As a child, I would ask my parents to read the same books to me over and over again so many times that I would "read" them at two years old by reciting the words. I even knew when to turn the page at the appropriate times. This article was great at giving specific examples of why reading aloud is so beneficial for kids.
First, the author pointed out that reading is not only about comprehension. It can open up so many avenues for subjects that could peak students' interest. Everyone knows that reading is a very important, if not the most important skill that a student learns in school. This article focused on the reasons why teachers should have read-aloud time on a regular basis in class. Hearing the words brings the text alive for the students. They will hear tones and inflections that they might have missed otherwise. They will hear excitement, sadness, exaggeration, and they will learn to apply these things to text when they are reading independently.
I really enjoyed reading the sample read-aloud texts in the article. The important part of choosing a text is making sure it is something that will spark student interest. Whether it is the sound of the words, or just the conversational nature, students need to be intrigued by what they are hearing. My mentor teacher is really fond of using authentic materials like poems and short stories in this manner. In a foreign language, so much of becoming proficient in the language involves being able to hear and understand spoken conversation. In this way, read-aloud activities in class are extremely valuable.
I did the exact same thing growing up! I think it's so amazing that as young children we can recite a story without even being able to read, yet we find it difficult to take meaning from an authentic text. I enjoyed as well how the author focused on comprehension and understanding of text, with two important aspects being curiosity towards another subject, like you said, and peaked interest in the topic. I found the Read Alouds to be a great, short activity to spark the student interest and hope to utilize this in my own classroom. In terms of questioning other areas of interest, I really liked the suggestion of using a Wonder book to log these areas of interest and to give me time during an extra five minutes of class to address some of the questions my students came up with as a result of a reading
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