KEY FINDINGS
> > “Children who have an enthusiastic reader as a role model may stay determined to learn to read, even when facing challenges, rather than becoming easily discouraged” (Cunningham and Zibulsky, 2014). > > The interactive read-aloud results in student gains in vocabulary (Beck and McKeown, 2001), comprehension strategies and story schema (Van den Broek, 2001), and concept development (Scharer, 2018; Wasik and Bond, 2001; Pinnell and Fountas, 2011).
More to Know: Doctor’s Orders: Read Aloud Every Day
The American Academy of Pediatrics, which represents 62,000 pediatricians, recommends reading aloud to infants from birth. As a result, our youngest children, from birth to age three, stimulated by daily read-alouds, will enjoy a significant increase in important brain development. The formal recommendation, in part, is meant to enhance young children’s vocabulary development and other communication skills. The aim is increase the number of words that children hear before they are able to speak and use the words. According to research, and pediatric development, talking and singing to infants can result in advances in cognition that are recognizable as early as 18 months (Needlman, 2014; Massaro, 2016). Reading Role Models Make a Difference We’ve long believed that the parent-child read-aloud plays a pivotal role in helping youngsters learn to read (Miller and Sharp, 2018; Scharer, 2018; Laminack, 2016; Graeper, 2014; Hailey, 2014). An intergenerational reading study provides the research to back that belief. Indeed, the research demonstrates that not only is the read-aloud effective, the strength of the relation between parent-child reading and outcome measures “is as strong a predictor of reading achievement as is phonemic awareness.” The Scholastic Kids and Family Reading Report (2016) also notes the critical importance of reading relationships and books in the home: “Having reading role-model parents or a large book collection at home has more of an impact on kids’ reading frequency than does household income.” The available data on the read-aloud supports intergenerational literacy programs intended to stimulate parent-preschooler reading as an effective way to better prepare young children for beginning reading instruction. Book reading affects acquisition of storybook language—syntax and vocabulary (“once upon a time,” for example)—that’s unique to the written language used in children’s literature (Scharer, 2018; Lever and Sénéchal, 2011; Sénéchal and Young, 2008; Bus, van IJzendoorn, and Pellegrini, 1995).
AUTHENTIC TEXTS AND TEXT COM- PLEXITY
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EARLY READERS THE READ-ALOUD AND READING ROLE MODELS BOOST LEARNING
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