To kick off the new school year, we took the time to connect with two teachers from our plumTeacher community who are also literacy experts and co-authors of the professional learning texts Cultivating Readers and Cultivating Writers to share their tips on fostering a culture of reading in the classroom through readalouds.  

Why are readalouds so important and what do you think makes a great, engaging readaloud?  

I’m sure each of us can remember a time when we were captivated listening to a story read aloud. The manner in which the reader spoke drew us in like flies to honey.  Their voice, expression, pace and rhythmic phrasing mesmerized us.  We were swept away and became part of the story – and this is as it should be. Your goal is to hook the listener, draw them in, take them on a journey, and have an impact on their minds and hearts.  

How do you select which book to read to your class at the beginning of the year?  

We believe that exposing students to quality texts is fundamental.  The text needs to be intellectually demanding, promote sustained classroom conversation, and be rich enough to provide a big idea to help connect the reader to the world. The texts we choose to expose and immerse our students in at the beginning of the year are predominately picture books. They’re shorter so we as teachers can quickly review to find the best fit for our readers, their length also means that they don’t take much time to read and they often tackle mature and challenging topics in accessible ways. By reading a text together we create a shared reading experience that bonds our community. These stories and characters become a common language amongst all readers in our classroom all year long. 

Below is a list of some of our favourite titles, grouped into themes we love: