Just a Minute ...

Linda Rief read to me. It was pretty amazing. I’d read most of the books she read from, but I hadn’t had them read to me. It was like hearing from an old friend. Small selections interjected with a small activity and a supplemental sample of student writing made for one of the most comfortable venues I had been to. I didn’t remember how good it felt –to have someone read to me. It was amazing how much emotion and connection can be conjured in a short time.

Shortly after this conference, I began reading a beautiful book I had previously come across – Better than Life, by Daniel Pennae and David Hommel. The message I got from it was simple: Read Out Loud. Paired with Linda’s conference, the book reminded me of how wonderful it was to be read to. It helped me realize that there is value in reading to students for the purpose of pleasure alone.

But there are so many other reasons to read out loud. Reading text aloud while students look on in their own books helps them to improve their fluency- their ability to read using punctuation to guide their voice. Reading a piece out loud more than once helps initiate rhythms and stress key words that students may overlook when reading on their own or with a single reading. Even television commercials remind us to read to our children for fifteen minutes a day. Doing is an effective way to improve literacy –at any age!

So, I gave it a try. I thought about who was in my classes and chose a young adult literature book that appeared to suit them and just… read. I didn’t read for long; perhaps for a five-minute chapter, begun immediately after the bell rang.

It settled them in.

It quieted them down.

It set the tone for the rest of the class.

They listened.

They enjoyed.

Now my students catch me if I am in a whirlwind. They have no problem reminding me that it is time to read, time to slow down, and time to enjoy a good story. The trend works beyond my classroom. I don’t know how many times I’ve caught teachers reading a current events article that caught their interest as I pass their classroom –how many teachers insist on a poem a day. I’m glad I didn’t miss the lesson. I’m glad I’ve learned to read out loud to my students for the sake of their listening enjoyment. They deserve to know what is available to them, and that someone values them enough to read to them –even for just a few minutes each day.

Works Cited:

Pennae, Daniel and David Hommel. Better than Life. NY: Stenhouse, 1999.
Rief, Linda. 100 Quickwrites. NY: Scholastic, 2003.

Some Great Read-Alouds:
Acampora, Paul. Defining Dulcie. NY: Scholastic 2006.
Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. NY: Vintage 1984.
Lupica, Mike. Heat. NY: Scholastic, 2006.
Peck, Richard. The Teacher’s Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts. NY: Scholastic, 2004.
Sonnenblick, Jordan. Notes from the Midnight Driver. NY: Scholastic, 2006.
Spinelli, Jerri. Stargirl. NY: Knopf, 2000.
Van Draanen, Wendelin. Flipped. NY: Knopf, 2001.