Balanced Approach Teaching Protocol

Read-Aloud

Component 1: Read-Aloud Book

Choose 1 book to read daily that are at least 2 years above the grade reading level of students.

Note the teacher also needs to consider student’s level of English language proficiency and
provide extra read alouds to target students with different proficiencies.

Choosing books that correlate with an existing unit theme are also recommended.

Component 2: Making Connections with Books

Model Think-Alouds during Read-Alouds that target making connections to the text.

Give students opportunities to share their connections to the text before and after readings.

Multicultural picture books are recommended.

For chapter books students need to focus on character development. Some activities to help
accomplish this are response journals, class discussions, and writing in a literature response
sheet.

Read Alouds in primary grades for beginning speakers should include chapter books in order to
discuss the book in detail over the course of days in a given week.

Component 3: Understanding, Pacing, and Focus in Read-Alouds

During Read-Alouds the teacher should stop for understanding. The teacher should model re-
reading, clarifying meaning, and using various reading strategies to make connections with the
text.

Note the teacher should only stop once to a couple of times during the reading in order to not
lose the meaning of the story.

Rhyme and Rhythm books are recommended for ELLs to develop phonemic awareness.

However, it is important for the text to include illustrations for ELLs to convey meaning.
 Some example of rhyme and rhythm books are poems and songs.

An activity the teacher can do with students that involves rhymes is students writing their own
rhymes with pictures as well as words.

Read-Alouds in the Thematic Planning Framework

Read-Aloud Books Literary Focus and Language Focus Content Focus and Teaching Group
(appropriate all ages) Reading Strategy and Language Thinking Process
Pattern
Model reading, Examples:
making connections, ELA and ELD Other core content Small group
and reading strategies. Re-reading strategy standards standard in social
studies, science, and
Chapter Books: For character possibly math.
development some
suggested activities are
Picture Books: Response Journal
Class discussions.
Recommend:
Multicultural text

(Capellini, 2005, p.)