“The Ramped-Up Read Aloud: What to Notice as You Turn the Page” is a must-have for any K-3 teacher and even beyond. This resource promotes the use of read alouds in the classroom to not only build vocabulary and deep thinking, but also to build positive relationships, empathy and joy in the classroom. The author, Maria Walther, begins with ten reasons to use read alouds and then give six secrets to successful read aloud experiences. These include book selection, finding a comfy place to read and listen and even meaningful technology connections.
The real attraction of this book however are the six chapters that follow. Walther has lesson plans for 101 read alouds that she calls “picture book conversations”. They are organized by purpose and include before, during, and after thinking to do with your class. To teach empathy and character feelings, Walther suggests the book, “Nerdy Birdy”. To teach how characters change, use “Hannah and Sugar”. For a lesson in story elements, use “Mother Bruce” and for making predictions, use “Bunny’s Book Club”. This professional resource also includes lessons to use in writing. Start conversations about rhyming with “Groovy Joe: Ice Cream and Dinosaurs”. Inspire use of striking words in nonfiction writing with “Hippos are HUGE”.
The list goes on and on... 101 read alouds worth! It is certainly a book that any teacher would bookmark all over with Post-it notes and remark that they’ll “Have to remember this next year to start the school year” or “Have to remember this when I teach verbs!”. How great to have all this work done for you and right at your fingertips!