ABSTRACT
Too often children (and some adults) consider the read-aloud as a time to doze, dream, fiddle, and snack. Read-alouds are a cherished and necessary part of daily classroom time. Texts shared during read-alouds can also do double duty as mentors that will be revisited later during reading workshop for instructional purposes. Texts with rich vocabulary and varied sentence structures help readers develop an ear for language—the rhythms and structures—and how authors place perfect words in perfect places. Students often gather on a carpet, facing the teacher in an area with a chart stand to record the group's thinking, or sit on chairs or carpet pieces in a semicircle. Reading aloud offers opportunities to expand young readers’ vocabulary, grow their comprehension skills, introduce new genres, engage in community discussions, and see the possibilities for what literate lives entail. Poems can be terrific sources for quick, high-interest read-aloud experiences.
