What is a Think-Aloud?
According to Jennings, Caldwell, and Lerner, the think-aloud strategy involves the teacher thinking aloud and modeling the way that a skilled reader makes sense of text (2014). Reading Rockets describes a think-aloud as "eavesdropping on someone's thinking." Think-alouds can be used for discussing and comprehending grade-level texts, and especially supports students who are struggling readers in comprehension. In order to use this strategy, select a short passage that contains unknown words and other challenging points. Each student should have a copy of the passage as well as the teacher. While reading the passage, stop after each paragraph and verbalize the thought processes you used in efforts to make sense of the text. Students should also do this while reading and should be encouraged to actively participate. It is important to describe these thought processes during reading to monitor thinking and comprehension. The think-aloud strategy serves as a model for students of how skilled readers construct meaning from a text. It also teaches students to reread a sentence, read ahead to clarify, and look for context clues to make sense of what is read. When think-alouds are performed, the reading process is slowed down to allow students to monitor understanding (Reading Rockets, n.d.).
Leslie and Caldwell (2013) modeled activities and guided students in a think-aloud by:
As the think-aloud process is modeled, it is important to encourage students to share their own thoughts and assist them in doing so (Jennings, Caldwell, Lerner, 2014). All students, especially students who are struggling readers, are able to feel comfortable in the low-risk environment that think-alouds provide because there are no wrong answers. If students are unsure of an answer, they are able to repeat or think back to the modeled example provided by the teacher. Once students begin to feel more comfortable, they can offer additional personal ideas. What is stated during a think-aloud sets an example of what all good readers do.
Leslie and Caldwell (2013) modeled activities and guided students in a think-aloud by:
- Paraphrasing or summarizing text in your own words
- Creating new meaning
- Making an inference
- Asking questions about the topic or events and offering probable answers
- Mentioning that you understand what you have read
- Mentioning that you did not understand what you read and pointing out the confusing word or concept
- Explaining what you have learned
- Identifying personally with the text
As the think-aloud process is modeled, it is important to encourage students to share their own thoughts and assist them in doing so (Jennings, Caldwell, Lerner, 2014). All students, especially students who are struggling readers, are able to feel comfortable in the low-risk environment that think-alouds provide because there are no wrong answers. If students are unsure of an answer, they are able to repeat or think back to the modeled example provided by the teacher. Once students begin to feel more comfortable, they can offer additional personal ideas. What is stated during a think-aloud sets an example of what all good readers do.
Visual Representations
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In the video above, Rick Kleine uses a think-aloud to model how theories of character traits can change over time while reading The Wednesday Surprise by Eve Bunting. He discusses how to stay "present" while reading and what readers do in the moment. He does this by verbally stating what he wonders about throughout the story and making personal connections to the grandmother.
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The image above is an anchor chart that can be used when discussing think-alouds. This would serve as a visual reminder for all students what think-alouds consist of. Think-alouds can involve predicting, questioning, clarifying, summarizing, and more.
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This video shows a 4th grade teacher, Clarissa Grimes, modeling a think-aloud for her students in order to make text connections. She stops at appropriate points and discusses points that confuse her, and encourages students to think about it with her. Clarissa Grimes walks through each step in a text to world connection and offers background knowledge before comparing a section of the text that is difficult to understand to her lived experience.
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Content Area Examples
Reading- Think-alouds are often used before and during reading. As shown in the video of Rick Kleine above, think-alouds can be used during reading to discuss character traits and different feelings characters experience throughout a particular story. Think-alouds can also be used as a guide for students in summarizing, clarifying, visualizing, questioning, and predicting while reading. A think-aloud could also be used to better understand figurative language in poetry. Students benefit from the think-aloud strategy when it comes to reading a variety of texts because they are involved in doing what good readers do.
Social Studies- Think-alouds can be used during social studies to support making connections between texts. In the video above, Clarissa Grimes demonstrates a think-aloud with her fourth graders by making a text to world connection between Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address to what she has seen in the news about Libya. She also discusses background knowledge of these topics with her students. Think-alouds can also be used when discussing famous speeches or historical texts. Students can describe what they are wondering about, what they might be confused about, and connections they make while reading.
Math- The think-aloud strategy can be used in math when it comes to estimation or determining "ballpark estimates." In order to solve an estimation problem using a think-aloud, a student would verbalize what he or she is thinking when determining whether to round a given number up or down. This would involve describing what place value to look at to determine whether to round to a higher or lower number and explaining why that estimation is appropriate. A think-aloud could also be used to solve math word problems to organize the main points the problem offers and to identify the most important information.
Science- Think-alouds can be used in science when describing how to make observations using the five senses in an experiment. Students can think about what they see, smell, hear, feel, and taste when it comes to making observations about materials used in the experiment or objects in the environment. This helps students to gain a picture of similarities or differences between materials as they are discussed. Students are supported in understanding the "why" and other reasoning about observations during a think-aloud as they have opportunities to ask and answer questions and evaluate their own viewpoint, along with others' viewpoints.
Social Studies- Think-alouds can be used during social studies to support making connections between texts. In the video above, Clarissa Grimes demonstrates a think-aloud with her fourth graders by making a text to world connection between Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address to what she has seen in the news about Libya. She also discusses background knowledge of these topics with her students. Think-alouds can also be used when discussing famous speeches or historical texts. Students can describe what they are wondering about, what they might be confused about, and connections they make while reading.
Math- The think-aloud strategy can be used in math when it comes to estimation or determining "ballpark estimates." In order to solve an estimation problem using a think-aloud, a student would verbalize what he or she is thinking when determining whether to round a given number up or down. This would involve describing what place value to look at to determine whether to round to a higher or lower number and explaining why that estimation is appropriate. A think-aloud could also be used to solve math word problems to organize the main points the problem offers and to identify the most important information.
Science- Think-alouds can be used in science when describing how to make observations using the five senses in an experiment. Students can think about what they see, smell, hear, feel, and taste when it comes to making observations about materials used in the experiment or objects in the environment. This helps students to gain a picture of similarities or differences between materials as they are discussed. Students are supported in understanding the "why" and other reasoning about observations during a think-aloud as they have opportunities to ask and answer questions and evaluate their own viewpoint, along with others' viewpoints.
