Tallie Davis

Dr. Cannon
Synthesis Project Add-On
November 14, 2019
10 Strategies to Use When Reading Aloud

Enthusiastic Reading. This strategy might seem super simple and self-explanatory, but how we’re
reading to our student plays a big part in their engagement. No one wants to listen to something
monotone and flat; they’ll get bored! Paying attention to your tone, volume level and expressions will
make a big difference in how your read aloud is both delivered and received.

Mystery Word/Phrase. This is a strategy I found that I’d never thought of before. When I read this, I had
non-fiction books in mind, but I feel that it can be implemented for all books. The use of a “mystery
word” or “mystery phrase” will keep the students on the edge of their seats. Using this strategy looks a
little like this: when planning your read aloud, select a word or phrase in the book that is either repeated
a lot or directly relates to the overall theme of the book. The difficulty of the word/phrase will depend
on the grade level you are teaching. Have this word or phrase tucked into an envelope titled “mystery
word” or “mystery phrase” and put this envelope up on the board. Throughout your reading, remind the
students that as they’re listening to the story, they are to be searching for the mystery. At the end of the
story, students will guess to see if they found out the mystery and whoever guesses it will receive a
piece of candy, homework pass, etc. This is a strategy that allows for student engagement and
participation throughout the whole read aloud. Students will want to pay attention to solve the mystery,
resulting in engagement and retention of information.

Student Acting. This is a strategy that could be applicable during your read aloud or after it is complete.
If implemented during the read aloud, this would consist of stopping at a significant event in the reading
and having the students act out what is happening. Their acting does not have to be extravagant, but
this will allow them to have a little fun while showing you they’re paying attention and know what’s
going on in the text. This can be implemented in this simple way or can be turned into a whole activity
after the read aloud. Students can be put into groups and each group would be given an important
event in the story. Each group would act out their event in the order they happened, and this would
show students how important each event was in regard to the storyline.

Dress Up. This strategy takes a little time and planning, but the results are so worth it! Dressing up as a
significant character in the book you’re reading aloud would drive the kids crazy… in the best way
possible! When dressed up, you could just display yourself as the character while reading the book or
take it as far as role play throughout the entire day. Kids, especially at a young age, love this type of stuff
and going the extra mile to bring the characters to life through dress up will take your read aloud to the
next level of engagement.

Connecting to Other Subjects. This can be a little tricky at times but nothing good comes easy!
Connecting your read aloud to other subject areas will not only allow for more related activities but will
show students that there is purpose and connection in everything they do. Finding ways to connect your
read alouds to other subjects will allow the students to engage with the material deeper, resulting in
further learning and comprehension.
Extension Activities. Pairing quality activities with your read alouds is important. Each activity you pair
with it should have meaning and purpose. Don’t let your paired activities stop after one. Whether you
connect it to another subject or not, there’s so much more you can do with a read aloud than just one
activity. Extension activities allow students to see the purpose in what they’re learning, and the
repetition only helps them comprehend further. Time spent planning these activities will result in great
comprehension and learning for your students.

Make Connections. As an Elementary Education major, I’d be rich if I had a dollar for every time a
professor said, “students learn better if they can personally relate to the activities you’re doing”.
Presenting students with books that act as windows, mirrors or sliding glass doors opens up a whole
new world of engagement with the text. Allowing for these connections will not only make the content
more fun but will open up more opportunities for discussions that are specifically relevant to the text.

Don’t Just Read. In today’s society, technology is at our fingertips. There are so many ways to take the
contents of a book and present them in ways that go beyond just reading. I’m not saying reading aloud
should happen in the classroom, but allow your mind to explore things like audiobooks, educational
podcasts for kids, etc. Presenting the same information to students using a different and unique method
avoids them getting bored with how their learning is delivered to them. Keep them on their toes!

Allow the Students to See Your Passion. This strategy is similar to the first one I listed but being
passionate about a read aloud goes further than enunciation. Students want you to be just as engaged
as they are and if they see a teacher that is only trying to get to the end and move on to the next
activity, they’re not going to think there’s purpose. Get into the reading, engage in the content with
them! Your passion will transfer to them and it will be a engaging learning experience for all!

HAVE FUN. This strategy wraps everything up into one. Having fun with your read aloud will open up
your students’ minds to exploration, engagement, deeper learning and understanding. We want our
students to be sponges that soak up everything they can, so making this a fun experience for everybody
will really pay off in the end.

What’s the Point?

Student engagement is something that should never be overlooked or pushed to the side. Engaged
students gain so much more from read alouds, lessons and activities… isn’t that what we all want as
teachers? The point of all of this is to provide you with strategies to use in your classroom that lead to
that engagement. I’m sure you know there are thousands more, but that’d be a long paper to write. If
nothing else, take these ten strategies and use them in your classroom; But to take it to the next level, I
hope this paper drives you to explore more! We as teachers should never stop learning new ways to
engage our students, not just in read alouds. Engagement should be our top priority and I hope reading
this paper is only the start to your discovery of engagement strategies!