Interactive read alouds are an important component of a balanced literacy classroom. Research proves the value of reading aloud to students of all ages, and shows that students benefit from being read aloud to several times throughout the week.
Thoughtful planning of an interactive read aloud lesson plan template is critical for its success. Teachers should select a text that is both meaningful and engaging to students, while considering how the text will support lessons, units, or themes that the class works on during the year. Thought-provoking questions are essential to every interactive read aloud. Using the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy Cognitive Dimensions is one way to ensure students will take part in a variety of discussions from understanding the plot of the story to analyzing the author’s message.
This lesson is an example of an interactive read aloud of a picture book that can be modified to use with grades K–5. Text-dependent questions are provided based on the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy Cognitive Dimensions in order to promote higher levels of text discussion.
What an inspirational book! After reading Emmanuel's Dream– The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson & Sean Qualls I went right to my 5th grade colleagues because I knew this book had to be added to our 'Disabilities and Acceptance Unit.' They agreed and now Emmanuel's message continues to spread with each read aloud.
Born in Ghana, West Africa, with one deformed leg, he was dismissed by most people—but not by his mother, who taught him to reach for his dreams. As a boy, Emmanuel hopped to school more than two miles each way, learned to play soccer, left home at age thirteen to provide for his family, and, eventually, became a cyclist. He rode an astonishing four hundred miles across Ghana in 2001, spreading his powerful message: disability is not inability. Today, Emmanuel continues to work on behalf of the disabled.
Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah's story was turned into a film, Emmanuel's Gift, narrated by Oprah Winfrey.