Scripted Programs Limiting Your Read Alouds? Here's What Works!
Schoolutions: Curious Educators. Evidence-Based Strategies. Classrooms Where Every Child Thrives.
01/23/26
•21m
About
Comments
Transcript
Featured In
In Part Two of my S5E21 @schoolutionspodcast conversation, literacy expert Maria Walther focuses on the power of the read aloud. This episode offers more teaching strategies for educators and builds on our Part One conversation. Discover how incorporating read aloud stories and read aloud books can enhance reading instruction and foster a love for storytime in your classroom.
What You'll Learn:
✅ The Monday-Friday Sandwich Strategy for integrating picture books with curriculum
✅ How to plan strategic read-alouds (before, during, after reading)
✅ Why real books create bonds that videos cannot replicate
✅ How to select and teach tier-two vocabulary for active learning
✅ Planning 3-5 strategic questions instead of interrupting every page
✅ Reading books across multiple days for deeper student participation and attention in class
✅ Connecting read-aloud to writing workshop and oral language
✅ How caregivers can support education at home through read-aloud
💫Check out Part One (https://youtu.be/q-E19vZ1XCk) if you missed it on Monday
Some Resources Mentioned:
📚 The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
📚 Isabel Beck's work on tier-two vocabulary
📚 Maria Walther's website with book lists and PD protocols
Chapters
0:00 - Welcome to Part 2: The Power of Read Aloud
01:00 - Why Read Aloud Is NOT a Luxury
02:00 - Recap of Part 1 & Today's Focus
03:00 - The Monday-Friday Sandwich Strategy
05:00 - Where to Find Picture Books: Library & Resources
06:00 - Grade-Level Planning & Joyful Book Selection PD
07:00 - Strategic Read Aloud Planning: Before, During, After
09:00 - When to Pause: Reading Student Readiness
10:00 - Why Real Books Beat Video Read-Alouds
11:00 - Building Connection Through Read Aloud
12:00 - Selecting Tier-Two Vocabulary Words
13:00 - Connecting Read Aloud to Writing Workshop
14:00 - Reading 3-5 Books Daily: Making Time for What Matters
15:00 - Strategically Savoring: Pre-Planning vs. Pure Joy Reading
16:00 - Leading vs. Facilitating Conversations
17:00 - Maria's Dream: Read Aloud in Every Classroom Daily
18:00 - This Week's Challenge: Try the Strategies
19:00 - Next Week Preview: Writer's Play Shop with Katie Kier
20:00 - Wrap-Up & Resources
Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child.
🎧 New episodes every Monday & Friday with bite-sized Wednesday reel bonus content.
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
Don't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators!
Next Episode Preview: Kindergarten teacher Katie Kier on Writer's Play Shop - transforming 5-year-olds into confident authors!
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
Previous Episode
No Big Books? No Problem!
January 21
•0m
In this reel clip, we discuss the essential components of shared reading and why it needs to be updated. Many classrooms lack traditional materials, impacting effective teaching strategies. Maria Walther also shares reading tips for creating a more engaging and impactful literacy experience for students.
Shared reading doesn't have to disappear from your classroom just because big books are hard to find! Maria Walther even reveals why shared reading is slipping away in classrooms and shares a game-changing solution that uses materials you already have on your shelf.
Discover how to transform your existing picture books into powerful shared reading tools, boosting student engagement, student participation, and active learning without spending a dime on new materials. This innovative teaching approach brings fresh life to effective teaching practices and proves that the best instructional strategies often come from reimagining what's already in your classroom.
🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS:
• Why shared reading has been disappearing from classrooms
• How to use picture books for shared reading instead of big books
• Practical strategies for student motivation and attention in class
• Cost-effective solutions for inspiring students through literacy
🚀📚 Watch the full Part One & Part Two of our @schoolutionspodcast S5E21 interview.
0:00 - Why Shared Reading Needs Shaking Up
0:08 - The Real Problem with Shared Reading
0:18 - Big Books Are Disappearing from Classrooms
0:28 - Shared Reading Started Slipping Away
0:38 - The Picture Book Solution
0:48 - Using Read Aloud Books for Shared Reading
0:58 - It's the Materials, Not the Method
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
Don't forget to 👍LIKE this video if it helped you, 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators!
#SharedReading #TeachingTips #LiteracyInstruction #ElementaryTeachers #EducationStrategies #StudentEngagement #ClassroomStrategies #ProfessionalDevelopment #InstructionalCoaching #TeacherLife
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
Next Episode
Stories Live Everywhere: The Writers Playshop Approach
January 26
•25m
Part One of my S5E22 @schoolutionspodcast conversation, Katie Keier shares how her Writers Playshop is changing kindergarten writing through play. Learn about effective teaching strategies and how to create a dynamic classroom environment where children thrive.
In this episode, 33-year veteran teacher Katie Keier shares how a five-year-old revolutionized her entire approach to teaching writing. Discover why she refuses to spell words for children, how materials serve as story catalysts, and why black pens matter more than you think.
Researchers & Educators:
➡️Katie Wood Ray
➡️Donald Graves
➡️Lucy Calkins
➡️Nancy Atwell
➡️Matt Glover
➡️Loris Malaguzzi
➡️Vivian Gussin Paley
➡️Susan Harris MacKay and teachers at OPAL School
➡️Carl Anderson
Books & Publications:
➡️Catching Readers Before They Fall
➡️Catching Readers Blog
➡️Writers Playshop: Joyful Play in Kindergarten
Pedagogical Approaches:
➡️Reggio Emilia Approach
➡️The Hundred Languages in Ministories (Reggio Emilia concept)
➡️OPAL School Story Workshops
CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Introduction: Welcome to Solutions Teaching Strategies
1:00 - Katie's Background & the Birth of Writer's Play Shop
3:00 - Meet Katie Keier: 33 Years of Teaching Excellence
4:00 - Research Foundations: Standing on Giants' Shoulders
6:00 - From Writers Workshop to Writers Playshop
7:00 - Stories Live Everywhere: First Day of Kindergarten
9:00 - Materials as Story Catalysts: Invitations to Create
11:00 - Structure & Time: How Writer's Play Shop Works Daily
13:00 - The Teacher's Role: Curious Audience & Support
14:00 - Joy & Infinite Possibilities in Kindergarten
15:00 - Why Katie Never Spells Words for Children
17:00 - Ownership & Agency: Children Reading Their Own Work
18:00 - Representational Drawing & Multilingual Learners
19:00 - Lightning Round: Misconceptions About Kindergarten Writers
20:00 - Essential Materials: Black Pens, Blank Books, Loose Parts
21:00 - Meeting Standards Through Meaningful Writing
23:00 - Building Confidence: From Kindergarten to High School
24:00 - Closing & Preview of Part Two
🎧 New episodes every Monday & Friday with bite-sized Wednesday reel bonus content.
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl
When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.
If you like this episode you’ll love
Promoted