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| ISSUE 55 | DECEMBER 2024 |
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As we approach the end of the year, we want to take a moment to wish you a happy, restful winter break—you’ve earned it! But before the break begins, let’s talk story time. There’s little debate that reading aloud to students is a highly beneficial practice. The Commission on Reading has stated, “the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children” (Fisher et al., 2004, p.1). Plus, read-aloud experiences are fun! Whether designed as an interactive activity or simply for enjoyment, story time is enjoyable for both teachers and students. In this issue, we explore why investing time in read-alouds is so valuable and the resources available in the program to make your story time super.
Psst! A favorite freebie is back! Can you guess what it is?
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Read-alouds are a mainstay in classrooms because they support wide-ranging goals in reading development, and literacy instruction in general is stronger with read-aloud inclusion (Stoetzel & Shedrow, 2021). Reading aloud models fluent reading; develops children’s understanding of text structures, features, and genres; builds vocabulary and comprehension skills; and fosters a love of reading. An interactive read aloud is a “systematic approach to reading aloud where the teacher models vocabulary development, reading fluency, and comprehension strategies, and requires the students to interact and become participants in their own learning” (Johnston, 2016, p.40).
A robust body of research highlights the importance of reading aloud to students. Examining the sub-strands of Hollis S. Scarborough’s (2001) reading rope model reveals how interactive read-aloud experiences can enhance the literacy and language skills essential for skilled reading and comprehension—especially in strengthening the strands tied to language comprehension.
Intentional discussion before reading aloud can activate students’ prior knowledge, introduce new concepts, and enrich their background knowledge, enhancing their ability to draw inferences and develop deeper understandings. As Molly Ness (2023) notes, “When teachers read aloud from books that may be too difficult for students to read independently, they expose students to rich vocabulary and demonstrate how syntax and semantics convey the meaning of the text.” Reading aloud also allows students to hear a fluent reader model the rhythm, tone, pitch, emphasis, and timing that helps convey meaning and bring the text to life.
The Superkids Reading Program suggests that you read aloud to your students every day. A simple four-step plan can help you get the most out of the time spent reading aloud.
1. Introduce the book to children.
2. Read with expression and appropriate pacing.
3. Pause occasionally to discuss the text and pictures.
4. Discuss the book after you’ve read it.
When planning for read-aloud lessons, experts agree that pre-reading the text is a must. While pre-reading, identify parts of the book that may impede students’ understanding of text. Recognize vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to your group. You can frontload new ideas, information, and vocabulary before reading, but you can also use questions and think-alouds during reading. In Superkids, you will notice think-aloud suggestions throughout the reading lessons and read-aloud lessons.
Not sure what a think aloud is? Here is an example from a kindergarten read-aloud story lesson:
Think aloud: “Sometimes I make pictures in my mind to help me figure out what is happening in the story. I picture, or imagine, Cass and Doc in Doc's Workshop. Cass is watching Doc line up paper, pencils, and crayons on her desk. There are pieces of wood in a pile next to the big cardboard box. The box has a blanket in it. As I read, I keep changing the pictures in my mind to match what is happening in the story.”
Find more Superkids resources in the next article to make the most of your read-aloud experiences!
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The Superkids Reading Program has several resources to save you time when planning for your interactive read-alouds. Lessons include instruction that occurs before, during, and after reading that will help students build background, make inferences, develop vocabulary, convey meaning, and more!
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Read-Aloud Story Lessons (K)
Every unit of Meet the Superkids ends with a read-aloud fiction story or informational text that’s provided in the Student Book Teacher’s Guide, along with a lesson for teaching the text. These additional read-alouds are necessary as the year begins because children are still learning how to decode simple words on their own.
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Super Smart Digital Read-Alouds (K, 1)
Super Smart Informational Digital Read-Alouds allow children to explore more complex science, social studies, and arts content than they can read in materials written at their reading levels.
Designed for use on an interactive whiteboard, the Super Smart texts include embedded videos, animation, and touch-screen interactivity to engage students.
The Super Smart texts have pop-up boxes with questions you can use to guide children’s comprehension and develop their vocabulary as you read. The same questions, along with think-alouds and student-friendly explanations about the content, are in Teacher’s Guide lessons for your reference.
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Read-Aloud Routine Cards (K, 1, 2)
The Daily Read-Aloud Routine card can be viewed and printed from the Materials page in the portal. This resource includes a four-step routine that can be used with any text to create an interactive read-aloud experience. In addition, you will find a list of questions to help children comprehend and evaluate both fiction and informational text.
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Suggested Teacher Read-Aloud List (K, 1, 2)
A list of suggested read-aloud books for each unit (K) or week (1, 2) can be found in your Teacher’s Guide. The recommended fiction and informational books address similar themes or topics as the decodable texts children read during the unit. You can read aloud the suggested titles or choose your own favorite books that correlate with the topic. Many Superkids teachers share their public library will pull your selected titles from an emailed list and have them ready for quick pickup.
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Additional Suggested Teacher Read-Aloud List with Lessons (K, 1, 2)
A newer read-aloud resource is right in the portal. Navigate to the Read-Aloud Book List on the Materials page to find four additional read-aloud titles for each unit that can be used in conjunction or as a replacement to the books in the Teacher’s Guides. Also included in each unit are two companion lessons to guide you before, during, and after reading. Check them out!
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Nothing is better than getting a peek into what is happening in other Superkids classrooms and schools. Below are a few ideas teachers have shared related to read-alouds.
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Read-Aloud Library Cart
Want to ensure your favorite Superkids unit read-alouds are in the media center? You can provide your media specialist with a wish list that includes your selected titles from the Superkids Suggested Read-Aloud lists. This school’s amazing media specialist created a special Superkids-teachers-only cart to house the read-aloud selections from each grade. How splendid!
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Question Wands
This Superkids teacher used the questions from the Daily Read-Aloud Routine card to create question wands. There is one set for fiction and another set for informational text that are used to prompt discussions as she reads aloud. She shared, “I created a few blank wands. When I teach the Superkids reading lessons, I often come across questions that I want to add to the jar.”
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Getting Sticky
This teacher shared, “Since I have been using Superkids, I have really embraced the think-aloud strategy as I read to my students.” Before reading to the class, she previews the book and adds a small sticky note to remind her of a good opportunity for a think-aloud.
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Our Favorite Books
This teacher placed a box next to her chair at the circle time rug. When she reads a book that the children LOVE, she places it in the box for a reread at another time. She stated, “When I find myself with some wait time that I need to fill I always choose to read aloud! This little treasure chest allows me to select a book that I have already read, and I am assured my class will enjoy it.” She also shared, “I never have to ask if a book should go in the box. My students will always tell me to add it!”
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The printable 2025 Superkids calendar is back by popular demand!
Get ready for the new year and print yours on 11” x 17” paper today!
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REFERENCES:
Fisher, Douglas, James Flood, Diane Lapp, and Nancy Frey. “Interactive Read-Alouds: Is There a Common Set of Implementation Practices?” The Reading Teacher 58, no. 1 (2004): 8–17.
Johnston, Vicki. Successful Read-Alouds in Today’s Classroom. Kappa Delta Pi Record 52, no. 1 (2016): 39–42.
Ness, Molly. Read Alouds for All Learners: A Comprehensive Plan for Every Subject, Every Day, Grades PreK–8. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree, 2023.
Scarborough, Hollis S. “Connecting Early Language and Literacy to Later Reading (Dis)abilities: Evidence, Theory, and Practice.” In Handbook for Research in Early Literacy, edited by Susan Neuman and David Dickinson, 97–110. New York: Guilford Press, 2001.
Stoetzel, Lori, and Shannon J. Shedrow. “Making the Move Online: Interactive Read-Alouds for the Virtual Classroom.” The Reading Teacher 74, no. 6 (2021): 747–756.
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