THE COMPONENTS OF EFFECTIVE READ ALOUDS

And Sustained Silent Reading

The Read~Aloud Handbookby Jim Trelease

Jim Trelease: The Read ~Aloud Handbook

How can we get families to change?

InformScareShame

The Facts: Read Aloud Handbook

The single most important activity for building background knowledge is reading aloud.

Reading aloud to a child for 30 minutes has the greatest impact on their academic success.

Boys who were read to by their fathers scored significantly higher in reading achievement.

Reading is the heart of education. Every subject depends on reading.

Reading is the ultimate weapon for destroying poverty.

Reading aloud increases vocabulary and comprehension significantly.

Parent surveys show parents of low economic status believe reading is the school’s job not theirs.

The Facts: U.S. Department of Education(2004)

In 1999, 53% of children ages three to five were read to daily by a family member.

As a mother’s education increases so does the likelihood she will read allowed to her children.

Sixty one percent of white, non-Hispanic children, 41% of black, non-Hispanic, 33% of Hispanic children were read to everyday.

Children in families with incomes below the poverty line are less likely to be read aloud to everyday.

Reading Facts of Life

Humans are pleasure centered.

Reading is an accrued skill.

According to Jim

“The more you read, the more you know The more you know, the smarter you are The smarter you are, the longer you stay in school The longer you stay in school, the more diplomas

you earn, and the more money you make The more diplomas you earn, the higher your

child’s grades in school The more diplomas you earn, the longer you live.”

Jim Trelease

Getting ready for the read aloud

Choose high interest selections that are above students’ independent reading level and at their listening level.

Reading Tips

Read what you love Make sure you read it first before you read

it aloud Read with facial and verbal expression Read aloud everyday Read a variety of material Have fun

Read Aloud-Defined

In Becoming a Nation of Readers, the report of the National Commission on Reading states that the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success is reading aloud to children.

-Anderson, R.C., Hiebert, E.H., Scott, J.A., & Wilkinson, I.A.G. (1985). Becoming a nation of readers: The report of the Commission on Reading. Washington, DC: National Academy of Education, Commission on Education and Public Policy.

Read Aloud is a strategy in which a teacher sets aside time to read orally to students on a consistent basis from texts above their independent reading level but at their listening level.

We read aloud to:

Start the day. Support reading and

writing mini lessons. Support social

studies and science curriculum.

Support whole class book studies.

Help students talk and think about texts.

Introduce a new novel. Introduce a theme. Open up new worlds. Mentor students in the

thinking processes that are present during proficient reading.

Familiarize students with text structures and genres.

What will teachers read aloud?

Fiction Novels Short stories Poetry Picture books Student authored writing

High interest selections with absorbing plots, lively characters, and multiple layers of meaning!

Magazine articles Newspaper articles Non-Fiction

Informational text Biography Autobiography Speeches Content area selections Historical documents

What are some examples of good read alouds?

Redwall by Brian Jacques Loch by Paul Zindel Inventing Elliot by Graham Gardner Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan Wolf Rider: A Tale of Terror by Avi On the Edge by Lois Duncan Paul Havey’s The Rest of the Story by Paul Harvey Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Chicken Soup for the Teen Age Soul Baseball in April by Gary DeSoto

Reading aloud to students allows the teacher to: Model fluent and expressive reading. Think aloud. Model the reading process. Review text structure. Facilitate comprehension to beginning

(newcomer) and intermediate English Language Learners.

Provide interactions with a variety of texts. Make connections.

Getting ready for the read aloud

Choose high interest selections that are above students’ independent reading level and at their listening level.

Independent Reading Level:

The level at which the student reads fluently with 90% (or higher) comprehension and 95% word recognition.

-Burns. P., & Roe. B. (2002). Informal

reading inventory.

Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

-Johns, J. (2001). Basic reading inventory.

Debuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.

Estimating Listening Level:

Harris and Sipay (1990) suggest a two-year discrepancy between the listening level and the instructional level as a rough criterion.

Teacher preparation for read alouds

Pre-read and re-read selection. Consider reading goals. Identify the process and strategy information

(at work in the text). Anticipate where background knowledge

needs to be built.

SUSTAINED SILENT READING

Students identify topics that interest them

Students identify reading materials Students are provided uninterrupted

time to read Students write about or represent the

information they are learning Students interact with the information

Eight Factors for SSR Success

1. Access 2. Appeal 3. Conducive Environment 4. Encouragement 5. Staff Training 6. Non-Accountability 7. Follow-up Activities 8. Distributed Time to Read

Pilgreen, Janice L. The SSR Handbook: How to Organize and Manage a Sustained Silent Reading Program, Boynton/Cook Publishers, Ine.,2000.

Marzano’s Five Step SSR Program

.1. Students Identify Topic of Interest to Them

2. Students Identify Reading Material3. Students are Provided Uninterrupted

Time to Read 4. Students Write About or Represent the

Information in Their Academic Notebooks

5. Students Interact with the Information

Marzano, Robert, J. (2004). Building Background Knowledge fo r Academic Achievement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.