Read-Alouds: Little Kids Can't Have All the Fun

Presenter selfie at AMLE

I (Meg) just returned from Columbus, Ohio, where I presented at AMLE's national conference with my great friend Becki.  We have been close friends since our undergrad years at Miami University where we were both middle childhood education majors and cheerleaders.  Though we moved to different states after graduating, we continue to remain close friends.  A constant part of our ongoing conversations always revolves around what we do in our respective math classrooms.  It has always been clear that we mutually value literacy integration in our math classes, so it was only natural that we decided to share our brilliant ideas with the rest of the middle school world.  Our presentation was appropriately titled "Math + Literacy = Rich Learning".  As we crafted our presentation on integrating literacy activities into our math classrooms, we immediately decided that our math read-alouds must be a highlight in our presentation.

In Dr. Steven Layne's most recent book In Defense of Read-Aloud, he delineates so many of the reasons read-alouds have a critical home in any classroom.  In addition to being plain old fun for students, read-alouds in a math classroom are the perfect way to build background knowledge and activate students' schema.  Using a picture book or a portion of a novel for a read-aloud provides students the opportunity to encounter a math concept in a non-threatening context and allows them to make connections between math and a variety of real life events.  Becki and I compiled a lengthy list of some of our favorite math-related books for the conference, so feel free to peruse and start using some of these books in your own classroom.

Mrs. Knapik captivating the crowd on read-aloud Monday

While I love using a read-aloud to launch a new lesson, I have started the new tradition of "Read Aloud Mondays" in my math classroom.  Mondays are difficult days for both teachers and students alike.  Starting class on a Monday with a five minute read-aloud has become the perfect way to ease all of us into another week of academic rigor by focusing our minds on mathematics.  The students are always engaged while I read, and by using a simple turn-and-talk or quick write prompt, the students are talking about or writing about math within minutes of entering the classroom.

Mrs. Knapik's "all math" bookshelf

In addition to reading aloud, I also make it a point to proudly display all my math-related books on their very own *special* bookshelf at the front of my classroom.  This bookshelf highlights to the students that reading about math is valued in our classroom.  My students clearly understand that math and literacy go hand-in-hand; they are not separate events.  Since I let my students check books out from my classroom library, keeping the math-related books on a shelf at the front of the room helps make these books pretty popular selections.

I also highlight *special* books I have in my classroom library.  These are books I have gotten signed by the author or books written by an author I have actually met.  I use a big "Look!" sign and arrow to direct my students' attention to these special books around my classroom.  When I am lucky enough to meet an author, I try to get a photograph with him/her and then tape the photograph inside the book's cover.  It makes the kids think I'm pretty cool!

One of Mrs. Knapik's *special* books!

Some neigh-sayers may ask, "Wait, you read aloud to your middle schoolers?  Don't they think that is kind of babysish?"

The answer is a resounding, "No!"  My middle school students, whether eighth graders or sixth graders, always LOVE being read to!  Never underestimate the power of a read-aloud.  ;)