Read Aloud Experience Reflection

Read Aloud Reflection:

Another fun literary experience that I enjoyed today was doing my first read aloud to the class. I sat on the wooden stump next to the circle carpet and read the book Bark, George by Jules Feiffer. The children loved the story and I enjoyed reading to them. In order to keep them quiet I read in a very soft voice and did not talk over them. I changed my voice for the different characters and I made the animal sounds seem as real as I could. I felt like the read aloud was a great success because everyone sat quietly and was engaged in the story. I would let the children guess which animal was going to come next and I would slow my voice down and speed it back up again. In order to prepare for my read aloud I asked Mike to help me choose a book and I made sure to read Bark, George at least three times before reading it aloud to the children. I also made sure not to talk over the children but to wait for them to become quiet. I allowed them to ask questions at the end and I prompted some questions such as, “what do you think the vet could pull out of George now?” I was careful to hold the book in a position so that everyone could see the pictures. In addition I would point to some specific words and pause so that the children could read and say the word as a group. I am glad that I am in a classroom with not only the children but also Mike and Alexis because they are able to give me feedback and help me become a better teacher. After my reading I encouraged the children to find a book and read quietly with a friend. One of the girls wanted to read Bark, George, which I thought was a great idea so I handed the book to her and her friends. I am looking forward to my next read aloud and to observe Mike and Alexis in order to get more ideas.