Powerful Read Alouds: Connecting with Dr. Molly Ness

It is always a joy to meet down to earth experts that become colleagues and friends. They understand the daily struggle of meeting the needs of a diverse group of students, but they also speak the science of evidence based practices to improve learning for all students. Bringing Molly Ness to Indiana for our ISLA Conference event was a 2024 highlight! My IUK students and I enjoyed hearing additional ideas to intentionally improve instruction during class read alouds. If you haven't heard her speak, I recommend her RTI Oregon presentation. If you are close to West Lafayette, Indiana, I suggest joining us in June for our Rocking Read Alouds Summer Celebration. When I speak with other Educators about Dr. Ness' book, Read Alouds for All Learners, three key ideas quickly become the center of discussion:

1. She encourages educators to think of read-alouds as an opportunity to model fluent reading, demonstrate thinking aloud, and encourage student interaction with the text. My advice is to dig into Dialogic Reading!

2. By reading aloud diverse genres and topics, teachers can spark curiosity, model excitement about books, and create a shared reading experience that encourages students to become lifelong learners. Some students may end up avoiding reading at all costs, but reading aloud provides them with the opportunity to engage in discussions & learning they wouldn't otherwise pursue for themselves (I know, it is hard to accept that some students just will not like reading -- ever). My oldest daughter still speaks highly of the history teacher that read picture books to teach content standards. 

3. Read alouds build an inclusive classroom environment. Ness emphasizes the importance of differentiating read-alouds to meet the diverse needs in our classrooms. This involves adjusting the pacing, language complexity, and level of support during the read-aloud to ensure that all learners, including those with disabilities or language barriers, can engage with the text.  My youngest daughter with autism frequently mimics the read aloud procedure of her teachers. I can always tell if she is in an environment that introduces her to the procedures of actively listening to & discussing a story. 

If you are looking to improve your read aloud craft and/or instruction, if you are looking for validation of intentionally using read alouds for classroom instruction, Dr. Molly Ness and her resources are the answer!