Reading aloud in classroom

Reading out loud is still a great teaching tool

For quite some time now, I have wanted to familiarize myself with the famous Spanish novel Adventures of Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. So far, unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to dedicate enough time to this literary masterpiece. Until today… - a day filled with substitutions. As I got to know about these unexpected lessons at the last moment (it’s usually so with substitutions), I decided to use them to introduce students, and myself at the same time, to this fascinating novel and character of Don Quixote. 

Don Quixote by a French artist Honore Daumier (1870)

Today’s classes became an occasion to see whether students like being read to. In each class (grades 4^th to 6^th), I read Don Quixote aloud (a version retold by experts) for over twenty minutes. Again, my conclusion is that students enjoy listening to someone reading out loud and that it enhances their concentration skills. It is also a calming and soothing exercise that in an unobtrusive way spurs students’ imagination. Reading aloud is creative and has no limits - a teacher can use this method in any situation, like an unexpected substitution. 

MS