What It Is Read-Alouds, Think-Alouds, Mental Modeling

What It Is Read-Alouds, Think-Alouds, Mental Modeling

What it is Read-alouds, Think-alouds, Mental Modeling

It is a demonstration lesson where the teacher reads and/or THINKS aloud the metacognitive process of a fluent reader/thinker while the class observes.

Why we think it is essential

It builds listening and comprehension skills through the discussions that occur both during the lesson and after.

It increases learner vocabulary by hearing the words in context.

It improves memory and language skills with the act of hearing different writing styles and paraphrases.

It exposes them to information from the world around them.

It stimulates the development of broad interests, imagination and creativity.

It builds and fosters inquiry.

The think-aloud as a teaching strategy helps to level the playing field for many students needing differentiated instruction, especially at the higher grades.

How this could look in a 6-12 classroom

Cris Tovani shares how important it is for content staff to crystallize for students the mental processes that occur when reading content.

She suggests that teachers of content actually read a content text and log what they are thinking as they read.

Here is an adapted example from math teacher Jim Donohue, SmokyHillHigh School in Colorado found in Cris’ book, Do I really have to teach reading?Stenhouse Publishers 2004.

How to read a math text:

  • Speed kills.There are never enough commas, insert your own pauses to help you slow down.
  • Read/reread with a pencil and paper for notes
  • Draw and label diagrams as you go.
  • Think about related problems and procedures as you read.
  • You can’t just read; you have to “do it” as you go.
  • Follow the instructions…..
  • The figures and tables ARE important.
  • The same number has different faces (one quarter , ¼, .25)
  • Mathematical writing has an idiosyncratic structure that when mastered will aide in constructing meaning.

Rules of thumb for mental modeling any difficult text:

1. Identify what the students are struggling with…. Is it uninteresting or difficult?....Is it the graphs or tables?.....It is the structure of the text?

2. Select a piece to model read with them that will allow you to face the same challenge in front of them. Have that text ready for large group viewing. Prior to the lesson, read it and record what you are finding yourself doing to get through it. Record and refer to that thinking in your model.

3. As you are modeling, share with the students how you got through the struggle. What did you do to get past the challenge or uninteresting part?…How did you view the charts and tables and what were you thinking? How did you work with the structure of the text to get meaning?

Don’t assume that even good readers are automatic in strategy use when text is hard to get through. Mental modeling lessons strategically placed throughout the school year in content subjects will go a long way to increasing the reading comprehension of the content texts.

Tips and Procedures for Reading aloud/Thinking aloud:

  • Introduce the text with a short sentence or two that relates the book to the students.
  • Discuss the title, content, author and illustrator for less than three minutes.
  • Set a purpose for listening by sharing the reason you selected the book.
  • Invite students to listen while you read (using the voice modulations and movements you practiced).
  • Interrupt your reading at selected points to emphasize a planned focus point.
  • Hint: Mark these points with sticky notes so that you remember to stop and your reason for stopping.
  • Sticky notes can also be used to quickly note student reactions or queries.
  • Stop to do a think aloud, ask a question of yourself or of your students, provide opportunities for students to make personal connections
  • Do not overdo the stopping points-- keep in mind your audience, time limits and purpose for the reading and for the stopping. You do want to maintain a sense of story as you read-- too many stopping points will lose that.
  • At the end of the reading, wait a few moments to provide time to ask questions or make comments. If you ask, "Wasn't that a good story?" students will answer in the affirmative because they want to please you and that will end a major opportunity to generate discussion.
  • Instead, just ask open-ended questions to generate discussion like, "What did you think of that book?" OR "How did the author ...?" Depending on the reading purpose, you may want to comment, "This reminds me of ..." OR "Reading this made me wonder...." After you model a thought, encourage students to share their wonderings and discoveries.
  • Discuss what students learned. Through discussion students can synthesize and extend their understanding of the reading. They can connect their prior knowledge to the new information presented in the reading. They can make intertextual connections to other literature. This time for reflection is the key to making the reading an instructional activity.
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