The Beauty of Reading Aloud

by Virginia Knowles
from Common Sense Excellence

  

Reading aloud is a child’s first introduction to good literature. Why is this so important?

 

Reading aloud connects parent and child. It links you together in a personal way around interesting ideas and words. Young ones are soothed by the sound of our voices. I tend to be so much more calm when I am snuggled up on the couch enjoying a great book with them, rather than chasing them around the house trying to keep them out of mischief. Reading aloud builds warm memories, too! What will they fondly remember looking back to their childhoods -- pages upon pages of worksheets or the great stories they read with Mom?

 

Reading aloud gives your child a splendid vocabulary. Good literature is rich in descriptive vocabulary. Your child can gain an impressive arsenal of new words to use in speaking and writing. A child can encounter a word in print, and even know what it means, but not know how to pronounce it. Is the word charade pronounced CHAIR-ray-dee or shuh-RAID? If he hears you say it while he is looking at it, he can make the connection and hopefully remember it the next time.

 

Reading aloud to a child prepares him for learning to read. Study after study has shown that being read to often as a young child is one of the crucial factors for success in learning to read and in performing well in the rest of academics! The more words a child has in his spoken vocabulary, the easier it is for him to decode them when he sees them in print. He also knows how sentences flow, so he can figure out new words from the context of the sentence.

 

Reading aloud allows you to teach your child information about the world. This is especially important in the early years. Easy phonics books are fine for “learning to read” but many children aren’t fluent enough to comprehend core curriculum content (literature, history, geography, science) until they are eight or nine. How will they get maximum exposure to these subjects without being driven to frustration? Reading aloud is the key.

 

Reading aloud gives your child the benefit of your wisdom and knowledge. Even a child who can technically read the words may not fully understand the concepts in a book. He doesn’t have the storehouse of background information and insight which you possess. When you read aloud, you can explain things as you go along, and check to see if your child comprehends the ideas. I even do this with my middle school students for history.

 

Reading aloud keeps you intimately involved in your child’s education. You know what they are reading because you are reading it with them. You have a common experience that you can talk about later. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the story that we can’t set it down. I’ve been known to read aloud over 100 pages in one sitting on more than on occasion! Yes, I was hoarse when we finished, but these are “moments with momentum.”

 

Reading aloud sets an example of serving others. Use the power of imitation! What they see us do, they will do. As I’ve gotten busier with our family of 12, my children have found ways to help fill some of my gaps. I love to see my preschoolers and even our young neighbors lined up on the couch with one of my daughters reading aloud to them! It’s a great way to get in some extra reading practice, too! It boosts their confidence to know that they are making someone else happy at the same time. This is such a practical way to use reading aloud as a service to a busy Mommy and eager tots.

 

I implore you to continue reading aloud to your children all through the preschool and elementary years (and beyond)!

 

“When Mother Reads Aloud”

“When Mother Reads Aloud”

Author Unknown

 

When Mother reads aloud, the past

Seems real as every day;

I hear the tramp of armies vast,

I see the spears and lances cast,

I join the thrilling fray;

Brave knights and ladies fair and proud

I meet when Mother reads aloud.

 

When Mother reads aloud, far lands

Seem very near and true;

I cross the deserts’ gleaming sands,

Or hunt the jungle’s prowling bands,

Or sail the ocean blue.

Far heights, whose peaks the cold mists shroud,

I scale, when Mother reads aloud.

 

When Mother reads aloud, I long

For noble deeds to do --

To help the right, redress the wrong;

It seems so easy to be strong,

So simple to be true.

Oh, thick and fast the visions crowd

My eyes, when Mother reads aloud.

 

This is an excerpt (except for the poem) from my book Common Sense Excellence: Faith-Filled Home Education for Preschool to 5th Grade.

 

This article and poem also appear on my preschool & elementary home school blog at The Beauty of Reading Aloud and When Mother Reads Aloud.

 

Related articles on the preschool & elementary blog include: 

• How to Read Aloud and Enjoy It
• Read for the Heart: Whole Books for Wholehearted Families (book review)
• Reading Aloud is as Easy as Apple Pie
• Taming the Fidgets While You Read to Your Kids

·         What is the Charlotte Mason Approach to Education?  

Virginia and Thad Knowles are the parents of 7 daughters and 3 sons, ages 5 to 23, and the grandparents of an adorable baby boy.  Virginia is currently home schooling her five youngest children, spending the mornings reading aloud from literature, history, and science books before they do their independent assignments.  She is the author of Common Sense Excellence: Faith-Filled Home Education for Preschool to 5th Grade, The Real Life Home School Mom, and The Learner's Journal lesson planner and resource log.  She also publishes the Hope Chest Home School e-magazine for about 1,000 families around the world; you can subscribe by sending any message to hopechest-subscribe@associate.com and responding to the confirmation e-mail.  Virginia posts regularly on her five blogs: 

• www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com encouragement for mothers
• www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com Virginia's Life, Such As It Is
• www.StartWellHomeSchool.blogspot.com preschool & elementary
• www.ContinueWellHomeSchool.blogspot.com middle school 
• www.FinishWellHomeSchool.blogspot.com  high school 

Virginia Knowles, who wrote the article "The Beauty of Reading Aloud" above, recently presented a workshop called "With Literature & Justice for All" at the Books & Beyond conference in Orlando, Florida.  The workshop emphasized teaching "Virtuous Reality" through American literature and history for grades 4-8.   You can watch four video segments of the workshop (45 minutes total) at "With Literature & Justice for All."   There are notes, quotes, and web links there, too. 

 

Family Reading and Discussions / A Mouse Story / Badgering / Tattling / Scripture

FAMILY READING AND DISCUSSIONS
        The Mouse Story below is an appropriate reading for fathers to use during family devotions, followed by an interesting discussion.  Talk about the importance of our concern, care and willingness to help others.  Ask your children for examples.  Take this opportunity to point out the importance of family members sticking together, being on the same team, and looking out for one another.  That would be a wonderful remedy for sibling rivalry! 

        The next article on badgering may be another good one for reading and discussing with your children during a family time.

A MOUSE STORY
Author unknown ~ Contributed by Karen Coughlin in Florida 

        A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. "What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.
        Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning.  "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"
        The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."
        The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"  The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."
        The mouse turned to the cow and said, "There is a mousetrap in the house!  There is a mousetrap in the house!"  The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."
        So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap alone.  That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.  The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught.
        The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.
        But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.  The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.  The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.
        So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember -- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.  We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another. 

Remember: Each of us is a vital thread in another person's tapestry; our lives are woven together for a reason.

 

BADGERING
By Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller - Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved
http://effectiveparenting.org/  - http://www.biblicalparenting.org/  - Used by permission


This tip comes from chapter 5 in the book, "Good and Angry: Exchanging Frustration for Character in You and Your Kids."

        A badger is a burrowing animal with an amazing amount of persistence. Badgers have extraordinary physical strength and a tenacious approach to life's challenges. Many children are like badgers when they can't accept no as an answer. They badger parents to try to reverse the decision. Children who badger usually have dominating personalities and confident persistence, challenging anyone who blocks their path. 
       When a child resorts to badgering, the goal is to wear the parent down in order to change the no answer to a yes answer. It's amazing how many different ways a child can rephrase the same question, hoping that this time it will result in a different response. Badgering is very tiring for a parent and that's probably why it works sometimes.
        Children who use badgering tend to be self-focused and can't see what their barrage of questions and comments is doing to relationships. Parents who experience this kind of tension may find it helpful to reflect their feelings in a gentle way, helping to develop the sensitivity that's desperately needed. "I'm feeling uncomfortable with your question because I think I already answered it." Or "I'm not sure how to respond here. I don't want to talk about this subject anymore but you keep bringing it up." Or, "I feel like you're running over me like a truck. Let's talk about something else before I get smashed to bits!"
        These kinds of comments can help raise the awareness level for kids and help them see that they have crossed the socially appropriate line and are now sacrificing the relationship for their issue.

TAPERING TATTLING 

If your children love to tattle on each other, have them first say something nice about whoever they are tattling on.  They would no doubt rather die than say something nice about that person at that particular time and pretty soon the tattling may lessen.

 

SCRIPTURE
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.  Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.  Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. - Ephesians 6:1-4

How to Teach Your Children and Grandchildren to Read Well

Introduction by Lois Breneman - 2006

Moms and grandmas, take the opportunity this summer to teach your young children and grandchildren how to read with ease.  Be their one-on-one teacher.  If they are already reading, but could be better readers, help them to be more efficient in this vital skill, using this wonderful and easy "tried and true" phonics method.  Reading is basic to most independent learning, so give your kids a powerful jump-start!  If you know an adult who can't read, this method works for any age. 

The article below will guide you in doing just that.  Catherine Levison carefully explains a wonderful step-by-step method of teaching your children how to read with ease.  It will be fun to see your child's progress and for them, reading well will certainly build their confidence, improve their grades and give them added hope for their future.

 
READING WITH EASE
Copyright 2006 Catherine Levison - All rights reserved - Used by permission.
http://charlottemasoneducation.com/  

Recently, I met with a young woman who had just taught her young son to write his name. Naturally, she was very proud of how quickly he'd learned to do this and of his constant demonstration of his new skill. She'd thought it would be difficult for him, but when she observed him writing his name all the time -- and on literally everything he could find -- her thoughts took a turn.

She became concerned about his potential. This successful endeavor caused her to wonder what else he could learn. As she brought her situation to me, she appeared to be worried. There were so many things he could be learning, it overwhelmed her.

I suggested she teach him to read. Her mind appeared to be centered on finding the best preschool to accomplish this. I told her that I'd taught all five of my children to read, myself. I explained that this was really very easy, and they had learned how within minutes. It appeared that I had her full attention so I offered to teach her how to do this -- and then I did.

Because it only took me a few minutes to explain to her how this could be done, I decided to write this article on reading. First, I'll explain how to teach a young child who doesn't yet know how, and then I'll elaborate on reading for the older children and the college-aged child. I recommend that if you and your children are well past the learning to read stage, you skip the next section and rejoin us for the older children’s segment.

Teaching Young Children to Read

You're reading right now. That indicates that you know how to read but can you recall how it was that you learned to read? Many of us can't remember. It's fairly common to find people who taught themselves to read unaided, but many of us learned in a classroom with a teacher writing words on the board. Then we'd be asked to refer to the words in front of us in the form of a worksheet or perhaps a little book. For some, the decoding of symbols on the page came easily and for some, it didn't.  I can only imagine the frustration a child could experience if the majority of the group quickly grasped the concept while s/he sat there mystified as to how they were doing it.

My advice is to NOT have a book anywhere near you and the child when you sit down the first time. The exception would be the self-taught, but they would be reading already without your intervention. What you do need to have are some loose letters. Think of those plastic letters with magnets that are used on refrigerators. In fact, those work just fine. Or buy some crepe rubber ones, or cut some letters from paper. You could knit a set from yarn if you have the time. The point is that the letters are moveable and it won't matter much whether you use capital letters or lower case ones. Although, if given the choice, use capital letters.

Choose a time when your child is teachable. If she has missed a nap, is sick, or distracted, wait for another opportunity. Perhaps you could talk it up a bit. In other words, tell him a special time is coming. A time to sit with Mom or Dad and have some fun. Now, simply hold up the letter "a" and tell him it is an "a", that is its name. It makes the sound "aaaa" like in apple. Set it on the floor in front of the two of you. Pick up the letter "t" and tell her this is a "t" and it makes the sound "teh" like in table. Set that on the floor and tell the child the word she is looking at is the word "at". Use "at" in a sentence or two.

If for any reason s/he appears distracted or begins to throw things about the room, stop for the day. However, if s/he is simply looking at the two letters on the floor and accepts the fact that this is indeed the word "at" -- then proceed. Grab a "p" or "c" and place that in front of the "at." You are way ahead of me, aren't you? Tell him the "c" is called a "c" and it makes the sound "ck" as you lay it down. Be very phonetic and over-pronounce your words, but then begin to blend them together until "cat" is coming out of your mouth with ease.

The next steps are the same. Use s, m, p, r, f, and any others to make the first three letter, short vowel sound words your child will read. This first session will probably end in success and last about ten to fifteen minutes. The next day (or skip a day on purpose and proceed on an every-other-day basis) allow about the same amount of time.

Remember, keep the situation as distraction-free as possible. Ask the child to show you what s/he learned the last time and have him make the little words on the floor while you watch. Hopefully, cat, sat, pat, etc. will appear before your eyes. If all is going well and you are favorably impressed that s/he is catching on quickly, then lay out the word "the" and have her memorize it. Yes, memorize.  "The" is a sight word and phonics will not help you. An average child will simply believe you when you tell them this is "the."

While we're on the topic of sight words, go ahead and teach the word "said." Again, phonics would tell us that "said" is spelled "sed." Don't go into that with the child. Armed with your "at" words and the memorized "said" and "the" you're now able to bring a book to the process.

Many children are thrilled to sit down and read their first little book. Hopefully you have located an easy reader that confines itself to the "at" words. If a few other words come along don't panic -- just tell them the word and have them keep reading. If you've accidentally chosen a book with too many unknown words, it will probably not be very fun for your child and this isn't the time to cause frustration. So, don't force them to read a book they aren't prepared for.

On your next session, you're now ready to work with loose letters again and it's time for the letter "o." Use the same system, giving its name and its sound. Make words on the floor using "o" and teach new consonants as needed. Because the magnetic plastic letters are so very inexpensive, you'll probably be happier if you have two sets to work with. With two m’s and two d’s you'll be able to make the word DAD and the word MOM. Children seem to like that.

At some point, you'll get to the day when you proudly hold up the letter "e" and put it at the end of a three letter word. Tell the child "e" is special. It can make the letter "a" say its name.  Change "mad" into "made" for instance. Verbally pronounce the word "made" in an overly-exaggerated manner. Draw out the "a" sound as long as you can so that they can hear "a" saying its name. Change "cod" into "code" and "rod" into "rode." Now you folks are ready to read an easy reader together that has four letter words in it that have silent "e."

As these sessions advance and the both of you are enjoying yourself, try four letter words that use two vowels together. The word "bead" is one example of this. Teach the child the saying "When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking and usually says its name."  The "e" and the "a" are walking together so the "e" is allowed to say its name. If you don't think fast under pressure, then prepare a list of double-vowel words to use before you sit down.

Soon you'll be done using the loose letters as the child finds she can read and decode new words from the books themselves. We only used those to make it more of a game. There are children who will freeze in terror at the sight of a book. If your child is one of those, keep using the letters on the floor for as long as necessary. Our family had a large set of rubber letters, so we were able to write sentences on the floor and I did teach diphthongs and blended consonants and vowel sounds using them, but you don't have to go that far. Double-vowel sounds can be taught by writing them on paper just as easily.

"But Catherine," I hear you saying, "This sounds too easy."

Yes, it is easy and in the same amount of time it took me to explain it, I could've taught one of your children his first reading lesson. Teaching this way is inexpensive and can be accomplished for under ten dollars. It takes some consistency and regularly setting aside time.
Fifteen to twenty minutes, about three times a week, should get results very quickly.

Think of it this way: Little Emily approaches you and speaks of her new desire to learn how to play the piano. You're elated. You find a teacher in your area and the lessons begin. But that isn't what you'd do if you played piano professionally for many years. No, you'd be far more likely to teach little Emily yourself -- at least until you established her dedication to practicing. That would be because you knew how to play the piano proficiently.

Reading is no different. You know how to read and you don't need private lessons with a tutor, you don't need to purchase a $200 reading program, complete with a compact disc. If you already own a program like that, then by all means, put it to use -- especially if it worked for another child. If you don't already have one, save your money. Give the nearly-free system described above a chance and if that doesn't work, then look at other options.

My goal here is to boost your confidence. You may have come to think that learning to read is a very difficult process and you'll need outside help from an expert. You may have been told by a company, with a product to sell, that you're an amateur and success depends upon using their product. Chances are that neither of these is true unless your child has special needs; in other words, a learning disability. If that's the case, then of course, you'll seek outside help at the earliest opportunity.

Types of Reading

There's reading for enjoyment and there's reading for knowledge, and on a very happy day, the two collide. You can't expect to find little Eddie in the living room reading a Physics book all on his own because he likes it. Well, if you do then, congratulations, that is a very good problem to have.

The way to create the love of reading is to have the most-interesting books ever written, and if at first you don't succeed, keep trying. Get away from the easy readers as soon as possible and put one book after another in front of your child. Either s/he will be a reader and like it with very little effort or will be the "other" kind and need more time.

If your child thinks s/he hates to read and you allow that idea to solidify, you'll regret it later. Instead, go ahead, wear yourself out going back and forth to the library, because someday the clouds will part, a beam of light will appear and yes, Johnny will say the words you have been longing to hear, "Mommy, I like this book!"

Quickly ascertain what it is about this book he likes. The content? The writing style? The colors? Whatever it is, go and get more just like that one. We want to develop the habit of reading as well as the enjoyment of reading. We want the child to find out that he won't die from it. No, it's fun. But he has to come to that conclusion on his own.

Another thing that will help greatly is reading aloud to any and every child you have. Forget their ages and disregard who likes to read and who doesn't. Read a lot and from vastly-different kinds of books. Read like your life depends on it. I promise it will come back to you. You will thank yourself later.

The more any child learns to enjoy reading, the better. One of many reasons is someday, somewhere, s/he are going to have to read something she doesn't want to read. It will be boring, it'll be tedious. However, he'll learn to tolerate those moments and view them as temporary. The child who decides he doesn't like to read anything at all, thinks that way all the time. She's always tolerating. If any person, young or old, likes to read, s/he knows that just as soon as she finishes this poorly-written, boring book she can get back to reading something great.

The Purposes of Reading

This topic is similar to types of reading, but differs in a few ways. One purpose is reading prepares people for writing. The more reading you do, the more likely you are to excel at copying what you have seen, written in the style you have read.

For example, let's say you asked me to write a novel and make it as close to a Jane Austen novel as possible. That would be difficult enough but it would be nearly impossible if I'd never read a Jane Austen book. But if I had just read every book she wrote three times in a row, I  would be better prepared to copy her writing style.

If your child has read many essays written by brilliant people and has come to understand the layout, the style, the approach, well then, you can expect a better result when he tries to write his own essay.

Another purpose for reading is reading for sheer knowledge. Charlotte Mason -- a British educator from the last century -- called this "Read to Know." It's a skill that comes with practice. It's a matter of buckling down and paying attention. It's training your mind to catch the meaning of a page the very first time you read it. Imagine a textbook and you have an exam early in the morning. You're going to pay attention eventually to the data before you. Either read it over and over again while continually finding yourself not really reading, or make it happen the first time. This skill was developed in Charlotte Mason's methods through the constant use of narration -- but that's another article.

And that brings us to our last purpose for reading that we will be covering here: College. The majority of my children are at college age right now and I am happy that I came across something Dr. Ruth Beechick wrote a long time ago. To paraphrase her words, she said that the better reader a person was, the better chances s/he had to be a good student. In my own words, college-level reading and the massive quantities assigned in most classes is no laughing matter. Not only are the professors not shy about doling out huge reading  assignments, they expect you to know what you read. They'll find out whether you do or you don't. Yes, the fill-in-the-bubble, multiple-choice test is frequently used, but so is the essay style of examination. Not having developed the habit of reading will cause sloppy study habits such as misreading and missing the point of the reading and simply not being able to keep up the quantity of reading. People such as this may think they have caught the meaning of the passage in its context but the examination is designed to assure that they have. Then the sad fact that they misunderstood or didn't retain the information becomes known.

I asked one of my college age children exactly how many hours a day she spends reading for school and she found it to be a difficult question. She told me it could be all day, meaning if she had the time, she could spend every waking hour that she wasn't in classes reading -- it could never be too much. I asked her to estimate how much time she actually spent, to which she said, "All of it is, all of the work, it’s all reading."

Perhaps this is due to the types of classes she attends, but I mentally reviewed what I'd observed in my older children who went before her, and I came up with the same thing. The point? Your children, when or if they go to college will be reading a lot. Perhaps if you prepare them now it will help them later.

I'll end with this encouragement. While asking this particular child about her reading habits, she told me this. “Mom, if you want to know what I think helped me to do my best in college I'll tell you. It's easy. It was the reading out loud that you did.”
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
--Catherine Levison currently resides in Seattle. She's the mother of five and author of several popular books on Charlotte Mason educational methods.  Catherine’s work has been designed to give practical advice, while encouraging parents/educators to think for themselves and develop a style that fosters individuality. Her book titles include, A Charlotte Mason Education, and More Charlotte Mason Education and A Literary Education: An Annotated Book List.  Visit Catherine online at: http://www.charlottemasoneducation.com/