by Mel Riddile

Actually, I am not kidding. Reading aloud to teens may be one of the most effective and low-cost ways of raising student achievement. You probably have a mental picture of super-sized high school students sitting in elementary-sized chairs gathered in reading groups with a teacher reading Dick and Jane to them.

Get rid of that image, because we are not talking about the old days where the teacher reminded students, “If you are good and finish your work, I will read to you.”

Secondary teachers all over the country report that for years they have been reading aloud to students to motivate and interest students in a book or topic. However, there are more benefits to reading aloud to teens that creating interest.

Reading aloud:

- Improves reading skills

- Improves thinking skills

- Exposes students to higher levels of language. Malbert Smith and the researchers at MetaMetrics have found that spoken language tends to be below students ability to comprehend. In some ways, we talk down to students. For some students, their only exposure to higher-level reading and language is if teachers read aloud to them.

- Promotes a love of literature and interest in reading

- Builds interest in a topic or subject

- Provides background knowledge and helps introduce a topic

- Models fluent reading

- Exposes students to texts they might not read otherwise