Collaborative Action Research at PS24/District 15
1999-2000 School Year
Adapting the Interactive Read Aloud
Team Members
Linette Arroyo, Maria Carmela Ball, Carmen Demoleas (Teacher Liaison),
Australia Fernandez, Frances Lorenzo, Araceliz Maldonado, Lydia Matos-Elabrak,
Nydia Mendez, Maria Nunziata, Alexanda Roman, Mayra Rivera, and Raquel
Torres
What is Read Aloud?
In "Read Aloud" someone reads a story, book of fiction, news article,
picture book, essay, poem, or trade book to another person. Usually this
is a practice of parents who want to develop the enjoyment of reading
in their young children or adults who want to develop the vocabulary knowledge,
focused listening skills, or critical thinking skills of children and
adolescents. Since children usually ask questions about the Read Aloud
selection, and these questions lead to explanations, making connections
and questions by the reader, informal discussion skills are indirectly
developed through Read Aloud activities.
Hall and Moats (2000) summarized research about the gains to a "child
whose parents read aloud to him" in a list of six benefits: the child…
- Develops background knowledge about a variety of topics
- Builds vocabulary
- Develops familiarity with "rich language patterns"
- Develops familiarity of story structure and patterns
- Develops familiarity with the reading process
- Views reading as a pleasurable
activity.
Louizides (1993) found that read aloud activities had a positive effect/affect
on children's choices to read independently in their leisure time of 269
pre-school (infancy)-third grade students.
The 1985 Commission on Reading Report (established by the National Academy
of Education and the National Institute of Education) found that "The
single most important activity for building the knowledge required for
eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children." (Anderson,
R. C. et al, 1984)
Read Aloud As a Teaching Strategy
The Commission also found that reading aloud was an especially effective
teaching strategy. Recent research confirms this:
- Ecroyd (1991) found that read aloud developed an interest
in reading of elementary grade students.
- Piotrowski's (1996) work indicates a positive attitude
in fourth grade boys towards reading after consistent exposure to oral
reading.
- Forte (1995) reports that students exposed to oral reading
scored higher on comprehension tests than those not exposed.
What is Interactive Read Aloud?
In Interactive Read Aloud teachers - or adults and older students - verbally
interact with students before, during and after reading to help them understand
and make a variety of connections with the read-aloud selection. The selection
can be a non-fiction or fiction narrative, a poem or picture book.
District 15 in Brooklyn, NY (in "The Interactive Read Aloud Customization
Draft", no date) recommends customizing read aloud with several teaching
strategies so that it can be used as a classroom activity:
(1) practice reading aloud the target selection dramatically before reading
it in class
(2) preview the book by asking questions about the illustrations, cover,
etc.
(3) ask students to predict and make connections to prior knowledge
(4) stop at purposeful moments to emphasize story elements, or ask guiding
and focus questions
(5) use oral or written response activities to bring closure to the read
aloud selection.
Rosenhouse et al (1997) examined three experimental groups and one control
group of first graders, and found that the groups that participated in
interactive read aloud activities increased their decoding, reading comprehension
and picture story telling skills.
Read Aloud and Second Language Learners
Amer (1997) reports a positive effect on reading comprehension of reading
a story aloud to English-as-a-second language students (as compared with
ESL students who read the story silently). Dhaif (1990) duplicated this
finding in an English as a foreign language environment. In both cases,
the students were literate in their first language.
Read Aloud/Interactive Read Aloud has to be modified or "sheltered"
or "scaffolded" when used with second language learners or older students
with interrupted school in their first language.
Why did we explore this question?
The PS24 Action Research Team came to agreement on this inquiry question
after several Team meetings in which we discussed several issues and the
interests of individual members. At a Team meeting in the Spring of 1999,
three team members agreed that integrating low-proficiency second language
students into Interactive Read Aloud activities was currently an important
issue for them. Other Team members admitted that in the past this was
an issue for them and others recommended strategies they had found to
be useful for this instructional need. After interviewing other teachers,
staff developers and the principal of PS24 about the value of exploring
this instructional "problem", the Team decided to explore this
issue during the 1999-2000 school year.
How we conducted our collaborative inquiry
(1) During the 1999 summer recess, the Team members read Jim Trelease’s
Read Aloud Handbook. At the first Team meeting in September we
compared and contrasted Trelease’s version of Read Aloud with the
Interactive Read Aloud version included in the Balanced Literacy Approach,
which is the New Standards delineation of the components of language arts
instruction.
(2) During an initial Team meeting in the Fall of 1999, the Team identified
several possible adjustments and described to each other how to use them.
Individual teachers chose a strategy with which they would experiment.
The Team also generated a strategic plan for the school year.
(3) The principal assigned the Team Liaison to support experimentation
in classrooms by observing teacher experimentation and conferencing with
the teachers about the effect of the target strategy on student involvement
and performance during Interactive Read Aloud. Teachers were expected
to keep a response log about the information supplied by the Liaison.
(4) The D&D Coach volunteered to find and distribute readings relevant
to second language learners, second language listening comprehension skills,
the relationship of intensive listening (listening for academic purposes)
and literacy skills, as well as the use of meta-discourse as an instructional
strategy.
(5) Once Team members felt comfortable in applying a target strategy,
the D&D Coach acted as a critical friend by observing individual teachers
using their target strategy and making recommendations in a post-observation
conference. He also found specific resources that might help the teacher
make the use of the strategy more effective. The D&D Coach and the
target teacher would report to the Team during a Team meeting about the
observations and conferencing.
(6) Some individual Team members met with the D&D Coach to explore
issues and interests that relate to second language learners such as
(a) prior knowledge and vocabulary development,
(b) the relationship of invented/emergent writing and listening skills,
(c) the use of non-fiction selections as the read aloud choice, and
(d) the use of visual based instruction for low proficiency students
during writing development and shared reading instruction.
(7) There were scheduled Team meetings-twice a month, after school on
Friday, that focused on reporting progress, discussion of targeted reading
selections, and reflection about what was working and not-working as a
strategy was implemented in the classroom. The Team members, also, during
these meetings, came to consensus about how they would collect evidence
that a strategy had a positive impact on student performance. The Team
agreed to use written response activities as an assessment activity to
collect performance evidence. During meetings in May 2000, Team members
developed a primary trait inventory and a performance rubric to evaluate
( and analyze) student writing samples. During Team meetings in February
and March, members developed a template (hyperlink to the template)for
organizing and documenting the use of the strategies, to share with other
teachers.
Strategy 1: Pre-teach Key Vocabulary in the
Second Language
The teacher pre-teaches the main vocabulary and concepts of the target
Read Aloud selection in the second language. The vocabulary aligns
with the main theme or point of the Read Aloud selection, or a subordinating
theme or point that might cause comprehension difficulties for the second
language learner during the Read Aloud activity.
How it is used:
- Choose a theme or important point
- Pre-select key nouns (and terms if the selection is a
non-fiction one) as well as important verbs, adjectives and adverbs.
- Make a list and display it prominently.
- More words will be added as a result of read-aloud discussion
- Concepts are re-emphasized during Spanish read-aloud using
the same theme or important point.
- The vocabulary list is emphasized during class switching.
- Words are added to the class word bank. Or, the words,
when relevant, might be used during science center activities.
- The target words are used to write stories during writer’s
workshop.
- For students performing at a low proficiency level of
their second language, the teacher may use visuals or realia to assist
comprehension. The pictures and objects, of course, relate directly
to the theme and narrative the Read Aloud selection.
- After the Read Aloud selection is completed, the theme
vocabulary list is given to all students to keep in their language folders.
Strategy 2: Dramatic and Exaggerated Emphasis
The teacher uses dramatization of words or specific events in the read-aloud
book in both languages.
How it is used:
- The teacher continuously raises and lowers the tone of
voice to emphasize elements of the narrative, and to maintain student
interest.
- The teacher dramatizes using hands, face, voice, and body
to (a) represent a person or animal, or (b) act out an event in the
narrative that is difficult to understand.
- She might act out a character’s emotional response
to an event or experience in the narrative, or stresses in a dramatic
fashion words and phrases that represent the tone and atmosphere.
- The teacher uses an exaggerated tone to foreshadow events.
- With a child, she acts out an event in the narrative.
- The teacher enriches the story with sound effects and
music.
Strategy 3: Developing Fundamental Skills
in the First Language
The teacher prepares students for the Dual Language Interactive Read
Aloud experience by emphasizing the development language and learning
skills fundamental to successful participation in Interactive Read Aloud.
How it is used:
During Spanish Read Aloud, practice activities emphasize critical listening
skills and the ability to make personal connections to Read-Aloud narratives.
Also, response activities include the study of Spanish language grammar,
syntax, usage and vocabulary elements. Thus, the knowledge of the language
such as punctuation and capitalization rules is developed through the
context of comprehending the Read Aloud narrative. When the class includes
students with limited proficiency in their first language, the teacher
uses children that are able to verbalize and write to coach the children
that are not as proficient, thus facilitating the transfer of the target
skills and abilities.
Strategy 4: Shoulder Buddies or Partners
How it is used:
- The teacher trains the students in how to be a shoulder
buddy by acting out ("think aloud") how the two students in
the pair would actually converse in such a situation. This is usually
conducted in the students’ first language so that the protocol
is comprehended and practiced in the language the students are able
to learn in the most quickly. Thus, the two language profiles are trained
separately in their first language. Then, gradually, the strategy is
used during the Read Aloud activity that is conducted in the students’
second language.
During the Shoulder Buddies activity:
- The student pairs discuss their ideas for several minutes
and then they turn to face the teacher. They take turns sharing what
the other shoulder buddy talked about.
- The activity can be repeated a few times during a Read
Aloud session depending on how complex the narrative is or the length
of the Read Aloud session.
Strategy 5: Use Visuals to Establish Comprehensible
Input
How it is used:
- Key vocabulary and concepts are studied by the students
in their second language with the aid of visuals.
- Students analyze the pictures from the target book, or
relevant pictures about the topics included in the Read Aloud narrative,
and talk about them based on guiding questions provided by the teacher.
The teacher facilitates this activity.
- Students also use the visuals to predict what is going
to happen in the narrative of the read-aloud selection.
- The key vocabulary representing concepts and events in
the narrative is used to generate sentences or short paragraphs. The
students practice revising and editing these sentences, and, thus, develop
the target vocabulary through the context of practicing the conventions
of writing.
- The student-generated sentences can also be used as a
context for practicing using parts of speech.
- If the sentences are used as the basis of a sentence strip
activity, the teacher can also assess student comprehension.
Strategy 6: Two language books
How it is used:
In a "roller coaster" dual language classroom, the first day
of the week starts with an English morning. Thus, the Read Aloud would
take place in English. The following morning is conducted in Spanish and
includes a Spanish language read-aloud. No matter the language, before
the interactive read-aloud begins, children give a summary of what transpired
in the narrative the day before.
What We Learned
Although we ran out of time to collect sufficient writing samples for
performance evidence, based on classroom observations by an outside observer
from Hunter College, the D&D Coach and the Action Research liaison,
all of these strategies appear to "work" but any teacher using
them needs to keep these factors in mind:
- You have to train students how to following procedures
of the strategy first. Part of the training should include the teacher
and other adults demonstrating how to "do" the strategy. Also,
it is best to train students using their first language before the student
participates in the strategy in the second.
- You will need to review or remind the students of the
terms (i.e., the meta-language) of the strategy and the procedures of
the strategy.
- You need to develop your knowledge of concepts
of procedural knowledge and strategic learning because these strategies
are about students learning to learn. These strategies go beyond teaching
and practicing listening skills and listening with intent skills.
Although we taught the students to use meta-language and meta-discourse
we did not collect evidence of the quantity and quality of student use.
This is because we agreed we would only use one skill area (written response)
for determining level of effect. However, next year, some Team members
will experiment with a new performance inventory and rubric based on an
articulation of the elements of meta-language and meta-discourse use.
Others will move on to a new inquiry question.
All team members used several strategies together. This "cross fertilization"
was inevitable since we spent so much of our Team meetings discussing
them. However, maybe the use of more than one strategy may be the reason
student performance was enhanced.
By focusing on student performance to determine what was working and
not working, our Team conversations were about student learning and our
learning, and not about what students couldn’t or "wouldn’t"
do. Our discussions were much more "professional" and reflective.
This lead to a sense of accomplishment — that we were not just working
toward our goals but beginning to attain our instructional goals.
Using "guided experimentation" is an excellent way to develop
new classroom strategies. Being supported by a friendly outsider and a
colleague who actually come into the classroom and work with us, with
whom we can discuss and analyze what we are doing, keeps us focused on
making instructional changes in an environment where we are bombarded
with directives.
There was some confusion amongst the Team about the terminology we used.
That is, we didn’t always use the same terminology to describe a
strategy. Thus, we discovered we were using fewer strategies than we thought.
The targeted strategies fit nicely into the protocols of Interactive
Read Aloud and Accountable Talk.
We needed to be continuously conscious of our status as a demonstration
school for the New Standards Project in a Bilingual school as well as
need to find time to practice test items for state and city required examinations.
Possibly, next year we could explore how to align what we learned this
year with the need to assist students in practicing for city and state
mandated tests.
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