Presented by Lester Laminack, Author of The Ultimate Read-Aloud Resource

Sponsored by Scholastic Education

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Establishing a routine of read-aloud experiences provides exposure to the best available texts presented by the most fluent reading voice in the classroom community. Hearing a well-written text in the voice of someone who is both thoroughly familiar with the text and has deep respect for the writing is a rare experience. This routine exposes students to a variety of genres, topics, authors, styles, voices, formats, and opinions, which allows them to sample each as they find new interests they may want to pursue independently. A routine read-aloud experience creates a cultural norm, an expectation that some text will be “heard” each day at a given time. Further entice your students to delve into texts independently by creating a browsing collection of related texts to extend what you are reading aloud. Read aloud to them with no other intention than to inspire them to delve into print independently.

The benefits of read-alouds include:

• Generating interest in reading to create a thirst for a reading life, and consistent read-aloud experiences can be the best enticement there is.
• Immersing students in content-specific vocabulary paired with images that will help them build background information and schema for upcoming independent reading of denser texts.
• Encouraging students to ask meaningful questions and have robust and authentic conversations.

This recorded edWebinar will be of particular value to kindergarten through elementary school teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders.

About the Presenter

Lester Laminack is a professor emeritus of birth-kindergarten, elementary, and middle grades education at Western Carolina University. He is a full-time writer and consultant working with schools throughout the U.S. Lester is an active member of the NCTE and served three years as co-editor of the NCTE journal Primary Voices and as editor of the Children’s Book Review Department of the NCTE journal Language Arts (2003-2006). He has received two awards for excellence in teaching at WCU: the Botner Superior Teaching Award and the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award.

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