Tapping+the+Potential+of+Teacher+Read-Alouds+in+Middle+School

Albright, L. K., & Ariail, M. (2005). Tapping the potential of teacher read-alouds in middle school. //Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 48//(7), 582-591. Retrieved June 21, 2009, from Academic Search Complete.


 * Quote || Reaction ||
 * 1. "Research indicates that motivation, interest, and engagement are often enhanced when teachers read aloud to middle school students." (p. 582) 

2. "Through the survey, we sought answers to the following questions: To what extent do middle school teachers in this district read aloud to their students? What reasons do teachers give for reading aloud or not reading aloud? What types of texts do teachers read aloud, and how often do they engage in the practice?" (p. 583)

3. "Overall, a large percentage (85.8%) of the teachers reported reading aloud to their students. All reading teachers and special education teachers reported that they read aloud." (p. 584) 

4. "The most common reason teachers gave for reading aloud was to model aspects of fluent reading, such as pronunciation, intonation, rhythm, and style. Another frequently cited reason for reading aloud was to make texts more accessible to students." (p. 584) 

5. "No one selected the response 'I do not think that reading aloud is an important instructional practice.'" (p. 585)

6. "We noted a lack of variety of read-aloud materials, with less than 20% of the teachers mentioning that they read picture books, newspapers, or magazines. There was also a notable lack of nonfiction chapter books read aloud in any subject area." (p. 587) 

7. "We were concerned to see so little attention given to the aesthetic purposes for reading. Reading and listening to literature can allow students to make personal, meaningful connections to their own lives and to virtually experience other ways of being (Rosenblatt, 1995)." (p. 587)  8. "We suggest that middle school literacy specialists use the information as a foundation for modeling and working collaboratively with teachers of various subjects to incorporate read-alouds into classrooms." (p. 588) 

9. "Finding appropriate and engaging texts to read aloud: explore award-winning books related to content areas, try picture books, start with short texts, look for texts in your daily life." (p. 588-589) 

10. "Reading aloud to students: read the material before sharing it with students, practice effective read-aloud habits, stop at various points and share what you are thinking as you read, encourage students to respond to the reading and share what they are thinking." (p. 589) || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">1. This has been my experience with upper elementary students as well.

3. This figure surprised me. I did not think that this many middle school teachers would read aloud to their students.

4. Middle school teachers read aloud to their students for many of the same reasons elementary teachers do.

6. Teachers may not choose nonfiction because they are less knowledgeable about what is available for children.

8. For schools without literacy coaches, the media specialist can assist teachers in finding books.

9. These are good suggestions for teachers who do not know much children's literature. || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> Tags: read-aloud, middle school, research lite, <span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">reasons for reading aloud <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">choosing material <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">, <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">reading aloud effectively, <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; color: rgb(255, 65, 0);">frequency