The Power of Read-Alouds

Reading aloud is a powerful activity to share with children.  Something special occurs when a book is read aloud.  It becomes a performance of sorts; the story to comes to life.  The experience can be entertaining, informative, thought-provoking, even emotional.  A special bond is formed between a reader and a listener when they share a story.

I can't overstate the importance of reading aloud to children, even after they have learned to read independently. 

My Top 10 Reasons Why We Should Read Aloud to Children:

It activates the imagination.
It stimulates language development.

It promotes a love of books.

It encourages independent reading. 
It develops listening and reading stamina.

It builds background knowledge.

It provides a model of fluent reading.

Students encounter new vocabulary in context.

It offers and opportunity to use higher level thinking skills.

And...It's just plain fun!

March 6 is World Read Aloud Day.  I will be reading aloud to my students.  Then, they will "Read It Forward" by reading aloud to someone else (a younger student, friend, family member) that day.  How will you celebrate?

On an unrelated topic...The author of the beloved Clifford the Big Red Dog series, Norman Bridwell, turns 85 today.  :) 

Clifford is near and dear to my heart.  He was the mascot of my first grade classroom and a favorite storybook character of my students.  Happy Birthday, Norman Bridwell!

Accept the Challenge!

Accept the World Read Aloud Day Blogging Challenge!

Are you celebrating World Read Aloud Day?  It's an awareness day, held March 6, promoting worldwide literacy.  If you missed my post about it, you can read more *here*.  LitWorld has offered a challenge to bloggers that begins this week:

The World Read Aloud Day “Read It Forward” Blogging Challenge begins today and runs through March 6.  If you choose to take the challenge, each week you will be asked to write a post in response to a prompt, for a total of 4 posts counting down to World Read Aloud Day.

Each of the prompts addresses the theme “Read It Forward.”  Read It Forward describes the ripple effect of positive change that resonates around the world when we read aloud with others.

Week 1: February 10 – February 16

What do you think is special about reading aloud?

Your first mission is to answer this question.  After answering the prompt, share a short description of how you plan to celebrate WRAD on March 6.  Who will you celebrate with?  Where will you be?  If you have celebrated WRAD in the past, what activities brought you and those you celebrated with the most joy?

Week 2: February 17 - February 23

Now & Then

Answer the following questions twice.  The first time, answer how you would have when you were 10 years old (or any age from elementary school that you remember clearly) and the second time, answer in the present.

1. I think everyone in the world should read...

When I was 10:

Now:

(repeat this format for the remaining questions)

2. If I could listen to anyone in the world read aloud to me it would be...

3. When I read aloud, my favorite character to impersonate is...

4. The genre that takes up the most room on my bookshelf (or e-reader) is...

5. The last book I wish I’d written or inspired me to write my own story is...

Week 3: February 24 - March 2

A Snapshot of My Reading Life

Post a photo that gives readers a glimpse into your reading life. This could be your favorite place to read, your bookshelf, your library, a classroom, a book from childhood that you still re-read today, your favorite person to read with.  Anything that brings joy to your reading life will work!

Below the photo share a short narrative explaining why this picture is meaningful to you.

Week 4: March 3 - March 8
Read It Forward!

It’s time to read aloud! Select a favorite text, or a personal story that you love to share out loud, and make a video.  If you don’t have a webcam, or prefer not to be on camera, you can also translate this challenge into a written post.  Share what you will be reading on World Read Aloud Day, and why you chose this particular piece to read aloud.

I'm taking the challenge, and I hope you will too!

Wendy

Read It Forward!

*March 6 is World Read Aloud Day*

Imagine a world where everyone can read...

March 6, 2013, is World Read Aloud Day, an awareness day advocating for literacy as a human right.  

Celebrate by reading aloud, giving away a book, or taking action in any way you can to "Read It Forward" on behalf of the 793 million people who cannot yet read or write.

World Read Aloud Day creates a community of people who are advocating for every child’s right to learn to read and access technology that will make them lifelong readers.  Together, we can change the world!

Visit LitWorld to join the Read It Forward movement.  Register your participation and spread the word to friends, family, and colleagues!  

LitWorld offers free activity kits full of ideas for children, teens, families, and educators at http://litworld.org.

I'm celebrating World Read Aloud Day with my students.  Will you join me and "Read It Forward"?   :)

Perfect Penguin Picks

School was closed today due to icy conditions.  It's the perfect reason to share my favorite penguin book picks and a word sort freebie.  

Little Penguin's Tale by Audrey Wood
Little Penguin is a delightful bird who wanders off on an adventure  while his Grand Nanny is telling a story.  He learns an important lesson along the way. 

Penguins by Gail Gibbons
This is the perfect non-fiction companion to Little Penguins Tale.  Students can learn all about where penguins live, how they grow, and what they eat.

Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester
Tacky isn't your average penguin.  This story illustrates the advantages of being an individual.  If you enjoy this story, try reading Three Cheers for Tacky, too.  Your students will love this odd bird!

Penguins by Emily Rose Townsend
This book is another great non-fiction choice, written in simple words that young students can grasp.

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater
Mr. Popper is one of my favorite chapter book read-alouds for the primary classroom.  Old fashion fun and laughter fill the pages. 

And now for a freebie...

Making Words is a great activity to use in a whole group setting or at a center.  You can download a little penguin word sort here.  I'm just starting to post files, so I would love to hear what you think about this sort.  Please leave feedback.  :)

Time for you to share...What are your favorite penguin picks?  I'd love to know!

Winter Read-Alouds

Hi-hip-hooray!  We had a little snow and a two hour delay today.  It got me thinking about a few of my favorite winter read-alouds.  

Missing Mittens by Stuart Murphy
     In this rhyming book, the animals on Farmer Bill's farm are each missing a mitten.  This is a great book to explore odd and even numbers.

Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft & Richard Van Gelder
     Find out how animals cope with winter's worst weather.  This is a great book to introduce the words migrate, hibernate, and adapt.

The Twelve Days of Winter by Deborah Lee Rose
     This winter story-song tells the story of a teacher who introduces students to a new winter activity each day.

The Mitten by Jan Brett & The Mitten by Alvin Tresselt
     In this Ukrainian folktale, a boy's lost mitten is found by the woodland animals.  Reading both versions provides an opportunity for comparing and contrasting.  

The Hat is a great companion book to The Mitten.  Click here to visit Kristine's TpT store for a super cute venn diagram (freebie) to use with these two books.

Trouble with Trolls by Jan Brett
     I've mentioned this book in another post.  It is so clever!  If you do not own this book, run right now and get your copy.  Your kids will love it!

Swim, Polar Bear, Swim! by Joan Stimson
     Polar Star has difficulty learning to swim in this beautifully illustrated picture book.  This book offers great lessons on unconditional love and perseverance.

Elmer in the Snow by David McKee
     Elmer's friends learn that hot and cold are only relative-and both can be fun.

The Magic School Bus in the Arctic by J. Cole & B. Degen
     Take a ride on the Magic School Bus to learn about heat.  This book is a great introduction to the topic of heat and insulation.  There is a fun experiment with insulating toast slices on the last page.

What are your favorite books and activities for the winter months?  Please share!  :)

MLK Day Activities

Read-Alouds

Here are a few of my very favorite read-aloud books to celebrate Martin Luther King Day.

Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport is a fabulous read aloud.  If you plan to read just one book about Martin Luther King, this should be the one.  I love the inspirational quotes on each page.  Although segregation is a difficult topic to tackle with students, this book opens the door for thoughtful discussions. 

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King by Jean Marzollo is another good choice for younger children.  The text is written in clear, easy to understand words for children.  The scratch-art style illustrations are beautiful! 

Here are a few other books worth checking out too!

                    

Activities

One activity my students  enjoy is Readers' Theater.  I love Readers' Theater, too, because my students want to read the scripts multiple times.  It's a sneaky way to get children to practice fluency and expression (and it builds self-confidence as well).  

I found a cute little play, Big Words, Strong Words by Bobbi Katz, that is perfect for Readers' Theater.  You can download it here from Scholastic.   

Another activity I use often with my students is word sorting (or making words).  Students use a set of letter tiles to build words and write them.  I can focus on particular phonics skill that we are studying or allow students to explore patterns on their own.  The goal is to discover the 'Mystery Word' by using all the letter tiles to form one final word.  

I created three word sort activities for Martin Luther King Day to share with you.  This is the first time that I've posted a document to Blogger, so I'm crossing my fingers that it works.  Just click on the links below to download the files from Google Docs.

Dreams Sort                   Freedom Sort                       Birthday Sort

I would love to have your feedback about these sorts, so please leave me a comment.  

What do you do to celebrate Martin Luther King Day in your classroom?  Please share!  :)

Mystery Guest

The results are in and 298 students earned the first Hit the Books reward, a "Mystery Guest" assembly!  Our school challenges to students to read nightly for a specific number of minutes. Students who participate and return their signed reading logs each month earn privileges and rewards at school.  If you missed my post about Hit the Books, you can read it here.  To earn the privilege of attending the assembly, students had to complete the reading challenge for the past two months.  

The assembly began with the introduction of our mystery guest, *insert drumroll here*...Rascal from the Harrisburg Senators!

Rascal quizzed students on Senators trivia and fun facts (and they did surprisingly well).  Next we played a friendly game of "Minute To Win It" where teachers competed against randomly selected students.  Rascal cheered for students and even competed with them in a challenge.

A teacher and a student complete in the "Elephant March" challenge by knocking over
water bottles with a trunk-like contraption pulled over their heads.

What assembly would be complete without a prize drawing? Several students were chosen by raffle to select a prize from a table filled with books, posters, cool school supplies, and tickets for bowling.  The grand prize was donated by Rascal himself...four tickets to attend a Senators baseball game. 

When the assembly concluded, Rascal met children at the exit doors to give them high-fives and hugs to express his pride in them.  The kiddos were over the moon!

Students are currently working to earn an invitation to our Bingo Bash where they could win books and posters.  

What does your school do to motivate readers?  I'd love to hear your great ideas!