Why Students of All Ages Need Read-A-Louds
Reading is a foundational skill for academic success as well as an integral life skill, but about half of adult Americans can’t read past a 6th-grade reading level. Reading aloud to our students is a significant activity known to improve student knowledge, fluency, and comprehension, but they don’t have to stop after primary school. Read-a-louds have incredible benefits for students in both primary and secondary education.
Read-a-louds are the most significant activity contributing to reading success. During read-a-louds, young students can listen on a higher level than they can read, exposing them to more challenging speech patterns and vocabulary that work to grow their fluency and knowledge of the world. Reading aloud to our secondary students has the same benefits as reading aloud to young students. Some literature, like plays, we may already read aloud with secondary students, but you may consider additional opportunities for read-a-louds this year.
Reading out loud to students:
- Builds vocabulary
- Models fluency
- Improves story comprehension
- Reveals life lessons
- Displays enjoyment
In secondary education, read-a-louds can be helpful for sparking conversation amongst a group and modeling different comprehension strategies. Read-a-louds are notably useful for groups with various reading levels as students are exposed to new words, strategies, and tools. You may consider using read-a-louds for warm-ups, vocabulary building, and large-text discussions.
But read-a-louds aren’t just for educators; they’re also for parents and guardians. Reading aloud to your kids consistently at school and home is invaluable to their development. It supports kids’ imaginations and increases their understanding of the world, but it also plays an imperative role in language development and a child’s listening skills.
Thankfully, reading is a relatively accessible activity to do at home, no matter a family’s income level and age level. Libraries with books, ebooks, and audiobooks are accessible to most families, and new websites and apps efficiently provide access to free books and resources. For similar reasons, the rise of audiobooks levels up our ability to develop these skills for all readers, child or adult. Reading audiobooks at a young age can improve listening, information processing, and letter-sound correspondence skills. You can now find audiobooks and text-to-speech apps online through libraries, Spotify, Amazon, and more.
If you need help preparing your next read-a-loud, here are a few tips to remember:
- Choose an Engaging Book. When picking your next story, you may want to ask yourself a few questions about the book.
- Will it appeal to your students?
- Will it make them think more profoundly about a specific topic?
- Will it spark curiosity?
- Will it inspire?
- Is it a story they’ll remember?
- Is it a genre they’ve read before?
Be sure to know your purpose for choosing that book.
- Prepare Ahead of Time. Get familiar with the book before reading it with your students, and write down some notes on parts you’d like to focus on, vocabulary words to learn, questions you want to ask, or themes you want students to notice. A little extra time to prepare your focus points could make a big difference in your students’ experience.
- Ask Questions and Encourage Predictions. Reading comprehension beings even before a student can read themselves. Asking questions helps students recognize essential aspects of the story where they can begin building connections. These questions might encourage them to connect the story to personal experiences and other media. Constantly asking questions about themes, plots, experiences, and literary devices will help students recognize universal themes.
- Practice the Skill. This is a skill we can exercise and improve over time. Consider sitting down and practicing reading out loud to feel more comfortable with the skill and story.
- Try Different Voices. Using different tones grabs students’ attention and exposes them to different pronunciations. Being silly when reading reminds students that classrooms are safe places to be yourself.
- Be Expressive. Facial expressions and body language are signifiers that something notable is happening in a story. Students are studying your reactions to the story to learn to read body language and facial expressions, as this is part of communication. It’s time to be expressive!
Mobile Ed has designed assembly programs to help students find the fun in Language Arts. These programs are interactive, educational, and entertaining! Some focus more on reading, writing, or history; educators can choose which program suits their students.
Learn more about Mobile Ed’s reading and writing programs here.
