Strategy: Think Aloud

Rationale: Think Aloud is a teaching strategy or template for teachers to use when attempting to teach reading strategies.  A Social Studies teacher cannot assume the students are naturally effective readers.  Good readers have developed certain skills when it comes to deciphering the printed information they read.  In order for a teacher to teach these skills he or she has to “take what we do and know implicitly and make it explicit for our students, especially for the struggling readers” (Internet).  A well executed Think Aloud lesson incorporates all facets of instruction.  For example a lesson would begin with the teacher motivating the students, activating prior knowledge, and making personal connections. 

Teaching a technique such as this in Social Studies would be advantageous for the simple fact the textbook is a staple in the classroom and many times the reading level of the book is too advanced for some of the students.  Therefore the kids need to know how to decipher what they are reading.

Process:

• Teacher or students choose a 2-3 page reading from text or other content related material
• Tell students what reading strategy they will be using and why.  Ask kids to keep track of when the strategy could be used and why it was used by writing in/on the piece.
• Teacher starts the exercise by reading the passage aloud and stopping when needed and explaining or articulating what he or she is thinking at the time.  
• Students work in pairs and taking turns modeling a reading strategy via the Think Aloud technique.

In order to execute this strategy the teacher has to be willing to step outside his or her comfort level for the sake of modeling their thinking.  A person might feel a bit self conscious doing this exercise but in the end the students will have observed a person's thinking process.  

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(http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/6-12/Reading/Reading%20Strategies/thinkaloud.htm