World Read Aloud Day at Dominic

Reading is a lifelong skill that can take a person to any place in the world, for any length of time.

In most of our classrooms, a teacher sharing novels and picture books with their classes is normal and occurs several times each day. The class novel is an excellent time for students to calm down and ready themselves for our next learning block and enjoy the delights of a story. Currently there are a range of authors being studied including Enid Blyton, Paul Jennings, Andy Griffiths, Mem Fox and Alison Lester.

This week we had the added pleasure of finding different ways to indulge ourselves with reading aloud - all Kindergarten-10 classes and teachers were encouraged to celebrate Wednesday 24 February, officially World Read Aloud Day.

Developing reading skills and book knowledge starts from a very young age. The more frequently children are exposed to stories, turning the page and examining the illustrations the more sophisticated their understanding of and participation in the process of learning to reading becomes. This was showcased by our youngest and newest students this week with several Kindergarten students taking the opportunity to read a story with their class.

Watching them read a story they have had read to them often since they started school, shows how quickly they adopt the “teacher” style to reading the words and sharing the illustrations with their class. Hayley Bukowiecki in Kinder Mice read aloud to the Kinder class using the early reading strategies of picture cues and repetition to help her. Prep A and Year 4A, and Year 2A and 6A buddies shared reading picture books together.

Read Aloud Day enabled us to use aspects of our environment in conjunction with our reading. Many students sat under trees, on the edge of the sand pit, around the picnic tables and lay on the floor in their classroom as they read to each other. During the afternoon the K-6 Assembly featured a stellar performance of Pamela Allen’s Mr McGee and the Biting Flea by Ms Gilligan. It was delightful to watch our Early Years students sitting entranced as Ms Gilligan read to them with obvious enjoyment and showed how beneficial reading aloud is and how popular picture books continue to be with students of all ages.

Year 7-10 English students participated in a variety of activities across the College to help celebrate International Read Aloud Day. Some Year 7 students planned and then presented dramatic readings of poetry. Students joined Miss Brownrigg on the Middle Lawn at lunch to participate in a group reading aloud activity. The warm weather was embraced by the Year 8s as they sat outside and read a snippet of Hatchet which is part of their Novel study for this term.

You can see more photos on our gallery: Reading Aloud around Dominic.

Mrs Jane Doyle, Ms Sue Cunningham & Mrs Ganga Fraser - T&L Coordinators