Video: Read Alouds with Focus Lesson

Hello Busy Bee Community!

One of you asked for a video of my read aloud time with an emphasis on how I squeeze in my focus lesson, what kind of questioning I do, how I deal with new vocabulary, etc.* I mentioned this to the rest of you and then several others piped in and agreed that, yes, it would be helpful to see some read alouds. So here are two from the same day (my morning read aloud and my afternoon read aloud), both with the focus lesson of author’s message. This wasn’t the first time my students have heard about author’s message. I introduced the concept just last week while we were reading Pete the Cat books.

The students enjoyed seeing a photo of Eric Litwin, author of the original Pete the Cat books, on this anchor chart that I made.

When author’s message is the focus lesson, I always draw a picture of the author (I’m sure you can tell this is Eric Litwin, right?) and a big empty speech bubble (big enough for me to write in later). After reading the book, we decide on the message together and write it as if the author is really saying it to us. We’ve already learned about speech bubbles, so they understand what those are for and how they work.

You might notice in my lesson plans that I have a focus lesson listed for every read aloud (two read alouds per day). How did I come up with this idea and a year’s worth of focus lessons? It started many years ago, maybe about eight years ago. I used to just read to students and let the conversation develop organically. We talked about whatever came up and only what we had time for.

Around the time the Common Core Standards first came out, I realized that I should be more intentional with the focus and discussion that accompanies each read aloud.

I spent an entire year reading through my read alouds prior to reading them to the class (even if I was already familiar with them) and deciding on what standard I could address—or build toward—with each title. After that year, all of my read alouds had a focus lesson attached to them. I’ve changed them a bit over the years and, of course, I’ve gotten new titles and added them in with a related focus lesson. Most focus lessons spiral throughout the year, meaning that a concept is introduced and then it will come up again a few weeks and/or months later when a title is particularly suited to that concept. Each time it reappears we can have deeper and richer conversations about it. I start with easy concepts, such as books have characters and characters say things and do things and eventually get to events, beginning/middle/end, and problem and solution. There are focus lessons for nonfiction titles as well, for example I can remember important information.

Paid subscribers see my read aloud titles and accompanying focus lessons each week when I share my weekly lesson plans.

As always when you watch other teachers teach, you notice the good and the not-so-good. You might wonder why did she do that or why didn’t she explain that in further detail. While reading aloud to children, there are so many details to attend to. Not only am I thinking about the book and focus lesson, but I am managing 27 children, building skills such as listening, watching, thinking, and not bothering your neighbors (I’m sure most days it feels like this should be our focus lesson). I’m trying to help my students make as many connections as possible between what we’re seeing in the book and what happened in previous read alouds and common classroom experiences we share. I attempt to build vocabulary and concepts. I encourage them to act parts out as a strategy to maintain engagement. I must allow questions and comments and yet ensure that the pacing of the story and lesson remain steady and appropriate. And since I allot 15 minutes per read aloud, I aim to conclude each book and discussion right around 13 minutes so we can transition into the next activity without too much haste.

Some of you might remember Joy Cowley books. She was very popular in the ‘90s during the height of the whole language movement. In the early ‘90s, I got a scholarship for a writing conference put on by Highlights magazine and got to spend an entire week in Chautauqua, NY, working closely on the craft of writing with famous authors and illustrators. I had lunch with Joy Cowley and got to see the Mrs. Wishy Washy watch face on her watch band. She really was a “joy.” I know, I know, most of you were probably still in diapers…

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*Thank you, subscriber Dani, for this email with such thoughtful questions! I know I did not explicitly answer all of them, but they are more or less addressed in the video. Sometimes “show, don’t tell” really does work best. If you still have wonderings, please let me know.

This year I am trying to be much more intentional in my read alouds. I know that this is where so much reading instruction around comprehension and vocabulary can and needs to take place. I am working hard to ensure my foundational skills instruction is strong in whole group phonics and in my small groups, but I want to be sure I am effectively including the other important parts of reading instruction. Read aloud is a powerful way to do this.

Can you share more about how you approach this? How do you choose your read alouds? What do you look for in a quality read aloud? Would you be willing to do a video demonstrating a read aloud where you are embedding comprehension and vocabulary skills with your students? 

Also, do you have any specific teaching moves you like to use when closing a read aloud? I always feel like I just end the book, and we move onto the next lesson/activity/etc with little if any closure. I want to go beyond "what was your favorite part of the book?"

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Questions or comments after watching the video? I’d love feedback on whether videos of read aloud time are something you’d like to see periodically or if they’re not all that needed.

Thanks!

Randee