Nonfiction Read Alouds?

Yes, nonfiction read alouds! I am aware that most adults prefer to read aloud a good picture book to preschoolers. Some adults even dare to read aloud chapter books to older children. But read aloud nonfiction?

I say yes, teacher-librarians should read aloud nonfiction texts for three reasons. Properly chosen, these texts will engage some of the reluctant readers. A boy who doesn't care to hear My Sister's Rusty Bike by Jim Aylesworth, may just listen to a book about bicycle tricks or bicycle safety. Nonfiction texts will also prepare students for the kinds of reading adults do regularly. Most of us have to read the instructions to assemble a piece of furniture or to install a faucet. Finally, and perhaps most pragmatically, nonfiction texts prepare students for the 40% of EOG selections that are informational. In North Carolina, and the United States as a whole, student reading proficiency as measured by standardized tests in a reality that isn't going away. Teacher-librarians can contribute even more to student academic achievement by regularly incorporating nonfiction texts into their read aloud programs.