Read Alouds and

Readers TheaterGrades K-5 Teachers

Professional DevelopmentJanuary 6, 2009

Friendly Reminders• Be considerate• Listen!• Allow your neighbor to listen.• Turn off cell phones!

Description of Session

This session will explore the use of Read Alouds

and Readers Theater within the frameworks of

SDPCs Literacy Model and the curriculum. 

Techniques and selection of resources will be presented.

SDPC Literacy Model

Reading Workshop Purposeful Read Alouds• Description: The teacher purposefully reads aloud multiple

times daily from a variety of genres to model fluency and a love of literature.

• Materials: a. Teacher selections based upon theme, author’s craft, author’s bias, genre, cross-curricular focus, and b. Leveled library

• Frequency: 10 minutes at one reading, multiple times daily

Read Alouds

What they are:• purposeful• instructional• planned

– Can be content-related– Can be for pure enjoyment– Can be part of author study– Can be part of a text set

What they are NOT:• time-fillers when there’s

nothing else that’s fun• last-minute, grab-and-run

activity

SDPC Literacy Model

Reading Workshop Book Clubs/Literature Circles

• Description: Student-led discussion usually of the same book/text with different assignments and specific roles.

• Materials: …Text from Read Alouds…

• Frequency: During the Work Period of Reading Workshop, meet for 10-15 minutes a week, as scheduled periodically for each group

ELA Standards

…comprehend a variety of literary textsPerformance Indicator1.1 …main idea 1.2 …make, revise, and confirm predictions and draw conclusions 1.4 … figurative language (simile, metaphor, etc.) and sound

devices (alliteration and onomatopoeia) 1.5 …relationship among characters, setting, plot 1.6 …author’s craft (word choice, sentence structure) 1.8 …classify works of fiction1.10 …analyze cause/effect relationships

ELA Standards

…use word analysis and vocabulary strategies…Performance Indicator3.1 Use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar

words3.2 Construct meaning through a knowledge of base words,

prefixes and suffixes in context.3.4 Identify idioms in context.3.5 Recognize synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms in context.3.6 Use knowledge of individual words to determine the

meaning of compound words.

Selection of Resources

Media Center’s cataloggather a collection of books or text set based on a content-related topic, like Underground Railroad

Techniques - seating

• Be sure all students can see and hear– In picture books, the pictures are equally if not

more important than the text– Position students as close to the reader as is

practical

Techniques - voices

Current thinking:• Reader adapts voices to

characterizations– In The Three Bears, the little

bear would have a weaker, high pitched voice and the papa bear would have a strong, low voice

Previous thinking• Reader reads in normal

reading voice– If reader “forgets”, this causes

confusion for the listener– I prefer to ask students at the

end of the story to retell the story using voices of characters

Techniques - length

Current thinking• Stop the story periodically

for discussion, clarification– Easy to overdo– Stopping too frequently

causes the story to lose instructional importance

Previous thinking• Read the story from start to

finish without stopping– I prefer because listeners’

thinking isn’t constantly interrupted

– When I do interrupt the flow of the story, I announce that I am stopping the story and give the reason

Laminack, Lester L. and Reba M. Wadsworth, Reading Aloud Across the Curriculum.

ISBN 978-0-325-00982-7

Techniques

Planning• Preview titles and order from simple to complex• Identify concepts to be developed or extended• Identify essential vocabulary• Identify core understandings needed to connect

to new information• Notice how author develops concepts

Techniques

Implementation• Read title and names of author and illustrator• Tell connection you hope to establish• Speak to your insights that you are leading students toward,

comment on what you’ve noticed and wonder about and the connections you’ve made

• Don’t overdo! Don’t overpower the language of the text nor the interplay between the mind of the writer and the mind of the reader or listener

• Goal is to move students toward independence. Remember: this is an instructional activity!

• Demonstrate the thinking! Don’t think for the students.

Techniques

After reading, guide discussion.• What difference did the main character in the book make?• Think about something in the book we could practice in our

own lives.• Allow students to discuss in groups. Circulate, listening to

student-led discussion.• When discussing the book, be brief. When conversation is

cut short, energy is built. When there’s energy and focus about the topic, there is eagerness to share and continue the dialogue and learning is promoted.

Techniques

After reading, guide discussion (cont.)• Students talk and share.• Teacher guides the discussion and redirects depending on

goal, time restraints, student’s understanding• Ask: What did you realize….When (in the story) did you

realize…Identify the place in the book that led you to notice….How did the author (or illustrator) lead you to think….

• As discussion progresses, the teacher charts– Vocabulary– Concept that’s being developed– Author’s craft

Techniques

After reading, guide discussion (cont.)• Students use the book’s language to express ideas and

connections• Students articulate confusions, wonderings, and possible

longings• As you read more involved texts, refer to previous charts to

make connections

Anderson, Nancy A., What Should I Read Aloud?A Guide to 200 Best-Selling Picture BooksAuthor’s note indicates that all books were still in print at time of writing of text (2007).

ISBN 978-0-87207-679-2

Benefits of Read Alouds

• Single most important activity for building knowledge required for learning to read

• Students acquire concepts, ideas, story and text structures, syntax, vocabulary, and pleasure

• Stimulates student imaginations• Stretches student attention spans• Nourishes emotional development• Strengthens adult-child relationships• connects speech to print

Techniques

• Begin by reading the title and showing the book cover, end paper, first illustration

• Ask students to predict the books’ contents– What do you think might happen in this book?

• Begin reading, stopping occasionally– What do you think this character might be thinking? What clues

helped you?– How do you think this character feels?– Why did ____ finally decide to ____?– What was the reason for ___?– What do you think might happen next? Why do you think so?

Techniques

• “After finishing a book, discussing it with children will help them focus on the story (instead of primarily the illustrations), thus aiding their comprehension and enjoyment.”

Techniques

• Examples of questions:– Which of your predictions were true?– What caused the problem of the main character?– What words would you use to describe the way ___

acted?– What did the main character find out at the end?– What did the other characters learn?– What do you think is the most important thing the

author might want you to remember about this story?– Why did the author choose the title for the story?

Quotes

• Most authors of excellent literature intend for their books to be pleasurable.

• You should not expect children to express the same interpretation of a book that you have.

• Responses to literature are personal, and they will vary according to the individual’s background experiences.

Serafini, Frank and Cyndi Giorgis, Reading Aloud and Beyond: Fostering the Intellectual Life with Older Readers

ISBN 0 325 00522 2

Quotes

• And, of course, the best way to cultivate their (children’s) taste is to read to them, starting at birth and keeping on and on. “Let me hear you read it” is a test. “Let me read it to you” is a gift. by KATHERINE PATERSON in The Spying Heart

• Reading aloud is just as important for older readers as it is for younger ones and should occur every day, into the intermediate-grade classrooms and beyond.

Quotes

• Reading aloud quality literature with children develops listening and reading skills, increases students’ vocabulary, develops an appreciation of stories and written language, and expands students’ ability to respond to literature.

• There is no substitute for real books. They are rarely boring or sanitized or squeezed into a “reading system” that children can smell a mile off. So logic says if we want real readers we must give them real books; give our young people good literature, good art, and surprisingly, these young people may do the rest. By TOMIE DEPAOLA in Children’s Literature in the Reading Program

Selecting good Read Alouds

• Network with other teachers, librarians and ask for suggestions

• Consult professional resources in print journals• Search Internet for the best books to read to

children• Spend time in bookstores and libraries,

browsing the shelves• Search Media Center catalog

13 Good, Scientifically Based, Reasons to Read Aloud with Older Readers

1. Reading aloud increases test scores.2. Reading aloud introduces readers to new titles,

authors, illustrators, genres, and text structures.

3. Reading aloud builds a sense of community.4. Reading aloud provides opportunities for

extended discussions.5. Reading aloud with older readers is

pleasurable.

13 Good, Scientifically Based, Reasons to Read Aloud with Older Readers (cont.)

6. Reading aloud connects readers with content area subjects.

7. Reading aloud demonstrates response strategies.

8. Reading aloud increases readers’ interest in independent reading.

9. Reading aloud provides access to books that readers may not be able to experience on their own.

13 Good, Scientifically Based, Reasons to Read Aloud with Older Readers (cont.)

10. Reading aloud provides demonstrations of oral reading and fluency.

11. Reading aloud helps readers understand the connection between reading in school and reading in life.

12. Reading aloud provides demonstrations of quality writing.

13. Reading aloud supports readers’ development.

Important Considerations

• Read the book before sharing it with your class!• If you enjoy the story, chances are your students

will too!• Does the book tell a good story? We want students

to make strong connections to the characters and events that take place in the literature we select.

• A newly published, pretty book isn’t necessarily good literature. Look for depth and layers of meaning.

Important Considerations (cont.)

• Consider the level of the text– Independent Reading Level

– about a year lower than instructional level-- 100 points below and 50 points above Lexile

(for instance, if Lexile level is 300L, independent level is 200-350)

– Instructional– Listening level – much higher than instructional level

--- choose Read Alouds at students’ listening level

10 Characteristics of Effective Read Aloud Performances

Effective read alouds1. Have established rituals associated with

them, designated times and places for the rituals to occur, established expectations for students, and consistent actions that take place;

2. Occur numerous times during the day;3. Include high-quality literature;

10 Characteristics of Effective Read Aloud Performances (cont.)

Effective read alouds4. Establish connections with other pieces of

literature and aspects of the curriculum;5. Promote discussions before, during, and after

reading;6. Support a variety of student responses;7. Are facilitated by knowledgeable teachers;

10 Characteristics of Effective Read Aloud Performances (cont.)

Effective read alouds8. Introduce new titles, authors, genres, and

illustrators to students;9. Revisit past favorites and classic literature;

and10. Take advantage of the teachable moment.

What is Reader’s Theater?

• Reader's Theater is minimal theater in support of literature and reading.

• Reader’s Theater is a dramatic enactment of text.

Reader's Theater in Five Easy Steps

1. Choose a script.  Choose a prepared script, or have kids choose a book from which to develop an RT script.

2. Adapt the script.  If adapting, kids identify speaking parts (including narrators) and break down the story into dialogue.

3. Assign Parts.  Kids might try out different parts to get a feel for them, then choose their roles themselves.

4. Highlight parts and rehearse.  Kids highlight their dialogue, then practice their lines at home and in groups during school.

5. Perform.  The cast reads the play aloud for an audience, often made up of parents or younger students.

ISBN 978-0-439-15389-8

ContentsSpiderellaThe Emperor’s New HairThe Brementown RappersThe Three Little ElephantsThe Popsicle BoyThe Little Red RobinRafunzelThe Cheetah and the SlothLittle Late Riding HoodThe Ugly WoodpeckerGoldilocks and the Three BullfrogsSlurping Beauty

ISBN 978-0-545-07268-7

IncludesAmazing Animals Fly High, Butterfly!

All About Me Clean and Healthy Kids!

Plants and Seeds A Seed Surprise

Earth and Sky My Shadow, My Friend

ISBN 978-0-439-87028-3

IncludesSchool Situations The New Kid

Mysteries Who Took the Cake?

Tall Tales Paul Bunyan

Just for Laughs Welcome to Oddville

ISBN 978-1-932146-59-2

ContentsBook! Book! BookChicken Soup by HeartDinosnoresJingle DancerMudballOld CricketRain RompThe Recess QueenSchool Picture DayViolet’s Music

ISBN 978-0-439-55419-0

ContentsThree Nice MiceWho Needs a Fan?Bear Cub Comes HomeThe Last AppleThe Sun Will ComeI’m First!Live at the Number GamesPolly Learns to SwimBabe RuthBella and JadeBetsy RossChicken TricksCats Care for Their KittensHide and Go Seek!Little Puppy

ISBN 978-0-439-55420-6

ContentsCoyote and the RockThe Missing TrophyThe Wolf and the Seven Young KidsMeeting Thomas EdisonMidnight at Old Truman’sRailroad to FreedomGo West with the Best!The Bremen Town MusiciansHeroine on the TitanicLucky HansRemembering Uncle FremontAbout Ten Bowls of PorridgeThe Selfish GirlEarthquake!

ISBN 978-0-439-87027-6

IncludesCliffhangers Will Isabella’s Time Machine Work?

Spooky Stuff A Ghost at the Gifford School

Mysteries The Case of the Kickball King

Just for Laughs Rabbits for Sale

www.lakeshorelearning.com

•Color-coded

•Scripts are durable!

•I’ve seen Grades 3-4 in these genres:

Fantasy

Mystery

Historical Fiction

Adventure

Think and Do!•Allow yourself the enjoyment of sharing Read Alouds, and promoting literature and literacy.

•Let your hair down and enjoy Readers Theater with your students!

•Model enjoyment!