Why Read to Students?

What turned you "on" or "off" to reading in your youth?

Most teachers responded that a teacher reading to a class at any level was the thing they remembered and enjoyed most. (Artley, 1975, p. 27). The commission report Becoming a Nation of Readers states that reading aloud is the best literacy development activity for the classroom and home.

Reading aloud to students offers these benefits:

1. It models expressive reading and demonstrates the connection between oral and written language The material matches students’ intellectual levels rather than reading levels

2. It levels the field for all students and allows for shared experiences

3. It increases attention span and listening capacity

4. It fosters ties with the reader and positive attitudes toward reading

5. It reinforces lifelong reading and enlarges vocabulary

6. It arouses imagination

7. It increases knowledge of a variety of books, genres, and authors

It costs nothing and works!