Are they reading, or are they Reading?

-->

A great read aloud -> for ANY age!!!

Do you spend time reading with your children? In modern society children are being pushed to read at a much younger age, and it’s not usually approached as a way to benefit the child’s love for reading. Rather, it’s motivated by the misunderstanding that we want them to “get ahead” and get them prepared to “do well” in school.

The classroom is an interesting place where an educator evaluates the reading strengths and needs for over twenty individual children. Over time it has become apparent that the struggling readers don’t have the higher deficiencies in reading comprehension (when they are reading books at their individual level), and the fluent readers many times struggle with comprehension. These fluent readers have become expert decoders; they struggle to grasp that we read to gain information or to enter into a story. They read words to get through a page, and use strategies to find an answer to a question. This could be a consequence of too much test preparation and the authenticity of learning being compromised.

"Thank You, Mr. Falker" - Patricia Polacco

It’s important to read to our young and adolescent children. Maybe at first there will be some resistance (if they aren’t used to it), but when they begin to comprehend a story and personally connect they will beg to hear another story. It opens up opportunities to discuss issues that are faced in school, with friends, or at home. Furthermore, they will begin to enjoy reading, which will encourage their academic development in all areas.

***Please check our "Books" page for ideas and resources on reading and read alouds.

†kEh