Planning our read a louds

[AFthfulJrney]

I'm in full blown planning mode and I'm really striving to have this be our best year yet and that starts with me trying to get as organized as I possibly can. So, that being said, I'm wondering how do you organize your read alouds for the year? Do you just pick from a list and read ones that sound interesting, try to read a certain amount each month/year, count what you are reading for history as your read aloud? In previous years I've always just picked something off our shelf, but I'm wondering if I should be more intentional about this. Thank you!

[My3Munchkins]

I purchase books I want to use as read alouds and place them all on a shelf. I then pull from that shelf. Sometimes I choose the read aloud and sometimes I let DC choose.

[Momto6inIN]

I have a stack of books I think would be fun read alouds that go along with our history studies each year. I just pull the books from that stack and read them in order. Until my kids beg to read Harry Potter or The Hobbit aloud *again*, and then we get off track on the stack. :) If there are books left on the stack at the end of the year, I just give them to my kids to read at their leisure. I don't know that that's quite the "system" you're looking for LOL, but it works for us!

[Jess4879]

I plan a list of books I want to borrow and a list of ones I want to buy.  Then we work our way through the list.  Some times we get way off track.  I include read-aloud time in my daily planner, but I don't schedule in a certain book or number of pages.  Read-alouds are one area I like to keep pretty loose. I don't want to feel rushed or bogged down if we get "behind". 

[jjeepa]

We have a couple of different read alouds going during the school year.  First, I read to my dd every night before bed.  Those books come from a list I've developed over the years of books I don't want her to miss, but also books I think will be good read alouds.  Not all good books are!  Second, and we count this as something separate, are the read alouds from history, science, Bible, and other typical school subjects.  There may be weeks in which we aren't reading anything aloud for school though...which is why we make sure to have our nightly time  :001_smile:

 

I'm not sure my reply is helpful...

[J&JMom]

I plan out my read alouds by planning out the year by mapping:

- Historical Fiction or non-fiction titles:  I mark in the boys textbook table of contents with post-its for fiction and non-fiction titles that might be possibilities for read alouds for those chapters.  Order from the library a couple of weeks in advance if not available with learningally or my home library.  I love the "What was" series and own about 60 titles already. 

- Science non-fiction - mark the textbooks same. Scan the library shelves a couple of weeks beforehand for possibilities and order if needed.

- Holiday - increase cultural literacy by learning about other holidays and events with read alouds & crafts.  Library usually has a display a few weeks beforehand for me to snatch titles. 

 - Literature tie-ins:  If their literature program has a selection, we will read aloud the entire book instead. Also, the program suggests complimentary titles for theme or literary elements so might add a couple to the list.  I usually buy these.

 - fun stuff: Anything not already listed above - Newberry titles to Rick Riordan to picture books.  Anything is game. 

In the beginning of the year, I read novels with school setting. At Halloween, we do a spooky story or two.  Christmas, you get the idea. 

 

As I plan out my next books, I consider the above and make choices. Last year we read 108 read alouds, and I hope for a similar number this year. 

Edited July 28, 2016 by J&JMom

[UCF612]

In the past we've read whatever strikes my fancy. Books I already own, books from the library, books I find at Goodwill/wherever. I might seek out books I see recommended here, by friends, or on read aloud revival. This year we are doing ELTL and Wayfarers so I'll be using the books in those as read alouds. Plus whatever we discover for audiobooks in the car. In other words I'm not at all organized!

Edited July 28, 2016 by UCF612

[ALB]

This year I have actually bought all the titles I want to read aloud.  They were used and most $1-2 a piece, which is worth it so that we don't have to feel rushed to return it to the library by a certain date.  For the most part they coordinate with our history time period, but I don't feel obligated to stick to that when there is a good book just right for my dc's ages.

We read at lunch time.  I fix my lunch before the kids' and eat it while I'm putting theirs together.  Not entirely ideal, since I don't get to sit down and take my time eating, but it works for the season we are in.

[AFthfulJrney]

I have so many titles that I want to get to this year like The Silver Chair, Little Britches, The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, just to name a few. These are in addition to the titles we will be reading for our LA and History. (We are also doing Wayfarers and ELTL) I'm just not wanting to overwhelm myself or my kids, so I'm trying to be intentional with the planning now.

[Earthmerlin]

Honestly, I read aloud novels I believe would strike my adventure-loving daughter's fancy. She loves action so my audience's taste are paramount when selecting titles. 'Classic' children's titles are next on my list--like Charlotte's Web, Pippi, Robin Hood, etc. I also like thematic read alouds & try to align them with what's happening on the calendar--Sleepy Hollow during Halloween, Peter Rabbit at Easter, etc. If I know we'll see a live performance, we read the story beforehand. I also read stories I loved as a child with the aim of cross-generational appreciation & connection. Audiobooks also afford her exposure to works we just cannot get to fast enough or allow her to listen repeatedly to past selections. Although I keep her interests in the forefront, I nonetheless want a balanced diet of read alouds so I aim for a variety of genres. I also am OK with ditching a book if it's just not igniting her fire. On the other hand, I am willing to re-read books when requested. For me, this is a sacred childhood activity & while I'm interested in producing a well-read child, my ultimate goal is creating family intimacy that only books can afford.

Edited July 28, 2016 by Earthmerlin

[lexi]

I make a list of books I want to read to a specific child for that year. I purchase most and have those on our shelf. Some I read aloud and some I have my child read. For a few of the books on my list I purchase audiobooks because my list is always too long to finish in one school year. I try to choose a mix of classics and fun reads (various genres).

[coastalfam]

I have a couple lists I really like gathered: the list in our Wayfarers curriculum, and a Sonlight Catalogue.  From those couple lists, I choose books that look appealing to my family, that fit with what we are studying, or that are just highly esteemed by people I admire. The year we did Sonlight, I really appreciated how they go back and forth between books of different genres, settings, and tone, and just sort of break it up that way so you don't end up with book after book of very deep topics or difficult reading. There are lots of lighter subjects, humorous books, and easy reads as well. We tend to do a LOT of books, so I have also started getting the lighter topic books as audiobooks, as I don't anticipate having to stop to explain or discuss much along the way.

[MerryAtHope]

I have a list (we used a lot of Sonlight, so I either have their list, or a list I make up on my own). When I was using Sonlight's list, I also used to pull other books I came across that I wanted to read, or favorites from my childhood that I wanted to share with my kids. As coastalfam said, I also liked how Sonlight would vary the types of fiction they chose, and when I made my own lists, I tried to do that too.

 

In making my own, I keep an "optional list" in case we get through all of the books I planned--then I have some others to choose from. It's also nice to have some ready options if I want to change things up. 

 

Most of all, have fun reading with your kids!