Read Alouds are so fun, even in Junior High.
My slice of life moment today is brought to you by the letter S for Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart. This book has my students so hooked. They are whispering about the book as I read, they are on the edge of their seat as I slow my reading to emphasize a moment. They gasp as they make connections or yell out predictions and connections. Yesterday they yelled at me to keep reading. Today they were upset that class has ended. My Slice of Life would not be complete without reflecting on this practice and the fun that comes from students (even in Junior High) just sitting on the edge of their seats. Funny however that my 8’s passed on the read aloud today, they just wanted to read their choice books. Maybe they were tired of me but I like to think they just really love their books.
This morning I talked on Twitter of my disdain for Accelerated Reading (AR) seeing some post about a “March Madness” AR reading challenge being passed around like the most engaging reading tool ever. I have never seen students sitting on the edge of their seats to do an AR quiz. Engaged readers or even listeners are so fun to listen to, to watch and to learn from. Today was a day that keeps me hopeful that readers are being developed in my room. Students that appreciate a text. Today was a good day and read alouds are awesome.
Thanks for this quick reflection opportunity.
Things Mr.G says 
Read alouds are the best! I teach 3rd grade, so I love to hear that junior high students ALSO love read alouds. You are never too old for them. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
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Reading aloud to kids is one of the greatest parts of teaching. I teach high school, but still try to work in read aloud in many different ways. Hearing a book, or a poem, or a piece of creative nonfiction read aloud with care and enthusiasm can make all the difference.
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Read aloud is one of the things I miss about being in the classroom. So many happy memories of stories shared. Love hearing about the engaged readers in your classroom.
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It is the think I miss most about not being in a classroom. It is the read aloud time when students are hooked. Fun to read your post today! Yeah for read alouds. I am with you on the AR – it is not like digging deep into a novel!
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I’m so glad we don’t have AR in high school. I hate that program. But I love the description of your reading aloud to students. How we read makes all the difference in student engagement. Your students react much the way mine do about hearing me read, and mine are seniors!
BTW, I’m one of your Welcome Wagon volunteers. A question: Have you considered labeling your posts for the #SOLC by day, as in #SOL18 Day 3 for March 3. I’ve been a bit confused about which post is for which day, but I am really enjoying your slices.
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I can for sure.
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