Read Aloud
Have you read to a child today? It's the most important 20 minutes of your day!
Just 20 minutes a day reading aloud with young children strengthens relationships, encourages listening and language skills, promotes attention and curiosity, and establishes a strong reading foundation. These skills are essential for success in school and in life.
The Read Aloud Program, sponsored by Babson Capital Management, LLC is designed to model fluent reading and to engender a love of reading in students. The program takes place in preschool through grade five in participating Springfield public schools.
How it works
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Once a month for five months (October – February), volunteers read aloud to classrooms in a participating Springfield public school of their choice. - Approximately 500 volunteers are needed each year.
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Books are selected by the program. A different title is selected for each grade level, for each month of the program.
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SSV provides volunteers with background information on each book and suggestions for engaging the students in a dialogue before, during and after each reading. Training is also available.
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The day of the Read Aloud, volunteers gather at the school and wait for their student escorts to bring them to the classroom where the rest of the class will be eagerly awaiting their special Read Aloud volunteer.
- After the reading the books are left with the teacher to help build the classroom libraries. – Approximately 3,000 books are donated to schools each year.
SSV’s Read Aloud Program dates back to 1984, when Springfield native Jim Trelease, author of the best-selling Read Aloud Handbook, helped with the program design. Though the program has changed over the years, we continue to receive positive feedback both from volunteers and schools about the program.
The Read Aloud School Schedule should be available on or before July 1, 2013.
