Tapping the Potential of Teacher Read-Alouds in Middle Schools

Many educators recommend reading aloud to students, but little is known about the nature of teacher read-aloud practices beyond elementary school. This article describes a survey of 141 middle school teachers in one U.S. school district. Eighty-six percent of the teachers reported reading aloud to their students; however, teachers defined reading aloud in a variety of ways, including reading announcements and instructions. Many of the reasons teachers gave for reading aloud (e.g., modeling, making texts accessible, supporting comprehension, reinforcing content) were supported by research. The preponderance of reasons indicated an emphasis on efferent purposes for reading, which emphasize learning information from text. Teachers most often read aloud chapter books and textbooks; few mentioned nonfiction books, picture books, newspapers, or magazines. The most common reason teachers gave for not reading aloud was that it was inappropriate for their subject area, and several indicated that they never thought about reading aloud. The authors suggest an increased emphasis on helping teachers become aware of the multiple benefits and purposes of reading aloud and offer practical suggestions for finding texts and implementing read-alouds in all subject areas.