Read Aloud Cheat Sheet

Why is this skill important?

A “Read Aloud” is when children are read a text above their independent reading level. They engage in questioning and discussion, learn new vocabulary, and make connections. This is one way to support comprehension skills, language, and vocabulary as children are learning to read words on their own.

How long and how often?

How long? 20-25 minutes

How often? Daily or a few times per week

How to Engage students in Read Aloud

Planning

1. Choose a text (Fiction or nonfiction) that is above a student’s instructional level and provides interesting words to talk about, a complex story structure, and ideas to discuss.
2. Plan to introduce vocabulary using rich vocabulary instruction (see the explicit vocabulary instruction sheet for a lesson script and how-to).
3. Plan to model and engage students in a research-based comprehension strategy (see table below). Three strategies that are great for read aloud are: 1) summarization, 2) teaching text structure, and 3) asking questions.
4. Record questions that you will ask and sections that you will think aloud during the read aloud.
5. Plan to read the same story multiple times with students. This provides students with time to truly learn the story or content, practice the words, and engage with the content that is in each book.

Instruction

1. Teach the vocabulary words (2-3 per book) before reading.
2. Set a purpose for reading: What are students focusing on? What are they going to do with the text? A purpose for reading could be understanding a character, answer questions about a topic, or make predictions about the story.
3. Read the story, stopping to ask questions regularly.
4. Engage students in the comprehension task (e.g., identifying text structure, discussion, summarizing).
5. Engage students in talking about the vocabulary words during reading with questions that connect the vocabulary word to the text.

Prep & Materials

• Find fiction or nonfiction texts that are engaging, provide rich vocabulary and complex stories and illustration.
• Establish and reinforce whole class discussion procedures. Teach students how to listen, raise their hands to answer, and listen while another student is talking. You may also teach a Turn and Talk procedure that has students turning and talking with a partner in response to a question.

References and Additional Resources

• In this lesson, the teacher focuses on unique aspects of the nonfiction text before reading: Clarabelle read aloud
• In this lesson, the teacher sets a purpose for reading and engages the students in Turn and Talk discussion and vocabulary: The Name Jar read aloud