Printer-friendly versionInteractive read aloud places more responsibility on students to share what they are thinking in a way that simulates an authentic reading experience.
Since successful readers read, monitor their comprehension, pause, think about what they have read, and resume reading, teachers can simulate this in a read aloud at any grade level. In this way, teachers who invite more student participation enable students to "pause" the read aloud to share what they are thinking and to "restart" the read aloud when the thought has been sufficiently considered.
National Board Certified 6th Grade teacher, Talitha Simeona-Moon, describes how she uses interactive reading to engage her students and increase their higher order thinking skills.
(Please note that the term "ESOL" refers to students learning English as a second language.)
Look for:
What skills and/or vocabulary does Talitha present to her students before she begins the lesson?
How does Talitha say this strategy helps her students learning English as a second language? What role does peer support play and why is it important?
Think about:
How does this strategy build on students' prior knowledge? How might you adapt this strategy to scaffold student learning even more?
What other books might you use with this strategy? How might the selection of different text impact the effectiveness of the lesson?
Do you think that the impromptu and active nature of the response would or could impede student learning in your class?
Ready Resources:
Interactive Read Aloud/Interactive Reader Instructions
Bud, not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. ($6.99) A 10-year-old boy in Depression-era Michigan sets out to find the man he believes to be his father. Newbery Medal Award Winner 2000. Published by Yearling. ISBN-10: 043940200X ISBN-13: 978-0439402002
