Interactive Read-Alouds

Adapted from Interactive Read-Aloud Strategies: Build Strong Relationships With Students

Overview

Interactive read-alouds offer an opportunity for whole-group teaching involving all students. The teacher selects a text, plans for conversations and makes decisions about when they will occur during the lesson.

Through this careful approach, teachers can intentionally think about and plan for:

• Book selection

• Text features

• Questions to ask

• Modeling of strategic reading behaviors and fluency

• Places to stop for interaction

Why Interactive Read-Alouds?

Interactive read-alouds allow us to construct knowledge with all students. During our time together, we consciously build relationships and create a community of collaboration. We can read books that students may not have the ability to read on their own, so the experience is both powerful and motivating.

All students can participate because we plan, read, problem solve, question, and model what readers do, which frees students up to focus on the meaning of the text. We are scaffolding the learning process, making it accessible to all.

Note!

Sometimes we try to do too much during an interactive read-aloud. When this happens, we can lose sight of our purpose, and it could create confusion for our students. On the other hand, being purposeful with our planning makes a greater impact on learning. We can think about how to create a balance between all components of our interactive read-aloud. Students are better able to process, reflect, and collaborate when we are clear with our purpose. It will also broaden their understanding of the reading and thinking process.

Checklists for planning and implementing interactive read-alouds