reading to children: why and how

Reading to Children: Why and HowAuthor(s): Ronald L. CramerSource: The Reading Teacher, Vol. 28, No. 5 (Feb., 1975), pp. 460-463Published by: Wiley on behalf of the International Reading AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20193816 .

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Reading to children:

why and how RONALD L.CRAMER

Ronald L. Cramer, chairperson of early childhood studies at

Oakland University, Rochester,

Michigan, is currently in York,

England studying British Infant Schools and doing research

in creative writing.

TEACHERS

can't teach children to love books, but by reading to

them every day they can create an at

mosphere that will help children

appreciate the gift of literature. The

enjoyment of books can be shared. Materials read to children should

include poems and prose, fiction and

nonfiction, adventure, fantasy,

myths, fairy tales, legends and folk

tales. The whole world of literature can be opened to children by reading to them.

Research and teaching experience have shown that reading to children

helps them learn to read. In a num

ber of ways it also helps them learn to write. Reading to children pro vides models for writing. Children

must internalize a sense of story form, characterization, plot, mood

and so on in order to become effec tive writers. Hence, the value of read

ing a wide variety of literature is ob vious.

Reading to children sparks the

imagination and provides images and ideas for children to write about.

What is read today is likely to be written about tomorrow. If you want

children to write ghost stories, read

ghost stories to them. All children are endowed with imagination and the capacity to wonder. Reading to

them is often the key to stimulating an imagination that has been lulled

asleep by the tedium of daily class room routine.

Reading to children enriches their

language. Unconscious and con

scious memorization of words, phras

es, images and syntax often results.

Depth and breadth of vocabulary is

enhanced.

Reading to children develops their

concepts, knowledge and thinking

460 The Reading Teacher February 1975



ability. The firsthand experiences of all children are limited. Vicarious

experiences are essential in order to broaden the child's understand

ings of the world. Literature is the

greatest resource available to provide vicarious experiences.

Reading to children illustrates spe cific concepts about writing which a

teacher may want children to under stand. The teacher may wish, for ex

ample, to illustrate ways in which certain writers describe characters in their stories. Three or four selections can provide pertinent examples.

Reading to children is an enjoy able activity. It is the surest way to

develop a love and appreciation for books.

Reading to children establishes a

mutual bond among listeners. This

positive effect can be a powerful mo

tivating force that will carry over

into discussions and other classroom activities.

Reading to children requires thoughtful preparation and execu

tion. It is not enough to pick up any book and read it. The thoughtful teacher must give consideration to two major factors in reading to chil dren. First, it is necessary to establish

and maintain a climate of receptivity among the children. Second, it is nec

essary to read the selection effec

tively.

The climate for reading

Several factors are involved in es

tablishing a climate of receptivity. First, make the reading-listening pe riod a time for enjoyment and re laxation. Informality should be en

couraged. If children are more

comfortable resting their heads on

their desks they should be allowed to do so. If cushions and rugs are avail able children may wish to sit or lie on them. Textbooks and working mate rials should be kept in desks or other

wise stored so they will not distract attention from the reading.

Make the reading-listening time a

special part of the daily schedule. This can be done by setting aside a

specific time for it. The last twenty minutes of the day is a good choice because it sends the children home with a pleasant conclusion to the

day's activities. The beginning of the

day is also a good choice because it

gets the children off to a good start. Have the children establish a few

simple behavior guidelines that they are willing to observe. They must not become so stringent that they inter fere with the relaxed and pleasant at

mosphere that must be developed. These guidelines may be as simple as a requirement of no talking or walk

ing about during the reading-listen ing time.

Don't read longer than the chil dren can sustain attention to the

reading. The time spent may vary de

pending on the mood of the children and teacher, the passage being read, the amount of time available, the children's interest in the material, and other unpredictable factors.

Never use withdrawal of the read

ing-listening period as punishment for class or individual misbehavior. It would never occur to a teacher to

withdraw the day's work in math or

reading as an appropriate punish ment for misbehavior. It makes even

less sense to withdraw the reading listening time. It is every bit as im

portant as math or any other subject. If the five suggestions outlined

above are followed the teacher will have little difficulty in securing a cli mate of receptivity among the chil dren for the reading-listening experi ences.

Five guidelines will help to read ef

fectively whatever passage has been selected.

1) Plan each day's reading selec tion in advance. Normally one

should have certain days reserved for the reading of a continuing story. It is also useful to reserve at least one

CRAMER: Reading to children 461



Photo by Helen Han

day a week for a special selection?

poetry, special surprises or readings designed to mesh with other daily or

weekly classroom activities.

2) Select reading material best suited for the children being read to.

Keep in mind age and interest levels.

Many teachers choose to consult various sources in selecting appropri ate books.

3) Interpret the mood, tone and action of the passage being read. Don't be afraid to be dramatic. For

example, children will appreciate Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn more if the teacher renders the dia lect accurately and lets her voice rise and fall with the natural emotions evoked by the story. Inhibition, shy ness, fear of making a fool of oneself often prevent teachers from entering into the drama of a story. Children,

however, are a generous and gentle

audience. They will appreciate and

applaud a teacher's efforts to drama tize the literature read to them.

4) Differentiate the reading-to children time from the directed-read

ing-and-listening-activity time. It is neither necessary nor desirable to

make the reading-listening time into a structured lesson. The primary ob

jective is enjoyment. If this is accom

plished, other secondary objectives will follow naturally.

5) When reading a narrative that will be continued the next day, stop at a point that is likely to incite antic

ipation for the next episode. Judi cious use of this device can have a

positive effect on attendance and a sustained high interest level in the se lection being read.

A comprehensive program of

reading to children must be carefully planned and balanced so the best se lection of books may result. Teachers

may find the following guidelines helpful in selecting materials to read to children or for children to read.

1) Provide both modern and tradi tional literature. Classic literature links the present generation with its

cultural heritage. The great themes of justice, equality, courage and hon

esty are values commonly extolled in classic literature. Stories that stress

adventure, fantasy, home and family transcend time. These are concepts

with which today's children can still

462 The Reading Teacher February 1975



identify. At the same time, modern

literature, with its contemporary lan

guage and settings, also delights chil dren.

2) Provide both fiction and non fiction. For the most part, selections read aloud should be fiction. The

young child delights in identifying with the characters that fiction por trays. It gives him an opportunity to be someone else, to imagine and fan

tasize. To the young child fiction is

quite real.

On the other hand, children need to build a store of information about the world, past and present. As chil dren gain knowledge they are able to

verify these facts and ideas through daily living and through other educa tional sources. The base of informa tion thus obtained helps the child to formulate new concepts and ideas and expands his understanding of the

physical world about him. Fiction, of course, does this too, but less directly and more esthetically. Both types of

readings are useful. The balance,

however, should tip in the direction of fiction since other curriculum ex

periences will provide the bulk of nonfiction resources for the child.

3) Provide both prose and poetry. Many children avoid reading poetry because they feel uncomfortable with it and have insufficient exposure to it.

Reading poetry will help provide the needed experience and exposure that

develop understanding and appre ciation. In addition, most poetry is

meant to be read aloud.

4) Provide books which contain elements of surprise, suspense, action

and universal characters with whom children can identify. Children enjoy literature that tells of man's struggle

against the forces of nature and the confrontation of evil with good. They like stories where the emotions re

vealed in the characters parallel those that children struggle with themselves: love, hate, anger, joy,

grief and gentleness. Children's curiosity, enthusiasm

and emotional needs are a natural

ally to the teacher who is attuned to children. The important thing about a book is the meaning it has for the child who reads or hears it.

Asian reading specialists IRA has received a grant from the Asia Foundation to encourage closer relations between Asian and American reading specialists. The funds will be used in three ways. First, they will allow Asian reading specialists to receive one-year memberships in IRA at reduced rates. Second, the funds

will allow Asian libraries, university departments and research institutes to subscribe to IRA journals at reduced rates. Finally, they will supple

ment travel expenses of Asian reading specialists who wish to attend IRA

meetings in the United States. Applicants must be at least at the graduate student level and may come

from any of the following Asian countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Khmer Repub lic (Cambodia), Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines,

Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. Applicants who have not

previously received grants will be given first consideration. Application forms may be obtained from Claudia Converse, Administrative Assis

tant, International Reading Association, 800 Barksdale Road, Newark, Delaware 19711.

CRAMER: Reading to children 463



reading to children: why and how

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