Tapping the Potential of Teacher Read-Alouds in Middle Schools

Abstract

Many educators recommend reading aloud to students, but little is known about the nature of teacher read‐aloud practices beyond elementary school. This article describes a survey of 141 middle school teachers in one U.S. school district. Eighty‐six percent of the teachers reported reading aloud to their students; however, teachers defined reading aloud in a variety of ways, including reading announcements and instructions. Many of the reasons teachers gave for reading aloud (e.g., modeling, making texts accessible, supporting comprehension, reinforcing content) were supported by research. The preponderance of reasons indicated an emphasis on efferent purposes for reading, which emphasize learning information from text. Teachers most often read aloud chapter books and textbooks; few mentioned nonfiction books, picture books, newspapers, or magazines. The most common reason teachers gave for not reading aloud was that it was inappropriate for their subject area, and several indicated that they never thought about reading aloud. The authors suggest an increased emphasis on helping teachers become aware of the multiple benefits and purposes of reading aloud and offer practical suggestions for finding texts and implementing read‐alouds in all subject areas.

Empowering Primary School Pupils through Literacy Remediation Project in Uyo Local Government Area

“…The programme brought pupils from different schools, backgrounds and age grades together during the 2008 long vacation period. We kind of create a 'community' (Albright and Ariail, 2005) where literacy thrived and children could learn from people of other lands and far away places without having to travel there physically. We reasoned that if children that the society labels 'non-reading' are exposed to a print-rich environment and taught how to read and engage in various literacy activities, that it would have a rub-off effect on their literacy development.…”

In Overcoming Obstacles to Curriculum Integration, L.E.S.S. Can Be More!

“…However, as more and more teachers explore the power of literature across the curriculum, read alouds are increasingly being viewed as a way to promote student engagement and curriculum integration (Albright & Ariail, 2005;Laminack, 2006;Richardson, 2000;Trelease, 2006).Jen recently observed a seventh grade math teacher who uses the book The Greedy Triangle (Burns, 1995) to introduce the characteristics of polygons and to help students see examples of polygons in everyday life. Other texts used for read alouds in middle level math classrooms include Joan Bauer's Sticks (1996) and Cindy Neuschwander's (1997 Sir Cumference series.…”

Interactional organization and pedagogic aims of reading aloud practices in L1 education

“…Johnston, 2016). However, teachers in the upper grades often read-aloud for their students (Albright & Ariail, 2005). It has been shown that reading aloud is beneficial to language growth and awareness, it increases reading motivation and gives positive experiences, expands vocabulary and offers models of various linguistic and textual structures, gives information, and helps particularly struggling readers to grasp the meaning of the text as well as to critically reflect on the text (e.g., Albright & Ariail, 2005;Clark & Andreasen, 2014;Roe 2014, 163Á165).…”

“…In addition to all of these benefits, according to student surveys, pupils enjoy the moments of teachers reading aloud (Clark & Andreasen, 2014). Particularly L1 teachers read aloud often, especially fictional texts but also other kinds of texts (Albright & Ariail, 2005).…”

“…Clark & Andreasen, 2014), the studies on reading aloud practices in upper grades remain as exceptions. For example, Albright and Ariail (2005) and Ariail and Albright (2006) have conducted surveys on US middle school teachers on their read-aloud practices, and they found out that teachers often use this pedagogic tool in their teaching. Particularly language art teachers read fictional texts but also non-fictional texts, which were preferred by teachers of other subjects.…”