Using Read-Alouds to Help Struggling Readers Access and Comprehend Complex, Informational Text

Fascinating and educationally important words and worlds are found in informational text, but informational text is often extremely challenging for students—those who struggle with reading or have a learning disability—to access, because of their limited vocabulary knowledge and conceptual understanding of a particular topic. To manage instructional obstacles posed by complex, informational text, teachers can use read alouds to provide a context for engaging, motivating topics and provide visible mental models of the comprehension process for elementary grade students who struggle with reading or identified with a disability. This paper provides a framework for using read alouds to help students access informational text. Readers will learn how to strategically sequence read alouds with multiple texts across instructional units, incorporate explicit comprehension instruction into classroom read alouds, facilitate interactive academic discussions, promote expressive vocabulary, and link listening and reading comprehension.