Hands Off!

Several times in the past couple of weeks I have followed links about read alouds. I love reading aloud to groups. I know the volumes of research about its use. But what I have seen of late makes me want to request that some folks please cease and desist on the reading aloud. I have seen it labeled as an "intervention" and a "strategy" and an "approach." This commodification of reading aloud might just result in students who begin to squirm as soon as an educator opens a book and begins to read. They know what will come next: questions, logs, discussion. If there is always something to complete after a read aloud, where is the joy? Where is the pleasure of listening to the story? Where is the love for the spoken word?