Elementary Library

Considerations for Selecting a Nonfiction Read-Aloud

1) ​ Start with the core standards. What are you trying to teach? Your chosen read-aloud should support knowledge acquisition or skill development.

2) ​ Choose an engaging topic with some kind of hook to grab the attention of your students.

3) ​ Seek out highly visual books. Whether illustrations or photographs, students should be able to see the illustrations from their seats. If the illustrations or photographs are highly detailed, consider using a document camera to project the book. 4) ​ Choose a book with text that is succinct or that can be shortened and still understood. It is not necessary, and often inadvisable, to read the entirety of a nonfiction book in one sitting. Each of the five types of nonfiction are appropriate for reading aloud. 5) ​ Choose a book that utilizes text features in an organized manner. Do headings, subheadings, callout blocks, and key words enhance the readability or distract the audience from the main message?

Learn More: Nurturing the Inquiring Mind Through the Nonfiction Read-Aloud by Tony Stead

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