Steps for a highly effective think-aloud

1. Thoughts as we begin to read

1.1. Overview the text

1.1.1. Step 1: Host book talk to get students interested in the book.

1.1.2. Step 2: Explain what students should look for/think about before you begin reading.

1.1.3. Step 3: Inform students to be sure to identify author's train of thought so they are on the same page.

1.2. Look for important information

1.2.1. Teach students to pay closer attention to important sentences and avoid minor details.

1.3. Connect to the author's big idea

1.3.1. Model for students the ability to connect main idea sentences in a chapter/part of the book to the author's big idea.

1.4. Activate relevant knowledge

1.4.1. Model for students how to incorporate relevant background knowledge and eliminate inaccurate or unrelated prior knowledge.

1.4.2. Illustrate this for students by pausing to discuss after the first four pages.

1.5. Put myself in the book

1.5.1. Instruct students to pretend they are the main character to gain new insight on a character's actions.

2. Thoughts while we read

2.1. Revise prior knowledge and predict

2.1.1. Teach students how to revise their understanding of the content and make predictions as they read.

2.1.2. Model this by pausing to describe what textual evidence helped teacher make a prediction, then over time ask students to practice adding to, or changing their thoughts to make predictions.

2.2. Recognize the author's writing style

2.2.1. Before starting this, teachers should identify how many pages need to be read before students gain enough information to see if vocabulary is enjoyable, if the paragraph length is easy to comprehend, and if idea depth is enjoyable.

2.2.2. By doing this, students will be able to make more accurate inferences about what the topic of the next sentence will be and analyze how they connect sentences and paragraphs.

2.3. Determine word meanings

2.3.1. Process of students being able to decode and unlock the meanings of unfamiliar words.

2.4. Ask questions

2.4.1. Asking questions allows students to check the accuracy of their thoughts and let them know if they need to reread a section or read ahead.

3. Thoughts after we read

3.1. Notice novelty in the text

3.1.1. This think-aloud allows students to use novelties in the author's writing style and genre format to flavor a printed message.

3.1.2. Requires follow up lesson where students pay attention to the author's word choice and notice how words can signal subtle ideas.

3.2. Relate the book to my life

3.2.1. Model how new knowledge can be applied to a person's life and explain how to reflect on this new knowledge during, and after, reading the book.

3.2.2. Requires probing questions such as "What were you thinking as you read this?" "How did you summarize and reflect on this content as it relates to your life?"

3.3. Anticipate use of knowledge

3.3.1. Teach student show to anticipate using knowledge learned in one book to help comprehend a new book.