Read Alouds

A read aloud is a planned oral reading of a book or print excerpt, usually related to a theme or topic of study. The read aloud can be used to engage the student listener while developing background knowledge, increasing comprehension skills, and fostering critical thinking. A read aloud can be used to model the use of reading strategies that aid in comprehension.

How to Effectively Read Aloud

Introduce the text with a short sentence or two that relates the book to the students
Set a purpose for listening by sharing the reason you selected the book.
Ask a conceptual question to the students.
Interrupt your reading at selected points to emphasize a planned focus point.
- Hint: Mark these points with sticky notes so that you remember to stop and your reason for stopping.
- Sticky notes can also be used to quickly note student reactions or queries.
- Stop to do a think aloud, ask a question of yourself or of your students, provide opportunities for students to make personal connections
- Do not overdo the stopping points-- keep in mind your audience, time limits and purpose for the reading and for the stopping. You do want to maintain a sense of story as you read-- too many stopping points will lose that.
Discuss what students learned. Through discussion students can synthesize and extend their understanding of the reading. They can connect their prior knowledge to the new information presented in the reading. They can make intertextual connections to other literature. This time for reflection is the key to making the reading an instructional activity.

Resource and Credits:

http://www.esiponline.org/classroom/foundations/reading/readalouds.html