Mary E. Brown, Ph.D., Professor
Information Science

Southern Connecticut State University
501 Crescent Street, New Haven, CT 06515

Department of Information and Library Science
Fax: 1.203.392-5780 / Phone: 1.203.392-5781
Toll Free: 1-888-500-SCSU, then press 4

UNIT 6 READING ASSIGNMENT

Read in Butler the two literary folktales found on pp. 127-134 and the fiction story found on pp. 135-141

UNIT 6 LECTURE

Today we will learn about reading aloud. We will learn why reading aloud is important, the qualities needed for reading aloud, and how to select a book or text to read aloud. We will also learn exercises to do before reading aloud.

Reading Aloud

CONCEPTS TO REMEMBER:

• Why bother to read aloud?
  • People read aloud for entertainment--for the joy of hearing the voices and sharing the experience, the story with others.
  • Reading aloud promotes the desire to read independently.
  • Reading aloud improves independent reading skills
  • Permits enjoyment of books too difficult to read independently.
  • The first few pages of unfamiliar books may be difficult to "get into"--reading aloud gets you over the hurtle of the opening pages.
  • Allows poor readers to learn material--in any and every subject--to which they would otherwise not have access.
  • About 1/3 of the population understands better through their ears than through their eyes. Learning style variation.
  • Research shows reading aloud to children significantly broadens their reading interests and tastes--introduces them to more challenging and greater variety than they would tolerate independently.
  • Increases chances reading life doesn't end with graduation.
  • Seeing adults reading with enjoyment increases the chances children will become lifelong readers.
  • Can be used to gradually increase attention span.
• When reading a story is better than telling it:
  • Style of writing is so intrinsically a part of the story that it would be difficult to get the words together right by telling the story.
  • You do not have enough time to prepare a story for telling; it is possible to do a good reading aloud after only a few trails reading a story aloud to yourself.
  • To incorporate pictures. [The kalamkari, or "story cloth" is used in some cultures to incorporate pictures into storytelling. The kalamkari is a cotton cloth on which scenes from mythology are first printed from carved wooden blocks and then hand-painted using only natural dyes to produce: red, blue, yellow, green and black. A brush-like pen is used to draw continuous patterns of trees, leaves, flowers and creepers in rhythms of geometric balance on the cloth. The kalamkari cloth is used as a visual aid for listeners and story-tellers.]
  • Reading and telling cannot be separated--each comprises a portion of the story/book

QUALITIES NEEDED FOR READING ALOUD

• Voice quality --your voice should be relaxed; this means you should also be relaxed
  • Pitch --you should pitch your voice lower than your usual speaking voice until your reach a comfortable pitch for reading (lower pitches are generally more pleasant to the listener than higher pitches); you can vary pitch in reading to give clues to the audience who is talking--you can give one character a very low pitch and another character a higher pitch. Practice lowering and varying your pitch my reading aloud a section from Charlotte's Web.
  • Breathing --plan your reading so you have plenty of air to read through a whole sentence comfortably, without having to force out the last words; Running out of air and forcing out the last words will give your voice a throaty and desperate sound. Practice reading various sentences in Charlotte's Web until you can inhale just enough air at the beginning of each sentence to be able to read through the whole sentence comfortably.
  • Volume --ask a friend to listen to you read aloud--your voice should not be too soft and it should not be too loud.
  • Projection --This is aiming your voice, such as to your most distant listener, so that your words are clearly pronounced and can be heard even when the volume of your voice is low. This takes practice and you need to have someone listen and tell you when you have good--and not so good--projection.
• Rate --do not rush your telling or reading of a story. About 150 or so words a minute is a good rate. The tempo (speed) of your reading can build (increase) and change for emphasis. If you have use of a tape recorder, it can be a valuable vocal mirror; you can read a short section of text and then listen to how it sounds.
• Eye Contact --hold book you are reading so you can maintain eye contact with your audience. You will want to look at your audience frequently so they feel you are reading to them and that they are not just eaves-dropping on you reading aloud to yourself.
• Picture books --If there are only a few words on a page, you can hold the book to your side or in front of you and read text sideways or upside down. When there are more than a few words on a page, read the text, then pause and show the picture. There is no "correct" way to hold the book; you should find the way which is most comfortable for you and still allows you to have eye contact and share pictures with your listeners.
• Pre-reading : The one single main rule in reading aloud which must never be broken is that you must never, NEVER read a story aloud to an audience unless you have first read it aloud to yourself.

Selecting a text for reading aloud--duties of the oral reader...

• to the author
• reading the words without mumbling--giving a clear and accurate reading of the selection
• knowing what the author is saying and being committed to conveying that in the reading

• to the audience
• providing entertainment
• giving them understanding and excitement
• giving them a sense of meaning of the selection in their lives

• to him/herself--the reader
• choosing literature that has relevance to his or her own experience
• recognizing the ideas in the selection which are troubling to him/her and the emotions which reflect or mirror his/her emotions

In reading aloud, the reader creates a bond between him/herself, the audience, and the author.

• The story read aloud ought to be a story so well written that the adult reading it aloud can also enjoy it.
• Classic tales offer:
  • Economy of words (saying it concisely and clearly)
  • Lack of moralizing or sentimentalizing.

Pre-Reading Aloud Exercises

Tongue Exercises

1. Stick out tongue and touch nose; point tongue.
2. Stick out tongue and touch chin; point tongue.
3. Stick out tongue from right side of mouth; point tongue.
4. Stick out tongue from left side of mouth; point tongue.
5. Rotate tongue--encircle lips first to right, then to left.
6. Trill tongue.
7. Repeat "Around the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran" three times from the chest.

Lip Exercises

1. Pout, relax; pout, relax.
2. Spread lips and say E (long E).
3. Round lips and say OO.

Jaw Exercises

1. Move jaw from side to side.
2. Move jaw up and down.
3. Rotate jaw first to left, then to right, then open and close mouth slowly.

UNIT 6 QUIZ ON LECTURE

After reading and reviewing the Unit 6 lecture, please take the quiz in WebCT (SCSU Vista)

UNIT 6 WRITING ASSIGNMENT

Matrix for Evaluation of Storytelling and Reading Aloud

DIRECTIONS: List up to seven qualities of a good storyteller/reader. Submit your qualities and characteristics (in paragraph form) through the threaded discussion. After reading or telling one story, locate your performance level for each quality. Each time you improve in a quality, circle the additional characteristics you now demonstrate. [From the individual matrixes, the instructor will develop a single matrix for scoring submitted presentations.]

QUALITY	NOVICE	EXPERIENCED	EXPERT
1.	CHARACTERISTICS:	CHARACTERISTICS:	CHARACTERISTICS:
2.	CHARACTERISTICS:	CHARACTERISTICS:	CHARACTERISTICS:
3.	CHARACTERISTICS:	CHARACTERISTICS:	CHARACTERISTICS:
4.	CHARACTERISTICS:	CHARACTERISTICS:	CHARACTERISTICS:
5.	CHARACTERISTICS:	CHARACTERISTICS:	CHARACTERISTICS:
6.	CHARACTERISTICS:	CHARACTERISTICS:	CHARACTERISTICS:
7.	CHARACTERISTICS:	CHARACTERISTICS:	CHARACTERISTICS:

UNIT 6 PEER EDITING

List up to seven qualities of a good storyteller/reader. Submit your qualities and characteristics (in paragraph form) by responding to this posting. [From the individual responses, the instructor will develop a single matrix for scoring submitted presentations. After this matrix is developed, it will be posted to the whole class.]

UNIT 6 JOURNAL

In your journal, write a narrative describing what you have gained from this course so far, your feelings toward this mode of instruction, and problems you may have encountered--including any solutions you may have already found. Be sure to mark the entry with the title "REFLECTIONS AT THE QUARTER -- Week 2, Tuesday".