I ask questions, share my thoughts, and make
connections between the text and other texts, as well as cross-curricular content. For example, I may stop to point out the sensory details the author uses and then allow them to discuss how that approach might be applied in their own writing. Modeling reading strategies also conveys my expectations for how students should approach their independent reading.
Share a Love of Reading
Novels are my most common selection, but I also use picture books because they increase students’ exposure to diverse themes and characters as well as provide an opportunity to interpret and discuss
pictures as text features. Last Stop on Market Street, written by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson, uses beautiful language and vibrant illustrations to spark conversations about social responsibility, socioeconomic diversity, and finding beauty in our everyday lives.
Reading is fun. It allows us to experience other worlds and situations. Reading has the power to open hearts and humanize those who are often dehumanized. Reading the stories of others can help us to better understand and reflect on our own stories. Helping students find a love of reading sets them up for a lifetime of learning.