| Teaching students to carry on an internal dialogue | | | | author has written. Tell them that they can |
| with the author and text as they read is vitally | | | | improve their reading comprehension. |
| important. "Talking to the text" significantly | | | | 4. Begin reading the text for a few lines and then |
| increases reader comprehension and promotes | | | | alter your voice (raise the pitch, lower the |
| retention as well. However, this is not a skill | | | | volume, or use an accent) to model what you are |
| acquired by osmosis. It requires effective | | | | thinking. Stop and explain what the voice altering |
| modeling using the Think-Aloud strategy. | | | | meant and keep this voice altering consistent |
| Good readers are adept at practicing many | | | | throughout the Think-Aloud. |
| metacognitive strategies. That's a big word that | | | | 5. Keep your thoughts concise and on the focus |
| means "thinking about thinking." Research shows | | | | of the reading. Don't ramble on with personal |
| that 50% of reading comprehension is based on | | | | anecdotes. Comment much more on the text |
| what the reader brings to the text by way of | | | | than on your personal connection with the text. |
| prior knowledge and internal dialogue. Students | | | | 6. Don't over-do the amount of your Think-Aloud |
| who practice the self-monitoring strategies | | | | thoughts. Once every paragraph or two is about |
| modeled by teachers using Think-Alouds have | | | | right. Don't interrupt the flow of the reading and |
| better reading comprehension than those who do | | | | lose sight of the textual meaning. |
| not. | | | | 7. Talk to the text and to the author. |
| Here's how to set-up an effective Think-Aloud | | | | 8. Ask students if they think they understood the |
| with your students: | | | | text better because of your verbalized thoughts |
| 1. Select a short reading with a beginning, middle, | | | | than just by passively reading without active |
| and an end. | | | | thoughts. Their answer will be "Yes," if you have |
| 2. Tell students that they are about to enter a | | | | done an effective Think-Aloud. |
| strange new world, that is the world of your | | | | 9. Have students practice their own Think-Alouds |
| thoughts as a reader. Tell them that your | | | | in pairs. |
| thoughts will not be the same thoughts as theirs. | | | | 10. Repeat Think-Alouds often with both narrative |
| 3. Tell them that reading is not just pronouncing | | | | and expository texts. |
| words; it is making meaning out of what the | | | | |