In The Classroom: Reading Aloud

Because of Mary Lee, a fellow classroom teacher as well as the author of a book about reading aloud, I've come around and decided to play, inspired by her superb post today on reading aloud in the classroom. You see, my first response to Rick Walton's call for stories for his blog, "Why Read Aloud?" was more a feeling of ennui to be completely honest, that here was yet another well-intentioned person outside the classroom telling teachers what to do.  Wrote Rick:

And then we will figure out a way to get your stories to the administrators and teachers who need to hear them. Your story of how being read to made your life better might motivate a teacher to read to her kids and make their lives better.

I know, I know. Best of intentions here, but the reasons as to why teachers do or don't read aloud may well be more complicated than simple motivation. Things like standards, test prep, parental pressure, and more may be significant factors too.  And so I'm mostly motivated by fellow classroom teachers that I admire, ones like Mary Lee.  And so, inspired by her are some of favorite posts about reading aloud to my class.

First two on some general thoughts about reading aloud to a whole class of children:

Reading Aloud as Community Building
Reading Aloud Redux

And then a bunch (but not all) of my posts on specific books:

Reading Aloud Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me
Reading Aloud Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book
Reading Aloud Howie
Reading Aloud The Latke that Wouldn't Stop Screaming
Reading Aloud Alice in Wonderland
Reading Aloud The Tale of Despereaux
Reading Aloud Coraline
Reading Aloud The Invention of Hugo Cabret