We all know that reading French stories aloud to your students is an excellent way for them to become familiar with the French language—not just the words, but also the nuances of pronunciation and intonation.
However, did you know that re-reading a read aloud multiple times can bring even more benefits than just vocabulary and fluency?
Let’s take a look at why reading the same book repeatedly can be so beneficial for your students.
Increase Vocabulary Knowledge & Comprehension
Re-reading books exposes your students to new words and phrases multiple times, which helps increase their understanding of the words as well as their ability to remember them. It also allows them to learn how those words are used in different contexts.
As they become more comfortable with each book, your students can focus more on understanding what exactly is being said. This encourages deeper comprehension of the text and helps children understand how stories are structured and how language works.
When we spend more time reading and re-reading one book, we can also practice a variety of other comprehension strategies, too. Things like visualizing, making connections, making predictions, examining the problem and solution in the story, etc.
In fact, I often spend a week reading the same book again and again, for that very reason! I’ll talk a bit more about that later in this post.
Build Listening Skills & Encourage Imitation:
In addition to increasing vocabulary knowledge and comprehension, re-reading books can help build your students’ listening skills.
By listening closely each time a book is read aloud, children can begin to imitate the sounds of spoken French which will help them become better communicators in everyday conversation.
They may also start practicing pronunciation by repeating phrases from the book or attempting to read it by themselves.
There is nothing cuter than watching one student “read” one of your read-alouds to their friends during free play… am I right??
Strengthen Memory & Recall Abilities:
Repetitive exposure to books helps children remember stories they have already heard before, which strengthens their overall memory skills.
Being able to recall information accurately is an important skill that helps prepare children for a lifetime of learning. Plus, it’s just plain fun!
As your students grow confident in their abilities, they might even be able to predict what comes next in a story or finish sentences for you.
Retelling the important events of a story tends to be an outcome that we are expected to teach during the primary grades, and practicing that skill with books you have read multiple times will allow your students to be even more confident and successful.
Which French Stories or Books Should You Repeat?
Of course, you don’t have to repeat EVERY book you read to your students. It’s perfectly normal and wonderful to read some books just for fun, without analyzing them!
But, if you are looking to repeat some read alouds, certain books work really well for taking a closer look at a variety of comprehension strategies.
Over the past few years, I have created lessons and activities for a BUNCH of my favourite read-aloud books. You can find them all on TPT by clicking right HERE.
My Favourite French Stories for Read Alouds in Spring
Since spring is just around the corner, I thought I’d share four of my favourite spring-themed read alouds with you today.
My repeated read aloud activities for all four of these spring-themed books can be found in a discounted bundle right HERE on TPT!
- Le petit lapin magique – The illustrations in this book are SO gorgeous! They are all grey with hints of yellow and gold. It’s about a little girl whose stuffed bunny comes to life and they go on a rainy day adventure.
- Simon fête le printemps – This book can be hard to get your hands on, but if you can find it, it’s fantastic! I found mine at Value Village. It’s about a little boy who is looking for spring, and includes a ton of great examples of figurative language.
- Trop de lapins – This story is so relatable for students, and the bunny theme makes it perfect for spring. The whole book rhymes, and is about a bunny who has too many siblings!
- Gros Poulet – This story is a very funny adaptation of “Chicken Little” that will have your students in stitches. I got my copy from Scholastic, and it’s a hit every year!
As I mentioned above, you can grab my Repeated Read Aloud lessons for all four of those spring-themed French stories in a discounted bundle on TPT, right HERE :) !
If you’re not sure that Repeated Read Alouds are for you yet, you can actually learn more about them and try a week for FREE by heading to THIS LINK.
Sign up, and I’ll send you a guide to Repeated Read Alouds and a free week of lessons to go with the book “Notre classe est une famille” by Shannon Olsen!
Conclusion
Reading aloud the same book multiple times has numerous benefits for your French primary students.
It increases vocabulary knowledge and comprehension, builds listening skills and encourages imitation, and strengthens memory and recall abilities—all while giving kids plenty of practice hearing spoken French!
So, why not give it a go? Your students will thank you!