Books That Help Make You a Better Teacher: The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease Seventh Edition

BLURB:

he classic million-copy bestselling handbook on reading aloud to children—revised and updated

Recommended by "Dear Abby" upon its first publication in 1982, millions of parents and educators have turned to Jim Trelease’s beloved classic for more than three decades to help countless children become avid readers through awakening their imaginations and improving their language skills. It has also been a staple in schools of education for new teachers. This updated edition of The Read-Aloud Handbook discusses the benefits, the rewards, and the importance of reading aloud to children of a new generation. Supported by delightful anecdotes as well as the latest research (including the good and bad news on digital learning), The Read-Aloud Handbook offers proven techniques and strategies for helping children discover the pleasures of reading and setting them on the road to becoming lifelong readers.
 

Don't be fooled by the cover, this isn't just for elementary teachers. Jim Trelease is one of the foremost experts on the importance of reading aloud for students. And that doesn't end when they step into a middle school or high school classroom.

Trelease says: “We read to children for all the same reasons we talk with children: to reassure, to entertain, to bond, to inform or explain, to arouse curiosity, to inspire. But in reading aloud, we also:

• Condition the child’s brain to associate reading with pleasure;
• Create background information;
• Build vocabulary;
• Provide a reading role model.

I discovered this book years ago, when I realized that assigning books and book reports was a complete and total waste of time. What an eye-opener it was. It completely changed the way I thought about reading in my classroom. Trelease also addresses the important of silent reading of self-selected books, which is one of my favorite things ever. 

The book includes a lot of research and statistics to support what Trelease is saying. Some of those statistics are shocking. He also addresses such things as Accelerated Reader (a program I despise), standardized testing, classic literature vs. not-so-classic literature, the teacher's as well as the parent's role, etc. 

Chapters include the following:

1. Why Read Aloud?

2. When to Begin (and End) Read-Aloud

3. The Stages of Read-Aloud

4. Do's and Don'ts of Read-Aloud

5. Sustained Silent Reading: Read-Aloud's Natural Partner

6. The Print Climate in the Home, School, and Library

7. Digital Learning: Good News and Bad

8. Television and Audio: Hurting or Helping Literacy?

9. Dad-What's the Score?

10. A Hyper Kid's Road to Reading

There is also a "Treasury" of great read-aloud books in the back that is worth the price of the book for that alone.