My first YouTube read-aloud

9/4/2024

Introducing Alma and How She Got Her Name to a seventh-grade class

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I tried something new in the classroom: I shared a read-aloud on YouTube.

Read-alouds are one of my favorite activities to lead in classrooms. I love to observe students’ curiosity when they encounter a meaningful, engaging book. I love hearing students’ ideas, questions, and takeaways in post-reading discussions. But most of all, I love bonding with students over a shared admiration for illustrations and characters. However, I have only shared books in their physical form.

While in Montevideo, I challenged myself to create an accessible guide on choosing and using children’s literature for Uruguayan English teachers. Many Uruguayan public schools do not have a school library in which teachers or students can borrow books to use in the classroom. There is limited access to physical books and literature resources. Therefore, I thought outside the box of strategies for sharing high-quality literature in Uruguayan schools. YouTube and audiobooks were the answer.

Across all the schools I visited across Uruguay, most had access to a television, internet (with sometimes spotty connection), and computers (every student has access to one due to their one-child-one-computer policy). Therefore, teachers could project a YouTube video read aloud on the classroom television. Through this media, they could still practice read-aloud strategies and engage students in listening activities. To promote reading comprehension and English understanding, teachers could type the book’s transcript and share it with students on Crea, their online class platform.

Although YouTube read-aloud sounded effective in theory, I wanted to observe one in practice. This idea led me to plan my first YouTube read-aloud of Alma and How She Got Her Name with my seventh-grade students in Maldonado. For context, the class had discussed family vocabulary for the past couple of weeks. This read-aloud quickly transformed into a class project.

Together, the students “read” the book three times:

The first read is to get to know the book and to listen without stopping. The first read is an introduction.
The second read is to gain understanding. Students charted Alma’s name with associated family members and their characteristics.
The third read is to deepen comprehension of the book’s message. Students followed along with the written transcript. At the end of this reading, we discussed how Alma’s feelings about her name changed throughout the book.

In the next class, students and I brainstormed a list of interview questions they would ask one family member. The purpose of this interview is to help students build connections between their family (either chosen or nuclear) and their identity, like Alma did. They will conduct the interviews in Spanish and bring notes to the next class. Then, my mentor and I will help translate their notes to create a short passage in English. In the end, students will create their own illustration reflective of the book’s style, including a short text.

Books, whether shared by YouTube or in physical form, are tools to expand students’ vocabulary, perspectives, and critical thinking skills. During the three readings, students scaffolded their vocabulary surrounding family members while applying critical thinking skills. They described Alma’s family members in detail and used the illustrations to support their comprehension of the story. Picture books are valuable tools in classrooms of all age groups (as long as the story is relevant and engaging)!

I cannot wait to continue this project with these seventh-graders and practice more read-aloud activities!

The lesson in action

Post-lesson Reflection

Upon reflection, I would change the project's expectations to accommodate students' diverse English levels. Like in the first photo example, some students wrote the passage and presented it with minimal assistance from classmates or translation tools.

However, several others needed help to create a paragraph of English text using their interview notes.
These students did not comprehend the meaning of their English text; they relied on translation tools and not their own English skills. Therefore, the objective of building a personal relationship with English using family connections is not fulfilled. The project was not accommodated to their English comprehension and production levels.

If I were to teach this lesson again, I would create leveled choices regarding the amount of text accompanying the visuals. For example, students with emerging English levels could label their photos and present what they know, so they still build a connection with English and their family member. Students gain confidence in their abilities and their independence with the language when their current English level is met and slightly challenged. This adapted activity aligns with their zone of proximal development.

Explore a free resource guide!

Do you want to learn more about building and using an engaging, enriching, and fun children's book collection for your English Language Learners? Explore this comprehensive guide developed in collaboration with Prof. Nícolas Brian and Prof. Cecilia de Nava, two of my outstanding mentor teachers in Uruguay.

*This guide was created with ELL teaching methodologies in mind, but many resources apply to all classroom environments.

*Some content in accessing children's literature and finding children's books applies only to Uruguayan English language teachers. This guide was originally developed to share with this specific community of educators.

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