How Read-Alouds Speak Volumes
When I think of read-alouds, I picture a classroom of students cozied up on the carpet, surrounding the teacher who is enthusiastically reading a picture book. Reading, in this fashion, is primarily for entertainment of younger students. But, have you ever considered the importance of read-alouds and the other academic purposes they serve for our students? I never considered the significance of read-alouds and their deserving of being in every classroom until now.
With the COVID-19 pandemic and the drastic changes to the education system, read-alouds have become even more crucial to online classrooms. Here are three main benefits of read-alouds and why teachers should consider incorporating them into their online lessons.
1. LITERACY MODEL
Read-Alouds provide a literacy model for students, displaying the key components of reading. We know what our students need to learn. We can use this knowledge to make our read-alouds purposeful. Reading with prosody and acknowledging punctuation are skills that students learn directly from read-alouds. Exposure to vocabulary and grammatical rules are essential skills to enable students to read. These skills can always be built upon, at any age level. Providing students with read-alouds online will further develop these skills, that they are not being exposed to as much as in the physical classroom.
2. RECREATING THE BOND WITH TEACHERS
Something that is missing from online learning is the bond teachers form with students to create a safe learning environment. Having students listen to their teacher’s voice, rather than reading a passage independently, can motivate students to listen to the given reading by giving them a sense of comfort. They have adapted from hearing their teacher’s voice for six hours a day to maybe 6 hours a week via Zoom conferences. Let the student’s hear your voice; let them learn directly from your teaching.
3. IMPROVES COMPREHENSION SKILLS
Looking at a computer screen for six hours a day is exhausting, causing many students to lose focus and motivation. Read-Alouds help to increase attention span. Use reading time to give students a break from reading on their computer. Students can listen to read-alouds while relaxed on the couch, rather than cooped up at their desk or kitchen table. Let them enjoy this reading time, while still prioritizing learning.
I’m sure some of you may be thinking…yes, read-alouds are definitely important and deserve a place in both real and online classrooms, but how do you make a read-aloud online?
Below is a tutorial I created, describing to the students at my school how to access online books via the Internet Archive website (archive.org). This website provides a plethora of books to choose from, including both picture and chapter books. Teachers (and students too) can create a free account to borrow books they wish to read. It is a great resource for read-alouds, book clubs and independent reading as well! Also below, is a read-aloud I created using the Internet Archive website along with ScreenCastify. ScreenCastify is a program that allows you to record your computer screen. Using this program, I was able to create a voice over of me reading the book to my students.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oPM-1Nm6Uv_NhGFcvV7vPemjrP5LJFIv/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wjF8AurAe_aHW0LeOHchQmmqyJWQJ-1o/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oPM-1Nm6Uv_NhGFcvV7vPemjrP5LJFIv/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wjF8AurAe_aHW0LeOHchQmmqyJWQJ-1o/view
Connection to the Text: Read the World, Page 41
After reading the Try It titled, "Orient Ourselves to Digital Texts," I knew I wanted to share these digital tools with other teachers. The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to a new medium of digital texts and their features. This mini-lesson is the perfect segue to introduce students to online read-alouds during distance learning. Encouraging students to become familiar with the digital texts and the Internet Archive website can help spark their motivation for reading. If students are unfamiliar with a tool, they will be less likely to engage with the material. Prefacing read-alouds with a tutorial of online resources can guide them in enjoying this new way of learning.
- https://www.storylineonline.net/library/
- https://www.getepic.com/
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5D880BE4578458D9
For more information:
- Listen to this podcast: https://blog.heinemann.com/podcast-why-read-aloud-matters-rebecca-bellingham
- Read this article: https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55694/how-online-book-read-alouds-can-help-students-literacy-and-connection-during-social-distancing
- Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBuT2wdYtpM
Hey Amanda! Your blog was very well thought out and really made me consider how imperative it is to have read-alouds available for the students specifically in this uncertain time with COVID. I thought that you brought up 3 great benefits on why teachers should use a read-aloud and the one concerning recreating the bond with the teacher really resonated with me. Like you mentioned in your post, students have been stripped and limited from the amount of time that they spend listening to their teachers. I think that you introduced a great way that we can incorporate read-alouds to the students at home in a way that enables them to listen to it whenever they want. I think that the idea that you mentioned is definitely feasible for teachers and an excellent way to continue to connect with our students away from the occasional zoom call! Overall really great post and I am going to mention this to one of the teachers I have been working with!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this blog. I knew I always wanted to be a teacher , and one of the main reasons was my love for stories and to be able to share these stories/lessons with children. This was very well thought out and I really think you did a great job incorporating the facts and positive aspects of read alouds through your own words. Bringing the aspect of distance learning was so helpful. I agree the student- teacher connection is so critical during these very different educational times. You made very valid point how important it is to keep that contact with children and also nurture love for literacy and stories. This seems especially important in the early grades, but also as kids get older , sometimes read alouds open up good discussions for issues they may be dealing with, especially during these difficult times. for all ages. Thank you for including a tutorial as well, very helpful.
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda! Your blog post is awesome! I love to learn more about read-alouds as they are so important to have in all classrooms. First, I like the structure of your post, how it is organized, and includes pictures and a bunch of links of resources and more information. With that being said, I never realized how important read aloud are during the pandemic. I never thought they would be crucial to online classrooms. I always knew that they were important, but was not sure how to really incorporate them online. It is so nice that you created a tutorial describing how to access online books from websites. This allows students to still have access to books without being at school! Teachers can even assign homework where students are able to read a book and answer questions regarding it, as if they were still physically in class! I also love using screencastify. I have used this before, and it is such a great way to still not only do read-aloud, but to also continue to have a bond with your students as it is very personable. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda! I learned so much from reading this post. I think that read-aloud can be so engaging for students, and like you mentioned teach educators so much about their students. While I was interning I was able to help so many students who were struggling with certain academic skills that they didn't even realize they had an issue with until reading out loud. I have seen students be able to solve problem solving math questions after reading out loud that they could not just by reading in their head. I also think read-alouds not only help the student focus more, but bring their peers attention to the task at hand as well. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda ~ You did a wonderful job organizing your blog. Each section is clearly explained and connect well to the overall subject. Thank you for sharing the Internet Archive- having been a teacher for many years, this is the first time I have heard of it. Your video showing how to sign-in and access the books was a great guide. Using technology, such as screencastify, to show and talk through how to complete tasks is a huge part of the new age of teaching.
ReplyDeleteCarrying over the read-alouds that the children have loved listening to in the classrooms into their homes, allows the students to still feel connected to their teachers and classmates.
Great job on your blog!
Hey Amanda! I loved the lay out of your blog, it was very organized and easy to follow. I never fully though read-alouds were that important, but after reading your blog, you change my whole mindset on read-alouds. I really loved how you described the three benefits of read-alouds. In particular, number 2 really stood out to me, recreating the bonds with teachers. Especially during the unusual times we are in now, students have to learn from home which is totally new to them. I loved the idea of doing this online for the students to make them hear your voice and feel as if they are in the classroom with you. I also loved the video you showed on how to sign in and get access to books. This can be challenging for students to do on their own, so with the help of the video they will be about to figure it out. Overall, great blog and I will definitely think of read-alouds in a different aspect.
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda, I really liked your post! It is structured to engage the reader as well as building on itself to create your entire concept. I love how you explain your topic of the read aloud and how it as changed due to having to teach online. Your video presentation to your students is created very well and is a great tool. You have shown that all these tools can greatly benefit a student and teacher when it comes to continued reading. You have shown there are multiple reasons it is important to have read aloud's regardless of if the class is right there or online.
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda! Great work on your blog! Thanks for including all of those great resources at the end of your blog, I will definitely look at those for my future endeavors with read-alouds. It is true, read-alouds are huge with the lower grades in an elementary school; we see the students in a big circle admiring their teacher as she reads a book. COVID-19 did change the way read alouds occur through distance learning, so I think you blog on how to incorporate read-alouds in online learning is such a great tool for us as teachers! Your three main posts are such true and great benefits on how read-alouds have an impact on our students. I really like your second point, where you said read alouds help to recreate the bond with teachers through distance learning. I know at my internship, our assistant principal recorded himself doing some read alouds and put them in the Google Classrooms for teachers to share with their students. It is a great way for the kids to see some of their favorite staff members again! I know another great site that I use at my internship at times is called Storyline Online. This website has a ton of read alouds, but, we see celebrities being the ones reading the books! It is such a fun tool to use when you have some downtime in the classroom, or even to play during snack time! Here is the website for it if anyone is interested – www.storylineonline.net . I really enjoyed that tutorial you created as well, thanks for doing that! Overall, great job on your post and for all of the great information!
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda, I really enjoyed reading your blog! One of my favorite things about being a teacher is the Read Alouds. I find them to be so important not just for learning literacy skills but just creating that classroom community and sharing the love of reading with my students. I loved how you shared Storyline Online. My students LOVE this website I would use this as a down time after coming in from recess. With our current situation with online learning I always try and incorporate read alouds with my students via Zoom. It it not them same but they still enjoy it. Everyday our school has a "live" read aloud where teachers from our school sign up to read. It is something we all enjoy and a way to connect with our school community. I loved your tutorial, I think I will use this in the furture for the students who can't always join live! Well done!
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda, your blog was well thought out and organized. Great job! You touched upon some important aspects that reading aloud does for children. Read alouds are great for a slue of Literacy skills from fluency, to comprehension, to sentence structure, to prosody, to connections and the list goes on and on. It is one of my students' favorite things about the year - when I read aloud to them. They all sit contently in a comfy spot, focused and listening intently. I liked your reference to Internet Archive - what a wonderful way to share "hard copies" of books with children. It's like a digital library! And it definitely beats using YouTube videos! These types of resources are great for now, during the pandemic, but also great to use in your physical classroom. Sometimes, with chapter books, the children like to see or read along, Internet Archive allows for that. Great work!
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda! I really enjoyed reading your blog! Ever since I began working in a preschool, I have absolutely loved doing read-alouds for my students, so I was immediately drawn to your blog post. However, I have never truly considered how important it may be to incorporate read-alouds into everyday lessons and even online lessons. You are so right about how it is very necessary to make read-alouds purposeful. This can provide students with new skills because they are picking up on so much more than we even realize; they are like sponges soaking up knowledge. I also love how you discussed how read-alouds can create a bond with teachers and students. Students are definitely comforted from hearing their teacher’s voices which is something I am sure many students could use right now with their world’s being flipped upside down. The resources that you provided are genius! The link to the YouTube videos are perfect especially because this is a free resource for teachers and even parents. Students can have the same comfort of a book being read to them if it is not possible for the teacher to actually do so. You did a great job on this post!
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda, this is a great post. I agree that read alouds are so important to include in every classroom. I like how you explained three reasons why read alouds are important and then went on to show how to use them while doing elearning. It’s really great that you included how to make a read aloud while teaching online that is so helpful. I will definitely be looking into the archive website. I haven’t heard of that before. I also liked that you included other links where teachers and students can find books at the end of your blog. This post is very helpful for someone who may not know where to find these resources. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI love this! I agree, read alouds are crucial. Thank you for the great resources for students and teachers to access read alouds. I have actually been recording myself reading a story once a week and sending it to my students. After reading about the three reasons why read alouds are so important, I might try to start doing it more often. Thanks for a great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda! I really enjoyed reading through your post. I've always been a huge fan of read alouds because they serve so many different purposes. A lot of my fondest elementary school memories are of me sitting on the carpet listening to a teacher or guest reader read from a good book. However, you're totally right that the structure and function of read alouds goes beyond that. I hadn't thought about how exactly teachers might switch from a typical face-to-face classroom read aloud to something that works in a virtual setting but this post was really informative to that end. I really love using Screencastify as a tool in general but using it to post virtual read alouds is definitely something I want to try with my students in the future. I also checked out the Internet Archive website. I can't believe this was my first time really looking through it! It's such an awesome resource! Thanks for sharing and thanks for a great post!
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