Planning for Interactive Read-Aloud

Of all the times that Christy read to me, the one that holds the most space in my memory is when she read “Love That Dog” during a writing institute in the summer of 2019. We all sat in a big circle in an area of the auditorium, apart from the tables that held all our beverages, notebooks, and freshly acquired knowledge. This space felt protected and sort of like a gift—a bonus to help us connect, relax, and be readers who simply enjoy being read to.

Every time she read to me, I remember wondering, “Will I ever learn to facilitate a read-aloud the way she does?” There was an ease to her delivery and a clear plan for when to prompt us to talk, think, and respond. Never before had I been pushed to think about stories in such a way. Her strategies drew me into the world of Jack and his emotional journey just as much as her voice did while she read. This wasn’t a simple “Story Time.” This moment was filled with intentions.

When I plan for read-aloud, I think back on that circle and that moment with her. I pull the list of strategies and prompts she gave me and push myself to honor the narrative I’m about to read by finding every possible opportunity to model skillful reading comprehension to my students. I’ve gotten better over the years; it feels easy to read each chapter and add sticky notes with my plans, questions, and prompts. So much so that when Amy asked me to help her with her read-aloud, I needed to take some time to truly think about the syncing parts that come into place when I do it. To help each other, I asked her to write down questions I could answer:

• What are your goals for students with the interaction of the read-aloud?

Students need to interact because it’s in their nature. I know they will react to what I read. They will have questions and strong opinions. They will gasp, laugh, and ask, “Wait, what?” I want them to feel safe when having those reactions, and I want to be prepared so I don’t sshh them all the time. I also want the read-aloud to run smoothly, and for that, I need to teach the right way/moments to interact. The other big goal I have for them is to practice whatever skill I am modeling. Some skills are more accessible for them to try (predicting, retelling), and some need a gradual demonstration (envisioning, inferring, interpreting).

• Do you have any categories / guiding scaffolding that helps you develop questions and thought prompts? (aka those stickies that cover your book) Is there a logical sequence to how they go?

I think of comprehension skills and a logical progression that accompanies the plot. In the beginning, we do a lot of orienting ourselves to the story, envisioning, and retelling. I choose moments of the story that bring in new elements worth anchoring (setting, new characters, interactions). Thinking of the story arc helps me determine which scenes are suitable for specific skills.

• How do you decide whether a question/prompt will be a teacher think aloud vs. a turn and talk vs. a stop and jot?

Christy showed me that I must directly teach comprehension skills before I ask students to do them themselves. The progression for each skill should be: You watch me do it (Think-Aloud), you try it through conversation (Turn & Talk), and then you try it by yourself (Stop & Jot). This progression is especially important when introducing new and more complex comprehension skills.

• When do you physically add to the anchor chart? How do the kids’ post-its get up there, and how do yours?

I add to the chart from the very beginning and while I’m reading, depending on what the visual will be supporting. Before we start the book, I lay out the chapters/plot and prepare a place for characters, setting, and vocabulary. When I plan, I look for what each chapter will bring and ask myself what I need to post or what I could let the students collect from my reading. For example, I may choose to add an important phrase or scene because they will need my help to make that connection later in the story. But when new characters come in, I could offer students the opportunity to write down ideas to add to the chart. 

All students should be writing at least one jot during the read-aloud session, and it’s usually toward the end, which helps with management. You can ask them to post them on the chart or keep them in their notebooks. Extra jots you could ask for are vocabulary definitions and other key moments worth capturing. I often ask for volunteers to write these jots.

• What is the expectation for the children during read-aloud? How do you model this and establish this routine? How do you avoid a kid jotting so fast just to “get it over with and get back to the story” (and in contrast, how do you get a kid to jot who’s reluctant to do so or a kid who takes forever to write something?)

This one, as you know, I struggle with a bit. I have gone back and forth when allowing students to write as I read, but I discovered what I truly believe as I wrote this. I think it’s critical for children to learn to listen to a story so that their full attention is invested in my voice and what’s going on. I think that if I allow spontaneous jotting, they’ll struggle to practice such skills. I also believe that allowing those interactions opens the door to unwanted behaviors. There’s a reason why we stop before we jot. The story comes to a pause, then we collectively think and write. When this is done as a group, everyone is expected to do it.

I expect students to be listeners first and foremost. I don’t necessarily model this, but the read-aloud is an opportunity to practice that skill. I expect them to think along with me (teacher think-aloud), I expect them to answer questions or prompts (turn & talk), and I expect them to respond to the text on a sticky (stop & jot). I like setting these expectations from the beginning and then deciding when to be flexible. For example, if a student chooses not to jot because they’re unsure what to write, I can offer help as a thinking partner. And if I’m running out of time (like we often are), I suggest we return to it later, but we all need to write.

• How much time do you spend on interactive read-alouds per day? (Full-time block and break-down of actual teacher reading time vs. student interacting time)

The idea is to have 15-20 minutes every day. Most of this time is spent reading, and only a few minutes for interactions. Each chapter determines how you’ll manage the time based on scenes that may need to be discussed a bit more. If a chapter calls for more extended conversations or vocabulary exploration, I cut down on think-aloud a bit to be able to read through the entire chapter and then have those discussions.

• How do you decide how much to read per day? 

It depends on the length of the book and the time I have. Shorter chapter books are great because we can do a chapter a day and only extend it a little to allow for more time for conversations if they come up. With longer books, I try to fit two chapters a day so we avoid losing momentum and excitement by extending the story over several weeks.

I read these responses, and I’m in awe of all the moving pieces that need to fit each time we plan for a new book. There is so much thinking and planning for only 20 minutes of our day, but how significant those 20 minutes can be. Read-aloud is the moment when every reader, regardless of their ability to comprehend stories, can access and enjoy a great book. With my planning, I aim to enhance that learning experience for them.

Thank you, Amy!