‘Read Aloud please . . . it’s a library’Choose, read, succeed: Partnerships in practice

24 November 2017Ruth Woolven – Kew Primary School

Western Australia Study in Children’s Book Reading•Murdoch University research, looked into the

attitudes and perceptions of children aged 8 – 11 years regarding ‘interactive reading’ – being read to and reading aloud.

• There is a role for all parents, teachers and library staff in providing interactive reading opportunities.

• The report findings are available in the Australian Journal of Education (AJE) http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0004944117727749

Known benefits of reading aloud• improving listening skills•spelling•vocabulary acquisition•enhancing early reading skills•narrative comprehension and mental imagery•pronunciation and inflectionWhen teachers read aloud they also:•model positives attitudes to reading•support EAL students

Scholastic Study

Neuroscience of Reading•There is no single reading part of the brain

•We learn to read by borrowing from, building on and recycling from other neural systems

•Development of these systems (auditory, visual, language) continues well into adolescence and therefore ‘learning to read’ does too

What happens in the wild?•Educational beliefs often state that most

students shift from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to learn’ in Years 3-4

•Many parents stop reading when independent readers

•Some children happy – want to read on•But more than half wanted the interactive

reading to continue•They enjoy the social connection

What else did the students say?•Some children interpret the cessation of

interactive reading to mean they had finished their reading journey

•Perception that reading was no longer valued

•Unexpectedly children identified learnings & skills acquisition from listening – enthusiasm, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension

Testing•Students who lack skills or confidence do

not enjoy reading aloud.

•Reading aloud at school was nearly always associated with the purpose of assessment

•Library staff are well placed to encourage reading for pleasure.

What can we do?• All library staff can read aloud -

be influential social agents

• Reflect a range of different cultures, traditions and perspectives

• Books in their mother tongue

• Parents ‘how to read aloud’ sessions.

• Family reading afternoons

• Advocacy for libraries, staff, budget

Story Dogshttp://storydogs.org.au/

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-10/story-dogs-help-kids-read-literacy-skills/8341060

Story Box Libraryhttps://storyboxlibrary.com.au/

1000 Books Before School

Victorian Curriculum

Victorian Curriculum

When reading aloud consider…•Enunciation – clarity of speech•Volume – change with the story•Pace – when to pause, where, how long•Tone – quality, richness•Pitch – highness or lowness• Inflection – rhythm or emphasis

Examples on the Mem Fox website

Taking it Further•Discussions & activities – craft, dance, puppets,

song

• Tell me framework – three sharingsEnthusiasms – likes and dislikesPuzzles or difficultiesConnections & patterns

•Teacher notes

Encourage Parents•Parents perceive strong reading skills as the

most important skills for their children to have (Scholastic, 2016).

•But not all children are read to anymore or maybe never were.

•Share resources

•Employ Principal Power

The final word“The truth is, I have never thought of picture books as a thing to be read, but rather a script to be spoken and performed by a teacher, librarian, parent or a kid to another kid.” Drew Daywalt

Mem Fox – Reading Magic

Resources• PETAA Parents Guide

http://petaa.edu.au/imis_prod/w/Teaching_Resources/w/Teaching_Resources/Parents_guide.aspx

• Mem Fox – Reading Magic: How your child can learn to read before school – and other read-aloud miracles

• Mem Fox website http://memfox.com/for-parents/for-parents-ten-read-aloud-commandments/

http://memfox.com/for-teachers/for-anyone-interested-a-read-aloud-lesson/

• Story Box library• Storyline Online• Read-Aloud Revival with Sarah Mackenzie – Podcast• How to Read a Book by Kate Messner