120 hr. TEFL Course Module 5-Speaking (Pt.9 Strategies for reading out loud in the classroom)

Module 5: Speaking

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5.2.2 Strategies for reading out loud in the classroom

There are a number of different ways that you can have your students read aloud to practice their proficiency with the language. Some of these strategies ask students to read in front of the class, some ask the student to read in front of a partner, and others ask the student to read out loud only for himself or herself. Each strategy has its merits and drawbacks, but reading out loud in any form will help your students improve their overall fluency in English.

Round robin reading: With this strategy, you make a game out of reading out loud, and students take turns reading a certain amount of text. This is a great way to get your students comfortable with reading out loud, but it can be difficult to motivate struggling students to read because of the stigma of reading in front of a group. This is also a great strategy for getting everyone involved in reading together, but it can hinder students who are stronger readers and have to wait for struggling readers to catch up.

Popcorn reading: Each student reads a certain amount of text out loud and then yells “popcorn” and picks a new student to read. This can be a good way to make sure everyone reads because the students are going to be better at keeping track of who has read and who hasn’t than you would be, and it frees you up to monitor and/or provide individual attention to struggling students. 

Combat reading: This is similar to popcorn reading except the goal of the students is to catch someone who is not paying attention. This can add a layer of fun to the activity, but be careful presenting reading as a punishment. That is not the best way to nurture lifelong readers.

Pick a name reading: This is the same as popcorn except instead of giving the students the power to select the next reader you leave it to chance by using some variation of a hat filled with everyone’s name.

Touch and go reading: The teacher is in control and touches a student on the shoulder when they want the student to read.