Introductions to Read AloudsHello fellow educators and parents, Today I'd like to talk about the read aloud. Oftentimes, read alouds get a reputation among some as a 'waste of time' due to the fact that students are listening to a book rather than reading it themselves. Now, I respect the opinions of others, but this opinion is one I cannot get on board with. The audiobook and podcast industries are booming. Listening to information, whether it be stories of fiction or non-fiction, is an extremely popular way to consume media these days. It's important for us to teach students how to actively listen. Additionally, read alouds can be used to model reading strategies that you want your students to use when they venture into book clubs or independent reading. Read alouds are the perfect way to introduce your students to reading. It allows for them to see an adult reading the way they should read themselves when they do so independently. In my classroom, I use a read aloud at the beginning of the year to model reading strategies that I want students to work through with their own independent reading. Each week, we explore a different aspect of the book together as I model what I want students to do on their own. We've used a variety of strategies throughout my years of teaching to track our thinking, but my personal favourite way to show understanding is through a double entry journal. What can students do when listening?One of my favourite ways to have students engage in listening is to use a double entry journal. Double entry journals allow for students to jot down information that stands out to them when listening. Their thoughts do not need to be deep or ground-breaking, just moments of the story that stand out to them and what it makes them think about. Usually, students will inherently notice things that match reading strategies you want to model aloud for them. This can look like a teacher stopping while reading and making oral observations. For example, "hmm, I'm noticing that Katie is saying a lot of mean comments about herself. This makes me think that she might not have a lot of self confidence." Or, "you know what I'm noticing here? Devan is starting to doubt his friendship with Shane. I think this shows he's going to change later on in the book." Both of these are reading strategies, one being a character noticing and the other a prediction. As you model these strategies for students, they will begin using these strategies themselves as they are listening. There are plenty of other ways to engage students in active listening, but the double entry journal is an excellent entry point into active listening. It's a great strategy to implement at the beginning of the year to get students ready for all the skills they will be learning. There are, of course, many other strategies like sketch noting, think notes, etc. that can be used as the year progresses. My Favourite Read Alouds for SeptemberEgghead by Caroline Pignat Goodreads Synopsis: Will Reid is a gawky kid who wears fake turtlenecks, is obsessed by his ant farm project, and is lousy at gym. In other words, he's the perfect target for Shane, the Grade 9 bully. Katie has been Will's friend in elementary school, but defending him in the high school environment comes at an unforeseen cost - she dreads the rumours that link them in a boyfriend/girlfriend way she's never considered. Devan has been part of Shane's bullyboy team until now, when he comes to realize that it's not so smart to mindlessly back up each nasty attack of Shane's. Together the three young teens are struggling to find their way out of one of the classic dilemmas of life: how not to be a bystander to bullying, how to stand up for your friends, and how to deal with consuming rage. Personal Note: Egghead is a novel that I have used as a read aloud for years. It's time, now, for its retirement - but students connect to this novel in so many ways. It has a multi-dimensional villain and teaches very important lessons throughout. The reason for its retirement is that it's time for a new novel that is a bit more current as this novel is a little bit on the older side. Still, it will always hold a special place in my heart due to the lessons it teaches and the years I've had meaningful and connective conversations with students over the incredible characters. Restart by Gordon Korman Goodreads synopsis: Chase doesn't remember falling off the roof. He doesn't remember hitting his head. He doesn't, in fact, remember anything. He wakes up in a hospital room and suddenly has to learn his whole life all over again . . . starting with his own name. He knows he's Chase. But who is Chase? When he gets back to school, he sees that different kids have very different reactions to his return. Some kids treat him like a hero. Some kids are clearly afraid of him. One girl in particular is so angry with him that she pours her frozen yogurt on his head the first chance she gets. Pretty soon, it's not only a question of who Chase is--it's a question of who he was . . . and who he's going to be. Personal Note: Restart is one of the novels in our HERO/GEM (character development) book club that my colleague and I (shout out, Ms. Martynowitcz) created a couple of years ago. The story is incredibly popular with students and takes on a unique perspective of a bully. It shows that people can change, and that it is never too late to do the right thing. These are all incredible themes for the beginning of the year. The Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling Goodreads synopsis: Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is she was born without them. And when her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country knowing that she’ll have to answer the question over and over again. Her new life takes an unexpected turn when she bonds with Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of his own disability, and they discover a room at Stagecoach Pass that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. It’s hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your worst fears. But Aven’s about to discover she can do it all . . . even without arms Personal Note: Aven's story of being different, but not allowing it to consume who she is, is a truly incredible thing to behold as a reader. It would be an excellent choice at the beginning of the year to learn to accept everyone as they are, and to learn that each of us carries our own experiences into the world and how those experiences shape how we are with others. On the Hunt...There are many other titles I could recommend for a read aloud, so if you're in need of one, feel free to reach out to me via the forum on the blog or on Twitter (@MrsMaffinPirie)
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AuthorHi! I'm Mrs. MP and I teach grade seven English! I'm so excited for you to learn along with me Archives
January 2022
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