Read All About It!:
The Importance of Read-Alouds
Focusing On Cultural Sensitivity
and Accuracy
Presentation
By:
Jennifer Annear
Why Are Read-Alouds
Important?
They:
• Help students become better readers
• Can be used to help students learn to predict,
hypothesize, analyze and make connections
• Help students become motivated to read
• Can enhance vocabulary development
• Allow teachers to be sure a student is focused
Importance of Read-Alouds
Continued…
They:
• Can help clarify concepts
• Can expose students to difficult topics in a “safe
environment” (prejudice, slavery, discrimination)
• Expose students to topics they might not choose to
learn about on their own
• Can provide good modeling of reading skills
Why Are Read-Alouds With
Cultural Books Important?
“By 2050 the Anglo population is projected to
decrease to 52%, as ethnic minority groups
continue to increase” (Boutte, 1999).
Culturally Sensitive Books:
• Promote positive cross-cultural attitudes
• Transmit values, norms, and attitudes
• Provide minorities with positive role models
Importance of Cultural ReadAlouds Continued…
Culturally Sensitive Books:
• Help students develop tolerance
• Expose children to all different cultures
• Help minorities in the class to feel
included and important
• Give students cultural pride
• Help students develop tolerance
Are Read-Alouds Only For
Elementary School Children?
The consensus is no!
Jim Trelease in his book The Read Aloud Handbook
says:
“Reading aloud is a commercial for reading. ...Think of
it this way: McDonald's doesn't stop advertising just
because the vast majority of Americans know about
its restaurants. Each year it spends more money on
ads to remind people how good its products taste.
Don't cut your reading advertising budget as
children grow older."
Cultural Read-Alouds :
How To Choose A Quality Book
1. Always fully read through the book first
2. Make sure the book is free of stereotypes
3. Make sure the book portrays the culture in an
accurate and positive manner
4. Be sure to choose books that are balanced
between describing the culture in a historical
setting and modern times
5. Be sure the book is free of offensive materials
6. Warning: just because a book has favorable
reviews does not mean it is culturally accurate!
Examples of Culturally Sensitive
Children’s Books
A Jar of Dreams
By: Yoshiko Uchida
When Marian Sang
By: Pam Munoz Ryan
Pueblo Boy: Growing
Up In Two Worlds
By: Marcia Keegan
A Great Website For Analyzing The Cultural Sensitivity Of A Book :
http://www.birchlane.davis.ca.us/library/10quick.htm
Ideas For Using Read-Alouds In The
Classroom
• As the hook to a lesson
• As a way to quickly introduce an important
aspect of a unit
• As a way to start a class discussion
• As a way to teach/model reading strategies
• As a way to highlight important parts of a
text/chapter book
• As a way to get kids interested in reading
about your content!!!!
Food For Thought
The results of a survey, published in "Why Do Teachers
Read Aloud?" (The NERA Journal, Volume 35, Number 1,
1999), proved that reading aloud is not a hit-or-miss
activity. The survey showed that 70 percent of primarygrade teachers read to their students every day and 37
percent of secondary-school teachers read at least three or
four times a week.
The Bottom Line:
Read-Alouds Are A Great Tool For Any
Type of Teacher and They Are Beneficial
To all Students!!!!
Your Homework
How you can use read-alouds in
your own classroom, especially
ones that incorporate all different
types of cultures?
Sources
Morgan, Hani. "Using Read-Alouds with Culturally Sensitive Children's
Books: A Strategy that Can Lead to Tolerance and Improved Reading
Skills." Reading Improvement 46 (2009): 3-8.
Sharpe, Wesley. "Reading Aloud- Is It Worth It?" Education World. 2001.
17 June 2009.
My Contact Information:
jennifer.annear@gmail.com