A while ago, I came across some observations I really like, from Jim Trelease with The Read-Aloud Handbook. Those observations came to my mind during a discussion of audiobooks for LIS 5250.
“As you read to a child, you’re pouring into the child’s ears (and brain) all the sounds, endings, and blendings that will make up the words she will someday be asked to read and understand. And through stories you are filling in the background knowledge necessary to understand things that aren’t in her neighborhood” (Trelease, 2013, p.15).
Plus, children are able to hear and understand stories on a higher level than they can read on their own, which helps to expand their vocabularies (Trelease, 2013, p.39).
Among our readings for Week 4 of LIS 5250, we learned about some of the educational uses for audiobooks: for literacy skills and social emotional learning, for readers with print disabilities, as well as listening for enjoyment (Kletter, 2021).
To my way of thinking, audiobooks and read-aloud may offer similar benefits.
In both instances, you’re pouring sounds into a listener’s ear. Those sounds make up the words that broaden the listener’s vocabulary and expand their understanding of the world.
References:
Kletter, M. (2021). An ear for reading. School library journal 67(5), 20-23.
Trelease, Jim. (2013). The read-aloud handbook (7th ed.). Penguin Books.
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