Nancy J. Cavanaugh's Blog, page 6

The Importance of the Read Aloud for Teachers

In keeping with the old fashioned theme of my first blog post, I’ve decided to talk about the read aloud, which in some schools has become a thing of the past.

As an author, librarian, parent, and reader, I’m appalled to sometimes hear teachers say they don’t have time to read aloud to their students.  To me that’s like saying, I don’t have time to let my students breathe.   Now, don’t get me wrong, I know why teachers say it.  I was a classroom teacher for many years, so I’ve been in the trenches, and I know what it’s like.  Every year, teachers are expected to cover more material in less time.  New things are crammed into the schedule, but nothing is ever taken away.  (Except of course for recess, but that’s a topic for another time.)  Teachers have to be masters at using the classroom time they have with their students in the most productive way possible.    They are expected to do so much with so little, and as a result, sometimes, things like reading aloud to their students falls by the wayside.   I’m here to pick that book up out of the ditch and get it back into the teachers’ hands because reading aloud is our opportunity to show students just how satisfying books can be and ultimately turn them on to reading.

Don’t you remember those afternoons after lunch when you and your classmates laid your heads on your desk and listened to your teacher read Henry Huggins?  Don’t you remember closing your eyes and picturing the barn in Charlotte’s Web?  Don’t you remember groaning when you teacher stopped at the really, really good part?  It was magical.  It was entertaining.  It was what made me fall in love with books.  Sometimes we forget that the simple things can make the biggest difference.  Reading a really great book aloud to young readers is always worth the time you take to do it because it will always make a difference in your students’ lives.  Students will not only enjoy the opportunity to sit back, relax, and enjoy a great story, but both struggling readers and high achievers will begin to realize the wonders that lie between the covers of a book.

So I encourage all you teachers out there who are running short on time this week to:

Choose one of your favorite books.
Set aside just ten minutes every day to read aloud to your students.
Enjoy that moment when you stop reading for the day, and all your students groan and then beg you to read just one more chapter.

Happy Reading!

Nancy J. Cavanaugh

Welcome to my Blog!

It is with great resistance that I have come to have my own blog.  People might say I’m somewhat of an old fashioned girl – I don’t text.  I don’t tweet.  And only recently have I surrendered to the pressure of social media by posting a Facebook Author Fan Page.  Hooray for me leaping into the 21st  Century like that!

My problem is I’m clinging to the past in many ways.  You see, I still have a huge collection of cassette tapes which are unfortunately collecting dust since I don’t have a cassette player in my car anymore.  Many would argue that I should just get rid of my cassettes, but then what would I play in the background if I ever got the urge to do some high-impact aerobics to some fabulous music from the 80’s?  (I should mention here that this is the same reason I still have my leg warmers in a sweater box under my bed.)

So, as you can see, I’m really not blogger material, but I am beginning to feel that if I don’t do something drastic, I may be left behind wearing my leg warmers while rewinding my cassette tapes on an old boom box.

If you were born any time after the 80’s, you have no idea what I’m talking about and may even wonder why you’re reading a blog written by a crazy lady, who is technologically, emotionally, and socially stuck in the past; but not too worry.  I’m not really crazy, maybe a little misguided and awkward, but hopefully everyone can find a little humor in that.

My blog is called Nancy’s Book Bag.  Now if I were a little more 21st Century, I’d probably call it Nancy’s Nook Knapsack or Nancy’s Kindle Carrier; but you know, it’s all about who you are.

The book bag thing works for me because I’m sometimes called the bag lady.  You might be raising your eyebrows and thinking, bag lady?    But not to worry, my bag lady nickname comes from loving bags.  And no, not the really expensive, chic bags that are the latest trend.  I just like bags – shoulder bags, book bags, backpacks – you know the kind that you can get on the cheap at Wal-Mart or K-mart or whatever mart you have near you.  I also like shopping bags, and often when I buy something nice enough and expensive enough to actually warrant a salesperson giving me a real shopping bag, I cherish it.  I’m not kidding.  I love the small ones that are great for putting your lunch in for school.  I love the medium-sized ones that are perfect for returning library books.  And the jumbo ones make it so easy to clean out your closet and take your old clothes to Goodwill.

So anyway, Nancy’s Book Bag is going to be about all sorts of things, mostly things that have to do with books.  I’m an author, teacher, librarian, reader, and parent; and I plan to share tidbits of information about all sorts of things that will interest other authors, teachers, librarians, readers, and parents.

My plan is to be short and sweet – I don’t want to blog, blog, blog.  Everybody’s busy.  There are tons of blogs out there.  Who has time to read all this stuff anyway?  (Besides we should all be outside getting some fresh air.)

So, now that you know who I am and what I want to tell you, I promise to keep it shorter and sweeter from now on.

Coming Attractions:

A Few Great Books and What Makes Them Great
The Importance of the Read Aloud
The Plight of the Struggling Reader
Developing a Community of Readers
Babysitter’s Bag of Tricks
Five Great Books I’ve Recently Read (in no particular order)

Best,

Nancy J. Cavanaugh