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Reading Aloud
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From: Megan Schliesman <schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu>
Date: Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:09:58 -0500
I appreciate Karen Vollmar's comments on suggestions for people looking for a short book--people who perhaps doing typically read aloud or read aloud in large groups--as well as her suggestion of resources on technique.
One thing I'll add to the former is that when offering advice and suggestions for books to read aloud, especially for "novices," I always encourage them to spend at least a little time looking at some titles so they can choose something they really like. A reader's enthusiasm and appreciation for what he or she is sharing can be priceless. So suggesting three or five picture books--a manageable number to read and review and choose from based on what really resonates with the reader--is what I typically do.
A reader's enthusiasm can also overcome stumbles and missteps in the reading. Because while technique and polish can be great, not all us are going to have great technique, and I never want an adult hesitating to read aloud to a child because they worry they won't do it well enough. If you are sharing a book you love, kids will get feel that, and it will affect them. (And often they aren't polished readers themselves, so knowing adults, too, can trip over words is probably comforting. )
On the flip side, I will say there have been books I enjoyed reading immensely to myself and couldn't wait to read aloud, and then discovered they didn't work as well as a read-aloud. One of my earlier lessons regarding this with a longer book was "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E. L. Konigsburg. I had loved that book so much as a child and was excited when my daughter was old enough that I felt she'd be able to follow it as a read-aloud. But it didnt work. The chapters in which Mrs. Frankweiler is addressing her lawyer were particularly tricky for my daughter to follow.
Flipping back...given the complex sentence structure of Philip Pullman's writing in the "His Dark Materials" series, with all the dependent clauses, and occasional sentences that went on for an entire 1/4-page paragraph, I was so pleased to discover what a pleasure the books are to read aloud. The prose flowed beautifully, which made my job as a reader so much easier. I especially appreciated the technical ease because of the emotional intensity of parts of the series. There was a point when I literally wailed mid-sentence because something I knew would be coming eventually snuck up on me. I hadn't been expecting it until the NEXT book (it had been awhile since I read them). I literally couldn't go on reading. The nice part was having another adult to pick up when I couldn''t. So my husband carried on in a choked voice while I sobbed and my daughter buried herself under a blanket. But we got through it. It was, frankly, an amazing shared experience.
Megan
-- Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison 600 N. Park Street, Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706
608/262-9503 schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu
www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Received on Wed 06 Apr 2011 03:09:58 PM CDT
Date: Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:09:58 -0500
I appreciate Karen Vollmar's comments on suggestions for people looking for a short book--people who perhaps doing typically read aloud or read aloud in large groups--as well as her suggestion of resources on technique.
One thing I'll add to the former is that when offering advice and suggestions for books to read aloud, especially for "novices," I always encourage them to spend at least a little time looking at some titles so they can choose something they really like. A reader's enthusiasm and appreciation for what he or she is sharing can be priceless. So suggesting three or five picture books--a manageable number to read and review and choose from based on what really resonates with the reader--is what I typically do.
A reader's enthusiasm can also overcome stumbles and missteps in the reading. Because while technique and polish can be great, not all us are going to have great technique, and I never want an adult hesitating to read aloud to a child because they worry they won't do it well enough. If you are sharing a book you love, kids will get feel that, and it will affect them. (And often they aren't polished readers themselves, so knowing adults, too, can trip over words is probably comforting. )
On the flip side, I will say there have been books I enjoyed reading immensely to myself and couldn't wait to read aloud, and then discovered they didn't work as well as a read-aloud. One of my earlier lessons regarding this with a longer book was "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E. L. Konigsburg. I had loved that book so much as a child and was excited when my daughter was old enough that I felt she'd be able to follow it as a read-aloud. But it didnt work. The chapters in which Mrs. Frankweiler is addressing her lawyer were particularly tricky for my daughter to follow.
Flipping back...given the complex sentence structure of Philip Pullman's writing in the "His Dark Materials" series, with all the dependent clauses, and occasional sentences that went on for an entire 1/4-page paragraph, I was so pleased to discover what a pleasure the books are to read aloud. The prose flowed beautifully, which made my job as a reader so much easier. I especially appreciated the technical ease because of the emotional intensity of parts of the series. There was a point when I literally wailed mid-sentence because something I knew would be coming eventually snuck up on me. I hadn't been expecting it until the NEXT book (it had been awhile since I read them). I literally couldn't go on reading. The nice part was having another adult to pick up when I couldn''t. So my husband carried on in a choked voice while I sobbed and my daughter buried herself under a blanket. But we got through it. It was, frankly, an amazing shared experience.
Megan
-- Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison 600 N. Park Street, Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706
608/262-9503 schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu
www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Received on Wed 06 Apr 2011 03:09:58 PM CDT
