I was a ‘Navy Brat’ growing up. It was easy to make friends when I was in early elementary school, but during 3rd through 6th grade, I attended 4 different schools. Starting over only got harder the older I got so I retreated into books and escaped into magical lands where everyone’s problems were easily solved. I have loved to read and write ever since; I want my students, and my children, to find the same freedom in literature that I did. As a preschool teacher, picking out books for my classroom library and choosing what to read for story time are my favorite activities. I want the children to be actively engaged in the story when I am reading aloud to them. I always introduce the book before I start to read: we analyze the cover, talk about the title, and predict what the story will be about. While I read, I change the volume of my voice, make eye contact with each child, make animal noises when needed, and ask questions about what’s happening in the story. After I’m done reading, we talk about it and even go back to revisit passages if necessary. Books now have to compete with all of the different screens children have access to so I want the stories to come alive for the children and live in their imaginations long after the book is returned to the shelf. I plan to keep the read aloud tradition alive in my future middle or high school classroom because by 11 years old, many children say that they hate reading. Learning to read is hard for many kids and fluency becomes a chore so they never have a chance to develop love for an enticing story. Reading and writing is about communication, but most importantly, it is about human connection. Our society desperately needs human connection. In her blog article, How To Stop Killing The Love Of Reading, Jennifer Gonzalez interviews Pernille Ripp about the reading practices Ripp employs in her 7th grade classroom. Ripp discovered that so many students hated reading because they haven’t had the chance to read just for fun and they weren’t able to pick out their own books. Ripp decided to devote the first 10 minutes of every class period to individual reading. She also has a classroom library of over 1000 books, including picture books so that no one has to feel ashamed about their reading level. This idea is brilliant because she asked the children an important question, listened to their answers and responded in a positive way. I am already building my classroom library. My step-daughter doesn’t like to read. She grew up hating school, never made a connection with a teacher after 1st grade and even dropped out during her freshman year because she thought she was stupid and would never learn anything important. Unfortunately, some of those self-depreciating thoughts were reinforced by her teachers. I am slowly changing her mindset to realize that she can succeed at hard tasks and that reading can be enjoyable. She is an example of the type of student I want to reach out to when I become an English teacher.
How do you encourage a love for reading in your classroom or home?
1 Comment
Brandy
9/19/2018 09:34:25 pm
I love that reading a book to kids isn't just reading the words. I haven't tried talking about what may happen prior to reading the book to see what thoughts the kids have or where their imaginations may take them. I am going to try that the next time we read a new book!
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AuthorHello, I'm Jen. I am an English Major at Arizona State University, a preschool teacher, a mom, a reader and writer. I am passionate about stories. ArchivesCategories |