Read aloud

[Mom-ninja.]

I have been making my boys read aloud from McGuffey. They hate it with a passion. I think they secretly wish to burn the books. They have both asked if they can read aloud from books that they pick instead.

 

Do I make them suffer with McGuffey because it is tried and true? If you can read through book 6 then you are a pretty strong reader. Is the quality and effectiveness of McGuffey worth the protests?

 

Or do I relieve them of the dread and boredom (this is why they hate it...it's boring) and let them choose books from which to read aloud?

 

One part of me says let them choose books so they don't mutiny.

 

The other part says that sometimes we have to do boring things and that's just life.

[Mommyfaithe]

Let them pick the book and read aloud. It is ok to enjoy what you read....some kids like stories....some kids like Usbourne type books. The idea is to get them to elocute properly and to pronounce difficult words correctly. Have fun with it.

[Luckymama]

Let them choose the books!

 

I have wonderful memories of ds (now a hairy 19yo college sophomore) reading The Hobbit to us at bedtime in his little boy voice :)

[Jen in PA]

Let them choose the books!

 

:iagree: My kids love choosing things to read to me.

[Bensmom]

If you have a desire to instill a love a reading, let them pick! Because my ds tends to pick "fluff" books, I let him read all the fluff he wants, be he must also pick from a list of my choosing. I may offer 3-5 books and let him choose. He feels good about being in control of his choice and I feel good about him reading literature I value. :001_smile:

[Karen in CO]

:iagree: My kids love choosing things to read to me.

My kids love to choose what to read. Sometimes they pick something easy, sometimes they pick something because they think I will like it, sometimes they pick something because it was funny or clever or reflects something inside them. Reading aloud can be something wonderful to share with each other.

[eternalknot]

Can it be a compromise? Alternating chapters or days, or maybe a portion of MCGuffey alongside a portion of a chosen book?

 

This reminds me of piano lessons. My teacher understood wanting to select our own (more relevant and interesting) pieces, but didn't want it to be at the expense of what she felt were better learning pieces. So we compromised and incorporated both. My selections were like the spoonfuls of sugar that helped her selections (the medicine) go down ;)

[Critterfixer]

If they don't like McGuffey (and it can be overbearing, dull and tiresome) I'd have them read from books they pick out, AND selections from books you pick out that are close in level to the reader. Pick classic literature, science books or articles, historical texts.

I think most of what I like to use oral readings for is elocution, and to make sure that the boys are really paying attention to the words and how to say them. So most of the time, if I assign a reading, I have them read it by themselves first, then they can read it aloud to me after they've had some time to work on it. Ideally, I'd like to have them start reading, working on delivery and enunciation and then sort of presenting the reading at some point.