Read Aloud with Accountable Talk I would like to preference this by saying that first and for most we need to let our passion for reading shine through to our students. Once we support our children in becoming lovers of reading we will open them up to a whole new world. Then all the skills we model for them will come easier and become more a natural part of their reading. I really hope you’ve seen this excitement in your teachers!! There is nothing better than seeing children fall in love with reading. Like everything else we have to model this love for reading. Core Curriculum Coaching

What is a Read-Aloud with Accountable Talk? Teacher reads a book aloud to the whole group. A time to create excitement for reading!! Purpose of the read-aloud: Model appropriate reading behaviors, reading strategies, and how to analyze and discuss a text. Teachers should have a set purpose for each read-aloud and should read with the proper fluency. There is a difference between a read aloud and a read aloud with accountable talk! A read aloud is what many of us are used to doing. We pull a book of the shelf (hopefully we’ve read it prior to this moment…but that’s about all) as teachers we naturally stop and talk through the book. We may even ask students some questions about what’s happened so far in the book and let them raise their hand and share. Read Aloud with Accountable Talk is much more planned and focused and every student will be held accountable to discuss prompts about the text. Core Curriculum Coaching

Preparing and Planning the Text 1. Select a mentor text 2. Read thoroughly Pay close attention to what is explicit and what is implied Pay attention to author’s craft Analyzing the text ourselves Core Curriculum Coaching

Preparing and Planning the Text Cont’d 3. Determine your focus 4. Tag text for “Think Alouds” Demonstrate the process If you EXPECT it, TEACH it. Shows that reading is ACTIVE Shows that there is more to a story than the the words on the page. Once we’ve analyzed the text we need to decide what our focus will be throughout the book. Teachers have been given a sheet that has suggested focuses. Choosing just one focus is hard for us because we can choose so many things we can show students in this one book (predicting, envisioning, ect.) but how much do you think they will take away if I show them that all at once? That would be the same as giving me all the information on all 5 components of balanced literacy in one workshop and then asking me to apply this knowledge in my classroom right away. I am going to be much more likely to be able to implement if you teach me one component at a time. Slow and steady wins the race. We can always come back to this same book later in the year with a different focus. Once we have our focus we need to tag two or three pages where we will stop and model. THINK ALOUD! Core Curriculum Coaching

Preparing and Planning the Text Cont’d 5. Tag text for prompting “Turn and Talk” All students can engage in meaningful discussions of text to foster reading comprehension, or other reading strategies. Allows all students an opportunity to voice their thoughts. Teacher as a facilitator: observe, guide and monitor conversations. Higher order talk about a text is a good thing to do even before students can decode and read independently. Students can discuss complex texts which are read to them. Higher level talk centers around the text but can go beyond the words on the page. Opportunities to think like a writer. “Gone are the days of students talking to teachers, here are the days when students speak to each other.” Core Curriculum Coaching

Core Curriculum Coaching Looks like…. Students meeting with the teacher in the “Reading Area” Students sitting with their reading partner. Read-Aloud book marked with post-its Students “Turning and Talking”, or “Stopping and Jotting” with partners Teacher “listening in” and recording partnership conversations Teacher ignoring raised hands Happy Learners and Excited Teachers Core Curriculum Coaching

Core Curriculum Coaching Sounds like… Teacher modeling comprehension and explaining vocabulary through “Think Alouds” while reading Students sharing their thinking/ideas related to what is being read Students listen, clarify, elaborate, and build upon each others’ ideas Purposeful questions from the teacher that promote higher order thinking – not literal, yes/no questions Teacher “reporting out” what she heard during partnership conversations High engagement – lots of talking at once Core Curriculum Coaching

Core Curriculum Coaching