The description above is of Round Robin Reading (RRR). In RRR, all students are expected to follow along as individual students take turns reading, usually in a predictable order. There are also several variations:
- Popcorn Reading: students read aloud in "random order"
- Combat Reading: students call on one another to read, trying to catch each other "off task"
- Popsicle Reading: teacher writes students' name on popsicle sticks and then randomly pulls the sticks to determine the reading order)
Here are some alternatives to Round Robin Reading:
Partner reading
Small group reading
Choral reading (all read together)
Readers Theater
Alternating-teacher reads one paragraph aloud and students read one silently
Jigsaw
I have had students say that when I read aloud to them, the book was "like a movie." Sadly, many struggling readers are unable to "hear the text" as they read, and this is one of the best reasons for reading aloud to students: modeling what good reading sounds like. On the other hand, it is hard to decide which is more painful: forcing a less-skilled reader to take their turn or compelling the whole class to listen.
ReplyDeleteMany of us secondary teachers forget that we are still an important model for "good reading". Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for reading with passion!
DeleteQuestion: I use a method that I am wondering about. Can you tell me if you would consider this a sort of round robin? I take volunteers for reading, and switch off - but the reader pauses at words he/she feels are significant (or for whatever reason they can't say the word), and the rest of the class says the word. It lets kids save face when they can't say a word, but also usually catches all the vocabulary that we need to talk about.
ReplyDeleteBy switch off, I mean I read, then a volunteer reads.
DeleteThanks for posting your question, Kathy. I can see that you have considered some of the issues students encounter with oral reading. I would ask you to also consider how much more active and engaged your students would be without listening to one student read it aloud (usually as a cold read). When only one student reads, the others may be quiet, but they may also be dazing off or confused. Partner reading can provide some of the same benefits you listed in your original description, but it also increases the number of students who are involved with the text. They can still work together to discuss unfamiliar terms, or possibly put them on a sticky note to share when they return to the home group. This would provide more feedback than the one student who pauses at the unfamiliar word.
DeleteAlso try switching off by you reading a chunk and then students reading a chunk silently. This will help to maximize time and build their reading stamina.
I hope this is helpful. Feel free to email for more exchange of ideas!