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The article presents the author's views on the importance of reading aloud as a teaching tool. I believe reading aloud is probably the single most important teaching tool I have at my disposal, particularly for the teaching of writing. This is a bold claim, I know, but it is one I make not so much out of my experiences as a teacher, as out of my experiences as a writer. The point is that I know what good writing sounds like because I read. When teachers read aloud often and well to students, they are helping their students grow their understanding about the sound potential of written text. It's for this reason that I consider read-aloud time to be important teaching time. Teachers can read aloud all kinds of writing, particularly any kinds you want students to do. When you read aloud, comment often on how the writing sounds. Ritualize the quest for writing that sounds good. You might set aside a certain time each week for students to read aloud excerpts they have found on their own. As often as possible, you will want to find ways for students to see what you are reading aloud because so often the sound of a text is influenced heavily by the punctuation decisions a writer has made.