Read Alouds

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Successful Read Alouds Active participation of teachers and children Use of high-quality books Use of open-ended questions by teachers and children Discussions about the book, building on children’s prior knowledge Predictions by children Use of decontextualized language (Shedd & Duke, 2008)

Importance of Reading Aloud Read Alouds can: Increase children’s vocabulary (Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2002), language development (Beck & McKeown, 2001), listening comprehensions skills (Teale, 1986), ability to recognize words (Stahl, 2003), and overall literacy development (Aram, 2006). Reading aloud with researcher-designed methods (e.g., Interactive Read Alouds) have been found to produce the most positive effects (Lane & Wright, 2007).

Shared Book Reading vs. Interactive Read Alouds Shared Book ReadingInteractive Read Alouds Children read text with teacherTeacher reads as children listen Children also answer questions Children’s attention is focused on printed text and/or the language (e.g. alphabet) Children’s attention is focused on vocabulary, comprehension, and illustrations Concepts of print are taught (e.g., directionality, letter/word concepts) Children’s attention is also focused on how story characters think and feel in storybooks Children are taught the language of print (e.g., letter, space, sentence) Children are introduced to the language used with stories (e.g., characters, solution to problems) (McGee, 2007)

Interactive Read Alouds (IRA) Interactive reading is: Stopping and talking during the book reading- NOT reading without interruption Children pointing, making comments, asking questions, and engaging in conversations- NOT passively listening

Planning for IRA Choose a high-quality book Read the book ahead of time Find places to “pause and talk” Choose 3-4 vocabulary words Plan questions and comments Plan extending activities

Choosing a Book Engaging text and illustrations Reflects diversity, values, and interests Something to talk about 3-4 vocabulary words

Identifying What to Emphasize While Reading Aloud Choose 5-6 places to stop & talk  Make a comment  Ask a question  Make and “I wonder” statement Select story elements to highlight  Character traits & motives  Themes & concepts  Connections to children’s experiences

A Focus on Vocabulary Consider 3 tiers of words:  Tier I - basic words  Tier II - high frequency for mature language users  Tier III - Very low frequency, often content specific (Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2002)

Criteria for Selecting Vocabulary Words Choose words that children are: Unlikely to know Likely to hear again Likely to use if given the opportunity Consider importance and utility, instructional potential, and conceptual understanding (Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2002)

Steps in Teaching Vocabulary Selected words may be explicitly taught before, during, or after reading the text When introducing the word, ask students to say the word Teach the word meaning--simplified! Support word meanings with examples, non- examples Allow children opportunities to use the words in different contexts and/or demonstrate their understanding of the meaning (Cavanaugh, 2007)

Vocabulary Extending Activities Retell & drama Cooking Field Trips Centers

Questions to Ask During Read Alouds Factual Inferential Opinion Text-to-self (Bennett,-Armistead, Duke, & Moses, 2005)

Questions to Ask During Read Alouds Text-to-text Prediction Authorship Vocabulary (Bennett,-Armistead, Duke, & Moses, 2005)

Highlighting Story Elements Character: What kind of character was ______ ? Setting: Why did it take place there? Problem: What did _____ want to do? Why was ____ having trouble? Events: What happened after ______ did ______ ? Why did _______ do ______ ? Solution: How did ______ solve the problem? How did the story turn out?

Using Informational Books  Read just a portion of book or entire book  Explicitly state how the ideas in text are linked together  Provides a rich context to teach vocabulary words  Story elements may be included (McGee, 2007)

Culturally Authentic Literature Children learn to recognize, accept, and value differences and similarities Instills a sense of responsibility to social justice, equality, and a democracy. Builds classroom community Better understanding of themselves and others

References Aram, D. (2006). Early literacy interventions: The relative role of storybook reading, alphabetic activities, and their combination. Reading and Writing,19, Beck, I.L., McKeown, M.G., & Kucan, L. (2002). Bringing words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction. New York, NY: Guilford. Beck, I.L., & McKeown, M.G. (2001). Text talk: Capturing the benefits of read-aloud experiences for young children, The Reading Teacher, 55(1), Cavanaugh, C. (2007, March). Choosing and Using Books in Early Childhood Classrooms: Maximizing Read-Alouds. Presented at a REACH Workshop, Gainesville, Florida. Dickinson, D.K., & Smith, M.W. (1994). Long-term effects of teacher’s book reading on low-income children’s vocabulary and story comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly, 29,

References Duke, N.K., & Kays, J. (1998). “Can I say ‘Once upon a time?’” Kindergarten children developing knowledge of information book language. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 35, Harper, L.J., & Brand, S.T. (2005). More alike than different: Promoting respect through multicultural books and literacy strategies. Childhood Education, 86(4), Justice, M. J., Pence, K. L., Beckman, A. R., Skibbe, L. E., & Wiggins, A. K. (2005). Scaffolding with Storybooks: A Guide for Enhancing Young Children’s Language and Literacy Achievement. Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Lane, H.B., & Wright, T.L. (2007). Maximizing the effectiveness of reading aloud. The Reading Teacher, 60(7), Manning, M.L., & Baruth, L.G. (2000). Multicultural education of children and adolescents. Needham Heights, MA: Ally and Bacon.

References McGee, L.M. (2007).Transforming literacy practices in preschool: Research-based practices that give all children the opportunity to reach their potential as learners. New York, NY: Scholastic. Morrow, L.M. (1988). Young children’s responses to one-to –one story readings in school settings. Reading Research Quarterly, 23, Shedd, M.K., & Duke, N. (2007). The power of planning: Developing effective read alouds. Young Children, 63(6), Stahl, S.A. (2003). What do we expect storybook reading to do? How storybook reading impacts word recognition. In A. van Kleeck, S.A. Stahl, & E.B. Bauer (Eds.), On reading books to children: Parents and teachers (pp ). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Teale, W.H. (1986). Home background and young children’s literacy development. In W. H. Teale & E. Sulzby (Eds.), Emergent literacy: Writing and reading (pp ). Norwood, NJ: Erlbaum.

References Whitehurst, G.L., Arnold, D.S., Epstein, J.N., & Angell, A.L. (1994). A picture book reading intervention in day care and home for children from low-income families. Developmental Psychology, 30,