Importance of Reading

Reading literature aloud to students each day is an important part of an effective classroom practice. Research shows that it significantly contributes to their overall literacy and language development. At Ashfield Public School, reading aloud is an embedded practice in all classrooms. There is a whole school expectation that all teachers read aloud to their class for at least 15 to 20 minutes each day.

With an engaging book and an expressive delivery, reading aloud is an enjoyable and highly anticipated activity in the school day that transports a class into the wondrous realm of stories. Students are enthralled by good read-alouds that inspire the imagination, support emotional development, develop understandings of relationships, cultures, places and events, and extend attention spans.

A significant benefit of reading aloud to students is that teachers can choose books above the students’ independent reading level which gives students access to richer language and more complex ideas than they could access on their own. When reading aloud the teacher will introduce and explain new words and support students to understand more sophisticated concepts such as themes, character relationships and the storyline’s development.

The new information unpacked by the teacher during the reading aloud builds students’ background knowledge, enabling them to make connections to what they already know, apply their learning in new contexts, and develop deeper understandings. While exploring the text and unpacking information the teacher will also explicitly teach reading comprehension skills such as asking questions, making predictions and summarising.

Reading aloud also provides the opportunity for teachers to model fluency with includes pace, accentuation, intonation, and accurate pronunciation of the words. This modelling supports students to develop their own oral reading skills and helps them understand how fluent reading enhances meaning and expression.

Reading aloud enables students to be successful readers, to feel the achievement of completing a novel in its entirety. This sense of accomplishment boosts confidence, fosters a positive attitude toward reading, motivates students to read other books by the same authors, and gives them the skills to independently read more complex texts.

As part of a whole school practice at Ashfield Public School, reading aloud to students builds their capacity to be avid and capable readers who benefit greatly from daily reading. By reading aloud every day to students, we motivate our students to value reading as a worthwhile and enjoyable activity that will positively impact upon their personal and social capability, expand their worldview and develop their critical thinking.

Reading aloud also gets our students into the habit of daily reading and to value reading as a wonderfully satisfying and uplifting leisure activity to last a lifetime.

Sanacore, Joseph (1992) Reading Aloud: A Neglected Strategy for Older Students.

literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/bonus-materials/813- chapter-2.pdf

vic.gov.au/literacy-teaching-toolkit-early-childhood/learning-foci-interacting-others/concept-and-vocabulary

chat.openai.com/