This is what happens when teachers read aloud:
It begins with a child, grows into groups of children,
and then the children ‘take over’, reading on their own.
Reading one-on-one
Reading in groups
The more I read aloud, the more I empower children to read. I don’t teach children how to read. I give them them the passion to want to read. And they do, long before they know how to read.
I catch them reading to Gloria, and reading to each other.
I catch them setting up chairs so they can read on their own.
Chapter reading comes next. There are no pictures, the words become the magic that make the pictures. Chapter reading ‘sticks’ more than picture books. It’s what children remember most of all. Really!
It’s what parents tell me, and they continue reading aloud.
I have often told the story of my first day teaching, when my head teacher put a picture book in my hands and asked me to be the one who reads to children every day. As soon as I read that book to children – Swimmy, by Leo Lionni – I was hooked, and I knew I had been given a great gift.
Reading aloud is more than just reading a book to a child. For most parents, it is a pleasurable and bonding time. But, that’s the tip of the iceberg. The more words a child hears, the better s/he will do in all academic areas in school. All. Now, doesn’t that make a parent want to run to the library? As the number of words a child hears continues to grow, so does the need for reading aloud. Sadly, many parents stop reading to their children once their child is able to read on their own.
The mind of a child can understand and process far more of the subtle underlying messages of a book when hearing the words, rather than reading the words. That’s why I can read Charlotte’s Web to preschoolers; they understand far more with oral words. Parents and teachers should read aloud to their children long after the children can read on their own. Reading aloud Because of Winn-Dixie and The Wild Robot should happen in every elementary school classroom. Reading aloud Wonder should happen in every upper grade classroom. If a teacher cries, all the better, because that’s a subtle message – one that’s not directly written – and becomes a beacon of understanding. The head of the English Department at the Prep School in town reads aloud to her high school seniors. Lights off, heads down on desks, just like I do at chapter reading in my preschool class.
I know how hard it is to make the time for reading aloud at home. Here is a new toy that gets my vote. It’s called Toniebox. It reads stories, tells stories, and lets children record their own stories. It has classic and popular books, plus characters children love telling stories.
Today at school I read aloud a classic, favorite book, The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson. Next, children could listen to the story read aloud on their own. All they had to do was put the Gruffalo character on top of the Toniebox.
Children get to hear the words, much like in chapter reading. The quality of sound and ease of use is terrific. We love it in the classroom, and recommend it to parents.
Jennie
Eric Carle
A Teacher's Reflections 
My children have had several wonderful teachers, but the one who was absolutely life-changing was Polly. Their school went from age 4 to first grade. All in one classroom, with the children learning from each other. She didn’t teach any of them to read or to write. They instantly became readers, and they taught each other to write. Polly saw her role as being the one who arranged for each and every child to do the things they most wanted to do. She said anyone could be a good teacher, but to be a great one they needed to have passion about something in their lives. She herself had been a dancer, and that was the passion she drew upon.
A child wants to tell a story? She would listen, help write or transcribe, and then suggest they make it into a play. (That child became an international correspondent for PBS, now with his own weekly show.) A child wants to write a fairy tale? She sent that story to a national children’s magazine for publication. (That child, my daughter, now has won Emmy’s as a TV writer, plus has authored multiple best-selling books.) A child likes to know how things work? She brings in everything from toasters to computers for him to take apart. (That child, my son, is now an engineer at an international aircraft maker.) A child likes to sing and dance? Polly helps her create a show, recruit her classmates, and perform for families and friends. (That child, my daughter, performed the lead in her highschool musicals. Eventually, she became a developer in one of the world’s biggest software companies, a young woman in a male-dominated field with the confidence she got from Polly’s encouragement.)
Teachers can shape lives. A very few teachers — teachers like you Jennie — can transform them. The children in your class have hit the jackpot, and their lives will never be the same.
Jennie