Monday, November 28, 2011

Reading as a Performance

I'm an Elementary Education major with a Language Arts specialization. TE 348 is very relevant for me and I'm learning a ton of things about children's literature. The most practical thing I've learned, however, is the read-aloud techniques introduced last week during lecture. I think it's so important for teachers to be prepared to "perform" every work for their students. Whether its reading to them a Scholastic science magazine or an intriguing novel, teachers must engage their students in their reading.
It sounds simple to read aloud to kids, but after last week's lecture and practice I know now that it 's not as easy at it looks. I thought the substitute instructor was making a big deal out of nothing but NOPE - I was wrong. Reading aloud is tougher than it looks...
I think it's completely necessary to read aloud books you plan to read to your students - that way you can plan out the different, energetic, characterized (but tasteful) voices you might plan to use, work through awkward phrasing or sentence structures, know what to emphasize, know when to maybe ask questions of your students, and even when to pause for a dramatic effect. All of these things may sound trivial, but after practicing with a group of people I know that it will be absolutely vital to running a successful reading time with my future students.
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2 comments:

  1. Colleen S.November 29, 2011 at 2:40 PM

    I agree - read alouds are super affective! In TE 301 we learned all of the techniques to go about doing a read aloud. They help with the student's prosody, and hopefully will get the students who are less comfortable with reading more comfortable! It makes reading more interesting too - it's better and more active than simply reading a book silently.

    I was one of those kids in class who didn't really like reading aloud. But by participating in a more theatrical read aloud, one where the students can practice what they say, I would think that I would have been more comfortable.

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  2. Hannah M.December 12, 2011 at 10:40 PM

    I think reading aloud is really important, especially to ensure ALL students get this experience. I took MUS463 last year and it was a music class aimed at teaching music and how kids interact with music. It was really cool. We talked about integrating music into all school subjects and it was definitely a challenge but we came up with a lot of ideas! Reading out loud with rhythm and student participation, using music and sound to experience different biomes/environments in science class, or making up a song to remember math facts! All these activities can further student participation in reading and connects different subjects into one!

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