Slice of Life Tuesday: Read Aloud

Check out more blogs at TwoWritingTeachers.com

 

 Recently I spent an afternoon in classrooms. That is something I haven't done much lately. In a fourth grade class I had the opportunity to do a Read Aloud.  The students were working on persuasive writing, so I read EARRINGS! by Judy Voirst. The class had talked about strategies to use in persuasion.  They were: promises, flattery, bandwagon, facts, and scare tactics.  As I read, the teacher would ask the students what strategy was being used. It was a powerful lesson and lots of fun to team teach.

Today I had a play date with my three-year-old grand daughter. Before nap time, we read a stack of books. Her favorite was:Where's Spot? by Eric Hill.  It's a flap book and she loves lifting those flaps.  I introduced her to the book: To Market, To Market by Anne Miranda and illustrated by Janet Stevens.  She learned some new words like: market and trout. She really enjoyed the pictures, too.

Doing Read Alouds is so powerful both for teachers and parents. Gone are the days of principals saying: "Oh, you're just reading. I'll come back when you're teaching!"  For example, take the Prairie Heights Elementary principal who spent an entire day reading to each classroom. Mrs. Pfefferkorn had a goal of winning books for students, but she also knew she was teaching!

So, over the thanksgiving break, grab a book and do a Read Aloud!  Happy Reading!