5 Benefits of Reading Out Loud in Your Classroom

Did you celebrate World Read Aloud Day as a student? Is it a tradition you’ve kept going as an educator? 

I have fond memories of World Read Aloud Day during my high school years. One year, we read Romeo and Juliet. I'll never forget the day when the girls' basketball team captain joined a tiny (but fearless!) seventh-grader to perform the balcony scene.

Another year, we read excerpts from Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Many students marveled at how much the Disney versions sugar-coated or left out entirely.

Reading aloud can unite people. It can also highlight the impact of stories on our beliefs. Additionally, it can explain the importance of literature in our everyday lives. Every year during my 16 years as an ELA teacher, my students and I looked forward to celebrating World Read Aloud Day.

Reading out loud also builds important skills for readers at all grade levels. Here are five reasons from the science of reading that explain the importance of reading aloud.

1. Reading Aloud Builds Vocabulary 

When students read aloud, they encounter new words. They also learn to pronounce unfamiliar words, which isn’t something they’d necessarily learn while reading silently. You can also pause at challenging words and ask for definitions. If no one has one, look them up as a class.

This shows students it’s worth seeking new knowledge when reading independently. Several studies on literacy have linked strong vocabulary to better school performance. 

2. Reading Out Loud Improves Comprehension and Active Listening

When reading out loud or listening to others do it, your mind concentrates on both the sounds words make and their meanings. This is a hefty cognitive workout that strengthens comprehension. 

Reading aloud cultivates active listening, which goes beyond just hearing words to truly internalizing them. Active listening allows students to collect information deeply enough to analyze and reflect upon it. As a bonus, new research suggests that learning to listen is a critical element in learning to read well.

3. Reading Aloud Reduces Stress and Makes Us Happy  

Reading aloud has measurable mental and emotional health benefits as SEL competencies become more important. Jim Trelease writes that “every time we read aloud to a child, we send a “pleasure message’ to their brain.” This reaction is triggered by feelings of happiness and self-worth when someone takes the time to invest in our enjoyment.

Reading out loud can also reduce stress and generally makes us feel more appreciative and relaxed. It does this through narrative transport, when we forget our surroundings and engage in visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and emotional time travel.

Narrative transport makes us more receptive to deeper learning, helps us practice empathy, and builds emotional resilience. 

With stronger SEL skills, our students are better equipped to develop their literacy skills.

 4. Reading Aloud Strengthens Fluency 

Fluency is a word we hear a lot, but it can be hard to define. Reading fluently means reading effortlessly, at the proper rate, accurately, and with appropriate rhythm and expression. Fluency is the bridge between decoding (understanding the relationship between letters and sounds) and comprehension.

When we read aloud to our students, we provide a model for fluent reading they can emulate. They’ll also learn by listening to each other read. According to social learning theory, observing others plays a vital role in how we acquire new knowledge and skills. 

 5. Reading Out Loud Can Improve Working Memory 

Working memory significantly impacts how we develop literacy skills, and reading out improves working memory. Psychologist Colin MacLeod has researched the impact of reading out loud on memory. He found that people consistently remember words better if they read them aloud.

Numerous studies have replicated these findings. In one study, a group of seven-to-10-year-olds were asked to read a list of words—some silently, others aloud. Afterward, they correctly recognized 87% of the words they’d read out loud, but only 70% of the silent ones.

In another study, adults aged 67 to 88 were given the same task to read words either silently or aloud. Afterward, they wrote a list of all the words they remembered. The adult group recalled 27% of the words they had read aloud, but only 10% of those they’d read silently. 

Make Reading Out Loud Easier for Struggling Readers 

Despite all the benefits of reading aloud, struggling readers might feel intimidated by the challenge. For students with dyslexia and other learning differences, reading aloud can be a confidence killer. But it doesn’t have to be.   

ClearFluency™️ is a digital reading tool that uses speech recognition technology while students read out loud. It delivers real-time feedback and helps students read with confidence and joy. Unlike other digital reading tools, ClearFluency actually listens and helps learners when they struggle or mispronounce a word. This helps them develop literacy skills such as vocabulary and fluency.

Stories are powerful. Let’s work towards a future where all students feel comfortable sharing them!