Tricks of the Trade

How to Get the Most Out of Read Aloud Afterschool

The benefits of reading aloud to children seem almost endless.  Reading aloud improves their vocabulary, stimulates their imagination, and improves their listening abilities and attention span.  It encourages them to read on their own by making reading a fun, positive experience.  While the concept is simple, having a successful read aloud session isn’t quite as easy as it sounds.  Here are a few “tricks of the trade” that will help make your read aloud a success every time.

1. Select the right book.

When selecting a book, choose one that is age appropriate and that fits with your theme.  Expand your students’ repertoire by switching between fiction and non-fiction.

2. Read the book ahead.

Take time to read the book aloud to yourself before you read aloud in front of a group.  This will give you a chance to learn the rhythm of the story and the pronunciation of the words.  If you find a word you don’t know or can’t pronounce, look it up before you get stumped in front of a group of inquisitive students.

3. Set the stage.

Give students an idea of what the book is about and explain why you are reading this particular book.  For example, you might tell the students that, since you are learning about oceans this week, you are going to read a book about whales, which are the largest ocean animals.  Setting the stage gets students primed and ready to listen to you read.

4. Introduce the book.

This is different from setting the stage.  To introduce the book you should read the title, author and illustrator of the book.  Some students might not know what those are, so it is important for you to explain that the author wrote the story and the illustrator drew the pictures, until your group gets familiar with those terms.

5. Read slowly.

If you have ever given a speech in front of a crowd you know how easy it is to whiz through your notes too quickly.  The same thing happens when reading aloud.  Slow down while you read to give them a chance to process what you are saying.  If you think you are reading at a good pace, you are probably reading too fast.  If you feel like you are reading too slowly, then you are probably getting it right.

6. Read loudly.

There is no need to yell while you read, but it is important to project your voice.  You should make sure the students in the back can hear you well enough that they will continue to pay attention.  If you feel up to it, you can even do different voices for the characters.

7. Make eye contact.

Making eye contact with the students in your group is a great way to let them know you are paying attention to what they are doing even though you are reading a book.  If you bury your head in the book and never look up you won’t know if they are following the story, falling asleep, or wrecking the classroom, until it is too late.

8. Show the pictures.

If the book has pictures, you should show the pictures for each page.  If you can’t read with the book out to the side, turn the book towards you while you read and show the pictures to the group after you have read each page.  Seeing the pictures helps keep students engaged, so make sure they get a good look and not just a quick flash.  If there is a surprise ending that is revealed by a picture, you can plan to hide the picture from your audience until after you have read that page.

9. Ask questions while reading.

To keep students interested and to facilitate learning, you should ask questions while you read.  You could review what just happened by asking about the page you just read, or ask students what they think will happen next.

10. Take questions at the end.

A flurry of unrelated questions can totally disrupt a read aloud session and every group has at least one student who is a master of unrelated questions.  Tell all your students that you will allow time for questions at the end of the story.  When you do take time to answer questions after reading, limit those to questions about the book and related material.

Read aloud should be fun for both the reader and the listeners.  Even if you are not a master reader on the first day, you can still have a fun and meaningful read aloud session.  Remember that the biggest read aloud mistake you can make is to not do read aloud.  So, give it a try.