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Read-aloud events in a third-grade classroom
Abstract
The purpose of this observational case study was to describe the responses of a teacher and her students in a third grade classroom during daily read-aloud events. The study focused on book reading events from the perspective of the participants in one third grade classroom for four months. The informant in the study was the classroom teacher who used daily read-aloud events as part of a three-pronged approach in her reading program, along with individualized basic reading instruction and sustained silent reading time. In order to describe the variable context of the classroom, the researcher used ethnographic techniques of participant-observation, field notes, interviews, a reflective journal, and audio tape transcriptions. The results of this study indicate that read-aloud activities are enhanced by teacher and student involvement in the story. Four major themes emerged from the data collected in this research setting: the read-aloud event and the reader's style; students making connections and constructing meaning; development of children's critical thinking skills; and student verbal and nonverbal response during read-aloud events. The conclusions drawn were: (1) Students' immersion into a story was facilitated by the reader's style. (2) Nonverbal behaviors on the part of the reader were as much a part of the read-aloud events to the listeners as the reader's verbal behaviors. (3) Children's responses and attentiveness were closely linked with where they sat in proximity to the reader. (4) Children's critical thinking skills were enhanced by the rich discussion before, during, and after read-aloud events. This study has significance for classroom teachers, school administrators, and university professors who work with pre-service teachers, in illustrating the potential of participatory read-aloud events.
Subject Area
Curricula|Teaching|Preschool education|Elementary education
Recommended Citation
Harrington, Jeanne M. Robbins, "Read-aloud events in a third-grade classroom" (1995). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9528822.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9528822