Breaking Down Barriers to Literacy

Creating a Story Hour that Contributes to Reading Comprehension, Tolerance and Multicultural Experiences

Abstract

Reading aloud to children is not only a very pleasurable experience but also an academic enrichment activity that helps equalize opportunities for all students by increasing their exposure to language, culture, and literature through a variety of vicarious experiences. After reviewing relevant professional literature, this paper presents a generic lesson plan that can increase children’s listening and reading comprehension skills and thereby help break down the barriers between advantaged and disadvantaged students. Public librarians, school librarians, teachers, and parents can use the recommended read-aloud strategies to help all children increase their linguistic and social skills as well as their cultural awareness.