Reading Aloud is Important

Greetings!

I certainly hope you are reading aloud to your students. It is my belief that we should read aloud to students of ALL ages. Yes, I know that older students can read for themselves and you high school teachers or librarians probably don’t read aloud to them. Still, I think you should. Here are my reasons.

1. Everyone enjoys a good story and we should not leave anyone out. I know that I listen to a preacher better if the sermon is illustrated with stories.

2. Speaking of listening, many children today need to improve listening skills and stories are one way to help improve that skill.

3. Reading aloud and sharing books models how important this skill is. When I read a book to a group, the book I read is the exact book that students ask for over and over. Years ago I read a story called “Mailing May” (see note below) to a group of 1st and 2nd graders. One little girl checked the book out repeatedly for years. She graduated last year, but that book was special to her for many years.

You may not realize what kind of power you have at your fingertips. You can influence the reading material of your students. There is such a plethora of reading material and much of it is just trash. If we can find good wholesome books for our kids to read, what a blessing it would be.

I hope you have a great week.
Audrey

Note: Mailing May by Michael O. Tunnell, Illustrated by Ted Rand. Greenwillow Books, 1997.
Summary: May is a small child who wants to go visit her grandmother across the Idaho mountains, but the family does not have enough money to pay the $1.55 fare. May tries to earn money, but she is just too young. However, Ma and Pa come up with a plan. Ma’s cousin Leonard is working on the mail train from Grangeville to Lewiston and May is ‘mailed’ to her grandmother. What is the best thing about this book is that the story is true. You can read the whole story in the back of the book.

Check out other books by Michael O, Tunnell if you like this one.