Participatory and Partner Read Alouds
Overview
Listening to others read exposes learners to diverse texts that may be above their usual reading level while supporting the development of their literacy skills.
Example: Use This Strategy In in the Classroom
Design It into Your Product
Use It in the Classroom
Watch how an elementary teacher structures reading aloud. Each pair has a reader and a checker of understanding, both supporting the other’s reading process. The reader is able to practice Decoding, Phonological Awareness, and Morphological Awareness, while the checker builds Verbal Reasoning and Vocabulary.
Design It into Your Product
Learn how an interactive read-aloud app, A Story Before Bed, records partner reading of a shared text. Pairing readers of different experience levels, such as parents with children or siblings, provides a model of fluent reading and allows for practice of various literacy skills, such as Decoding, Phonological Awareness, and Sight Recognition. Re-watching these recordings brings the stories to life and captivates the learner’s Attention.
Learn More
- Explore the Reading & Cognition subtopic on Digital Promise's Research Map.
Additional Resources
Additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.
Factors Supported by this Strategy
More Active Learning Strategies
Students activate more cognitive processes by exploring and representing their understandings in visual form.
Visiting places connected to classroom learning provides opportunities to deepen understanding through firsthand experiences.
Free play supports learner interests and allows more complex social interactions to develop.
Pretending allows students to step back from a problem or task and think about it from multiple angles.
Response devices boost engagement by encouraging all students to answer every question.
Providing students a voice in their learning is critical for making learning meaningful.
Actively manipulating word parts deepens a student's understanding of the way words are formed.
