Reading, Teaching, Learning: World Read Aloud Blogger Challenge #4

Saturday, March 9, 2013

World Read Aloud Blogger Challenge #4

I'm a day late for the last official WRAD blogger challenge, but I'm going to post it anyway! Sadly, my plans for WRAD were postponed due to a snow day. I love snow days, but I was disappointed I didn't join in on all the fun and festivies of that day. This week's WRAD Blogger Challenge #4 was to select a read aloud and make a video. I'm currently reading The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate to three of my own 4th grade reading classes and Bigger Than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder to another 4th grade class as a guest reader. I asked one of my students in each class to film me reading aloud for as long as the iPhone held out, and I only gave it one take. I think it's about 2 minutes each. The class to which I'm reading Bigger Than a Bread Box isn't featured because the memory space filled up and it wouldn't take. :-( I had to dump some old pictures and videos for the last class, but couldn't do it in time for that one. Therefore, you'll just see that class waiting to be read to, but you won't see me actually reading.

I love to read aloud to my classes (and to anyone else who is willing to listen), and I read aloud every day. I feel like the day is just not complete and missing something if I don't get a chance to read aloud. I love to make the kids laugh and beg for more. I've cried in front of my students during read alouds and have seen tears streaming down the faces of students, sometimes evolving into real Kleenex-grabbing sobs. I love to hear their responses to what I read in their notebooks as they make connections, predictions, inferences, conclusions, and arguments. Reading aloud is when I feel that all of us are connected by the beauty of the written word, held together if only for moments by a common experience. Reading aloud and being read to are two of my favorite parts of being a literate person!

Here I am reading three different parts of The One and Only Ivan to three different classes - it's easy for me to read in front of my students, but it's a little nerve-wracking to send this out to anyone who reads this blog! Here goes...