The easy guide to absolutely rock reading aloud in your classroom

Why read aloud?

Reading out loud is an all-important element of your classroom. Reading aloud helps children learn new vocabulary, models what fluent and expressive reading sounds like and gives value to reading for pleasure. I am often surprised by the students who love being read aloud to. Sometimes I don’t get to read aloud to classes when they visit the library. Changes to the timetable, public holidays and other events like photo day can mean that the class only comes to borrow books. It is on these types of days that I find students coming up to me and asking if I am going to read to them, why not and can I make sure I read to them next week 😁

This is a fabulous explanation of the benefits of reading aloud Watch the TED talk

How to read aloud

Pre-read the book.

This is essential if you have not read the book previously. By pre-reading the story you will be aware of any words the children may not understand as well as any themes or text features that you might want to highlight and discuss or not address 😌.

Utilise the teacher’s notes.

Do a search online for teachers’ notes for the book you have chosen. These notes, from the publisher of the book or book enthusiasts like me, will often contain information on themes in the story and background information from the author and illustrator, as well as discussion questions and activities. You can access my growing collection of book reviews and teacher notes here.

Show the cover.

Depending on the age group, you might like to cover the title so that students are just focusing on the pictures. Ask the students to predict what they think the book is about. What characters might be in the story? What type of story (genre) is the book - adventure, friendship, or fantasy? Is the book fiction or nonfiction?

Share the name of the author.

What other books have you read to your class by this author? Keep a lookout for evidence of the author's writing style. Have the students read any books by this author? Why do they like the books by this author?

A similar approach can be taken with the illustrator of the story.

Share the title of the book

Tell the class the title of the book. Does knowing the title change their predictions?

Explain why you chose this book. If it is one of your favourites or it matches a particular concept, let the students know.

Go on a Book Walk or Picture Walk

A book or picture walk is a reading strategy that is particularly useful for pre-readers or emerging readers. Look through the book with your class without sharing any of the text. Show each page of the story and discuss the illustrations. What is happening? What do you think will happen next?

Now it’s time to read the story out loud

Read the story all the way through. Try not to stop for questions or detailed explanations. Enjoy the flow of the story. This may change depending on the story and your purpose for reading it. You may want the children to ask questions during a story about the weather, whereas with a story that has a twist or a surprise, you might get them to wait until the end so that everyone enjoys the story in their own way. I don’t like many comments or questions when I am reading a story, as I find it breaks up the rhythm of the text. It also forces one child’s interpretation of what is happening onto another child before they have had a chance to come up with their own.

Time for discussions

Go back and discuss any interesting illustrations, vocabulary or text features.

Ask questions such as: What reasons do you think the illustrator had for showing it like that? Was there anything the students didn’t understand? Did they make a connection to the story? And what might happen next? Use open-ended questions to avoid yes/no answers.

More top reading aloud tips

Don’t worry about using different voices for different characters. I find it very difficult to come up with and remember different voices. I will, however, try to use a lower voice for a male voice and a higher voice for children and females. I try to speak with expression as much as possible, speaking slightly faster when the character is scared, anxious, happy or in a hurry, speaking slower when the character is tired, bored or sad. Grumpy voices, happy voices, etc. Facial expressions are a good idea too.

As it says in the Reading Rockets article Hints on how to read aloud to a group “Let your voice reflect the tone of the story or the personalities of the characters. Don't read too fast. Vary your pace so you can pause for emphasis. Allow time for children to think about what's happening or what might come next.”

Don’t worry if you make a mistake and say a word incorrectly. It can be good modelling for students to show how to self-correct.

Why read aloud time may not be working in your classroom?

Distractions

Try to remove as many distractions as possible. Make sure students aren’t looking into a bright light or sunlight when they are trying to look at the book. Ensure that any classroom helpers are not talking or working with students close to where you are reading. If adults are talking and not listening to the story, why should the students have to pay attention?

Seating

Where do your students sit to listen to a read-aloud? If it is on a mat or the carpet, do they have enough room, or are they sitting too close to another student?

Routines and Expectations

Routines are important in any classroom. So make sure you have a routine for listening to a story. Teach your students how they should sit when listening to a story and talk about whole body listening.

Too much extra

All the strategies above are my ideal way of reading a picture book out loud. However, I don’t do all of this every time I read a book. Sometimes it is enough just to enjoy the storytelling without analysing every detail. You may not want to do all these things every time you read a story, either. I don’t do a Book Walk every time I read a story to one of my library classes. Sometimes I want to focus on a message from the story, link it to something we are doing like Book Care, or use the story to encourage older students to read a particular genre of fiction book.

Do you have any tips or tricks when reading aloud to your students? Let me know in the comments.

For more ideas

10 Tips Experienced Teachers Have on Read-Alouds for New Teachers

The Art of Reading Aloud is a detailed article from Barbara Braxton, a fellow Teacher Librarian, for both teachers and parents.