Creating Safe Spaces For All Children: Transactional Read-Alouds In The Early Childhood Classroom

A Vignette of a Transactional Read-Aloud In Emma's Kindergarten class, three students were born in Mexico; four students were born in Honduras; and another four children were born in the United States., however, their parents are immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. These students speak Spanish with varying degrees of English proficiency and have direct or indirect experiences with the immigration process, and some have relatives whose status is currently unknown. The remainder of the class is comprised of five monolingual native English speakers. Emma beginseach day with a transactional read-aloud. Today, she has selected to read Migrant by Maxine Trottier. This book features Anna, a child of Mennonites from Mexico, who migrate north in the spring to harvest fruits and vegetables and then return south in the fall. Throughout the book, Emma points to the illustrations, which depict Anna's longing to feel deeply rooted in the earth, watching the seasons come and go. The text expresses the character'syearning to live in one place, forever. During the read-aloud, Emma purposefully points out the illustrations, whichsupport the themes of the story. For example, at various points in the story, Anna feels like a jackrabbit in an abandoned burrow because her family occupies an empty farmhouse near the fields, and sometimes like a kitten, as she shares a bed with her sisters. During the read-aloud, Emma relates her own experiences with her class, "When I was young, my sisters and I slept in one bed. We thought that we were like a pack of small puppies, snuggled up together, especially on the nights when my mother came in and slept." Emma can draw a picture of her shared anecdote with the class and write the words out on a large chart paper, creating an interactive writing experience. Emma allows time for spontaneous reactions from the students, verbally or through drawing and writing. When Emma first introduced the transactional read-aloud, she provided her students with appropriate writing paper for early childhood students, as well as pencils or crayons. It takes time for all students to feel comfortable sharing; therefore, Emma is consistent with her instruction. By sharing her own experiences and reactions to the book, she creates a classroom where children are comfortable taking emotional and academic risks. As Emma continues to read-aloud, Marc softly says, "I miss my dad." Maria turns to him and responds, "I know, I get scared a lot, too." At this point, Emma asks the children if they would like to have a few moments to speak to each other or draw and write. During these five minutes, one child approaches Emma and asks to look at the pictures. Then, he begins to illustrate a story and writes a few words next to it. Emma quietly asks him if he wants to share; however, he tells her that he will "think about it."