If we want our students to read with intonation we must model all year long. Make the read aloud in your classroom the reason your students become readers. 

Please understand, I do not think you have to be a broadway star to read a picture book, but you need to have some confetti in that voice. 

If you are a first year teacher, student teacher, or a teacher who does not want to be on broadway, this blog post is for you! Let me help you feel confident when you are reading aloud in your classroom. 

I teach fifth grade and I would say 95% of my students love it when I read picture books. This last week, I had my students fill out a rating form about their 5th grade experience thus far, and SO many said their favorite part of the day was Open The Magic. It made my whole week!

Speaking of my students, in the past I have asked them, “What do I do that makes you engaged during read alouds?” Here are their responses summarized.

“you are SO excited about picture books! It’s like giving EXCITEMENT VIBES.”

“You do cool voices!” (bless them, I try!)

“You raise and lower your voice at the perfect time”

“You find books that we can learn from or relate too.”“You find funny books, remember when you read, Where’s My Butt?.”

I teach fifth grade and I would say 95% of my students love when I read picture books. This last week, I had my students fill out a rating form about their 5th grade experience thus far, and SO many said their favorite part of the day was Open The Magic. It made my whole week!

Speaking of my students, in the past I have asked them, “What do I do that makes you engaged during read alouds?” Here are their responses summarized:

“You are SO excited about picture books! It’s like giving EXCITEMENT VIBES.”

“You do cool voices!” (bless them, I try!)

“You raise and lower your voice at the perfect time”

“You find books that we can learn from or relate too.”

“You find funny books, remember when you read, Where’s My Butt?.”

Here is what I do when I want to have a solid read aloud. 

#1 Read the book ahead of time.

Reading aloud takes practice. Sometimes you have to pull your inner broadway star out of you, but I promise it is worth it. I understand that time is vital; you do not always have the time. I get it, I am a teacher too. Just try your best! If you are using a book to teach a lesson, I highly recommend reading the book beforehand. This will help you utilize all the teaching confetti inside. I am the type of teacher that has to prep before I do an activity in front of my students. My brain works better that way. If you are not sure which picture books would hit in your classroom, be sure to check out The Confetti Bookshelf, where I give you picture books I read each month in my own classroom.

#2 Do not sound like a robot.

I ask you to please not read like you do not like to read. The kids notice and then they are not engaged. I have learned from over the years when I make reading a confetti moment is when I get the most buy in about books. I have had multiple parents tell me that their child did not like reading until they came into my class. If we want our growing readers to thrive we must model for them how to read, the importance of reading, and showing the excitement we get from reading a book we love. 

I provide a  free training where I walk you through how to engage your readers during a read aloud and how to not be nervous when reading. Grab it here. 

#3 Explain the confetti.

Make the read aloud fun and engaging so your kids buy in. I typically share why I choose the books we read during Open The Magic. When I am selecting the books for the week, the first thing I will do is look up the national days for the week. I will try to match a national day with a book. For example, October 22nd is National Color Day. I will most likely read the book Mixed: A Colorful Story. I have a detailed blog post about National Days that are kid friendly and I share which books pair well with every holiday.

I also share new books that have not been released yet, the kids LOVE this. They feel so cool. Mini perk of Ramona Recommends. Oh! We always start off with looking at the picture book wallpaper and to see if there is a secret cover. Yes, I have 5th grade boys begging to have me check if there’s a secret cover even before I sit in my yellow chair. 

Here is your plan for your next read aloud.

-Grab a book from my suggested list. 

-Read it aloud or in your head. 

-Think of 1 way this book will connect to your students.

-Go shine, bookstar!

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