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7 Tips for Doing Read-Alouds the Right Way
Posted on 17 June 2021
<http://blog.tesol.org/7-tips-for-doing-read-alouds-the-right-way/> by Barbara
Gottschalk <http://blog.tesol.org/author/bgottschalk/>*
Early in my career, when I taught a self-contained class of fourth- and
fifth-grade newcomers, I definitely did read-alouds the *wrong* way. I knew
research showed the benefits of reading aloud to students, especially
English learners. I knew reading aloud to students models fluency, builds
background knowledge, and increases studentsâ vocabularies. I also knew
reading aloud to students can pique their interest in specific books as
well as reading in general.
What I didnât realize, however, was a classroom practice this beneficial
needed to be done *purposefully*. Far too often, Iâd just grab a picture
book from a stack of possibilities on my deskâsometimes, Iâm ashamed to
admit, without even reading it first myself. Thatâs rightâno planning, no
follow-up. Not good! I put read-aloud time IN my lesson plans, but I didnât
plan FOR it. You can increase the effectiveness of your read-alouds by
planning them carefully and integrating them into the curriculum. Here are
some tips Iâve learned for doing read alouds the right way:
*1. Use Visuals*
Turkish-English bilingual read-aloud
With picture books, make sure you hold the book so students can see the
pictures as youâre reading. With longer books, you can project the page
onto a screen in your classroom. Reading the text and then showing pictures
doesnât count. To be fair, this happens more often with inexperienced guest
readers, such as a visiting dignitary or a parent volunteer. Teachers who
do effective read-alouds have mastered how to read while holding the book
so everybody sees the pages. This photo shows my husband and me as guest
readers doing a Turkish-English bilingual read-aloud to a first grade
class. It wasnât perfect, but at least we were making sure everybody could
see.
*2. Dig Deeper*
Read the same picture book several times, but for different purposes:
âYesterday, we talked about how the child felt; today as I read the story,
try to think about how the childâs mother felt,â or âYesterday in this
biography, you heard about all of the difficulties the inventor faced.
Today as I read it again, think about these difficulties. Which one do you
think was the hardest for the inventor to overcome and why?â
*3. Extend Your Read-Aloud Session*
For example, read several books in the same genre, by the same author, or
on the same theme. Then have students compare and contrast or pick their
favorite and explain why.
*4. Practice Other Domains*
Use your read-aloud time to help students get practice in other domains.
After students have listened to a picture book, show the pictures again and
have individual students retell the story, page by page. When reading a
longer book to older students, have them orally retell the events from the
previous chapter as a group or, even better, to each other in pairs. After
listening to the dayâs story, have students respond to a short writing
prompt.
*5. Read Aloud to Older Students, Too*
Itâs not just for young children! You can read aloud a short passage from a
longer book or even a picture book to set the stage for a lesson taught to
older students. Itâs a way to build a shared base of knowledge. Picture
books are especially good to use with English learners of all ages because
of the visuals. Picture books speak to everyone, but in different ways.
*The Giving Tree*, for example, is an easy picture book that produces quite
different responses from students at different stages in their lives. In
this article
<https://inservice.ascd.org/how-reading-aloud-helps-reach-reluctant-ell-and-all-readers/>
for
general education teachers, I describe how one of my general education
colleagues uses picture books with older students to prepare them for their
science and social studies lessons. You can do this, too.
*6. Remember: Reading Aloud at Home Is Also Important*
This topic merits a blog post of its own. For now, though, keep reminding
parents of your English learners that reading aloud to their children in
their native language and/or English is valuable.
*7. Be a Read-Aloud Promoter*
Assure your general education colleagues theyâre not âgiving upâ
instructional time with read-alouds. Read-aloud time IS instructional time,
when itâs well planned and integrated into the lesson. Before, I viewed
read-alouds as ways teachers could use up unplanned class time when
everything else important had been done. Now I know reading aloud to
students is important in its own right. You do, too!
------------------------------
Do you have any other read-aloud tips that have worked well with your
English learners? Please share in the comments, below!
**Bio:* Barbara Gottschalk is a veteran educator. She has taught English
language learners from first graders to graduate students in five states in
three very different parts of the United States plus Japan. Gottschalk has
written many successful grants and served as a grant reviewer for TESOL,
the National Education Association, and the U.S. Department of Education's
Office of English Language Acquisition. She is the author of "Get Money for
Your Classroom: Easy Grant Writing Ideas That Work" and "Dispelling
Misconceptions About English Language Learners: Research-Based Ways to
Improve Instruction."
Brought by:
Valerie.S.Jakar, PhD
Jerusalem, Israel.
TESOL Board Member, 2009 - 2012
Mahatma Gandhi said, "I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides
and my windows to be stuffed. I want the culture of all lands to be blown
about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet
by any."
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