Read-Aloud in Middle School: Impacting Reading Scores

When I chose to research read-aloud, it was due in part because I found it to work so well in my own middle school classroom. However, I seldom saw any other teachers in the middle or high school level doing it. When I moved into a supervisory position and would model lessons for teachers, I would often utilize read-aloud and they were always skeptical, often saying that it was an “elementary” technique or “the kids won’t go for it”. More often than not, those teachers were shocked by how well the students responded not only with behavior, but with participation and their level of responses. But, I'm not alone: “Some middle grades teachers might be concerned that read-alouds will make their students passive or dependent, but reading aloud to students actually whets their appetite for reading on their own” (Rycik & Irvin, 2005, p. 105).