Academic

 Language  in  Read  Alouds:  Book  Selection  Checklist  

 
 
Question   Check  
Are  the  materials  authentic?  Authentic  materials  are  written  to  inform  or  entertain,  not  to  teach  a    
grammar  point  or  a  letter-­‐sound  correspondence.  
Is  the  language  of  the  text  natural?    When  there  are  only  a  few  words  on  a  page,  do  these  limited-­‐text    
books  sound  like  real  language,  something  people  really  say?    If  the  book  was  translated,  how  good  is  the  
translation?  
Is  the  language  level  appropriate  for  my  student?    Think  about  the  language  descriptor  levels  and    
where  approximately  your  student  is.    Try  to  pick  texts  that  are  more  challenging  than  your  student  can  
read  independently,  but  comprehensible  with  your  assistance.    Think  also  about  the  number  of  difficult  
vocabulary  words  and  sentence  structures  used.    Make  sure  the  language  is  at  a  level  that  will  be  
accessible  to  your  student.  
Is  the  text  predictable?  (If  not,  you  may  need  to  build  background  knowledge  to  help  make  the  text    
predictable  for  your  student)  
• For  emergent  readers:  Books  are  more  predictable  when  they  follow  certain  patterns  (repetitive,  
cumulative)  or  include  certain  devices  (rhyme,  rhythm,  alliteration)  
• For  developing  readers:  Books  are  more  predictable  when  students  are  familiar  with  text  
structures  (beginning,  middle,  end;  problem-­‐solution;  main  idea,  details,  examples)  and  books  are  
more  predictable  when  students  are  familiar  with  text  features  (headings,  subheadings,  maps,  
labels,  graphs,  tables,  indexes,  etc.)  
Is  there  a  good  text-­‐picture  match?  A  good  match  provides  nonlinguistic  visual  cues  and  has  the    
pictures  in  a  predictable  place  in  the  text.  
Are  the  materials  interesting  and/or  imaginative?  Interesting,  imaginative  texts  engage  students.      
Consider  you  student’s  interests  in  particular.  
Do  the  situations  and  characters  in  the  book  represent  the  experiences  and  background  of  your    
student?    Culturally  relevant  texts  engage  students  and  will  help  your  student  participate  in  a  discussion  
with  you  about  the  text.  
Is  the  content  age-­‐appropriate  and  meaningful  to  my  student?    
Is  the  book  cognitively  demanding?    Student’s  language  levels  will  not  always  match  their  cognitive    
abilities.    Be  sure  to  help  your  student  develop  language  and  higher-­‐order  thinking  skills  as  you  work  on  
this  project.  
Is  this  book  a  good  fit  with  other  books  you  have  read?    Be  sure  to  pick  a  variety  of  books,  aiming  for    
half  to  be  fiction  and  half  to  be  non-­‐fiction,  from  different  genres  and  authors.    Also  try  to  make  as  many  
connections  between  the  different  texts  as  possible.  
Is  this  book  (or  text  passage)  the  right  length  for  my  student?    
Can  this  text  be  a  preview  or  review  of  a  text  that  has  been,  or  will  be  used,  in  the  class?  Talk  with    
your  CT  and  decide  if  you  should  use  this  time  to  prepare  the  student  to  be  more  successful  with  texts  
encountered  in  class.  
Does  the  book  lend  itself  to  a  curriculum  theme?    
Does  my  student  have  (or  can  I  provide)  the  necessary  background  knowledge  for    
comprehension?  
Is  the  level  of  abstractness  appropriate?    
Is  the  text  complete  in  itself?    Or  has  the  author  assumed  a  lot  of  information  and  inferencing    
skills?  
Does  the  book  match  the  student’s  needs  and/or  educational  goals?    
Does  the  book  lend  itself  to  a  follow-­‐up  activity?    
 
 
Adapted  from:  
• http://taraconference.org/handouts2006/freemansDevelopingReadingProficiencyforEnglishlanguagelearners.htm    By:  Yvonne  S.  Freeman  and  
David.  E.  Freeman  
• Heatherington,  A.  (1985).    Assessing  the  suitability  of  reading  materials  for  ESL  students.    TESL  Canada  Journal,  3,  37-­‐52.  
 
Created  by  Kara  Mitchell  for  the  Boston  College  Read  Aloud  Project  Program  sponsored  by  the  BC  Practicum  Office  and  Title  III  Grant.