reading+to+the+class

= Reading to the class =



As a teacher, you will often be reading to the entire class, more often in the younger grades. When a teacher reads a book to a class, only using her own voice, this is called **modelled reading.** This means the teacher is modelling reading, using techniques such as sounding out phonemes and letters**,** to **model** to the students how we actually read. The teacher can actually use a few techniques to keep students, especially those with short attention spans, engaged and participating in listening and reading. However, when this begins, it is usually called **shared reading,** and this occurs when the children are involved in the reading too. For instance, a teacher may be reading a big book in front of the class, one such as a Hairy Maclary book by Lynley Dodd (1983). These books are repetitive, by naming all the dogs such as 'Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's dairy', 'Schnitzel von Krumm with a very low tum', etc. Children often love this particular series, and towards the end of the book all the dogs are named one after the other, usually running away from Scarface Claw (the cat)! This is an opportunity, especially after reading one of the same series before, to encourage the children to particpate in **shared reading** by reading some of the sentence, then expecting them to follow on with the second half, like this: "Muffin Mclay, like a bundle of....(hay-children answer)". This encourages children to learn to read because they are anticipating what will be next, and it will also improve their **phonological awareness**, by showing them stress and emphasis on words. Another tip for keeping children engaged in a book you are **modelling** reading, and this works particularly well on young children, is pointing out funny things in the pictures, and making sure you continue to try and make eye contact with your audience (in between reading, of course!). Something else which is important when reading books, is that we dont simply read a book and leave it, as a 'fill-in' thing. Books and reading are instrumental in teaching children how to write, especially creatively. **So before reading the book, the teacher can point out to the children some features of the front cover, and ask them to predict what the book will be about, for instance.** They could also ask them (the teacher having read the book beforehand) to find the same object on each page, or something of the same colour. This will **engage** them in looking and listening to the book, and help them to remember what actually happened in the book. This is important //because// one activity, which is an idea for after the book has been read, is for the children to write and illustrate somehing about the book. It may be what character was the most significant to them and why; or an alternate ending for the book (as we get into the higher grades); or writing about a time when something similar happened to them. These make children purposefully remember what happened in the book, and often they will actually think about it, instead of just letting the story slide over them.