ABSTRACT

Reading aloud helps to set up the conditions for children and adolescents to follow in the footsteps of Kate DiCamillo's graders and reach out for books so they can pursue their own interests and inquiries. Kelly Gallagher uses the word "readicide" to describe how he sees schools literally killing reading. Good conversations get even better when some drama is added to the read aloud. One way to provide engaging reading instruction for young readers is to encourage them to join in the reading of picture books with repeated or predictable text. Reading aloud from graphic novels, horror fiction, and series books can also be effective ways to support older students in further development of a readerly identity. Much research has focused on the effects of discussing books as part of the read-aloud experience. For example, I. Beck and M. McKeown studied how the teacher's use of "text talk" could enhance children's comprehension of the stories being read to them.