Interactive read alouds are one of my favorite parts of our day! It’s a time for us to gather close, emulate the bedtime story time that so many kids do not get at home, and recreate that intimate time. It’s the time that I get to model how to think like a reader. I also invite the students to interact with the text along the way and/or after reading. Plainly put, interactive read alouds are powerful.
During this time, you are modeling how to think like a reader, proper fluency, and then inviting the students to practice the strategy along side you. They will also summarize and shape thoughts about the story. If you are wondering how this is different than shared reading, I wrote about this a bit HERE.
You will choose a text that helps you teach a specific reading strategy.
I liked to keep a checklist handy and to keep track of when students had mastered each reading strategy.
When you are choosing a book it’s important to remember that you ALWAYS choose the book with the strategy in mind–strategy over book. We all love things to flow and be thematic, but that just doesn’t always get the job done well. Another thing to remember is that the book will be on the students’ listening level, not their reading level.
3 simple parts:
With all of this in mind, how could this time of day NOT be a favorite? My students were always glued. Books are brought to life during interactive read aloud. They see how much fun reading truly is and how much joy it brings.
If you want more help mastering your interactive read aloud lessons, I have several resources to help you: Questioning Interactive Read Aloud Lessons or Making Connections Interactive Read Aloud Lessons.
Each unit has:
There are more to come! Save now by purchasing the Growing Bundle with all seven units. Grab them today and be set to implement powerful interactive read alouds.
Do you want to make the most of your interactive read alouds, but find yourself struggling to find books, write lessons, and come up with activities? Do you want to teach your readers to think deeply about the text and develop strong reading strategies and skills?
I’d love to introduce you to The Read Aloud Library! If you want 20 interactive read aloud lessons and activities delivered to you each month, you’ll want to check out The Read Aloud Library.
With your membership, each month you’ll receive:
Click HERE to learn more about The Read Aloud Library and join hundreds of other teachers!
Want to use the latest research to boost your readers during small groups? This FREE guide is packed with engaging ideas to help them grow!
I’m a K-1 teacher who is passionate about making lessons your students love and that are easy to implement for teachers. Helping teachers like you navigate their way through their literacy block brings me great joy. I am a lifelong learner who loves staying on top of current literacy learning and practices. Here, you’ll find the tools you need to move your K-2 students forward!
26 Responses
Hi,
I love your post and all of your resources. Thanks for the freebies. I was wondering what you have in your Readers Toolbox that is shown in the picture?
Hi! I created a visual aid for each of the skills to help the students have a concrete representation of the strategy as suggested by Stephanie Harvey in her book. (I believe it was her’s! I read so many!) This one is a microphone and is a part of the lesson plan unit that I sell for that reading strategy. 🙂
I am wondering how you use your checklist that you show for the different strategies? What do the numbers mean that you wrote by their names (i.e. 12/7, etc.)? I want to make something similar but am just wondering how to go about it. Are you marking by their names all on the same day or on different days just when they use that skill correctly…?
Hi Hannah! I write the date that they showed mastery of the skill. 🙂
Hi Amanda,
Do you have a link to the checklist? I’ve been trying to find something similar and yours looks perfect!
Hi Melinda! This is not available for download at this time. 🙂
How do you know the students have mastered the strategy?
What would be some of your questions that you would ask during IL?
Hi there!
I teach 4th grade and my team just discussed the importance of interactive read alouds and how we need to incorporate them more in our literacy block. Do you have a list of books that correlate with each strategy?
Thanks for your input!
Hi Sydney! I do not have a list that I share at this time. The list I have worked to compile is exclusive to the trainings that I do.
Hi Amanda,
I teach kindergarten and wondered if you think this packet is appropriate for them. I realize each lesson is tailored to a specific book to teach the strategy, but I’m wondering if you include a list of alternative books to teach each one?
Thanks,
Cindy
Hi Cindy! I do not have an alternative book list, but I do think the strategies and methods used to teach and model the reading strategy can easily be applied to any text. 🙂 I think changing the books to some more Kinder friendly books would be perfectly fine!
Hi Amanda. This is my first year teaching K. I thought preschool for 19 years and was a K teacher in residence last year. I have my own class this year your resources have been so helpful. Do you now have the strategies for read aloud available now please? I have attended your webinar and bought your guided reading bundle. Thank you
Hi Helene! Can you remind me of what exactly you are looking for? I have a feeling we have chatted before, but I can’t recall exactly what you are looking for. 🙂 I am happy to help! Amanda
Do you have other lessons beside “questioning “ looking for lessons to help teach character traits and other lessons
Hi Diane! I have plans for them and they are pretty detailed plans, but have not gotten to them at this time. 🙂
I just love what you do!
I was wondering if you had a list of mentor book for each reading strategy and lesson plans for:
Make Connections (building schema)
Predicting
Inferring
Questioning
Determining Importance
Visualizing
Synthesizing
Thank you
Hi Diane! I do not at this time, I’m sorry! It is definitely on my “to-do” list!!