Reading aloud to children may be the best gift we can give a child. Many children in our area of operation get very little or no one-on-one adult interaction, much less story telling. Especially for those children wherein English is not the primary language spoken at home, hearing English spoken in a story gives them the opportunity to hear and understand the written word in ways that are communicated in everyday terms.Even in only a few months, you can see the growth in these children in terms of their reading and comprehension skills. Beside, it's fun for us readers!
As a volunteer I'm pleased to say the kids out there just so much want to read with an adult, are so earnest and eager both in the previous world when one could meet in the classroom and now online. The format of the read-aloud program provides a time in the student's day when reading is presented as special and inviting. The student is encouraged to select from the titles offered the one they most prefer (which of course is often about creepy bugs) That the choice is their's seems especially gratifying. Every student I've had shows a genuine pleasure in knowing the book chosen on "gift book day" is theirs to keep and can be shared with a sibling at home. It's simply a welcoming, nonjudgmental and enjoyable time for all involved.
Read-Aloud Volunteer Program provides one-on-one reading interaction with children. Reading to one child at a time provides the child with attention from an adult and a chance for the adult to connect with a child for that time. I have been a volunteer in this program for over ten years. I have enjoyed getting to know what children are thinking, what they find interesting or humorous, and what they enjoy learning about. I like to read to them with expression, voicing the characters in the story, and asking questions about the story as we read. This provides an example of how English sounds and how reading with expression makes it more interesting. I look forward each week to reading to the children.
Read Aloud is an amazing program that helps K-2 students become excited about reading and teaches them the value of books and libraries. How is it amazing? It's amazing when a student starts out being interested only in books about sharks; opens up to books about other animals; and finally broadens their interest to fiction. It's amazing when an extremely shy student starts out being interested only in books with very few words and intimidated by text-rich books at their class level. Over time, they open up to asking to read small bits; by our last session, they surprise me with “I want to be the teacher. You be the student." They joyfully choose a book and commence to read confidently, with a strong, expressive voice. Amazing is when on Gift Book Day, a kindergartener chooses spanish/english books so that they can “help my Mom learn english”; it's when a 2d grader makes her Gift Book selection on the basis of what her older brother might like because “he really, really, really needs to practice reading.” For these students, reading and family matter more than one might imagine.
Read-Aloud rocks and deserves a big shoutout for it's efforts in our community.
I’ve read to children in this program for four years now. They really seem to benefit from our one-on-one time together. More volunteers would mean more children in the program.
We have a spectacular program at our school, the Read-Aloud Volunteer Program, in San Pablo, Ca. Our students cherish having the opportunity to work one-on-one with the volunteer. Once a week, three of my students are pulled out while the rest of my students are left wishing to be selected in the future. I must say it breaks my heart, but I'm happy for those students who are able to enjoy this partnership. What I absolutely love is that the volunteer is able to promote the love of reading by sharing a book and then gifting it to the student. When the student walks through the door, their face is beaming with satisfaction. They share their book with other students and eventually take it home to build their home library. Over the course of the year, I also notice that their reading comprehension and English acquisition improves. We're very lucky to have this program!
"This book is SO good," said a kindergartner as I finished reading aloud, this week. As a Read-Aloud volunteer for the past four years, I knew this child was on her way to being excited about reading. As she was bilingual (and I was not in her language), I asked the site coordinator to explain that this second week of the program was not a "gift book" week . Right now, every two weeks, we let each child select a book to take home. In this way, children build up a home library of books they want to read. With more donations, we could let each child select a book every week!
What interested me about joining the Read-Aloud volunteer program is the fun interaction with books and children. I feel like children are more into technology than books at a young age and it made me happy to be able to offer my reading skills to elementary school age children who are in their early stages of learning. Being able to provide a child (that does not receive constant reading at home) with an opportunity to listen to a story told in my own unique way feels so rewarding. When I read and get into character, the book comes to life and the children get really into the story in a way they wouldn't of been exposed to, had Read-Aloud programming not exist. Each week is a learning curb for them and they get a gift book of their choice every other week to encourage independent reading at home! I joined in 2014 and it never gets old. Every week is a new adventure.
I have volunteered with Read-Aloud for 3 years and it has been a rewarding experience! The children grow so much over seven months, both as people and as readers. I love that I'm identified in the halls as "Celia's reader" and am hugged by former students I have read to.
The Read Aloud Voluteer Program is an excellent program that matches kindergarten through 2nd grade students in our school with voluteer readers from outside our immediate community. The progam promotes the love of reading through the magic of children's literature. Our students develop a bond with the readers who once a week, enthusiastically make the children feel like VIPs. The readers expose the children to the world outside of our neighborhood through their experiences and the books that are read one on one. The once a month book give away day is often the start of the student's personal library. Most of our children never owned a book of their own until they became participants in the program. I am not sure who looks forward to this program more, the students or the readers. Every community should have a Read Aloud Volunteer Program.
Read-aloud operates at my school. They provide an essential missing link in poor children's experiences with books. Their philosophy is simple, and so is their action plan. Friendly volunteers read books to kids. I know my students are loathe to miss their read-aloud appointments.
I am a teacher at Chavez Elementary, and I have seen and heard many wonderful success stories from the Read-Aloud Volunteer Program. I can also share some success stories from my own account. First of all, every student in the RAV Program that I have had, has found new confidence with their reading. In addition, I have noticed a dramatic increase in their love for literature. I have one student in particular who was not too excited about reading, but since starting the program, he has been pulling out a book to read every opportunity he has!! Also, the students look forward to the RAV program each week and they sometimes remind me early in the day that it's their day to read. In fact, I have noticed that all of the students who participate in the RAV program (like those in my ELD class) really look forward to it too. They even get really excited about the books they get to keep. These are just a few of the many positives that I have seen first hand. There are many other benefits that are not so apparent, such as building rapport with an adult and receiving that attention, which contribute to a students self-esteem and help alleviate behavior issues. This is a wonderful program, and I feel grateful to have my students be part of it. A big thanks to you, Judy Sam, Carol, and the volunteers.
I have been a volunteer with this program since 2005. I learned about the organization from members of my church who had been active volunteers for yeats and spoke in glowing terms about it. The program focuses on kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students, who are selected by their teachers as children who might benefit from the one on one attention, and the exposure to reading and books that they may not be receiving at home. I have worked with each grade level during my 4 years in the program, and have seen each student's comprehension and social interaction skills improve considerably. My most unique and rewarding experience occurred during the 2008-09 school year. I read to a 2nd grade student from Yemen, whose English skills were limited. It was frustrating at first, as it was difficult to know just how much he was profiting from the experience, and much of our time was spent in reciting the alphabet, numbers exercises and object identification. After consultation with the site coordinator, his teacher, and his other reader(each child is read to 30 minutes per week by 2 different adults), we made some adaptations to the normal program, and he thrived. His ability to converse in English improved, his social interactions were more frequent and comfortable and his comprehension was such that he listened to and seemed to understand much of what was read to him. I am a retired Probation Officer, and know first hand the importance of early intervention programs. The strengths of Read Aloud are the quality of its books, the dedication of its staff and volunteers and the individual attention the students receive. If you enjoy working with children and are looking for a positive volunteer experience, this is the place for you.
