Elementary and College Students Bond over Reading

In honor of the National Reading Awareness Month, several UC Blue Ash College students shared stories aloud to students at Blue Ash Elementary School. The program is one component of an ongoing service-learning project in which UCBA students teach French once a week during an after-school session.

"It was neat to see the elementary students figure out the story, based on the French they had been learning and the storybook illustrations,” states Jody Ballah, French instructor for UCBA. “In addition to the project helping to promote reading, it also showed the students how global fairy tales are. Reading Little Red Riding Hood in French made the connection for the young students between the version they know and the original French fairy tale."

As part of her French courses, Ballah encourages participation in numerous service-learning projects, hoping that "the hands-on activities truly complements what the students learn in the classroom. By reading to the Blue Ash Elementary students, the college students hone their French-speaking skills."

She adds, "Reading aloud helps one"s confidence and encourages a natural rhythm, as the reader has to maintain a certain tempo for the story. The after-school program is a great benefit to both groups of students."

For more information about how the University of Cincinnati is participating in Reading Awareness Month, visit http://www.uc.edu/News/NR.aspx?id=15252 or go to the national Read Aloud website (http://www.readaloud.org/news.html).