Tag Archives: reading aloud

The Boy Who Cried Tears of the Heart

Chapter reading is one of our treasured moments of the day at school.  I know this, and so does Jackson.  Books bring to life the imagination, the world, and the past.  The anticipation of ‘what happens next’ stirs excitement every … Continue reading

Posted in Early Education, Teaching young children, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 44 Comments

Chapter Reading

Chapter reading is one of our treasured moments of the day.  We bring to life the imagination, the world, and the past.  The anticipation of ‘what happens next’ stirs excitement every day.  Children listen and think.  They ask questions.  Ask … Continue reading

Posted in Early Education, Teaching young children, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 38 Comments

Benefits of Reading, Fiction and Empathy

There is a reason I begin every school year by reading aloud Charlotte’s Web.  Besides being a terrific story that children love year after year, the underlying message goes far deeper than the friendship between Charlotte the spider and Wilbur the … Continue reading

Posted in Early Education, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 37 Comments

Jim Trelease Quote, Reading and Writing, and a Journey of Teaching

A great quote can pack as much power as a good book.  When both come together in one package, then you have it all.  That’s Jim Trelease.  That’s The Read-Aloud Handbook. “People would stand in line for days and pay … Continue reading

Posted in Teaching young children, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

Teaching History With Picture Books

As I read one of the classic children’s books, The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton, it turned out to be an unexpected history lesson.  This wonderful book begins with a charming little house on a hill, living through days … Continue reading

Posted in Teaching young children, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 21 Comments

Conversation

I often write about language and literacy because reading aloud and hearing all those words are what makes the difference in learning.  I want to introduce a new word into the mix: conversation.  That involves more than listening; it implies … Continue reading

Posted in Teaching young children, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Making Connections

Museums always inspire me, and my recent visit to the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, NH was no exception.  The added bonus was seeing Eleanor, one of my former students.  She is now in high school.  How can that … Continue reading

Posted in Teaching young children, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

How Reading-Aloud Made Me the Teacher and Person I Am Today.

My very first day of teaching preschool in Massachusetts, thirty-two years ago, was both career and life altering.  Lindy, my co-teacher, asked me to read the picture books to children each day after our Morning Meeting.  Sure (gulp)!  I was … Continue reading

Posted in Teaching young children, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 41 Comments

Children’s Stories

Children have incredible words, given the opportunity to tell their story. As I took down a hallway art display I read (yet again) the story that children had created about living in a castle.  What would they do and who … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Reading Aloud. ‘Star Wars’, Move Over

Thursdays I read aloud at the library.  I chapter read, and that is far different than reading a story.  Each Thursday ends with and then?  For thirty minutes children are glued to every word, because those words are powerful and … Continue reading

Posted in Teaching young children, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments