Literacy & Reading

Last week, we talked about some of the Reading Tips we gathered during Share a Story-Shape a Future 2009. This week, I’ve rounded up the resources and ideas related to reading aloud.

Reading aloud is crucial to our development as readers and communicators. As Donalyn Miller pointed out in her post, you’re never to old to enjoy having a story read aloud. Still not sure? Then visit The Reading Zone, where you can follow along as Sarah shares the reactions and excitement of her middle school students.

These are posts from the week, as well as links and posts mentioned in the comments. Sarah wrote a post in early April about her process for reading aloud. Although it wasn’t directly part of Share a Story, it goes to the heart of what we hope this event will do. So we’ve included it below.

Understanding Read Aloud with Young Children

• Colerin Colorado offers one-page Reading Tip Sheets for parents who want to raise their kids to be successful readers. “Although we've divided these tips by age, many of them can be used with children at various ages and stages — we encourage you to choose the ones that work best for your child. Tip sheets for parents of children in Preschool through Third Grade are available in eleven languages!” (thanks to Fastbreak for Fathers)
• Helping Kids Choose Books: Select books according to how your child will use them (thanks to Tif Talks Books)
• Developmental Milestones of Early Literacy by Reach Out and Read
  

Thoughts and Tips for Reading Aloud with Independent Readers

• Nuts and Bolts of the Read Aloud in my Middle School Classroom by Sarah Mulhern, the Reading Zone
• Reading Aloud to Kids Who Are Old Enough to Shave by Candy Blessing
• Teens Take Time to Listen When You Make Time to Read Aloud by Alison Follos
• Tips for Reading Aloud to Preteens and Teens by Reading Is Fundamental (RIF)
  

Read Aloud Resources for Adults

• Jim Trelease’s Home Page
• The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child by Donalyn Miller
• Books About Books and Literacy @ Jen Robinson’s Book Page

Next Week: Books and Booklists. There were so many recommendations, we’re going to break this into a series.