The Power of Reading Aloud

Just read a great letter written by a college student who herself had just read The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. Here is the link: http://www.antonnews.com/levittowntribune/opinion/20153-letter-the-power-of-reading-aloud.html

Here are two excerpts from her letter:

I need to spread the word about the power of reading, especially reading aloud. Before I read The Read Aloud Handbook, I had no idea about the impact that reading aloud could have on a child. Not only does reading aloud broaden a child’s vocabulary, increase their attention span, and improve their test scores, but it also creates a stronger family bond.

What is important to remember, is that children should associate reading with pleasure. A lot of times children associate reading with the displeasure of schoolwork, tedious or boring worksheets, activities, and tests. Trelease explains that every time we read to a child we are sending a pleasure message to their brains. In this sense, we are conditioning the child to associate reading with pleasure.

Thank you for your powerful letter, Katie Cushman!

If you want to read a great blog about reading aloud, I would recommend this one:
Read Aloud Dad - http://www.readalouddad.com/