DEFINITION 

• With the think-aloud strategy, teachers model how they think while they read to help students comprehend the text. 
• The think-aloud strategy allows students to observe someone’s thinking; teachers make their thinking visible. 
• When modeling a think-aloud, do not ask questions or request feedback from the students.

PURPOSE AND BENEFITS

• Teachers model how skilled readers construct meaning from text. 
• Think-alouds can be used before and during reading. 
• Students learn that they need to think while reading.

ECE–GRADE 1

• Students’ listening comprehension improves. 
• Think-alouds model appropriate language to help children set and accomplish goals. 
• They give concrete examples of what is expected of preschool children. 
• Students learn that their experiences help them understand what they hear in stories.

GRADES 2 AND UP

• Students begin to monitor their understanding of text. 
• They can develop higher-level thinking skills. 
• They learn new vocabulary. 
• They learn that their experiences help them understand what they read. 
• They learn that reading words leads to understanding and comprehending.

PROCEDURE

• Choose a text (should be a story book) and read it prior to a class reading. 
• Select and mark portions of the text that lend to modeling the think-aloud strategy (saying out loud what you are thinking while reading). 
  
  • Select passages that can be confusing or a section that introduces difficult vocabulary. 
  • Select passages that allow a connection to students’ prior knowledge. 
• As you read, stop and pause at different marked places and “talk aloud,” saying what you are thinking about in regards to these sections of the text. Share your thoughts about the passage, its meaning, or questions you might have. 
• After students have been exposed to much practice of modeling through your thinking aloud, ask them what they are thinking about while listening to (or reading) other sections of the text.

A classroom teacher discusses ways in which Think-Aloud Strategies incorporates before, during, and after reading strategies to help students construct meaning from text and reflect upon it:



EXAMPLE OF A THINK-ALOUD SCRIPT
This is an example of a think-aloud that can be modeled from sections of Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes. Read the following aloud:
“Chrysanthemum wilted. She did not think her name was absolutely perfect. She thought it was absolutely dreadful.”
Say the following aloud:

You know, that is the second time Kevin Henkes has said that Chrysanthemum thought her name was dreadful. He must want us to realize that she really believes what the other children are saying about her name. I bet she feels really sad. This is so different from how proud she was of her name at the beginning of the story. If I were Chrysanthemum, I might not like my name either with everyone making fun of it. I hope she remembers what her parents said about her name and how special it was.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THINK-ALOUD STRATEGIES
BrightHubEducation:
“Think Aloud: The New Read Aloud”: http://www.brighthubeducation.com/elementary-school-activities/6734-examples-of-think-aloud-lesson-plans/
Fact Sheet on Think-alouds: http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/think_aloud.pdf