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4. Picture Book Read-Alouds and Reading Comprehension Strategies
Another natural place to embed SEL learning into already-set classroom routines is during picture book read-alouds. Storybook read-alouds provide multiple benefits to classroom communities. They create a shared experience and language as a class listens and responds to a story together. Stories can provide a narrative for academic content, illustrate a concept, or simply provide a quiet time for students to become immersed in language. Yet during a busy classroom day, read-alouds can often be overlooked or under-planned for, especially in the upper elementary grades. As teachers, we tend to grab a read-aloud when there is a surprise free ten minutes in the day, or when we are building interest and background in a new concept. Well-planned, interactive readalouds increase students’ abilities to interact with the text, engage with their teacher and the concepts the book presents, and heighten deeper-level thinking (van DrutenFrietman, Strating, Denessen, & Verhoeven, 2016; see figure 4.12). Read-Aloud Planning Template Book: Squanto
Page Number 2
Question
Focus
When did this story take place? In the present or the past? How do you know?
Identifying genre: language arts
3
Squanto is meeting the pilgrims. Who are the pilgrims?
Social studies: recalling facts
4
Look at the faces in these pictures. How do you think Squanto is feeling? How do you think the pilgrims are feeling?
SEL Learning: identifying emotions
Identifying past and present: social studies
Notes Refer to the student’s timelines that were created at the beginning of the year as a reference for the vocabulary terms past, present, and future.
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With an extra five minutes to spare before lunch, Maria grabbed the class’s favorite book—The Pigeon Has to Go to School! by Mo Willems (2019). It’s such a silly book, Maria thought, but the students really seem to connect with it. Especially when I act like the pigeon—and ask the class to do the same. It’s funny, she thought, Daniel and Maggie are often the most engaged during read-alouds, especially when the characters have big emotions. I wonder how I can use these to further teach and practice our SEL skills?
