Read Aloud Reflection by Ashley Girodo

Read-Alouds

2022-11-15 03:01:17 UTC

I love read-alouds. I have read many books to my students and then follow up with the movie versions. I like the idea of integrating vocabulary into readings. My students are woefully behind in vocabulary, and the teacher we watched in the video had a great strategy. I also really liked the image walk for the think-aloud strategy.
-Jen

Picture walk

2022-11-15 03:02:47 UTC

A picture walk was a great strategy that I really enjoyed, as when I look at the checklist you check off almost half of it just by doing a picture walk. Students get to question and visualize during this process.

Making Vocabulary Accessible

2022-11-15 03:03:13 UTC

If vocabulary is a challenge for a student, then read aloud won't inherently make reading more accessible. I think defining tier II or III words in read aloud is a great opportunity to create a hand or other signaling tool to identify that you are momentarily stepping away from the text to define a word. This could help ELs understand these "asides". Also by 4th grade +, read-alouds that are accompanied by 1-to-1 book copies so that kids can identify cognates that aren't as obvious orally as they are written due to different phonetic rules/codes. Excited to use read-alouds across contents, though!

Alanna

abrock220 — 2022-11-15 03:03:55 UTC

I loved so many of the resources and strategies that we examined. Firstly I love the idea of reading aloud even to older students. With teaching reading we are also teaching a love of reading and so presenting students with reading material which is simultaneously accessible for students and interesting and relatable to them is so important! Secondly I love the idea of using read alouds to introduce vocabulary in a fun and exploratory way. I very strongly believe that students must understand how to find meaning from a new word that they encounter in a reading. How can students use the dictionary or google to determine the meaning of a new word and how does that new understanding help the student understand the text as a whole.

Michelle C. Close Read Aloud

2022-11-15 03:09:39 UTC

I loved the idea of reading the book for the first time fluently with expression. I loved the movements that teacher did with "mingle, mingle, mingle" and moving like trees to demonstrate wind. I think the focus question and the carefully sequenced questions that aligned were great tools to go with the close read aloud. This is something I would like to try when I have my own classroom because it seemed to keep them engaged each day.

Courtney

2022-11-15 03:18:01 UTC

Some of my highlights from the night: In the first video we watched I loved how the teacher built on the read aloud with her day-by-day instruction with the first read through being about just reading with fluency and inflection; the second day being all about focus questions. I really enjoyed the movement breaks she incorporated especially the "mingle mingle". With the second video I really appreciated the focus on activity-based learning paired with a read aloud. The vocabulary strategies in one of our last videos stood out to me because it didn't take away from the read aloud. Rather the explicit instruction of the new vocabulary terms helped engage the students even more.

Erin

2023-11-08 03:05:21 UTC

I love validation and research surrounding read alouds. As a teacher I have always known it was invaluable to have our class get into a book. Helping all students develop a love of reading is providing that all important experience with them. Too often curriculum takes over and scripted teaching with 'fidelity' is stressed. That strips teaching from being an art form and takes away from authentic learning experiences and personal connections.

Ashley

2023-11-08 03:28:11 UTC

The idea of doing a picture walk is something I've never heard of before, but I like the idea of it. Some picture books have art like illustrations. Why not start by centering a discussion around what the character's expressions might be telling us about their feelings just by looking at the pictures. Prior to the read aloud students can make predictions and create their own story in their minds. It could be a good warm up to ignite curiosity.

Angelica S.

2023-11-08 03:38:07 UTC

By studying this reading strategy in more depth, it made me even more excited. This reading strategy creates a communicative and comfortable space between the teacher and the student and in some way motivates the student to continue reading the story that was started, read from the beginning, generating curiosity in those who continue.

I really love the reading (videos) with the activities that the teachers had. Each one has their own teaching style and both have the the skills to make sure students participated, engage and pay attention. On the other side I like the strategies the teacher were using during reading time, I will use them to added in my lesson plan. For example the unknown words, with easy definitions to make sure students comprehend.I love the sticky notes she has to describe each word. Adri

acabrera125 — 2023-11-15 02:10:39 UTC

Adri

Erin

2023-11-15 02:10:50 UTC

Teaching vocabulary during the actual reading of the story is a powerful and engaging technique. The students get into a story which is priceless, they get the vocab in a rich context, which will increase their long term memory of the meaning as well. Also modeling using context clues strategies can happen as well. I loved the images and visuals she provided in the video and it reminded me to do more of this. Having them then do a sort and discuss their reasoning for their categorization is analytical and they are so then using higher levels of thinking.

Holly

2023-11-15 02:12:18 UTC

I will definitely use all of these strategies as a teacher. Read alouds to all ages are an opportunity to introduce vocabulary, spelling, and information about any subject. I enjoy the picture walk idea as well as think alouds. Picture walks allow for engagement through out the book and sparking curiosity. Think alouds are also helpful for students to use vocabulary that was introduced and make predictions too. I enjoyed the last video that really showed how to encorporate lessons into read alouds (in this case a vocabulary lesson) to make learning fun. Students can make connections with vocabulary by using read alouds by correlating the words with the characters/storyline.

Luz Solis

2023-11-15 02:14:14 UTC

Read Aloud is a very good strategy for any grade, I would implement it every day for kindergarten and first grade it would be very short books that can be finished reading the same day or in two days, and for the other grades a book with more chapters than We can advance by chapter and by week or day by day. And as for vocabulary, I would implement examples with each new word and of course figures and photos that help capture the meaning. I would also implement two columns of synonyms and antonyms like the ones we saw in one of the videos.

Ashley

2023-11-15 02:14:46 UTC

Vocabulary focus read alouds is a type of strategy I will use in my future classroom. It can help students deepen their understanding of new vocabulary and allow for greater comprehension of the text. If students aren't able to understand the words in a text, they won't make sense of what they are reading. I love that this teacher kept the definitions in student friendly terms. She briefly went over the terms as she read, and it did not interrupt the flow of the read aloud.

Kayla

ambrizmikayla — 2024-11-06 02:43:40 UTC

"sticky notes to mark the points I wanted to ask the children about during the read-aloud. I phrased my questions to elicit children’s own questions, further their understanding of the issues in the book, and encourage the children to make connections between themselves and the text." this section stood out to me because I usually forget the questions I want to ask my students when doing the read aloud. I definitely think the mini lesson aspect is crucial to many of these because they need to know why it connects and why its important to be able to deeply analyze the text they read beyond the surface level.

Jackie

jdtran — 2024-11-06 02:55:50 UTC

A strategy that stood out to me that I will apply to my classroom is conducting a mini lesson prior to reading the book of choice. Doing so will help activate and engage student's learning with wanting to learn more about what book they're reading and why. It's also knowledge that they can look back onto moving further into finishing their book. I did a lesson plan last year in my mentor's class and it was involving key vocab terms in the book before even getting to read it.

Angelina

2024-11-06 02:56:32 UTC

Read-alouds are beneficial to:

Language Development- expose students to more meaningful vocabulary & develops language skills.
Listening Skills - focus & attention skills (essential skill)
Comprehension - hearing, understanding, connecting
Social-Emotional Skills - learn to make connections, develop empathy to understand characters
Motivation for reading - engaging & modeling
Cognitive Growth - drawing connections

Justyne

2024-11-06 02:56:43 UTC

I really liked hearing about the importance of read alouds. I like the strategies we saw in the videos with teachers engaging students with hand motions and activities to help engage them, such as swaying their arms like trees in the wind, or doing a hands on activity to demonstrate where milk in the grocery store comes from. I also liked the picture walk strategy to help students make inferences about a book based just on pictures first. I also like the recommendation to pre-read books and place sticky note questions throughout as reminders to stop and think aloud or ask questions. Pre-teaching vocabulary is another great strategy. I think all of these combined could to lead to a great read aloud experience for students.

Read Aloud

2024-11-06 02:57:07 UTC

I love reading aloud to kids but I also love to be read to as well. It is something I have always enjoyed my whole life. I think it is a good idea because it appeals to all learners and that is a great thing because everyone can learn from listening as well as visually thinking about the story as well as if you create an idee of a lesson that would also hit the tactial learners.

Tessa, Mel, and Jenni

2025-10-20 23:32:12 UTC

Stragies that stood out to us:

* Modeling questions and prompt discussions by asking.

* Modeling your thinking aloud becuase it suppots understanding.

* Need to take time to read the book and have discussion.

* Stopping at the end of a page to ask questions that you have prepared to see what they are retaining from the book.

* teaching vocabulary before the book.

Danielle and Rhonda

2025-10-20 23:32:12 UTC

We liked the choice of book; it should show how to integrate these types of books into younger education. The book being in both English and Spanish was nice, and the questions that went along with the book, the graphic organizer. Asking questions to add to the story to draw a picture in your mind.

Macee, Rita, Paula

2025-10-20 23:33:11 UTC

The article says teachers can use read-alouds to help kids think deeply about stories and real-life issues. Our favorite strategy is activating background knowledge by making connections to what students already know. We also liked visualization, like how Rita had her kids picture an eagle’s wingspan as wide as a twin bed. Vocabulary practice is another great idea—using games and fun activities helps students really learn new words in meaningful ways.

Roni

2025-10-20 23:45:19 UTC

The strategy that stood out the most to me was every single one. I love to read aloud to my students and then have them be interactive, question, and make connections with their peers. I use Novel effect to read to my students when I get the chance it helps with engagement and keep my students interested. They ask me to read it again and what i do is i follow the print with my fingers so they atleast see that I am reading words instead of making up a story just by the picture. I would keep using these strategies in the classroom everyday, I love to read to my students and they ask to be read to throughout the day. :)

Juan Lomeli

2025-10-21 00:00:26 UTC

The strategy that stood out to me was the one where the teacher was modeling how to make inferences when reading. I think that this is a crucial skill that students need to develop in order to booster their reading comprehension. I actually use this strategy with my students. I will have them go through the story before I read aloud and look at the title, the pictures and any text features that they find. After they are done I will ask them to use those text features to make an educated guess on what the story is going to be about.

Read aloud reflection Dawn Perez

2025-10-21 00:07:31 UTC

The steps that stood out to me were steps 1 and 3.

I always start a read aloud out my activating prior knowledge. This helps my students interact with classmates and helps them make connections.

Step 3 during my read alouds I always prompt visualization and ask my students to close their eyes while I read the the title. I ask them to picture what the cover might look like or what the book may be about. I do this throughout the whole book at certain parts of the story. I will tell them to close their eyes and think about what I just read to them now picture what you think will happen next. I will call on only 2 kids each time we do this. This really gets them involved and they enjoy this time together and interacting with the story.

Marilu Bruning

2025-10-21 00:09:04 UTC

One I'm passionate about is reading aloud, as I've loved literature since I was little. Books are my passion. I believe that encouraging reading at a very early age can help students develop into strong readers.

After reading a passage, asking students to share their thoughts can lead to interesting conversations. This helps them learn from each other. It’s great to see them relate the text to their own lives, which I believe allows them to understand better and makes learning more meaningful.

Using pictures or fun activities, like group challenges or creative projects, can help strengthen their ability to make inferences and support different ways of learning in my classroom..

Alexandra Valentin

avalentin32 — 2025-10-21 16:34:32 UTC

Reading strategies are essential for kids, one of this is the reading aloud, allow the students connect with the story, and talk about it in the middle, later or even after.

One thing learn this semester was from My mentor Choosing a good book , that you love and you thinks the students can love , share this reading together reading aloud, and loving the book, makes a community, engage with them too.

Evelyn Nolasco Montes: Teaching Vocabulary Beyond Definitions

2026-03-05 02:51:47 UTC

One strategy that stood out to me is teaching students more about a word than just its definition. Instead of only telling students what a word means, teachers can also talk about how the word sounds, how it is spelled, how it is used in a sentence, and what other words are related to it. For example, with the word skip, students can learn the sounds in the word, how to spell it, that it is an action word, and that it is similar to words like hop or leap. This helps students understand the word better and makes it easier for them to remember and use it when they read or write.

Another strategy I liked is connecting vocabulary with phonics lessons. In the example with the word lodge, students practiced the -dge spelling pattern while also learning that the word can have different meanings. This helps students see that spelling, meaning, and how a word is used in a sentence are all connected. When teachers choose words carefully and give students chances to talk, answer, and practice, it keeps students engaged and helps them build stronger reading and language skills.

Carly

2026-03-05 02:52:26 UTC

I love creating readers' theater with small groups. Students are engaged in their characters and love it! They have one or two "run-throughs" of the material to get to know their character's lines, and then they have freedom to act out the scenes. It is great to watch them navigate where they should stand, or what actions they should take while they read to express the action or their character's point of view. I would like to incorporate read-aloud in my class if possible, although my time with students is often limited, so I would need to be creative in making this happen. Prepping with questions would help this happen.

Noemi

2026-03-05 02:56:18 UTC

The strategy that stood out to me was modeling inferencing during a read-aloud by thinking out loud. I like how the teacher shows students how to figure things out by using clues from the story and what they already know. In second grade, this is important because students are still learning how to understand deeper meaning in texts. I would pause while reading to share my thinking and point out words or pictures that help me make an inference. Then I would give students chances to share their ideas with a partner. This strategy helps young learners become stronger, more confident readers.

Asking questions

2026-03-05 02:59:13 UTC

The strategy that I liked the most was asking questions. In first grade, not only is this important for critical thinking, but it is also important for comprehension skills. When we ask questions, we are asking the students to recall information from the text they have read or heard.

Monica A

2026-03-05 03:00:07 UTC

I like the model strategy. The modeling strategy is basically when the teacher thinks out loud while reading so students can hear how to make an inference. Instead of just asking what something means, the teacher shows how to use clues from the text and connect them to what we already know. It helps because you’re not just giving the answer — you’re showing the steps to get there. Over time, students start to do that thinking on their own. I think it’s the best strategy because it actually shows students how to think, not just what the answer is. A lot of times kids struggle with inferencing because they don’t know the steps their brain should be taking. When you model it out loud, you make that invisible thinking visible. It also gives them a clear example to follow before they try it themselves, which builds confidence and makes the skill stick better.