I have mentioned before (Keep Reading Outloud to Your Reader) that reading outloud to children - even children who can read - is extremely important. And here's a big part of WHY it's important: it is through the written word that children are exposed to complex sentence structure and rich, varied vocabulary - something most children will never experience through daily conversation or TV-watching.
The other day when I was reading Harry Potter book 4 to Jake, a sentence jumped out at me as a perfect example of this concept. (For reference, at this point of the story there is a massive gathering of wizards from all over the world to watch a sporting event, and they were supposed to keep a low profile - i.e., no magic.)
By dusk, the still summer air itself seemed to be quivering with anticipation, and as darkness spread like a curtain over the thousands of waiting wizards, the last vestiges of pretence disappeared: the Ministry seemed to have bowed to the inevitable and stopped fighting the signs of blatant magic now breaking out everywhere.
Friends, that is ONE SENTENCE - a grammatically complex expression of several thoughts, and beautifully put together. J.K. Rowling isn't afraid to put words like anticipation, vestiges, pretence, inevitable, and blatent in her books. And while some kids might not be ready to read at this level yet, they ARE capable of listening - and comprehending - as it is read aloud (and they will listen with bated breath!)
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