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Think-Alongs is an instructional
strategy that encourages students to think while they
read. Less proficient readers tend to read the words in front of them, but fail
to comprehend those words. The think-along instructional strategy encourages
student to interact with the text, using a variety of reading strategies. When
using this instructional strategy, the teacher asks students to stop at various
points in a text and tell what the text is making them think about.
The purpose of the think-along
instructional strategy is to encourage students to monitor their comprehension
of a text, while they are reading that
text.
1.
Model the think-along process
for your students.
A.
Choose an interesting text to
model with.
If you are planning to have your students engage in the think-along process
with fiction, then model the process for students with a piece of fiction.
Likewise, if your students will be reading expository texts when using the
think-along process, then model with an expository text.
B. Practice modeling with the text on your own before modeling for your
students. Read through
the text and choose places where it seems natural to stop and tell what the
text is making you think about. Stop at places where it would be logical to
engage in a reading strategy such as one of the following:
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making a prediction
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relating what you’re reading to your
own experiences
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telling what you think someone or
something you are reading about looks like
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C.
Read the text aloud to students,
stop at your predetermined stopping points, and tell students what the text is
making you think about. It is best if students have a
copy of the text you are using to model with in front of them. This helps make
it clear to students when you are reading versus when you are thinking.
D.
When you are done modeling, talk
to students about what you did while you were reading.
Explain to students that good readers do such things as make predictions,
relate the text to their own experiences, and think about what things look
like when they read. Talk about the specific instances when you did these
things.
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Tips
for modeling:
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Don’t
model mid-sentence, and don’t model too often.
Both make it difficult for students to comprehend the text. Your
think-alongs won’t make sense to them if they are not able to follow
the text. Model every 6 or 7 sentences, or at the end of paragraphs. |
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Don’t
model for too long. A few minutes is
enough. You will lose students’ attention if you continue for too
long. |
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Continue
to model for students until they are able to think-along for you and
their classmates. You may need to
model the think-along process for your students just once, or several
times over several days. This will depend on your students’
abilities. |
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Model a variety of
strategies. Following are some strategies you might use. Keep in
mind your students' abilities when choosing from these strategies:
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Make predictions |
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Connect to personal experiences |
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Visualize |
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Identify the main idea |
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Ask questions |
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Recognize sequence |
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Compare and contrast |
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Identify cause and effect |
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Summarize |
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Draw conclusions |
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Express opinions |
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Identify and interpret the
meaning of figurative language |
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Identify and analyze problems
and solutions |
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Identify author’s purpose |
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2.
Engage students in coached
practice, asking strategy-specific questions. As a class,
read a text aloud. Stop at various points in the text and ask students questions
such as the following:
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What do you think will happen next?
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What experiences have you had that are
similar to the experiences that this character is having?
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What do you think
this person looks like?
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3.
Engage students in coached
practice, asking, “What are you thinking about now?”
(After students are comfortable answering strategy-specific questions, they are
ready to choose the strategy they want to use on their own.) As a class, read a
text aloud. Stop at various points in the text and ask students, “What are you
thinking about now?”
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Tips
for engaging students in coached practice:
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Have
several students tell you what they are thinking about each time you
stop. Point out the differences
between students’ responses, emphasizing the fact that no two
readers think the same thing. There is no single, correct thing to
think about when we read. All that is important is that we are
stopping to think about the text while we read. |
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Encourage
students to clarify and/or support their responses by asking follow-up
questions such as the following:
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“I
think I see what you mean, but can you tell me a little bit more about
what you are thinking?” |
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“What
ideas in the text made you think of that?" |
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Encourage
diverse responses. Ask, “Who else has another way of
thinking about the story?” |
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If students have trouble
answering, “What are you thinking about now?” ask more strategy
specific questions. |
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