AP/Dean Corner

The Gift of Reading

When you lose a loved one, you spend a lot of time reflecting on the gifts they gave you. One of the greatest gifts I received from my father was a love of reading. My father was an avid reader and books were always scattered around our house, but it wasn't until I was a young tween that reading connected us. The summer I turned 12, he handed me the 937 page novel, Hawaii, by James Michener. Most 12 year olds would have shied away, but my father was so excited to share one of his favorites with me that I approached it with tenacity (and a bit of dread). When I finished the book (three months later), he was so proud of me. I couldn't wait to pick up the next novel he recommended. To this day, every time I go into a bookstore, I think of my father.

We have a great opportunity to give the gift of reading to our students in so many ways-- through shared reading, independent reading, partner reading, literature circles, books clubs, and by incorporating high interest and culturally relevant literature in our lessons and in our libraries. But one of the best and often most overlooked ways, especially in upper elementary, is through read aloud. So often, we drop read aloud because we can't find the time to read aloud a high interest book to our kids. But read aloud is so incredibly powerful. It can engage students in new authors and topics that aren't necessarily part of the curriculum but are part of their lives. It's an opportunity to share some of your beloved books with your students-- books your students may not approach otherwise. And it can bring a joy to your classroom around reading.

There are so many great ways to incorporate read aloud into your classroom. Even if you only have 5 minutes, you may ignite a love of reading or a passion for a new author in your students. If you're interested in the power of read aloud, as well as some strategies for incorporating purposeful read aloud in your classroom, check out the following article:

https://www.edutopia.org/article/reading-aloud-middle-school-students