Read Alouds - During Reading Strategy
http://www.k12reader.com/the-read-aloud-component-of-balanced-literacy-instruction/
What is it:
The Read Aloud strategy is used during reading in which teachers read aloud to students. Teachers may choose from a variety of genres, from fictional to informational texts. It can be a helpful strategy to use when introducing a new text, or covering a challenging passage within a novel. Read aloud sessions should generally be kept to twenty minutes or less and carried out in a comfortable listening environment that provides opportunities for questions and discussion.
Why Use It
Read Alouds are not just for elementary kids anymore! This is a research-proven strategy to motivate students to read on their own, promote critical thinking, and foster a sense of community in the classroom. Reading aloud improves students’ reading skills (which extends to other classes), stimulates imaginations and emotions, and can be used to expose students to a range of literature they may have difficulty tackling on their own. By removing the stress of decoding a difficult passage, read alouds enrich vocabularies and understanding of complex language patterns.
Beyond this, read alouds help to foster a love of reading for students by allowing them to simply enjoy a text for its content and style – a great strategy for struggling or reluctant readers, and English Language Learners.
How It Works
Choose a text that will be interesting and challenging (but not too challenging) for your students. Choose something that you are comfortable with and enthusiastic about. Your students will pick up on your energy (or lack of)!
Before reading, give a background of the author and text, and provide some questions for students to ponder as you read to set a purpose for the reading. Have students make predictions about the text, and have them revise and reflect on these predictions as you read. Also cover preliminary vocabulary terms that students might struggle with.
Pause at points throughout the reading to summarize, answer questions, clarify terms/concepts that were unclear, and open up the class to discussion. Also use this time to introduce new questions you have written during the planning process.
At the end of the read aloud, have students apply what they have heard in a teacher- or student- led discussion, and have students make predictions about what will happen next in the text. Encourage students to make personal connections to the text (improves retention), draw inferences, and comment on concepts or themes they noticed.
There are many variations of the read aloud strategy, so get creative! One variation may be encouraging students participate in reading out loud to the class after the teacher has demonstrated competent read-aloud skills. Another variation may have students working and discussing the text in groups both during and after the read aloud.
Possible Common Core addressed
11-12.RL.1
11-12.RL.2
11-12.RL.4
11-12.RI.1
11-12.RI.5
11-12.RL.9
11-12.SL.1
11-12.SL.3
11-12.L.5
Resources:
http://www.learner.org/workshops/tml/workshop7/teaching2.html
http://www.wresa.org/ERR/Module%202.pdf
http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/teacher-read-aloud-that-30799.html
http://www.benchmarkeducation.com/educational-leader/reading/understanding-read-alouds.html
http://standardstoolkit.k12.hi.us/common-core/language-arts/language-arts-grades-11-12-common-core-standards/
Further Reading:
http://www.k12reader.com/the-read-aloud-component-of-balanced-literacy-instruction/