Promoting+the+Reading+Aloud+in+the+Community

**Why do teachers read aloud to their students? Are the benefits of reading aloud worth the time? Many teachers believe reading aloud enhances classroom instruction and improves academic achievement -- and recent research supports their belief. ****Included: Jim Trelease, author of //The Read-Aloud Handbook,// talks with Education World about the value of reading aloud! ** = = =Reading Aloud -- Is It Worth It?=

"During read-aloud, we share the excitement, the suspense, the emotion, and the sheer fun of a new book and its intriguing or annoying characters," said Nancy Lacedonia, who teaches in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Lacedonia recognizes the value of reading aloud and has often listened to the moans and groans of her students at the end of read-aloud time. She wondered //How does the classroom teacher decide what to read to his or her students?// Intrigued by the benefits of reading aloud, Lacedonia created a survey to determine how teachers decide which books to read-aloud. She surveyed 93 Massachusetts K through 12 teachers working in urban, suburban, and rural school settings. The results of that survey, published in "Why Do Teachers Read Aloud?" (//The NERA Journal,// Volume 35, Number 1, 1999), proved to Lacedonia that reading aloud is not a hit-or-miss activity. The survey showed that 70 percent of primary-grade teachers read to their students every day and 37 percent of secondary-school teachers read at least three or four times a week. Teachers at all levels said they chose read-alouds that related to a theme or topic of study, and they placed a strong emphasis on fostering a love of literature.