Benefits and Purposes of the Read Aloud
What is one social-emotional benefit of read alouds?
Responses will vary.
Sample responses include:
Read alouds teach students to…
- be sensitive the needs of others
- become active problem-solvers
- see themselves as having control over their own life circumstances
- self-regulate, leading to behavioral improvements
- empathize with others, including those with different lived experiences
According to Ness, what are the three steps for planning a read aloud?
The three steps are: (1) evaluate; (2) explain; and (3) engage and extend.
Name one appropriate read aloud strategy for pre-k-2 students.
1. Teachers should draw attention to the print.
2. Teachers should encourage conversation about the text.
What are two cognitive/academic benefits of read alouds?
Responses will vary.
Sample response: Read alouds enhance expressive and receptive vocabulary, background knowledge/schema, comprehension, and higher-order thinking skills, etc.
Describe what the teacher is to consider during the first step of planning the read aloud (evaluate).
Responses will vary.
Sample answer: During the first step, teachers should evaluate the text for the background knowledge it assumes the reader brings, and become aware of potential opportunities and obstacles in the text.
What is the one appropriate read aloud strategy Ness mentions for students in grades 3-8?
Do not show students the pictures — at first.
How do read alouds motivate students to read?
Responses will vary.
Sample response: When teachers read aloud to students, student begin to associate reading with joy and pleasure.
Describe what the teacher is to do during the second step of planning the read aloud (explain).
Responses will vary.
During the second step, teachers should incorporate think alouds to model how to make meaning from the text. Teachers should also explain the meanings of unfamiliar vocabulary words.
Name one appropriate read aloud strategy for early childhood, elementary, and middle school students.
1. Jump-start student generated questions.
2. Read from diverse text diets.
How do read-alouds reduce learning gaps between struggling and advanced readers?
Responses will vary.
Sample response: Read alouds give all students access to the same complex language and ideas regardless of reading level.
Describe what the teacher is to do during the third and final step of planning the read aloud (engage and extend).
During the third and final step, teachers should engage students in critical inquiry and reflection about the text.
Give one or more example of a print-referencing technique.
Responses will vary.
1. “Where do I start reading on this page?”
2. “Why do you think this word is in bold?”
3. “Show me where the title is on the cover.
4. “Point to the lower case letter.
5. “The label on this box says…”
6. “I’m noticing two words on this page that are the same.”
7. Show how to track from left-to-right.
8. Show how to point to individual words.
A teacher is considering replacing read alouds with more independent reading time. Is this appropriate? Why or why not?
Responses will vary.
Sample answer: No, this is not best practice. Both are essential in the classroom. Read-alouds build language and encourage highread-order thinking because students do not have to focus on decoding the text, while independent reading builds skill and stamina.
You just read A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon to your students. Name one engage/extend activity (social-emotional learning engagement, cross-curricular extension, extensions to support reading and writing) you could use to extend learning.
Responses will vary.
Why do you think teachers should delay in showing students in grades 3-8 pictures?
Responses will vary.
Sample response: Teachers should not immediately show students pictures because it encourages visualization. Visualization improves comprehension, retention, and memory of text.