On Friday, September 19, 2025, we hosted Read Aloud with Confidence workshop with children’s book author Kelsey Gross at the Portage Lake District Library. The session brought together eight participants, including Mrs. Kelly and Mrs. Nikki from Tree House, Asako and Alli from the PLDL, and members of the international community: Bassam from Egypt, Puti from Indonesia, and Maliha from Afghanistan.
Kelsey began the workshop with a warm icebreaker, inviting everyone to share their names and something they loved to do in childhood. This activity helped us connect and reflect on the joy of stories and play that shape our early years.
From there, we moved into a discussion on why reading is important and the role it plays in building imagination, empathy, and connections between adults and children. Kelsey gave a lively demonstration of expressive reading and shared practical tips to engage children with stories.
The hands-on portion of the workshop was especially meaningful. Working in pairs, we practiced reading aloud using short sentences from handouts that Kelsey had prepared. Afterwards, participants selected from a curated collection of children’s books and had the chance to practice reading aloud with encouragement and feedback.
The atmosphere was both fun and supportive. Participants left with new strategies and, more importantly, a boost of confidence in their ability to bring stories to life.
We are grateful to Kelsey Gross for leading this inspiring session, and to all who attended for making it such a memorable and encouraging experience! Hope to see more participants on the second session this upcoming Saturday!
Elaine Bacon Literacy Program 