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: .
Mrs Jane Doyle, Ms Sue Cunningham &
Mrs Ganga Fraser - T&L Coordinators
A Catholic School in the Salesian Tradition
