Thursday, February 5, 2015

Reading Aloud

I'm over at From the Write Angle today talking about some benefits of reading aloud your own work. I hope you'll pop on over and join the discussion.

Our teachers never read aloud to us when we were in school. I wish they had.

When I'm in the classroom, I read aloud to my students every day. It's often the favourite part of the day for me and the students. There's something very special about sharing a good story about strong characters. We talk about why things happened, what we think will happen, and agonize when things go wrong.

Over the years I've developed a huge pile of favourite read-alouds. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, The Outsiders by SE Hinton, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, and Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan are huge favourites with the older kids. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, The Giver by Lois Lowry, & Dogsled Dreams & Ice Dogs by Terry Lynn Johnson are the faves for the slightly younger crowd. And then are lots more!

How about you? Any favourite memories of books read aloud by teachers?

29 comments:

Beth said...

When I was in fourth grade, my teacher read to us every day after lunch. The only book I specifically remember is Ginger Pye, but I do know I loved them all.

Anonymous said...

I love reading to my students.

I recall many of my teachers reading to the class. I loved it.

Belle Wong said...

I'll be reading The Giver and The Outsiders to my son this year (they're on his Battle of the Books book list but are a little too old for him to read on his own, I think). I'm looking forward to The Outsiders - this was one of my favourite books as a teenager. I was so in love with Ponyboy!

Jemi Fraser said...

Beth - I don't know Ginger Pye - I'll have to check that out.

Medeia - I love it too - and so do the kids :)

Belle - there is SO much to those books! I agree with reading them aloud together - the kids always say they enjoy the book so much more that way :)

DL Hammons said...

Sadly...I have no memories of teachers reading books to us. Maybe a snippet here or there, but not an entire book. That would have been nice...and its a great thing that you take the time to do it! :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ava Quinn said...

I loved reading aloud to my students, and my kids. For my fourth graders I read aloud The Whipping Boy and The Time Warp Trio along with Harry Potter, The Wish Giver and Hatchet. There were others, but those I remember most. :) Good times.

Romance Book Haven said...

With my editing, I always read aloud as a last pass.

Jemi Fraser said...

DL - I think teachers are missing out on amazing connections with their students if they don't!

Ava - those are great choices! Harry Potter is one of my faves too :)

RBH - and it's such a great idea!

Carol Kilgore said...

I always liked when the teacher read. I also read my work aloud. It's a huge help.

DMS said...

My teachers read to us when I was growing up and I loved it. I still love to be read to! I remember listening to Island of the Blue Dolphins, Bridge to Terabithia (sp?) and The Mouse and the Motorcycle. It was my favorite part of the day. :) Glad to hear your students love it and it sounds like you have some great favorites. :)
~Jess

DEZMOND said...

never read by teachers either :(

Jemi Fraser said...

Carol - I wish my teachers had read aloud too!

Jess - love those books! I've read the first 2 several times too!

Dezzy - I wish that was a universal requirement!

Patricia Stoltey said...

I went to a country grade school in Illinois in the late 40s and early 50s. The teachers always read great fiction aloud to us, and by great fiction, I mean stories like Call of the Wild, Black Beauty, and Wind in the Willows. Wonderful memories.

Rosalind Adam said...

When I was about 9 and 10 years old my class teacher read to us at the end of every afternoon. I loved those times and I can still remember my favourite stories. They were Dr Doolittle and Worzel Gummidge. Teachers don't have the time to read like that every day apparently. Isn't it a shame.

Jemi Fraser said...

Pat - those are wonderful books! Love them all!!! :)

Rosalind - that read aloud is such a special time for a class - it's such a shame if it doesn't happen

Julie Dao said...

I love reading out loud! I don't remember my teachers reading to us often, but I do remember them asking us to take turns doing so. I'd get called on a lot because I loved to do it and was good at it :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Julie - love that! It's such a great way to share books with kids! :)

Nas said...

Reading aloud always make you catch any errors or typos etc.

Jemi Fraser said...

Nas - it does!

cleemckenzie said...

Your students are lucky. I loved it when my third grade teacher read to us after lunch each day. It was a special time and I'm sure it had a lot to do with my love of books.

Stephen Tremp said...

I remember Charlotte's Web, Little House on the Prairie, To Kill a Mockingbird, and something else that was just on the tip of my tongue and I forgot. No memoirs though.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

wow, i had a few teachers who read aloud at school. It's actually what got me into reading in the first place. A teacher read The Hobbit and I fell in love (with the story, not the teacher).

Dawn Simon said...

I had teachers read to my classes. I loved hearing books back then, and I still do! Nowadays, I work in a school (I'm certificated, but I'm working as a para-educator), and the kids listen to their teachers read to them. It's one of my favorite times, too! :)

Your students are very lucky, Jemi!

Jemi Fraser said...

Lee - I've had SO many kids tell me it's really influenced them - such a great part of the day! :)

Stephen - those are awesome books! To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my all time faves :)

Lynda - teehee! I got the Hobbit for my bday in Grade 6 - loved it!

Dawn - I bet it is! It's such a wonderful part of the day! (and thanks :))

Theresa Milstein said...

I remember my fouth grade teacher reading aloud to us: Charlottes Web, Stuart Little. Right after lunch.

You're so right about reading manuscripts aloud. It's time-consuming, but illuminating.

Shelley Sly said...

I loved read alouds! I can't remember the specific books that teachers read when I was a kid, but when I was a 5th grade TA, the classroom teacher read books by Margaret Peterson Haddix aloud, and the kids loved it!

LD Masterson said...

I can't remember my teachers or my parents reading to me, although I'm sure someone did. But I have wonderful memories of reading aloud to my kids and my grandkids. I read Little Men to my grandson, one chapter a night at bedtime.

Before my dad died, I read the first two chapters of my own book to him before he went to sleep. He said he was looking forward to hearing it all, a couple chapters a night. Sadly, he was gone the next day.

Nas said...

Awesome post!

Jemi Fraser said...

Theresa - love those books!

Shelley - I love her Shadow Children series - great stuff!

Linda - but he got to hear it and you got to share it! That means a lot :)

Eds - thanks Nas!