How Many Read-Alouds?

[Guest]

How many read-alouds do you schedule per year? (I'm especially interested in 1st grade!) I planned WAY too many for K; it is actually the thing that I am most disappointed with myself in for the year. So, in an attempt to make my expectations more reasonable (in addition to placing a higher priority on reading aloud!) I thought I'd ask for a ballpark number I should shoot for. :)

 

Thanks!

 

ETA: Actually, I guess I'd like to know how many chapters you read per day. That might be a better thing for me to know.

[Diana B]

I don't plan that far. I keep a list of what I'd like to read (from the literature side, not history related). We just work through it, not necessarily in any order.

 

For history read alouds (not picture books) I will usually pick one longer book (or a couple shorter ones) a month. If we get done with it before I'm ready to start another history book (depending on which topics the history books match up with) we just read our other read aloud until I'm ready for the next one.

 

I think the most important part is to just read! And don't be afraid to put the book down if it's boring your child! I've prefaced books to DS that if after a couple chapters he doesn't like for him to let me know because it's OK to stop reading it if we've given it a try. (Of course, he has yet to not like a book. But he knows the option is there.)

 

We usually read about an hour a day, although my goal is two. It just doesn't happen all the time. In most books, an hour is a two or three chapters. I've never really timed it out.

[NittanyJen]

For a first-grader, I would shoot for one chapter per day, or one in the day and one at bedtime, unless she asked for more.

 

One good test, so that you can "adjust as you go," is after you have read, ask her what she thinks. The conversation doesn't have to be as intensive as the question details in WWE, but ask her what part she like best, or which character she would like to be, or what will happen next, or how do you think the little girl felt when . . . etc. I would just pick one question, or she'll feel as if she's getting the inquisition :).

 

If she doesn't want to talk about it, or can't come up with an answer, you may be covering too much ground at once, or you may need pause for a few beats now and then while reading, just to let her process.

 

If she's really eager to discuss, or if she playacts the story later with her stuffed animals, then you're probably going at just the right pace :)

 

 

Jen

[nmoira]

We go by time. Each child gets at least an hour a day, usually ninety minutes. Morning read aloud is for both, the rest is individual.

[kristinannie]

I honestly don't have a set amount that I want to read. I always do a chapter before quiet time and one before bedtime. Today we did one extra because DS was begging for another chapter. I would say we spend 30-60 minutes on read alouds per day. We mix in some picture books with chapter books. My DD3 only does picture books.

[mamatohaleybug]

We're doing second grade now. I don't have a set amount of time or a schedule. We just have a list we work from and when we finish one we move on to another. Most days we read about 3 chapters. In third grade, I'll be reading one book during the day and as a family we'll be reading one at night. So approx 6 chapters a day. Unless we feel like doing more or less.

 

Not helpful, huh? :lol:

 

For first grade my DD was in public school. We read 2-3 picture books per night. Hope that helps a bit.

[Julie Smith]

Picture books, or I can read books don't count in our reading total. Please note my boys are in K and grade 1, and we don't have many subjects. I say about 10 to 14 hours a week on average.

[joysworld]

I don't schedule a set number. We read a couple of times a day, not necessarily chapter books though. For my up coming first grader, I'm going to let him choose a chapter book from what I want, and I'll read maybe a chapter a day. Sometimes I like to stop at an intriguing part and not read more even if he wants it. I have found that when I do this, he thinks on the story a lot longer and can not wait for our next reading session. Of course, I don't do this every time we read:) My plan for this upcoming year is that we will just start a new chapter book when we finish one up. I'm not going to plan how many to read, because I don't want to feel the pressure to get it all done. I want us to truly enjoy and cherish what we are reading.

[....]

I just have one going at all times. When I finish one, I buy another. So...we go through a chapter book every 3 weeks, maybe?

[boscopup]

I don't schedule read-alouds. I pick up a good book from the library, read it until we finish, pick up another one, read it until we finish, etc. :) I have a list of books I'd like to hit at some point, but I often think of other books not on the list and pick those up when I think about them.

 

Because I have a toddler that doesn't let me read out loud as much as I'd like, we're relegated to bed time reading IF the toddler goes to bed first. I can't always work it out that way though. Recently, we've been reading Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM, and because *I* wanted to keep going, I've been reading 2 chapters each night (the boys are really enjoying it too).

 

As toddler gets older and becomes a preschooler, I foresee us reading out loud a LOT more. :D We're just in a season right now where it's hard to do. If I sit, the toddler wants to sit on me. Then he wants to mess with the book. If I stand (which isn't all that fun), he gets screamy because he wants to be held. So usually it ends up becoming crib time so I can read. :tongue_smilie:

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

I have a stack of books and a list that have no particular order. We are going through it with no set pace. I try to read daily which for the most part happens. Sometimes we finish a book faster then I thought and others take longer. Sometimes dd takes books from the read-aloud pile and reads them herself. I do try to read books from our stack/list that relate to something we are studying either during our study or close to it, but this is the only scheduling I do. Right now most of the books do not correlate to our studies but each year there will be more and more.

[NanceXToo]

I don't schedule read-alouds. I pick up a good book from the library, read it until we finish, pick up another one, read it until we finish, etc. :) I have a list of books I'd like to hit at some point, but I often think of other books not on the list and pick those up when I think about them.

 

:iagree:

 

I wouldn't "schedule" it, especially not at that age. We'd go with the flow. We'd read what we could and as long as we were enjoying it and on no particular time frame and then move on to the next one. If there were days s/he just didn't feel like reading, we'd skip it. If there were days where s/he only tolerated a few pages or a chapter, that's what we'd read. If there were days s/he was begging me to read more, I'd read more. We'd just roll with it. :)

[In2why]

I just have one going at all times. When I finish one, I buy another. So...we go through a chapter book every 3 weeks, maybe?

 

 

This is how we do it too. But I keep a list of books I would like to read and when I find them at the thrift shop or yard sales I buy them and throw them in a basket. I figure if we don't get to them as read alouds they can use them for individual reading at some point.

 

I average about one book a month of pure pleasure read aloud. But we also have read alouds for history and science, and then each child reads to me aloud every day. Oh and we also have an audio book in the van for our longer car trips.

[alpidarkomama]

I would say we average about an hour per day. We usually have one historical fiction book, and one other book that we're reading. We read historical fiction after our science/history readaloud after lunch, and read our other book in the evening right before bed. How many books we read each year depends on the length of the book! :)

[prairiegirl]

I don't have a schedule for read alouds. I make up a list at the beginning of the year of the books that I would like us to read. If we get through that list, great! if not then we continue on for next year.

 

We usually read a chapter a day. If the chapter is too long then we will read 10--15 pages a day.

[VBoulden]

I usually do one chapter during the day and another at night (when I do it at all). I also don't get as much reading done as I want to/ plan to. I have considered setting a timer for thirty minutes each time I read out loud (once during the day and again at night). This would probably double my reading, making it two chapters at a time or even more... which would help me get through more books in a year. :grouphug:

[JudoMom]

For our family read aloud, I typically read 1 chapter/day. I don't schedule these books, but keep a running list of books I want to read. I read these at night when dh is home.

 

For our school read alouds, since we're doing SL6 right now, I follow their schedule. They schedule anywhere from 1-3 chapters/day. These are read during the day.

[Guest]

Thank you all - this was very helpful. :)

[In the Rain]

I don't schedule read-alouds. I pick up a good book from the library, read it until we finish, pick up another one, read it until we finish, etc. :) I have a list of books I'd like to hit at some point, but I often think of other books not on the list and pick those up when I think about them.

 

:iagree: