In classrooms where the students can read for themselves, reading aloud often falls off the daily schedule. But it’s a ritual well worth keeping—for the sake of literacy, the moral imagination, classroom bonds, and so much more. Long-time Heights teacher Tom Steenson encourages the teachers tending that flame, or wanting to rekindle it, in their own classrooms.

Chapters: * 2:08 Goals of reading aloud in the classroom * 4:44 The artist sees, then helps others to see * 11:47 Books that aren’t landing * 15:10 The read-aloud routine, scene-setting * 18:35 Reading in a high school classroom * 22:27 Separating instruction from narrative * 24:59 The effect on teachers

Links: * Only the Lover Sings: Art and Contemplation by Josef Pieper * The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien * Augustine’s Confessions translated by F. J. Sheed * Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nihm by Robert C. O’Brien * The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Featured Opportunities: * The Art of Teaching Conference at The Heights School (November 13-15, 2024)

Also on the Forum: * Classroom Ambience by Joseph Bissex * The Read-Aloud Family featuring Sarah Mackenzie * Stop Telling Your Son to Read: How to Inspire a Love of Reading featuring Tom Longao * How to Master the Art of Reading Outside by Tom Longano