Isn't there an age when we should stop our reading aloud to young people? what do you think?

Question

some educators who believe in skill based programs question whether limited instructional imte can be used in more productive ways. They ask, shouldn't students be using scarce time to tead to themselvesm to discuss, or even to do skill building exercises?

Answer 1

Reading aloud, even to teens, helps give them a grasp of the text.  You just mix it up; sometimes they read aloud, sometimes you read aloud, sometimes they read in pairs, other times silently...It takes the monotony out of the same old routine.  Also, there are a lot of reading games like "popcorn reading" and "jump-in" reading....  You assign a lot for homework also and do skills building through critical thinking activities/questions/projects...

Answer 2

There is no specific age, really.

Students need to know what good reading sounds like and looks like, so teachers should continue reading aloud to students. They need to model effective reading strategies and practices, as well as voice.

Teachers should read novels and books for entertainment to students, but not every single thing like test questions and directions.

Answer 3

Reading aloud in the classroom provides students with the opportunity to hear someone reading with excellent fluency, prosody, and expression.  This is very helpful for all levels of students, from gifted to exceptional education students.

Modeling skills is always a good thing to do in any classroom and reading is no exception.  I would not do it on a regular basis, but it can be a great way to present materials to students.

Answer 4

We should stop reading aloud to young people, when young people are able to starting reading for themselves. It doesn't mean that we should not facilitate and promote the environment conducive to reading, but we should not read for them. At a certain age, this does indeed detract from learning how to read.

Answer 5

I think this kind of depends on the circumstances.  For instance, any time I'm giving a test, I always read the direction out loud to make sure that everything is understood.  So many students, even myself in many occasions, don't take the time to actually read the direction because they just want to get the test finished faster.

I don't think that it's a bad thing to do, on occasion in other situations.  If we're reading a play or story or something, I might start out reading aloud, and then pass off the reading to another student.  I like reading aloud in my drama classes.  It has its place.  I don't think it should be done for all classes and subjects and such, but it has its place.

Answer 6

Reading aloud to students is a very worthy use of instructional time even for those can read to themselves.  It models fluency and correct pronunciation and prosody.

Answer 7

I have read to 5th graders. Even at that age, they need to hear good fluency models. Also, my kids seemed to enjoy it.

Answer 8

Believe it or not, there is more to learning than just reading skills.  Reading aloud gives students the opportunity to work on their listening skills, and allows the poorer readers an opportunity to learn that is not impeded by their poor reading skills.  I am not saying that we don't make our students practice their reading, but as an adult, I have actually lost some of my listening skills because everything is written.

Answer 9

Reading aloud is a wonderful part of a full classroom day. It promotes listening, auditory processing, auditory memory, visualization and language comprehension.  When I read aloud to my fifth grade class, I stop periodically to ask questions. "What do you think he meant by that?"  "What do you think will happen next?" "Why did the character do that?"  I encourage kids to raise hands when they hear a word that they don't know; this allows me to reinforce comprehension strategies.  I encourage kids to raise hands when they can make connections to the text (What book does this remind you of? What life experience does it bring to mind? What question does this raise for you?)

I have found that my students use what they have heard in their own writing, as well.  And, most of all, they get a chance to see me thoroughly enjoy written text.