ROCHELLE –– World Read Aloud Day 2017 was celebrated by Central Elementary School’s students and parents on Thursday February 16th. Why did the school celebrate World Read Aloud Day?

According to LitWorld, “World Read Aloud Day is all about spreading a love for reading. We think everyone in the world should get to read and write. Every year, people all around the globe celebrate WRAD by reading and sharing stories together.” 

This was the first time that Central School participated in the celebration. Due to its huge success, students, parents, staff and teachers, will continue to participate in this worthy celebration every year. One of the many activities suggested by LitWorld was to invite parents to come to their children’s classroom and read a book to the students.  A total of 18 parents volunteered to read aloud to the students. One lucky group of first graders got to see puppets in action while Mrs. Debbie O’Dell read aloud to the students in Mrs. Hunley’s class.  

There are great benefits of reading aloud. According to reading experts such as Fountas and Pinnell, “it provides children with a demonstration of phrased, fluent reading. Children can listen on a higher language level than they can read, so reading aloud makes complex ideas more accessible and exposes children to vocabulary and language patterns that are not part of everyday speech. This, in turn, helps them understand the structure of books when they read independently”.

LitWorld states that studies show that literacy is the foundation for emotional and physical well-being, intellectual growth, and economic security. Furthermore, reading aloud improves listening skills, vocabulary acquisition, and the understanding of common story themes and structures that will factor into children’s future success.

According to LitWorld International, the company behind World Read Aloud Day, reading aloud to children every day puts them almost a year ahead of children who do not receive daily read alouds regardless of parental income, education level or cultural background.

“It does not matter what language you speak. Read aloud at home to your children everyday,” recommends Susana Guzmán-Holland a bilingual reading teacher at Central school.

Guzmán-Holland offers reading workshops for parents who speak Spanish to learn about reading strategies. Currently she leads a book club that meets on the first Thursday of every month. This group of parents are learning that they are in charge of their children’s academic success. According to the group of parents, “education reform starts at home, parents are teachers for life to their children”.

The following are tips that parents can use to create a powerful, memorable read aloud experience.

• Read the book beforehand to familiarize yourself with the story. Make note of places you want to stop and ask questions.
• Be animated! Change your voice during the read aloud to match the expressions of the characters and emotions of the story; this will truly bring the text to life.
• Use different voices for different characters so that children come to recognize dialogue within a text and individual character traits.
• If your book has a lot of text, try a story walk instead of reading every word. A story walk is when summarize what is happening on each page while pointing to the illustrations to help explain the action.
• Ask questions out loud as you read. Ask listeners to predict what will happen next, how they would feel if they were in the story, or the meaning of a vocabulary word that might be new. Limit your questions to one or two so they do not disrupt the flow of the story.
• After you finish the story, have a conversation that focuses on connecting the text to the listeners’ lives and experiences.

    Here are some websites to visit to learn more about literacy activities:

www.litworld.org On this site, you will learn the mission and vision of this organization. It offers different programs to promote writing and reading to every child, teen and adult in the world by empowering them to become the story. Be the Story!

www.readingisfundamental.org An organization that believes literacy begins with parental involvement when they read aloud to their children. RIF gives books to kids! Find out more by visiting the website.

www.readingrockets.org, Reading Rockets’ website it’s all about helping parents, caregivers, teachers, and others to help launch young readers to a successful life through literacy. Blast off with a book.

www.colorincolorado.org, This is the Spanish version of Reading Rockets.

www.readaloud.org, Here you will find information about a national campaign to read aloud to children from the day they are born and the amazing benefits. www.uniteforliteracy.com In Unite for Literacy, you will find free access to books in English and Spanish. By the click of a bottom, your child can hear the story. However, Guzmán-Holland recommends that you use your own voice when reading to your child. Researchers agree reading aloud is the most important activity parents, grandparents, and caregivers can do to promote early brain development and lifelong learning success.  

The entire staff at Central School would like to thank the following parents for participating in the World Read Aloud Day. Kindergarten guests readers: Mrs. Cervantes, Mrs. Herrera, Mrs. Mejia and Mrs. Reed. First grade guests  readers: Mrs. Hernandez, Mrs. Nieto and Miss Rios. Second grade guests readers: Mrs. Dominguez and Mr. and Mrs. Lopez. Third grade guests readers: Mrs. Villanueva, Mrs. Penaran, Mrs. Galicia, Mrs. Hennessee and Mrs. Stechschulte. Fifth grade guests readers: Mrs. Keaton and Mrs. Adams.

If you have questions or you would like to participate in next year World Read Aloud Day, contact Guzmán-Holland at (815) 562-8251.

“In the meantime, read aloud to your child everyday,” stated Guzmán-Holland.