I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite times every day is my read aloud time. I read aloud picture books. Articles. Poems. But my favorite of all is the novels I choose to share with my class. “Fish in a Tree” by Lynda Mullaly Hunt is one of the best.
I choose different texts for a variety of reasons…but I always like to keep in mind that read alouds are a powerful teaching tool where ALL students can have access to rich, meaningful texts–even if the content is far above their independent reading level.
Concerned about the Science of Reading? Check out how using a quality mentor text can help you tackle the comprehension component of research-driven instruction.
For me, “Fish in a Tree” is my “go to” choice for a mentor text when we do our narrative unit because we want our students to “read like writers” and “write like readers” so we really intertwine our reading and writing work. We study narratives that we read and then take what we notice and apply those skills as we write our own narratives.
That being said, I truly feel our read alouds should NOT be ruined by making students do tons and tons of work…there is something to be said for simply enjoying a beautiful text. For that reason, I am very judicious about what I do to supplement my novels.
Here are a few quick and easy ideas that you might want to consider to gently “use” these great novels to supplement your teaching.
1. Character tracking and mapping
One thing that is so easy to do while you read a chapter book that doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of the story at all is to invest some time early on “tracking” characters. We track their traits, their interests, and their connections with either other (see the pink connecting lines!).
This chart can be added to as the story evolves and as new information surfaces–and as characters change. This is posted on the board where I do my read aloud, and I just love it when students refer back to it or make observations.
When we write our own narratives, we make similar webs to show how our different characters are connected and the most important things about them. Read like a writer–and write like a reader!
2. Studying text with close reading of “Fish in a Tree”
3. Using elements of the mentor texts as models for our own writing
4. “Quick Writes” to show deep thinking about mentor texts
Like I said earlier, picking read alouds that promote deep thinking and discussion truly gives you a great way for ALL students to have these conversations. This is true even when they are not yet reading at that level.
By asking students to do “quick writes” about different topics related to your mentor text, you can accomplish a number of critical things. You can work on writing mechanics and conventions with little ten minute “writes”. All students have something to write about because you now have a shared experience (the text).
You can get to the heart of what students are understanding by asking them to reflect on absolutely anything from characters to key events to predictions. In fact, it can be a wonderful way for students who are less willing to share at other times to show you what is going on inside their brains.
I absolutely love it when I see great thinking from students who would never be able to independently read that text. It is preparing them for the day when they can! I do these quick writes in their writing notebook and on the computer.
Read Aloud Ideas
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