Reading aloud to students has many benefits. It motivates kids to read, improves their comprehension and listening skills, and demonstrates fluency. Reading aloud also builds vocabulary, provides a springboard for discussion, and helps create lifetime readers in a fun atmosphere. When reading aloud, stories should be fast-paced with lots of action and high interest topics, while avoiding excessive dialogue or overly long stories. Research supports reading aloud as a way to help struggling readers and ignite a passion for reading.
1. Krystina Kelley & Jenny McCracken
Belle Valley School District,
Belleville, IL
2. • Motivates kids to read
• Increases comprehension
• Improves listening skills
• Demonstrates fluency
• Builds vocabulary
• Provides a spring board for discussion
in a safe atmosphere
• Breaks up the monotony
• Builds lifetime readers
• FUN!
3. • Fast-paced
• Can't be too long
• Lots of action
• Not too much dialog (unless you are
really good at doing voices!)
• High interest topics
• Challenging material
4. • Cunningham, Pat (2005). Struggling Readers: If they
don't read much, how they ever gonna get good?. The
Reading Teacher. 59, 88-90.
• Layne, Steven (2009). Igniting a Passion for Reading:
Successful Strategies for Building Lifetime Readers.
Portland: Stenhouse.
