6th read aloud

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Home : 2002 : August : 13

6th read aloud
By Tia

You BET we read aloud in 6th grade!!!

I focus on a separate genre each month--the stories/novel we read in-class, the read aloud, and their book report assignment are all from the same genre, so that is one way my read
alouds tie into what I'm teaching.
Sometimes I read a book that hits a topic we need to focus on in class--teasing about others' disabilities, etc...
Before I do the Written & Illustrated By project (students write, illustrate, and publish their own hardcover books), I read several picture books--and yes! I show the pictures!--written by children ages 6-18. (I cover the back cover

About the Author so that when we start the project I can then say, "Remember these books that I read? They were written and illustrated by kids!") They are always amazed and encouraged. By the way, I share a large variety of picture books with my class in every subject--about the first time I do this, I explain to them that they will never be too old for picture books--they are beautiful, funny, educational...I buy them for adult family members and enjoy reading them myself.

Other times I share a book that I think will help the students work on critical thinking skills. Books that I can have the students work on prediction skills, point of view, characterization, setting, foreshadowing.... I think this is why so many of us like to use Holes.

I also read aloud books that were my favorites in school. My 6th grade teacher read us Summer of the Monkeys, and I will forever have the vision of the ribbons swaying in the tree implanted in my brain. When I was in 6th grade, I discovered The Great Brain--loved it, and was delighted to discover it was the first of a series!