In classrooms where the students can read for themselves, reading aloud often falls off the daily schedule. But it's a ritual well worth keeping—for the sake of literacy, the moral imagination, classroom bonds, and so much more. Long-time Heights teacher Tom Steenson encourages the teachers tending that flame, or wanting to rekindle it, in their own classrooms.

Chapters:

2:08 Goals of reading aloud in the classroom
4:44 The artist sees, then helps others to see
11:47 Books that aren't landing
15:10 The read-aloud routine, scene-setting
18:35 Reading in a high school classroom
22:27 Separating instruction from narrative
24:59 The effect on teachers

Links:

Only the Lover Sings: Art and Contemplation by Josef Pieper
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
Augustine's Confessions translated by F. J. Sheed
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nihm by Robert C. O'Brien
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Featured Opportunities:

The Art of Teaching Conference at The Heights School (November 13-15, 2024)

Also on the Forum:

Classroom Ambience by Joseph Bissex
The Read-Aloud Family featuring Sarah Mackenzie
Stop Telling Your Son to Read: How to Inspire a Love of Reading featuring Tom Longao
How to Master the Art of Reading Outside by Tom Longano

The Ritual of Reading in the Classroom