Transcript Using Read-Alouds to Build Vocabulary and Comprehension

Welcome!
Building Vocabulary and
Comprehension through
Primary Read-Alouds
Michael C. McKenna
University of Virginia
Today’s Goals
 Understand why read-alouds are the
best way to build vocabulary and
comprehension in the primary grades
 Be able to plan, conduct, and followup a read-aloud.
 Examine differences between fiction
and nonfiction read-alouds
Why are read-alouds
the best way to build
vocabulary and
comprehension?
Why are read-alouds
the best way to build
vocabulary and
comprehension?
They may actually
be the only way!
Let’s look at some
reasons.
Why Read-Alouds ?
 The teacher does the decoding.
 Natural contexts for words are provided.
 Authentic opportunities for modeling
comprehension strategies occur.
 Student engagement is likely.
 Discussion is facilitated.
 Words and strategies can be reinforced
in new contexts all year long.
But I can introduce
vocabulary more
efficiently without
read-alouds.
But I can introduce
vocabulary more
efficiently without
read-alouds.
Maybe, but if you
did, you’d have to
create an entire
curriculum. That’s
why so little is done.
“Vocabulary levels diverge
greatly during the primary
years, and virtually nothing
effective is done about this
in schools.” (p. 29)
Andy
Biemiller
Biemiller, A. (2004). Teaching vocabulary in the primary grades.In J.F. Baumann &
E.J. Kame’enui (Eds.), Vocabulary instruction: Research to practice (pp. 2840). New York: Guilford.
But the kids know lots of
words. Why not just focus
on teaching them to
recognize the ones they
know?
But the kids know lots of
words. Why not just focus
on teaching them to
recognize the ones they
know?
Why not do both? If
you ignore vocabulary,
the Matthew effect can
be terrible.
50K
40K
30K
20K
10K
0
5,000
1,500
K
12
50K
45,000
40K
30K
17,000
20K
10K
0
5,000
1,500
K
12
Oral vocabulary at the end of first
grade is a significant predictor of
comprehension ten years later.
Cunningham, A.E., & Stanovich, K.E. (1997). Early reading
acquisition and its relation to experience and ability 10
years later. Developmental Psychology, 33, 934-945.
But how can a few readalouds make a dent in that
huge number of words?
But how can a few readalouds make a dent in that
huge number of words?
The cumulative effect
might surprise you.
“Adding three root words a day is the
average daily number of words
learned by primary age children with
the largest vocabularies.” (p. 37)
Andy
Biemiller
Biemiller, A. (2004). Teaching vocabulary in the primary grades.In J.F. Baumann &
E.J. Kame’enui (Eds.), Vocabulary instruction: Research to practice (pp. 2840). New York: Guilford.
“Adding three root words a day is the
average daily number of words
learned by primary age children with
the largest vocabularies.” (p. 37)
3 words x 140 days  400 words per year
Biemiller, A. (2004). Teaching vocabulary in the primary grades.In J.F. Baumann &
E.J. Kame’enui (Eds.), Vocabulary instruction: Research to practice (pp. 2840). New York: Guilford.
Why be so systematic?
Why can’t the kids just rely
on context?
Why be so systematic?
Why can’t the kids just rely
on context?
Context may not be as
powerful as you think.
And besides, many kids
don’t use it.
Four Types of Contexts
1. Directive (provides powerful clues)
“Sue was talkative but Bill was taciturn.”
2. General (helps categorize a word)
“She’d had measles, mumps, and varicella.”
3. Nondirective (offers very little help)
“The dress was taupe.”
4. Misdirective (can be misleading)
“He was huge, muscular, and adroit.”
– Beck & McKeown (2004)
Teaching Students about Context



Remind them that context does
not always provide strong clues.
Remember that many students
may have difficulty making
inferences about words from
context.
Model the process when possible.
– Beck & McKeown (2004)
But what about
comprehension? How
do you teach strategies
to kids who can’t read?
But what about
comprehension? How
do you teach strategies
to kids who can’t read?
The alternative is to
wait until they can read.
If you do that, it may be
too late.
The Domino Theory
Teach children to decode first, and put
off vocabulary and comprehension
instruction until later.
The Domino Theory
Teach children to decode first, and put
off vocabulary and comprehension
instruction until later.
“[R]esearch has almost universally
supported the idea that reading
aloud to children leads to improved
reading comprehension.” (p. 144)
Smolkin & Donovan, 2002
So which strategies do
they need?
So which strategies do
they need?
The National Reading
Panel identified seven.
NRP Findings on Comprehension



Many approaches have some level of
research evidence.
For example, stressing mental images
and mnemonics can be effective.
But seven instructional approaches
have a clear scientific basis.
Key Instructional Approaches
1. Comprehension monitoring
2. Cooperative learning
3. Graphic and semantic organizers
(esp. those stressing text structure)
4. Question answering
5. Question generation
6. Summarization
7. Combinations of 1-6
Can you really plan to
focus on comprehension
and vocabulary in the
same read-aloud?
Can you really plan to
focus on comprehension
and vocabulary in the
same read-aloud?
Yes. We’re not trying to
accomplish everything at
once. But we can still
target both areas with
each read-aloud.
What’s the difference
between a fiction and a
nonfiction read-aloud?
What’s the difference
between a fiction and a
nonfiction read-aloud?
There are
differences in both
vocabulary and
comprehension
strategy use.
Let’s look at
vocabulary first.
Nonfiction Read-Alouds
 Take advantage of clusters of related terms
 Stress the connections among words
 Preteach a few key terms
 Use research-based methods:
 Feature analysis
 Other types of charts
 Graphic Organizers
egg
adult
larva
pupa
Insects
Spiders
Some can fly
None can fly
Some are poisonous
All are poisonous
6 legs
8 legs
Fiction Read-Alouds
 Since the words will not be related and will
not be essential to comprehending, do
not preteach them.
 After the read-aloud, create clusters by
linking a new word to familiar words.
 Use research-based methods, such as
 Silly Questions
 Word Wizards
Even though words in a fiction
read-aloud may be unrelated in
meaning, you can still create
meaningful clusters by using
words already familiar to the
children.
Words Chosen
From the Book
fortunate
scowl
wary
Familiar Words
lucky
chance
frown
stare
careful
afraid
Words Chosen
From the Book
fortunate
scowl
wary
Familiar Words
lucky
chance
frown
stare
careful
afraid
Words Chosen
From the Book
fortunate
scowl
wary
Familiar Words
lucky
chance
frown
stare
careful
afraid
Words Chosen
From the Book
fortunate
scowl
wary
For a fiction read-aloud,
how do I know which
words to teach?
For a fiction read-aloud,
how do I know which
words to teach?
Target what Beck
and McKeown call
Tier Two words.
Two characteristics that make a word
inappropriate for teaching:
1. We can’t define it in terms that the
students know.
2. The students are not likely to find the
word useful or interesting.
– Beck & McKeown (2004)
word family
A group of words formed from a
single root word
history
historic
prehistoric
historical
historian
Beck and McKeown’s Three Tiers
Tier 3
Tier 2
Tier 1
• Rare words
• 73,500 word families K-12
• Usually content-area related
• Examples: isotope, estuary
• Important to academic success
• 7,000 word families
• Not limited to one content area
• Examples: fortunate, ridiculous
• The most familiar words
• 8,000 word families
• Known by average 3rd grader
• Examples: happy, go
Beck and McKeown’s Three Tiers
Tier 3
Tier 2
Tier 1
• Rare words
• 73,500 word families K-12
• Usually content-area related
• Examples: isotope, estuary
• Important to academic success
• 7,000 word families
• Not limited to one content area
• Examples: fortunate, ridiculous
• The most familiar words
• 8,000 word families
• Known by average 3rd grader
• Examples: happy, go
Beck and McKeown’s Three Tiers
Tier 3
Tier 2
Tier 1
• Rare words
• 73,500 word families K-12
• Usually content-area related
• Examples: isotope, estuary
• Important to academic success
• 7,000 word families
• Not limited to one content area
• Examples: fortunate, ridiculous
• The most familiar words
• 8,000 word families
• Known by average 3rd grader
• Examples: happy, go
Beck and McKeown’s Three Tiers
Tier 3
Tier 2
Tier 1
• Rare words
• 73,500 word families K-12
• Often content-area related
• Examples: isotope, estuary
• Important to academic success
• 7,000 word families
• Not limited to one content area
• Examples: fortunate, ridiculous
• The most familiar words
• 8,000 word families
• Known by average 3rd grader
• Examples: happy, go
Beck and McKeown’s Three Tiers
Tier 3
Tier 2
Tier 1
• Rare words
• 73,500 word families K-12
• Often content-area related
• Examples: isotope, estuary
• Important to academic success
• 7,000 word families
• Not limited to one content area
• Examples: fortunate, ridiculous
• The most familiar words
• 8,000 word families
• Known by average 3rd grader
• Examples: happy, go
Beck and McKeown’s Three Tiers
• Rare words
• 73,500 word families K-12
• Often content-area related
• Examples: isotope, estuary
Tier 2
• Important to academic success
• 7,000 word families
• Not limited to one content area
• Examples: fortunate, ridiculous
Tier 1
• The most familiar words
• 8,000 word families
• Known by average
“Goldilocks”
Words 3rd grader
• Examples:
happy,
go2004
– Stahl
& Stahl,
Tier 3
Now let’s look at
comprehension.
Fiction Read-Alouds
 Rely on such research-based techniques as
 Time Lines
 Story Maps
Goldilocks
finds
cottage
Goldilocks
eats
porridge
Goldilocks
goes
upstairs
Example of a Story Map
Setting
Characters: Jack, his mother, the giant
Place: Jack’s home, road, giant’s castle
When and where did this story occur?
Who is the main character?
Problem
Jack must sell cow but trades for beans
Why did Jack trade?
Goal
To see if bean stalk is worth the bad trade
What did Jack do when he found the stalk?
Ending
Jack steals from giant, flees, cuts down stalk
What did Jack do in the giant’s castle?
What did the giant do?
What happened to the giant?
Was Jack a good guy or a bad guy?
Fiction Read-Alouds
Stress
 Imaging
 Summarizing
 Causation and Motive
 Plot structure
 Comprehension Monitoring
 Discussions in which children are free to
question you and each other
Nonfiction Read-Alouds
 All strategies may be useful, but especially
 Focusing on text structure
 Graphic organizers
 Comprehension monitoring (using “thinkalouds to model “fix-up” strategies for
confusing text)
Using “Fix-Up” Strategies


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
Rereading
Reading on
Reflecting
Seeking outside
information
OK, I’ll give it a try.
Where do I start?
Let’s start with
planning.
Planning a Read-Aloud
 Choose engaging, well-illustrated books.
 A number of words should be unknown to about
half the students.
 Choose 3 target words that are likely to be
unfamiliar. (In fiction, these words will be
unrelated; in nonfiction, they will be key
terms.)
 For nonfiction, decide how you will introduce the
words
 Keep track of the words you choose.
Planning a Read-Aloud
 Decide which comprehension strategy you will
target.
 Decide how you will directly explain the strategy
prior to the read-aloud.
 If you’ve introduced the strategy before, review
it prior to the read-aloud.
Direct Explanation of a Strategy
Start by introducing the text.
Then introduce the strategy.
– Declarative Knowledge:
• What is the strategy?
– Procedural Knowledge:
• How do I use the strategy?
– Conditional Knowledge:
• When and why should I use the strategy?
Model the strategy by thinking aloud.
Help readers to practice the strategy.
Read the text both to understand it and to practice the
strategy.
After the read-aloud, discuss both the text and the strategy.
www.guilford.com
Planning a Read-Aloud
 Look for places to model comprehension
strategies.
 Unfamiliar references
 Opportunities to form mental images
 Chances to recap
 Text that challenges prior assumptions
 Mark key places in your book to remind you.
Planning a Read-Aloud
 Plan to repeat the read-aloud.
 Plan for small-group sessions (2-5 students).
 Plan multiple exposures to vocabulary in the
days following.
Before the Read-Aloud
 Introduce (or review) the comprehension strategy.
 Build prior knowledge.
 Preteach key words if the read-aloud is nonfiction.
 Focus children’s attention.
During the Read-Aloud
 Be “performance oriented”; read with expression.
During the Read-Aloud
 Include “rich, dialogic discussion.”
 Activate prior knowledge.
 Link the story to experiences of students.
 Elicit responses from students.
 Give synonyms or quick explanations of Tier
Three words as you go. (Biemiller)
During the Read-Aloud
 Display pictures after reading a page, not while
reading it (Beck et al.)
During the Read-Aloud
 Pause at the places you’ve chosen to model
comprehension strategies.
 Remember to prompt children about strategies
that are becoming familiar.
 Keep the children interacting, especially with
nonfiction.
In a nonfiction interactive read-aloud,
a teacher can . . .
 Link a word to its context
 Help children infer causal relationships
 Tell about how texts are structured
 Model the use of fix-up strategies
Smolkin & Donovan, 2002
In a nonfiction interactive read-aloud,
a teacher can . . .
 Link a word to its context
 Help children infer causal relationships
 Tell about how texts are structured
 Model the use of fix-up strategies
Smolkin & Donovan, 2002
T:
C1:
T:
C2:
C3:
T:
C4:
“In 1612, French explorers saw some Iroquois people
popping corn in clay pots. They would fill the pots
with hot sand, throw in some popcorn and stir it with a
stick. When the corn popped, it came to the top of the
sand and made it easy to get.”
Look at the bowl!
Okay, now it’s hot enough to add a few kernels.
What’s a kernel?
Like when you pop.
It’s a seed.
What if you, like, would you think … a popcorn seed.
Like a popcorn seed. Could you grow popcorn?
Smolkin & Donovan, 2002
T:
Oh, excellent, excellent question! Let’s read and we’ll
see if this book answers that question, and if not, we’ll
talk about it at the end.
Smolkin & Donovan, 2002
In a nonfiction interactive read-aloud,
a teacher can . . .
 Link a word to its context
 Help children infer causal relationships
 Tell about how texts are structured
 Model the use of fix-up strategies
Smolkin & Donovan, 2002
T:
Alright, it hit the reef. Why did it hit the reef? Because it got . . .
(no response from children). What did it say? It said there was
C1:
A storm.
T:
Storm, right.
C2:
They couldn’t see.
T:
Right, it did say that. Because they couldn’t see, and if they
were out . . .
C3:
Were the people surprised?
C4:
The storm blew it into the rocks.
T:
Exactly.
In a nonfiction interactive read-aloud,
a teacher can . . .
 Link a word to its context
 Help children infer causal relationships
 Tell about how texts are structured
 Model the use of fix-up strategies
Smolkin & Donovan, 2002
T: “And 1000-year-old popcorn
kernels were found in Peru that
could still be popped.” Now. This
guy is doing different . . . It’s kind
of like two stories are going on.
What is this part giving us?
Cs: (together) Information
T:
It is. And what is this doing?
C1: It is telling you.
T: It’s giving us, right, steps of
how to make the popcorn.
C2: And he has a big old speech
bubble.
T: Yes, because he’s reading
about this, remember? And so his
speech bubble is him reading this
book about this (pointing to
pictures of native peoples).
In a nonfiction interactive read-aloud,
a teacher can . . .
 Link a word to its context
 Help children infer causal relationships
 Tell about how texts are structured
 Model the use of fix-up strategies
Smolkin & Donovan, 2002
T:
“Insects live on the tree, too. This big cicada just crawled out of its
brown, shell-like skin. For several years . . . (teacher pauses. The
next word in the text is ‘it’)” Let’s start back here. “Insects live on the
tree, too. This big cicada just crawled out of its brown, shell-like
skin.”
C1:
(interrupting) We already read this.
T:
I know, but see, sometimes if you stop, it helps [to go back] It didn’t
make sense just reading [further in the text]
After the Read-Aloud
 Conduct a discussion.
 Get beyond the literal level!
Critical
Judgments
“Reading beyond the lines”
Inferential
Implicitly stated facts
“Reading between the lines”
Literal
Explicitly stated facts
“Reading the lines”
After the Read-Aloud
 Conduct a discussion.
 Get beyond the literal level!
 Elicit thoughtful responses.
After the Read-Aloud
 Conduct a discussion.
 Get beyond the literal level!
 Elicit thoughtful responses.
 Don’t just question–encourage questioning!
Question-Answer Relationships
QARs
Taffy Raphael
QARs
Question-Answer Relationships
In the Book
Right There
In Your Head
Author and You
Think and Search On Your Own
Raphael, 1986
Reciprocal Questioning
ReQuest
Tony Manzo
Reciprocal Questioning:
ReQuest
Variations of Request . . .




One student asks the teacher as many questions as
s/he can think of.
Teacher calls on students at random. Student asks
teacher a question, teacher asks student a question,
then calls on another student.
Teacher reflects each student’s question to another
student.
Students call on other students to answer.
After the Read-Aloud
 Conduct a discussion.
 Get beyond the literal level!
 Elicit thoughtful responses.
 Don’t just question–encourage questioning!
 Practice summarizing.
After the Read-Aloud
 Conduct a discussion.
 Get beyond the literal level!
 Elicit thoughtful responses.
 Don’t just question–encourage questioning!
 Practice summarizing.
 Review the comprehension strategy.
After the Read-Aloud
 Conduct a discussion.
 Get beyond the literal level!
 Elicit thoughtful responses.
 Don’t just question–encourage questioning!
 Practice summarizing.
 Review the comprehension strategy.
 In nonfiction, review the vocabulary.
 In fiction, teach the vocabulary.
After the Read-Aloud
 Keep track of the words you teach.
 Make a chart with words, dates and books.
 Look for chances to revisit words.
 Record when you do.
9-10
fortunate
scowl
willing
resist
restful
joyous
wander
gloomy
beam
9-11
9-12
9-13
9-14
I
I
I
9-17
9-18
9-19
R
R
I
I
I
I = Introduce
I
I
I
R
R
R = Reinforce
After the Read-Aloud
 For nonfiction, post graphic organizers.
 For fiction, consider using research-based
methods like
 Word Wizards and
 Silly Questions.
Be a Word Wizard!
wary
Tom
Sue
Ed
Juan
Maria
Lakesha
Paul
Jack
scowl ridiculous fortunate
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

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






– Beck & McKeown (2004)
Ask “silly questions.”
– Beck & McKeown (2004)
Would a fortunate person scowl?
How do I know when the
kids actually know the new
words?
How do I know when the
kids actually know the new
words?
Knowing a word isn’t all
or nothing. It’s a matter
of degree.
A Continuum of Word Knowledge
No knowledge
A vague sense of the meaning
Narrow knowledge with aid of context
Good knowledge but shaky recall
Rich, decontextualized knowledge,
connected to other word meanings
A Continuum of Word Knowledge
No knowledge
A vague sense of the meaning
Narrow knowledge with aid of context
Good knowledge but shaky recall
Rich, decontextualized knowledge,
connected to other word meanings
How do I know when the
kids can actually apply
comprehension strategies?
How do I know when the
kids can actually apply
comprehension strategies?
Give them chances in
later read-alouds.
Scaffolding Strategy Use
 As children become familiar with strategies, give
them chances to apply those strategies
during new read-alouds.
 Prompt them to identify appropriate
strategies at key points.
 Ask them what a “good reader” would do.
 Post a chart of key strategies in your
classroom for referral.
That’s a lot to process.
Can you sum it up?
Sure.
Primary Read-Aloud Planner
Choose an engaging book.
Planning
Decide what to do before, during, and
after the read-aloud to build
comprehension and vocabulary.
Before Reading Introduce a comprehension strategy.
Develop prior knowledge.
Prepare!
Focus attention.
During Reading
Guide!
After Reading
Extend!
Model the strategy by thinking aloud.
Ask and answer questions.
Provide synonyms and explanations
for Tier Three words.
Discuss and respond.
Summarize the book.
Review the comprehension strategy.
Teach the Tier Two words you chose.
OK, enough
questions.
Now get busy!