THINK
ALOUD
Think‐aloud
is
a
well‐researched
and
important
strategy
for
reading
comprehension.
Simply
put,
it
is
when
readers
recognize
and
talk
out
loud
through
the
process
that
is
occurring
in
their
head
(metacognition),
as
they
read.
Students
who
think
metacognitively
can
monitor
their
own
thinking
processes,
adjust
their
thinking
to
achieve
clearer
comprehension,
and
use
that
adjustment
for
any
future
refinement
in
making
meaning
as
they
read.
The
Think‐aloud
strategy
is
interesting
because
it
needs
to
be
treated
as
a
comprehension
strategy
in
its
own
right,
but
also
the
kinds
of
thinking
aloud
being
done
involves
the
use
of
other
comprehension
strategies.
So
you
can
integrate
the
teaching
of
Think‐aloud
with
the
teaching
on
each
of
the
the
other
strategies.
Think‐aloud
has
been
shown
to
improve
students’
comprehension
both
when
students
themselves
engage
in
the
practice
during
reading
and
also
when
teachers
routinely
use
Think‐aloud
while
reading
to
students
(Duke
and
Pearson,
2002).
Good
readers
can
self
monitor
their
own
reading
comprehension,
and
decide,
when
thinking
aloud,
which
strategies
they
may
need
to
use
in
order
to
assist
their
understanding
of
the
material
at
hand.
They
employ
a
range
of
strategies
such
as
self‐questioning,
predicting,
retelling,
visualizing,
and
summarizing
as
a
means
of
creating
meaning.
All
of
these
may
be
used
as
part
of
Think‐aloud,
which
is
helpful
because
your
students
will
realize
that
comprehension
strategies
are
inter‐related.
Many
developing
and
struggling
readers
do
not
employ
self‐monitoring
strategies
and
consequently
do
not
construct
meaning
that
assists
them
comprehend
what
they
are
trying
to
read.
Think‐aloud,
is
a
strategy
you
can
model
to
assist
students
develop
more
knowledge
about
their
thinking.
It
will
assist
their
comprehension
by
giving
them
the
opportunity
to
explore
and
refine
a
range
of
thinking
about
reading
strategies.
The
strategy
of
Think‐aloud
can
be
used
to
assist
your
students
to
do
this
across
all
subject
areas,
and
can
be
modeled
in
Social
Studies,
Science,
Mathematics,
and
any
time
there
is
an
opportunity
to
say
out
loud
the
thinking
that
is
taking
place
behind
an
action.
Good
readers
are
thinking
about
their
interaction
with
the
text
all
the
time,
trying
to
make
sense
or
comprehend
the
information
in
front
of
them.
SOURCE:
Teaching
Comprehension.
3‐6
and
6‐9
Di
Snowball.
2005
AUSSIE
Interactive.
Curriculum
Corporation
Childhood Terror
“At Minamurra Avenue. The bush.
The creek. My father and I.
We went to the edge of the falls for revenge.
to find my attacker the magpie.
The afternoon grey, the black bird gone,
my sobbing subsiding, Dad held my hand,
hurled rocks into the empty trees, screamed
at the black bush, “Go away!”
I loved him for pretending.”
CEO CEO 7/7/10 9:41 PM
Comment: I QUESTION what will this
poem be about. I read the title and begin to
MAKE CONNECTIONS I recall things which
scared me as a child ..the dogs on my way to
school / night noises?; I try to PREDICT what
the poem will be about night eg fears
CEO CEO 7/7/10 9:43 PM
Comment: I check my prediction..I don’t
think it’s about night time. I’m a bit confused.
Or maybe they are camping in the bush. I
begin to ask QUESTIONS -I wonder why
they are in the bush? Where is Minamurra
Ave? I’m also very aware this is a very
atypical style of writing - sentences are short
and sharp. No emotion – why this style?
CEO CEO 7/7/10 9:36 PM
Comment: I make a new CONNECTION recalling a personal experience of being
swooped on by a magpie as a teenager . I
recall they are wanting revenge I PREDICT
they may try to harm the magpie.
CEO CEO 7/7/10 9:50 PM
Comment: I QUESTION why all of a
sudden there is such a strong emotion
(sobbing), when as yet we have seen none. Re.
the meaning of the word subsiding, I’ll read
on to see if that helps me clarify the meaning.
CEO CEO 7/7/10 9:38 PM
Comment: I INFER that the boy is feeling
better now his Dad is holding his hand.
Probably "subsiding" means his crying is
stopping. I could check it out in my dictionary
later to make sure.
CEO CEO 3/6/10 10:51 AM
Comment: I QUESTION why they might be
throwing rocks at an empty tree..(the magpie
must have gone? )
CEO CEO 7/7/10 9:40 PM
Comment: I wonder/QUESTION why Dad
is pretending….How is the boy feeling now?
Why the “black” bush? Is “black” referring to
darkness of night or eveil or burnt out?
CEO CEO 16/5/10 1:39 PM
Comment: AFTER READING I may still
have some unanswered questions. What could
they be (ask students) eg Why did the magpie
attack the boy?