Conquer Your Read Aloud

 Recently I've been learning and reviewing a lot of information about conducting a read-aloud successfully. From podcasts to reading, from reviewing notes and conferring with my great thinking partner Renee, I knew I had to reflect on this exceptional topic here~ 

Please visit Read. Write. Think. With Renee on Youtube to learn more about her and the amazing work she does with classroom teachers as they navigate through Readers' Workshop. 

For me, a read-aloud has always been a part of my classroom literacy lessons. What I've been confirming is the importance (and more recently vital necessity) of exposing students to stories and hearing them out loud. Episode 8, November 2019 of The Reading Teacher's Lounge podcast was a clear reminder that selecting books is a notable part of a read-aloud. Educators need to rely on each other for title suggestions and testimony for a book's theme, topic, etc., that can be used. We serve as each others' greatest resource. With that being said, here is a summary of some tips for conquering your read-aloud and making it memorable for your students:

- Preview your book: The more familiar you are with the story the more comfortable you'll feel reading it aloud. 

- Sticky notes! Use them to mark pages where you want to stop and infuse a "think aloud" strategy. As you get better at read alouds, you might not need these as much. 

- Select a book that goes with your mini-lesson topic. The book can highlight other points as well, however it's important to have a focal point. 

- Reread isn't just for students! You can use the same book for both reading and writing workshop should the book showcase a strategy for both! I do this all the time. 

- Keep a list of favorites and label what unit/lesson you used them for.

- Confer with other teachers what books they use; there's no better way to discover treasures than to talk with your peers! 

Take your read-aloud one book at a time, one session at a time, one day at a time. Also remember that reading a book several times out loud to students is recommended, so if you feel you didn't "perform" well or you didn't convey your overall message as successfully as you hoped, you have another chance! During a mini-lesson, use the book to revisit specific parts of the book and use your energy to have a re-do! Many of the picture and chapter books we use can cover many themes, lessons, and strategies. 

Final thoughts: Mastering a read-aloud requires practice- keep practicing, keep recommending books, keep your energy and excitement high, keep finding the joy in reading out loud!