What to Know: Three Ideas to Consider Before Reading Aloud

Know the Text

Children tend to enjoy stories, poems, or pieces of nonfiction that are strong, vivid, and self-contained. In other words, children tend to avoid those texts that are didactic, that have a clear "message." For example, they enjoy stories that are dramatic and suspenseful or silly and humorous. Children love to sit on the edge of their seats and wonder how the main character will get out of a tough situation; they also love to laugh. We can never go wrong when we share stories that create suspense, poems that evoke laughter, or nonfiction that arouses curiosity and wonder.

Know the Audience

Young children (ages 3 to 7) respond well to texts that have strong language patterns: rhythm, rhyme, repetition, assonance, onomatopoeia, and alliteration. They also enjoy stories that are silly on an elemental and obvious level. Older children (ages 8 to 10) enjoy suspenseful stories where they can identify with the hero or heroine and stories that stretch their imaginations beyond the confines of the everyday world. Tall tales, myths, legends, and folk tales are often among their favorites. And, of course, they also enjoy stories and poems that make them laugh. Children who are moving into adolescence also enjoy stories that allow them to identify with the protagonists, but these stories need to be ones that deal with the problems of the teen years, such as the search for identity, the quest for courage, and the pursuit of integrity. They also respond well to texts that present ideas and issues that are not black or white, but are complex and indeterminate.

For a complete description of how to match children and books, along with book lists, see Children's Literature in Education (sixth edition) by Charlotte S. Huck, et al.

Prepare the Text

Before reading aloud, it is a good idea to practice. Read the text once to gain general knowledge: what is the genre of the text? how is it structured? Read it twice to understand the interworkings of the language and ideas: what are the main ideas? what is most important in the text? what kind of language is being used? are there areas that present some difficulties? Read it a third time with an eye toward how to bring the text to life: what should be emphasized during oral reading? where and when is it necessary to change the voice? Then read the text aloud two or three times to develop fluency, comfort, dramatic emphasis, and vocal variety.