Literacy in Action- Introduction to Read Aloud!

ARTICLE

Read aloud time allows scholars to understand more sophisticated texts than what they can currently read on their own. See how we guide scholars to understand these books at the deepest level, so they can apply these same critical thinking skills to understand books they read independently!

Curriculum Toolkit

Read Aloud Reading

Elementary School

1st 2nd 3rd K

Literacy in Action– Introduction to Read Aloud!

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At Success Academy, Read Aloud is a core component of our approach to literacy in K-4th grades. While Read Aloud is a familiar part of the day in many classrooms across the country, what sets our approach apart is our careful curation of great books, as well as our strategic approach in purposefully planning places to stop and help scholars unpack the deeper meaning of the books.

During Read Aloud, kids learn a myriad of skills. The ultimate goals are:

For kids to fall in love with reading and great books!
To teach kids to think critically
To teach kids to articulate and support their ideas
To expose kids to rich language that expands their vocabulary
To teach kids to speak and debate with clarity and precision

The ultimate goal of Read Aloud is that scholars can truly understand every text that they encounter in their lives at school, at home, and beyond. If kids can read, they can teach themselves anything!

What does Read Aloud look like in practice?

What do you notice about the teacher’s level of preparation and approach?

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How Do I Plan for a Read Aloud Lesson?

Select and Read the Book
1. Select a great book on the right level
2. Read the book two times: once as a reader, and once as a teacher
Identify the Main Idea in the Book
1. A strong main idea should provide answers to the below questions:
  1. What is this book mostly about?
  2. Why did the author write this book?
2. Goes beyond simply re-telling the plot and instead gets at the deeper meaning of the book
3. Is rooted in textual evidence
Identify the Key Parts of the Book
1. Identify the most interesting and meaningful parts in the text – those that spark key insights and reactions
2. Check that the key parts build toward understanding the main idea
Leverage Turn and Talks or Think Alouds
1. Select stopping points to make thinking explicit and get kids thinking and talking about their ideas
Plan a Roadmap of Discussion Questions to Drive the Main Idea