Step 5
Student read aloud
This section will guide you when your students read aloud to you.
Choosing books for your student
- Partial alphabetic phase
- Full alphabetic phase
- Consolidated alphabetic phase
If your student is not yet beginning to read words, consider shared reading of songs and poems to develop oral language and phonemic awareness. Check out this book list for some ideas.
For these beginning readers, most words in the text should be words the student knows how to decode. Decodable books include words with phonics patterns the child has already learned to read. Provide a decodable book or passage that focuses on the phonics concept you taught that day.
Here’s a list of digital decodable books you can use:
- UFLI Foundations Decodable Text Guide books aligned with UFLI lesson scope and sequence
- Flyleaf decodable books
- Moon Dogs – for older readers
- Half-Pint Kids
- Bublup decodable books
- Open Source Decodable Stories (no pictures)
For these readers, you may choose a decodable book focusing on the phonics concept you introduced that day to help them practice reading words with that concept.
Some of these readers may be ready to try regular trade books like the ones in the Lit Kit. You just may need to provide more support during reading when they encounter difficult words.
During reading
As students read aloud to you and practice decoding, they become increasingly automatic and fluent readers. Your role is to listen and coach them when they encounter challenging words. Encourage them to go back and self-correct. Use word solving prompts such as those on the Reading Strategy Bookmarks.
After reading
To build comprehension, ask questions about the story. Talk about the meaning of interesting words. Walk on a “retelling” pathway:
- in the beginning …
- then in the middle …
- finally at the end …
Often an informal conversation about the book, perhaps sparked by one or two questions, can invite children to share their understanding.
Tips!
If the child is becoming tired or discouraged by reading, try taking turns; you read one page and the student reads the next.
See more suggested questions in the Lit Kit magazine to prompt conversation about the books.
