Engaging+With+Reading+Through+Interactive+Read-Alouds

 Barrentine, S. (1996). Engaging with reading through interactive read-alouds. //The Reading Teacher, 50//(1), 36-43. Retrieved June 21, 2009, from Academic Search Complete.


 * Quote || Reaction ||
 * 1. "The purpose of this article is two-fold: to shed light on read-aloud events as rich literacy demonstrations that engage children through dialogue and to share planning considerations to assist implementing interactive read-aloud events." (p. 36)

2. "Although teachers differ in their specific read-aloud styles (Martinez & Teale, 1993), many limit the amount of dialogue during reading and then conclude the event with in-depth class discussions about the story." (p. 36)

3. "Other teachers prefer to handle discussion differently. They read stories interactively. These teachers encourage children to interact verbally with the text, peers, and the teacher during book reading (Barrentine, 1993; Mason, Peterman, & Kerr, 1988)." (p. 36)

4. "While both types of read-alouds are valuable approaches, the interactive read-aloud approach is explored in this article. (p. 37)

5. "According to Cambourne, children do not learn from demonstrations by passively absorbing information. To learn, children must become engaged with the demonstration. During interactive storybook reading, engagement refers to the points at which the listeners have opportunity to respond personally and interpersonally with the story and with the process and strategy information used to make sense of the story. Engaged students interact with each other and the teacher in response to the text." (p. 38)

6. Components of an interactive read-aloud include "Opening up the conversation," "Ongoing interaction," "Response and balancing talk and text," and "Engaging with strategy demonstrations."

7. "Throughout the read-aloud the teacher maintains a conversational tone by inviting brief interactions." (p. 39)

8. "One possible criticism of interactive read-alouds is that too much dialogue during reading could interfere with aesthetic aspects of good literature. Overanalysis of characters, too much informing, repeatedly activating background knowledge, and even lengthy sharing of personal experiences may disrupt the flow of the story and, thus, disrupt the pleasure of hearing the story read aloud." (p. 40)

9. "Providing opportunity for individual response and maintaining the balance between talk and text during interactive read-alouds require good teacher judgment." (p. 40)

10. Seven steps teachers can take to plan and conduct effective read-alouds are "Read the book several times to yourself," "Think about the reading goals you have for your students and identify the process and strategy information at work in the story," "Identify where students' predictions about the developing story should be sought and shared," "Anticipate where you may need to build students' background knowledge," "Think through how you will phrase your questions and predicting invitations, and anticipate student responses," "After you have planned the read-aloud event, be prepared to relinquish your plans," "After reading, devise opportunities for students to explore stories in personal and exciting ways." (p. 41-42)

11. "Clearly, many elements contribute to successful interactive readings, but there is no formula for success." (p. 43) || 2. and 3. When reading aloud to my class, I have always preferred waiting until I am done reading to discuss the book. I do stop periodically to ask quick comprehension questions. Often when students begin discussing the book, they become distracted and lose focus.

2. and 3. I wonder if read-aloud style varies depending on the age of students and type of text being read. Perhaps teacher personality is a larger determinant.

8. This has been my greatest concern about interactive read-alouds. Teachers must use their best judgment to strike a balance between too much sharing and not enough.

10. These steps give teachers a good format to follow when planning and conducting read-alouds.

11. The author leaves room for flexibility by acknowledging that there are multiple ways to conduct effective read-alouds. ||  Tags: read-aloud, elementary school, anecdotal, reading aloud effectively