Interactive Read - Alouds
Definition and Purpose
Teachers use interactive read alouds to share books with their students. The main focus of an interactive read-aloud is to enhance children’s comprehension before, during and after the reading. Teachers introduce the book they have chosen and activate the students’ background knowledge before beginning to read the text. Next, they engage children in conversation throughout the reading. Afterwards, children respond to the book.
It is important for teachers to stop throughout the book for children to make predictions and connections to the text. When reading informational books, teachers stop to talk about big ideas as they are presented, explain vocabulary and emphasize connections between the ideas. Teachers should use this instructional procedure whenever they are reading a story aloud to share the excitement of books, which is an important part of the literacy program at all, grade levels.
Interactive read-alouds can be used with multiple genres including stories, informational books and poetry.
Steps
1. Teachers choose a piece of literature that is appropriate for children and fits into their instructional programs.
2. Teachers practice reading the book beforehand to ensure that they can read it fluently. Teachers can then decide the best places within the text to pause and engage children. Teachers often think about how they will introduce the book and highlight difficult vocabulary words.
3. Teachers activate children’s background knowledge; set a purpose for listening to the text and preview what the text will be about.
4. Teachers read the book aloud. They stop periodically during their reading to ask questions to focus children’s attention on specific points in the text and involve them in other activities.
5. After the reading, children participate in discussions and other response activities.
Application and Example
For the big book “3 steps to getting a dog” a teacher introduced the book by activating students background knowledge about getting a dog. The teacher read the book fluently and stopped periodically to discuss new vocabulary words and to allow the students to make connections to events within the textbook. After the reading, the students were going to participate in a writing activity in response to the text.
Teachers use interactive read alouds to share books with their students. The main focus of an interactive read-aloud is to enhance children’s comprehension before, during and after the reading. Teachers introduce the book they have chosen and activate the students’ background knowledge before beginning to read the text. Next, they engage children in conversation throughout the reading. Afterwards, children respond to the book.
It is important for teachers to stop throughout the book for children to make predictions and connections to the text. When reading informational books, teachers stop to talk about big ideas as they are presented, explain vocabulary and emphasize connections between the ideas. Teachers should use this instructional procedure whenever they are reading a story aloud to share the excitement of books, which is an important part of the literacy program at all, grade levels.
Interactive read-alouds can be used with multiple genres including stories, informational books and poetry.
Steps
1. Teachers choose a piece of literature that is appropriate for children and fits into their instructional programs.
2. Teachers practice reading the book beforehand to ensure that they can read it fluently. Teachers can then decide the best places within the text to pause and engage children. Teachers often think about how they will introduce the book and highlight difficult vocabulary words.
3. Teachers activate children’s background knowledge; set a purpose for listening to the text and preview what the text will be about.
4. Teachers read the book aloud. They stop periodically during their reading to ask questions to focus children’s attention on specific points in the text and involve them in other activities.
5. After the reading, children participate in discussions and other response activities.
Application and Example
For the big book “3 steps to getting a dog” a teacher introduced the book by activating students background knowledge about getting a dog. The teacher read the book fluently and stopped periodically to discuss new vocabulary words and to allow the students to make connections to events within the textbook. After the reading, the students were going to participate in a writing activity in response to the text.