Maximizing Reading to Children

Oral reading has the potential for providing young learners with comprehension practice which they can then transfer to their own reading.

Many classroom teachers take time during their day to read to their students. This is a wonderful opportunity for young learners to hear oral reading modeled. Over the generations along with the development of technology, time spent listening to text being read orally and discussed has decreased. As learners hear less information orally, their ability to process information and identify key points has lessened over time as well. It is key that when we are reading to students we are also providing guided discussion which guides learners to process the information being read.


How can you tell if your oral reading to your students has become “white noise” in your classroom. One major struggle readers have when reading to students is dealing with behavior. One way many teachers try to deal with behavior is to allow students to color or work on projects. If this is happening the learning objective has shifted. More often than not the reader’s voice has become “white noise” while the students are working on their project.


The major objective is to model strong reading along with building literacy / comprehension skills. This can easily be achieved by the reader stopping and engaging the learners in guided discussions with their peers. This is achieved by asking questions in which the whole group can respond or can respond with a partner next to them. The end objective is that they are then able to process these types of questions in their own reading and are also able to retell what they read. Learners cannot retell what they have read if they are unable to retell what has been read to them. In addition, they cannot then transfer the ability to answer question about information read to them. In order to be able to fully comprehend information a learner reads they must first have mastered the skills involved in processing information they have heard. Reading comprehension is a language-transferred skill.


Below is a chart with key elements young learners need to focus on when text is read to them. It is helpful to select one of the elements and focus on that element during the reading of the text. Avoid the question “who can tell me?” This allows you to become engaged with only one learner while the rest of the class waits for your discussion with the student to end. You want to provide a practice time for all your students and having the learners discuss between themselves provides that informal opportunity.

Element	Definition	Activities	Going Deep
Setting (Time)	Setting is not only the location given in a narrative but also the time it is occurring. Setting includes culture, historical period, geography, date, hour, and minute.	Where is the text taking place? What evidence in the text tells where the setting of the text is taking place? What text lets us know the time period the text is taking place?	Text to life -- How can you relate to the text? Explain the beginning, middle, and end.

Plot	The events that make up the idea of the writer. They are often laid out in a series of beginning, middle and end details being told. ●  Introduction or Exposition ●  Rising Action ●  Climax ●  Falling Action ●  Resolution	What problem was described? Explain the solution.	How do you relate to the plot? What might be a different solution?
Characterization	The details about a character(s) in a story. The author will provide the reader with information about the character such as behavior, appearance, and characteristics so readers are able to relate to the character (s).	Describe one of the characters.	How do you relate to one of the characters?
Conflict	Conflict is part of the plot. There are several types of conflicts: internal or external, man vs. man, man vs. circumstances, man vs. society, and man vs. self.	What is the conflict within the text? Who is involved in the differences?	What type of conflict happened in the text?
Point of View	How the author chooses to convey their message. ●  First Person - usually the central character of the story is speaking. ●  Second Person - Keyword you will find. “YOU.” ●  Third Person -	Who is talking in the text? What are keywords used to tell you what the point of view of the text?	How might the point of view change if told from a different person’s point of view?

	Story is being told by another person. ●  Third Person -(objective) Narrator describes the person (he, she, him, her) ●  Third Person (limited) Narrator gives specific thoughts and feeling of the characters. ●  Third Person (omniscient) the narrator is the ALL-knowing. ●  Dialogue vs. Narration
Theme	The topic of the text. It can be placed into two categories: a text’ s thematic concept or thematic statement. Thematic concept is providing the reader with something to “Think About.” A thematic statement is telling “What the author is saying about the subject.	What was the subject in this book (text) about? Were they telling us about something? What did the author want us to think about while reading their book (text).	Relate the text to your life.
Tone (Mood - Feelings)	The attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience.  Conveyed through the choice of words, or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject.  It can be formal, informal, serious, comic, sarcastic, sad, cheerful, or it may be any other existing attitude.	How are the characters feeling in the story? Share what some key words you heard that give us an idea of the mood of the text.	How do you relate to feelings expressed in the text?