When considering my structured literacy program, I want to ensure that I provide my students with all the skills they need to become readers. In kindergarten, read-alouds are an essential way to build comprehension and vocabulary skills. I have been using a 3-day interactive read-aloud plan, and it has been great for helping me plan engaging and rich lessons for my students.
To help me plan, I read Reading Rocket’s article: Repeated Interactive Read Alouds in Preschool and Kindergarten. This helped me understand what I wanted to target and how to ensure my kindergarten read-alouds were purposeful.
The Template
I typed up a template in Google Docs to make it easy to plan and implement my read-alouds. This way, I can pull out the plan when reading a book, and I don’t have to remember or search for what I want to talk about.
Grab a copy of the template here.
Vocabulary
I start by reading through the picture book a few times and picking out key vocabulary words I want to target. I try to aim for 10 words. Then, I write them onto my template and search for a child-friendly definition of each word. This way, I can reinforce the word’s meaning each time I read the book.
FAQ: When do I introduce the vocabulary?
I often get asked if I pre-teach all the vocabulary words that I have picked out in the book. Short answer – no.
If there is a word that is integral to understanding the story, then I discuss it with students before reading the book. For example, the word “journey” from the book Journey of the Midnight Sun. For all other words, I give definitions and explanations while I am reading the book.
3-Day Kindergarten Read-Alouds Plan
Next, I start planning for what I will do during each day of my 3-day kindergarten read-alouds.
Day 1
On the first day, I start by giving a synopsis of the book. I introduced the plot, main character, and problem in the story. Next, I discuss the title of the book and what they see on the cover. Then I read the book to my students, defining the key vocabulary I’ve chosen as I read.
At the end of the book, I will ask some comprehension questions to my students.
Day 2
On the second day, I ask my students what they remember about the book. I will reintroduce the title, character, plot, problem and solution for them. Then, I will reread the book and highlight the key vocabulary.
I will ask different comprehension questions at the end of the second reading.
Day 3
On the last day of our interactive read-aloud, I will start by asking my students what the title of our book is, who the main character is, what the story’s setting is, and describe the problem and solution in the story. Then, I read the book for the third and final time, highlighting the key vocabulary once again.
At the end of our last reading, I will ask more comprehension questions to deepen my students’ thinking.
Kindergarten Read-Alouds
I have been taking pictures of the 3-day read-aloud that I’ve been doing with my students and sharing them on my Instagram page. I created a Guide to make them all easy to find:
Do you want a digital copy of all the Read-Aloud Plans? You can get them here:
More Resources for Kindergarten Read-Alouds
Along with the Reading Rockets article, I also used two books that have helped me plan for my kindergarten read-alouds:
- Ramped Up Read Aloud by Maria Walther
- Rebellious Read Alouds by Vera Ahiyya
Do you plan multi-day kindergarten read-alouds? Let me know your process in the comments!
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