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Begin with the End in Mind:
Interactive Read Alouds
Moreover, reading aloud to teenagers can stimulate their imagination and emotions, enrich their vocabulary and understanding of sophisticated language patterns, make difficult text understandable, and encourage a lifelong enjoyment of reading (Anderson, 2007)
Building comprehension
thorugh Text Interaction
As our coaching sessions progressed, I talked with Mrs. Cap about working with students during the interactive read-aloud process. We focused on “planned pauses” which took the form of pre-planned questions that would occur periodically throughout the text. Next, we created anchor charts that would scaffold her students’ responses. During this stage her students would jot down their responses, turn and talk to a partner or share their thoughts with the whole class. I shared with Mrs. Cap a few of my previously created “Stop, jot, think, and talk” anchor charts to for her use in developing a student’s inner voice before, during, and after reading aloud.
Since, student learning and classroom talk have been basic staples in our schools for years, our interactive read aloud lessons were built around the assumption that student talk is valuable. Hence, time was built in to allow academic conversations, and students would be encouraged to share their thoughts with an “elbow” partner or in a small group.
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