LLED 6010 Module 2 Option A Read-Aloud with Secondary School Students

1. LLED 6010Module 2 Option ARead-Aloud with Secondary School Students Allen, Chapter 4: Life is Short – Eat Dessert First Paige Cole, Stephanie Shumacher, Michelle Lindsey, Elizabeth Sears

2. High School, College Teachers Reading Aloud to Students, 3/22/10 http://www.king5.com/news/education/High-school-college-teachers-reading-aloud-to-students-88869747.html

3. Given: • Reading aloud to younger children, both in a school setting and at home, is TIME WELL SPENT! • builds fluency, comprehension, and interest • models effective reading • builds “mental models” • it’s fun!

4. Not a given: • The value of read-aloud for older students • how read-aloud can benefit older students • if there is any research out there to support read-aloud for older students • how best to implement read-aloud in the secondary classroom

5. Paige’s Yoga Practice • Instructor Cathy Jackson begins each class by reading aloud from her journal. The process of quieting the mind and listening: • prepares students for the day’s yoga practice • builds a strong sense of community among the participants and between students and their instructor • encourages reflection • makes the experience of class fuller, richer, and more intimate • Literacy students will undoubtedly have the same experience as their classroom teachers prepare and share read-alouds with them.

6. Janet Allen Agrees! “All students, regardless of age, deserve the opportunity to see the story without struggling with the text. Five to ten minutes spent in this way each day has a significant influence on students’ literacy and learning lives” (45). Reading aloud is risk-free: “ ‘they do not have to concentrate on, or take responsibility for, the mechanics of gaining meaning from the printed word. …[They] are able to experience the satisfactions and delights of the product of reading – meaning’ (1990, 10).” All students, not just those who read it to themselves, are able to participate fully in the discussion of the text and to add their own valuable insights. Builds a sense of community by bringing struggling readers into the class so that they feel less marginalized.

7. And other experts? • Literacy professor Dr. LettieAlbright believes in the experiential value of reading aloud: • "I think about music students and how they might be able to read a sheet of music and play it, but you wouldn't want them to never go to the symphony and enjoy an afternoon of listening to the music because they can do it themselves.” • The critic: Robert Pondiscio, of the Core Knowledge Foundation • Believes that students should first “learn to read” and then “read to learn”. • Fears that read-alouds will be over-utilized. • Our answer to this critique: • Reading aloud to students is only one of many methods teachers use to improve literacy skills. • Reading isn’t the only way to learn new information: “ ‘….what enters our consciousness through the ear is likely to stick’ (16).” • Students are able to experience powerful learning through the acts of listening, envisioning, and creating mental models.

8. How should secondary teachers implement read-aloud in their classrooms? • Teacher preparation is fundamental! • Read-alouds should not be used as filler time. • “Read-aloud is an important instructional time and as such needs to be prepared for in the same way we prepare for any significant teaching moment: preparing our students for participating in the read-aloud; preparing ourselves to do an effective read-aloud; and making sure the environment is conducive for read-aloud (49). • Students as featured readers. • Will allow students to demonstrate what they have learned. • Will allow them to serve as models for others.