Read Aloud Success Stories

Gary in Bentonville, AR:

Summary: 6000 families reading Trumpet of the Swan aloud at home, at the same time, for a whole month.
When: February 15, 2010, 8 a.m. till 12 Noon.
Where: Arend Arts Center, 1901 S.E. "J" St., Bentonville, AR 72712.
Keynote Speaker: William Harvey, Ed.D., Executive Director International Reading Association (IRA).
Other Features:

• Bruce Coffey, Director of Read to Them’s OSOB Program. Dartmouth OSOB is his brainchild. He tells how reading aloud builds a lifelong reader.
• Gary Anderson, M. Ed., Executive Director and Founder of Read to Them, will share his 30+ years perspective as a school and juvenile correction center psychologist.
• Lisa St. John, Principal, will tell how she started OSOB at Apple Glen Elementary School and then spearheaded all the Bentonville schools to become the first "city of OSOB schools" reading 6,000 copies of Trumpet of the Swan.
• Jan Bates, OSOB Coordinator and Reading Recovery Teacher, will describe her OSOB experiences in rural tidewater Virginia. She is a native Arkansan with over 40 years teaching experience. She states, "When you can get 100% of your parents involved in a family literacy program, it is a win-win situation for the entire community."
• Stacy Walker, OSOB Organizer and Reading Recovery Teacher, has inspired a cluster of five Title I schools to participate in OSOB. She said, "The students and their families loved this program so much I had to share it with other schools in my district. We are now reading 3 books a year!"

Tammy in Chattanooga, TN:

After fifteen years of reading aloud to my sixth and seventh graders, I'm no longer surprised to see "...you, reading aloud to us every day," when my students answer the question: What is your favorite part of being in my class? on my end-of-the-year evaluation.

Seniors, popping in for a visit, ask which book I'm reading to my classes this year. "Oh, man," they lament. "I wish I were still in sixth grade. It would be awesome to have somebody read to us again."

A relatively new discovery, Airborn by Kenneth Oppel, is everybody’s current favorite. I wish all middle school teachers could see what happens when I begin each of my classes reading the story of Matt, a cabin boy on a Victorian- era luxury airship, as he sails toward a fantasy adventure with pirates. Educators would see every student on the floor, mesmerized as they learn the craft of narration, the vitality of rich language, and relevance of authentic dialogue.

"Do you know that I now have to schedule my son’s orthodontic appointments around his English class?" one of my parents says to me. "He’s afraid he’ll miss something in the story you’re reading to them."

"My daughter wanted to come to this school because she wanted to hear the rest of that book you were reading to your class when she toured last spring," the parent of a new sixth grader tells me.

This gift of ten minutes is the inspiration that fuels my teacher spirit. How can I not read to my students every day?

Ann in Lookout Mountain, TN:

I had always read aloud to the kids, but assumed it was just optional after they began to read independently. When Susan had parent orientation this Fall for my son's 4th grade class, she mentioned its importance. Again, I didn't really compute, or make it a priority.

Well, my 8th grader was assigned To Kill A Mockingbird, and it proved difficult for her to find the voice of the book and characters. So, off we set, chapter by chapter. I fell in love with the process, and with the time spent with my daughter. We are on the edge of our seats each night, to find out what happens next to Scout, and to Tom Robinson.

Additionally, my 4th grader and I are reading The Tale of Despereaux, and it is my favorite part of the day. It sets the tone for cuddling into bed, it brings us together, and it broadens his imagination.

This has been an unexpected gift, for someone who thought we were all TOO OLD!

Thanks for your inspiration, Susan.

Janice in Unicoi, TN:

I'm a homeschool mom of 5 and your site certainly mirrors the exact method we've used with our children, which is the Five-In-A-Row curriculum, and uses most of those books that Susan recommends. We have a huge room full of our children's books and find that even our teenagers enjoy going back to the classic stories and re-reading authors who timelessly represent true talent in writing. We're saving them for grandchildren some day, with the knowledge that good books never lose their value. We also follow the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling, which also emphasizes reading classic literature from infancy on, to learn to write well.

Sonya in Las Vegas, NV:

Nearly five years ago my 16-month old son was diagnosed with a correctable vision problem. The diagnosis indicated it might repair itself. However, after waiting the required time, we had to wait another year for the surgery due to job changes and insurance issues. In any case, he's fine now, but I'm deeply thankful to my neighbor who introduced me to Read Aloud. Thanks to her, we solved a problem that could have caused my son to start school a year later than his age group.

It was slow going at first, neither my husband or me thought we could find the time for daily Read Aloud. Fortunately, my neighbor supplied us with a steady flow of books and kept encouraging and challenging us to spend more time. Gradually, we did more and more daily Read Aloud and my son absolutely loved it. He had favorite stories and favorite characters and although he could barely see the words, he was able to memorize stories and poems and we could talk about them frequently throughout the day.

Thanks to daily Read Aloud, and an emphasis on developing the correct skills despite his vision problem, my son has started school on time and couldn't be doing better. I'm sure Read Aloud was the reason. I think it was a big help to his vocabulary development and thinking skills. Thank God for our neighbor and thank God we persevered. And, you're right, I bonded with my son in a way I might never have if it were not for his vision problem and Read Aloud.