Do's and Don'ts to READ-ALOUD

As I was browsing around the blog-sphere, I came across a really great article about the "Do's and Don'ts to Reading Aloud", written by www.teachpreschool.org

I always am trying to improve my own reading skill and style- I thought this article was very helpful!
To read the whole article- click HERE.

She shares a long list of tips, but the ones I would like to personally improve upon:

#1 Before you begin to read, always say the name of the book and introduce the author and illustrator, no matter how many times you have read the book.  (I think I usually just say the title, and maybe the author if it is an unfamiliar story. I like the idea of "properly" introducing each book.)

#2 Chart your reading experiences by creating a chart for the wall and adding caterpillars, worms, trains, and other pictures to represent each book so the children can see how many books have been read together. ( I really like this idea- not just for preschool, but for my own reluctant readers. What a sense of accomplishment will they feel, when they see how many books they read in one year? (if we keep track of it.) I think sometimes my sons get overwhelmed by large tasks- (don't we all?) But this is a simple way to PROVE... just little- by-little you can accomplish and do great things!

#3 Add a third dimension to the book whenever possible. For example, have a bowl of blueberries ready to be eaten during or after the reading of Robert McCloskey’s Blueberries for Sal or a harmonica and lemon available before reading McCloskey’s Lentil.
I am always trying to help kids connect to books- I think that is great idea. Why wait until AFTER you read the book to do an activity... but have it be while you are reading the story.. that will be fun to try.

She shares a handful of things NOT TO DO during read-alouds also.
This was the one tip- I really liked:

Don’t keep reading a book once it is obvious it was a poor choice. Admit the mistake and choose another. Make sure, however, that you give the book a fair chance to get rolling. There are some books that just start off slow and get better but you can avoid this all together by pre-reading the book yourself before reading it to your children.

Have you ever started reading a book- thinking it would be great- and thinking half way through it, What an awful story? I have. Usually it was just a poor choice for the age I am reading to. Maybe too many words/per page. I preview books before I read them aloud- but I think it is important to keep a pulse on the audience. When that happens in the past- I just read a few sentences or summarize the story line and still finish the book- focusing on the pictures. But if the kids are really unengaged... why continue? It is something to think about.

Teach Preschool .org has alot of great information and tips. I was so glad I stumbled upon her site.
If you have a blog- with amazing ideas- I would love to spotlight YOU too. Just contact me at bookclub4boys(at)yahoo.com.