What is a Think Aloud? |
A think aloud is a strategy that teachers ask students to vocalize their thought process while reading a given text. The students must first encode the content and then verbalize their thoughts (Saravia, 1995). A think aloud is a great strategy to use when teachers are trying to figure out a student's rationale to their outcome of a vocabulary meaning. Modeling can be and should used during this strategy as well (Deshler, 2015). "It's an invitation for students to step into a teacher's mind to see how to work through a problem or process" (Banks and Koloziej, 2015). While doing a think aloud, the teacher can model how to use prior knowledge, critical thinking, and make connections to come to a conclusion for a meaning to a word. It helps students learn to monitor their thinking as they read (Deshler, 2015). During this process they are directed by multiple questions which they are asked to think about and answer aloud while reading. Teachers can take anecdotal notes and view how much student are understanding the texts (Deshler, 2015).
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There are a few beneficial things that think alouds bring to a classroom. They are practical and relatively easy for both teachers and students to use. They do not come with a lot of instruction so they can begin right away (Deshler). The listener (usually teacher) hears exactly what the student is thinking whether it be relevant or not. From here the listener can determine if the student is comprehending the text. The teacher from there can decide what and/or how to improve instructions based on the students needs (Saravia, 1995). It provides time to model and show students how to do and think during a think aloud. They can also describe how to be a good reader and student when doing a think aloud (Deshler). More benefits for think alouds include building on vocabulary, developing an understanding, making connections, high level of understanding and thinking, teaching the reading process, modeling fluency, and motivating the students to read (Banks and Koloziej, 2015).
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How Can a Think Aloud be Beneficial? |
The video to the right gives a clear example of how a think aloud would look between a student and a teacher. The teacher also ties in making a connection. By doing these strategies with the student he is also modeling how they should go with his own examples.
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This video describes the difference between a student's reading voice verses a student's thinking voice. Smekens distinguishes how important it is for the students and teachers to know the difference between the two. She breaks it up enough to be able to explain it to students in the same way. |
Strategies a Think Aloud is Good to Use With: |
Guided Questions for Students for a Think Aloud: |
1. Making Predictions
2. Developing Mental Images 3. Making Analogies 4. Connecting New Information to Background Knowledge 5. Self-Quoting 6. Using Fix-up Strategies to Regulate Comprehension ("Think Aloud" in Reading Educator, 2015) |
So far, I've learned...
This made me think of... That didn't make sense... I think _____________ will happen next... I reread that part because ________________... I was confused by... I think the most important part was... That is interesting because... I wonder why... I just thought of... ("Think Aloud Strategy, 2015). |
Writing Standard |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.1.A
Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.1.C Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons. |