As it turns out, they have a blog challenge - check it out -->
From the website:
Week 1: February 10 – February 16
What do you think is special about reading aloud?
Your first mission is to answer this question. We are using this prompt to bring awareness to the act of reading aloud. It is meant to be open-ended to draw out many different perspectives, and we anticipate that every answer will have a unique style and format.
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? If you haven't finalized your plans, or if this will be your first WRAD celebration, Use this space to share your brainstorming process, and direct your readers to litworld.org for activities and recommendations.'
Here goes nothing...
Reading aloud is special for so many different reasons. First, read aloud provides an opportunity for students to hear their teacher (or parent, if done at home) model strong expression, volume, and pacing with a text. I can still hear the voice of my mom reading from the Narnia series and my sixth grade teacher reading to us from Tiger Eyes and Walk Two Moons.
Second, read aloud during the school day gives students a shared reading experience - from there a whole discussion begins and characters become more like friends. For a few years now, I've read The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School, which is an incredible book of humor and short stories about students that come together to weave one larger picture of a school year. After reading a part in which the teacher (Mr. Jupiter) calls attendance and students respond that they are "not here," my students have always thought it funny to tell me they are "not here" when I call attendance.
In addition, read aloud puts all students at the same level. The kids are able to sit back, relax, and, in a sense, enjoy the show. No need to decode words or worry if they can't keep up. We can laugh, cry, and discuss together. And that is a beautiful thing.
Clearly reading aloud is a special tradition and gift meant to be shared with everyone!
Now, World Read Aloud Day is apparently March 6, 2013. (I believe it's a Wednesday.) I will be definitely celebrating reading aloud with my students (just like I do every day), and we will be in the middle of the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio.
I'm also interested in learning more about activities and more at litworld.org.
Care to join me?
No comments:
Post a Comment