A quote once said by Marilyn Jager Adams states, “Reading aloud with children is known to be the single most important activity for building the knowledge and skills they will eventually require for learning to read.” Since birth, adults are the primary influence in the growth of a child. Giving children exposure to books and works of literacy at an early age is proven beneficial in many elements in both the social and cognitive development in children. Creating students who are confident in reading aloud (and silently) begins with educators who are able to shape and conform their abilities in a way that is most comfortable for them. In order to achieve this level of competency in students, teachers must complete adequate research and become competent themselves in the tricks and tips to aid in every student’s academics.

Completing the research necessary for this portfolio furthered my knowledge to support my future students and their ability to read aloud. I found many new techniques to implement into my classroom such as Fluency Idol and Open Mic Night where students can "show off" their reading competency. Activities like this allow children to practice their literacy skills while also having fun making memories with their peers. Furthermore, these activities also give students experience in speaking in front of a crowd, using their creativity, showing their personalities, and thinking independently without a teacher holding them back or restricting their thought processes.

 

 

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Secondly, throughout the semester I was able to discover the importance of not only students reading aloud to teachers/peers, but also the significance in teachers reading-aloud to students. By teacher’s reading-aloud to their pupils, students are able to hear and see how strong reading is modeled. This will encourage them to read more, increasing their literacy competency and building upon the performance in all subjects during their academic career.

Thirdly, and probably the most influential factor learned through this portfolio, is achieving the ability to create meaning in literacy through the process of reading-aloud. During a read-aloud students focus less on the logistics of reading such as sounding out words and correctly stating them, and focus more on forming their own opinions and images in their mind as they listen to the words being read off of the page.

Lastly, I learned about a day dedicated to reading aloud! In February every year, Scholastic decides a day specifically devoted to celebrating reading-aloud! World Read-Aloud Day celebrates the unification that reading brings across the universe. Reading is a gift and a right able to be possessed by every single person across the world; scholastic strives for peace and harmony through reading for just one day. Educators are encouraged to follow Scholastic Inc. to stay updated on which exact day of the celebration as the date changes every year. I am extremely appreciative to have found this celebration, in addition to all the other information included in this portfolio and look forward to putting it to use in my classroom one day!