ABSTRACT
Many who had already discovered the power and magic of this practice were overjoyed when, in 1985, Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report of the Commission on Reading unidentified reading aloud as “the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading”. The benefits of reading aloud, such as increased reading comprehension, improved listening skills, and a broadening of vocabulary, are commonly cited by read-aloud advocates, and there is no doubt that they make for very compelling and persuasive reasons. In the elementary and middle grades, it is important for the reader to capitalize on the difference between a child’s listening level and the silent reading level of the same child because, in most cases, there is about a two-year difference in these levels.
