Think Alouds
Description
The Think-Aloud strategy is used to model the cognitive processes of reading comprehension. Students verbalize their own thoughts as they read aloud, modeling the kinds of strategies a skilled reader uses during the reading.
Procedure
- Select a passage to read aloud that contains points of difficulty, contradictions, ambiguities, or unknown words. Read the passage aloud, and have students follow along silently, listening to how to think through each trouble spot.
- Talk through the thinking processes used as reading difficulties are confronted, modeling the appropriate problem-solving strategies. Students can do the following:
- Make predictions
- Describe the picture you’re forming in your mind from the information. “I have a picture of this scene in my mind”.
- Links to prior knowledge to new information in the text.
- Verbalize confusing points. “This just doesn’t make sense; it is different from what I had expected.
- Demonstrate “fix up” strategies. “I’d better reread.” “Maybe I’ll read ahead to see if it gets clearer.”
- After several experiences with modeling the strategies, have students practice Think-Alouds orally with partners as they read short, teacher-written passages with obvious problems.
- Have students apply the Think-Aloud strategies individually as they read silently their own text.
- “What do I predict the book is about after looking at the title and book cover or jacket?
- “What picture am I visualizing?”
- “What am I reminded of here that I already know about?”
- “Are my original predictions turning out to be right as I read?”
Student Expectations
- Does the teacher model “Think-Aloud” so students can learn by example?
- During the reading process, are the students able to apply this technique to monitor and adjust their own comprehension?
- Are the students able to transfer this process to new materials?
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