Reading a bedtime story to young children is a beloved part of many families evening routine but research has found benefits to continue reading aloud to kids even after they are independent readers. Reading expert Jim Trelease asserts that reading aloud to older children has both academic and emotional value: “The first reason to read aloud to older kids is to consider the fact that a child’s reading level doesn’t catch up to his listening level until about the eighth grade. You have to hear it before you can speak it, and you have to speak it before you can read it. Reading at this level happens through the ear.” Researchers Lettie K. Albright and Mary Ariail have found that 58% of middle school teachers read aloud to their students and that it enhances motivation, interest, and engagement. The power of shared words, Trelease notes, also encourages children to ask questions and explore difficult or complicated subjects by using the characters experience as a way to broach such topics. Moreover, the books that are read aloud to them are often the ones that stay with children many years later. In an interview with KQED, Trelease describes a letter he received from a retired teacher who had reconnected with former students from thirty years ago. When she asked what they remembered from her class, Without fail, it was the books she read to them.” Jim Trelease is the author of the perennially popular The Read-Aloud Handbook. This excellent guide for parents seeking to foster a lifelong love of reading was released in a new edition in 2013 -- to learn more, visit amightygirl/the-read-aloud-handbook To make it easy to find girl-empowering books perfect for reading aloud to older children, on A Mighty Girl, weve put together a special collection of 150 read aloud books all starring smart, confident, and courageous Mighty Girls at amightygirl/mighty-girl-picks/top-read-alouds And, for a selection of wonderful stories for both children and teens focused on the joy that books bring to our lives -- as well as more recommendations of books for parents offering reading tips and strategies -- visit our post Celebrating a Love of Reading: Mighty Girl Stories about Books, Libraries, and Literacy at amightygirl/blog?p=4517
Posted on: Sat, 10 May 2014 21:02:38 +0000
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