Think-Aloud toolkit
Do I really have to model?
Students learn best when we model how we want them to tackle an
activity. By writing on large white sheets, whiteboard etc, you are
showing how you are thinking as you read, as you thinkaloud.
Teacher guided
Thinkaloud as modeling
Conferencing in small group
Independent student
Sticky-notes
Notes at bottom of page
Double-entry journals
Sticky notes
Students write thinkaloud–type questions as they read.
Students are encouraged to write down their impressions and questions on sticky
notes to develop a dialogue with the text.
Use sticky-note when you are:
• surprised
• amazed
• want to try a particular
technique
• not understanding
• have questions that you
are thinking about in the
text
Students show that they are self-monitoring when they pause to
reflect on confusing words or ideas, and interesting text. It is an
enjoyable way of developing independence.
Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport
Programme ELA
February 2015
1
Some teachers use codes to shorten the writing.
S for surprised, A for amazed, etc.1
Students show that they are self-monitoring when they pause to
reflect on confusing words or ideas, and interesting text. It is an
enjoyable way of developing independence.
Double entry journals
Double-Entry journals
• Students record extracts and
write response ideas.
On a page vertically divided,
students record facts from a text
on the left, and on the right,
express ideas that surfaced from
reading this extract. Doubleentry journals are a careful
balance of freedom and
structured writing that holds
student interest.
Often, students are yearning to express ideas immediately and don’t
respond well to teacher guided questions. Through modeling by the
teacher and interactions with the text, students learn to express
themselves with richer thought, and drive meaning deeper.
What do students write on the left?
Facts from the text must be of interest to the reader. Just
choosing a fact and writing about it is akin to fill-in-the-blank.
Students can write quotes from the text on the left, paraphrase or
summarize ideas.
How do I get my students to go beyond basic facts?
A flat statement such as “There is a dog in the story and I have
a dog” is an opportunity for the teacher to ask further questions.
What is the dog like in the story?
Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport
Programme ELA
February 2015
2
In what way does he remind you of your dog?
How does the connection that you make to your dog help
you to understand the role that the dog plays in the story?1
Upper grades
If there is part of a text that you find
important or confusing, or simply want to
comment about, say it out loud, like this:
“This part of the text is really important:
‘The function of the United Nations is
to serve as arbitrator in conflicts
between nations that are in conflict.’
I will record this on the left.
I wonder, does that mean just war, or do
they also intervene if one country does
something wrong like spying?
On the left I will write the important
information. On the right, I record my
question. Maybe I will find an answer to
it later in the text. Let’s continue reading
to see if we do.”
Types of questions
that teach reading
strategies:
Questioning:
“I wonder why. . . ”
Inferring: “I think the
author believes. . . ”
Clarifying: “I am confused
because . . . ”
“I’m going to reread this
section to see if we can
answer this question…”
Determining importance:
“This is important
because..”
Visualizing:
“As I read this, in my head
I see . . .”
Connecting:
“ This reminds me of...”
Journal pages can look like this:
Quotes from the text, paraphrased Questions, thoughts and
or summarized ideas.
comments
The function of the United Nations is to
serve as arbitrator in conflicts between
nations that are in conflict.
Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport
What does “arbitrator” mean?
Does that mean just war, or do they also
intervene if one country does something
wrong like spying?
Programme ELA
February 2015
3
What we want is for students to be digging for
understanding, and recognizing which sections are of
importance, confusing, fascinating etc. Readers remember
information if they are interacting with the text.
For lower grades
While reading aloud, if there is part of a
text that you find important or confusing
model it:
“On p. 6 in Voices in the Park
Anthony Brown has the mother
character say, ‘Sit Charles. Here!’ ”
“I get the feeling that she is treating
her boy like some people treat a dog.
Is that right? I wouldn’t want to be
treated like a dog.”
“I will write this in my diary.”
Types of questions
that teach reading
strategies:
Questioning:
“I wonder why . . . ”
Inferring: “I think the
author believes . . . ”
Clarifying: “I am
confused because . . . ”
“I’m going to reread this
section to see if we can
answer this question…”
Determining importance:
“This is important
because…”
Visualizing:
“As I read this, in my
head I see . . .”
Connecting:
“ This reminds me of...”
The diary page will look like this.
Words from the text
“Sit Charles. Here!”
Questions, thoughts and
comments
She is treating her boy like some people
treat a dog. Is that right? I wouldn’t want
to be treated like a dog.
What we want is for students to be digging for
understanding, and recognizing which sections are of
importance, confusing, etc.
Readers remember
information if they are interacting with the text.
Thinkaloud texts
Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport
Programme ELA
February 2015
4
An Unspoken Hunger
It is an unspoken hunger we deflect with knives – one avocado between us, cut
neatly in half, twisted then separated from the large wooden pit. With the green
fleshy boats in hand, we slice vertical strips from one end to the other. Vegetable
planks. We smother the avocado with salsa, hot chillies at noon in the desert. We
look at each other and smile, eating avocados with sharp silver blades, risking the
blood of our tongues repeatedly.
Terry Tempest Williams
An Unspoken Hunger: Stories from the Field
Proficient readers:
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Activate and connect to background knowledge
Use fix-up strategies when meaning is lost
Question the text
Visualize
Summarize and synthesize information
Draw inferences
Determine importance
Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport
Programme ELA
February 2015
5
Double entry journal
What I see
Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport
What I think
Programme ELA
February 2015
6