The Power of a Read-Aloud
I can vividly remember my 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Lemaire. She had short brown hair, wore glasses and was very business-like. She reminded me more of a secretary than a teacher. The year was 1966. Mrs. Lemaire would read to our class every Friday afternoon, 15 minutes before dismissal. When I tell you we ALL looked forward to her “read-alouds” that would be an understatement! She would read a chapter a week. (At least that’s what I remember–but not sure how we followed the storyline a week at a time.) The chapter always ended with a cliff hanger. The bell would ring. We quickly exited the classroom and headed home for the weekend. Sitting on the bus, I remember chatting the whole ride with my brother and friend. It was all about the latest and juiciest pieces of happenings to the Friday read-aloud from Mrs. Lemaire’s great book. As I reflect back to that time of being a 3rd grader, those read-alouds were the best thing about 3rd grade. Isn’t it crazy that still to this day, I remember the power of a “read-aloud?”
Fast forward to present day life. My husband and I recently retired and have completed our move to a peaceful lake house in a small Mississippi town. Life here is tranquil and relaxed. It is a place to de-stress and leave the troubles of the world behind. Living on the water can do that and so can gazing at the huge expanse of a star-filled night sky. The other day, I got around to unpacking my books and began placing them on my beautiful new bookcase. Two shelves were devoted to professional literature. I have those resources that have served me well in my career and continue to support my work with Responsive Classroom. There is one shelf though, situated at the very bottom, where my most beloved children’s books are housed. Each one of those books I placed on the shelf with cherished memories of reading to children. “Read alouds,” at one time, were the heart of the literacy program. A teacher was able to model good reading behaviors, skills, and strategies as our young children became immersed in the glory of the written word. The teacher picks up a book and begins to tell a tale. For me, it is with emotion in my voice and mastering the delivery of the story, that I could see how my students became captivated as the story came alive. What a gift it is to give young children this experience. They sit, listen, giggle, and make comments (that sometimes can get you off-track). They react with excitement, concern, confusion, and laughter (depending on what is happening to the characters in the story.) Afterwards, they discuss, share perspectives, make connections, and retell favorite parts over and over. They write. They copy. They use these stories as a basis to author their own.
I was putting Thank you, Mr. Falker on the shelf and it brought back such memories. I always cry when I read the last page. When I read, I’ll Love You Forever, well that’s another one that has me tearing up at the end. (Try reading that when it is Muffins for Mom day and you have all of your students’ mommies there!!! We’re all crying!) I love reading Each Kindness. The ending is so profound. It’s not what you would expect. There is no happy ending. You should see the faces of the children and hear the discussions that follow. I’ve read this to 6, 7, and 8 year olds and also to 10, 11, and 12 year olds. Their reaction is the same.
I can go on and on about the big shelf full of my favorite “read-alouds.” Each one of those books hold a special memory related to a particular time of the year, a writing assignment, discussion, or a certain student’s reaction. I hope that my former students will one day think of me—just as I have thought of Mrs. Lemaire and her Friday afternoon “read-alouds” that left us hanging and wanting more.
What are some of your favorite books to read aloud? What are your memories? What is the possibilities for your students when you read aloud to them?
Each Kindness is such a powerful book. My students were disappointed with the unhappy ending but were able to admit that the ending is unfortunately realistic. It gave me the opportunity to tell them that a child only needs one friend to want to go to school each day and that some children don’t even have that one friend. I asked them to be that friend to those who need one. Loving your blog! Keep writing!