A Comparison between Preschool Teachers' Read-Aloud Techniques with Fictional and Informational Picture Books in Small Groups

Western Michigan University, College of Education. 1903 West Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49008. Tel: 269-387-3498; Fax: 269-387-6272; Web site: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizons/

Y

23

Preschool Teachers; Reading Instruction; Teaching Methods; Reading Aloud to Others; Picture Books; Fiction; Multimedia Instruction; Individualized Instruction; Small Group Instruction; Nonfiction

0034-0502

Relatively little is known about preschool teachers' read-aloud techniques with informational picture books. The purpose of this investigation was to identify similarities and differences between preschool teachers' read-aloud techniques with fictional stories, which are commonly read in preschool, and informational texts. Instrumental case study and purposive sampling were employed to investigate the reading techniques of two White female teachers in one preschool classroom as they read in small groups with children two-and-a-half to five years old. In terms of similarities across genres, teachers made personal connections, prompted children to interpret pictures, used multimodal instruction, and differentiated instruction. In terms of key differences, when reading fictional stories, teachers scaffolded children's inferences and predictions, whereas for informational texts, teachers described academic vocabulary and content and focused on informational text features. Preschool teachers might expect to use a core set of reading techniques across texts and also differentiate according to the type of picture book.

As Provided

2021

EJ1296363