Why Read-Alouds Still Matter: Research-Backed Benefits for Every Learner with Molly Ness

Sara

I know so many of you are on a journey to align your instruction with the science of reading. You want to make every lesson effective and help your students become skilled and confident readers. But let’s be honest, the steps to getting there aren’t always so clear. Now, if you’re anything like me, your Science of Reading journey has you learning new terms like morphology and orthographic mapping, and you’re starting to understand how to teach syllable types to your students and the important role that syntax plays in comprehension.

And while you’re starting to grasp all these important components of literacy that you need to focus on in your classroom, you might wonder if something as simple as a read-aloud still holds a place in a Science of Reading-aligned classroom. So, if you’ve ever questioned what the research says about the effectiveness of read-alouds in an elementary classroom, then you’re in for a real treat.

Today, I’m thrilled to be joined by researcher and author Dr. Molly Ness, who is an expert on all things read-alouds. She’s the author of Read-Alouds for All Learners and Think Big with Think-Alouds, and she’s published influential research articles, including Facilitating Reading Comprehension Through Read-Alouds. As you can guess, she has a lot to share about the role read-alouds play in the elementary classroom. I’m so excited for you to hear this conversation. Let’s go ahead and jump right in.

Hi, Molly. Thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today.

Molly

Thanks for having me.

Sara

Yeah, so I got to hear Molly speak at the Reading League Conference, and she did a wonderful session all about comprehension. That session sent me on a deep dive into looking up some of her articles and books, and she has such a wealth of knowledge about comprehension strategies, read-alouds, and how teachers can use them effectively. So, I am so excited to have this conversation on our podcast today.

Molly

Me too, because as we learn even more about the science of reading and ensure our schools provide instruction aligned with it, we have to understand that it’s not just about word identification—it encompasses all the richness of language comprehension as well.

Sara

Absolutely. One of the things I love, and I know you discuss this a lot in your book and articles, is that reading aloud remains incredibly important in upper elementary. I think as we’ve shifted away from balanced literacy, many teachers worried that the read-aloud was something that had to go with it, and there wouldn’t be room for it in a classroom aligned to the science of reading. Can you talk a little about why the read-aloud is still such an important part of the upper elementary—or just elementary literacy—classroom, and what some of the benefits are?

Molly

Sure. When I talk about read-alouds, people are often excited because many teachers say, “I love doing the read-aloud, and my kids love it!” Then, when I share the research around its benefits—linguistically, academically, socio-emotionally, and even physiologically—they feel validated.

We have to be mindful that there’s a long-standing, robust body of research showing the benefits of read-alouds. When we talk about the science of reading, it’s a long-standing body of research. For example, government reports like Becoming a Nation of Readers from 1985 state that reading aloud is the single best activity we can do to build our kids’ knowledge and literacy skills. The benefits of read-alouds are far-reaching and extend well beyond what we traditionally think of as early childhood classrooms.

We know that when students are read to, it increases their expressive vocabulary, self-efficacy, and sense of themselves as readers. When kids listen to read-alouds, they are more likely to become independent readers. Read-alouds also serve as a springboard for their own writing. I’ve even come across some truly mind-blowing research showing the physiological benefits of read-alouds.

There’s an amazing 2021 study that looked at chronically hospitalized children divided into two groups. These kids were in pediatric units for conditions like childhood leukemia or other significant medical challenges. One group played games, did riddles, and solved puzzles, while the other group listened to stories being read aloud. Biometric data showed that in the read-aloud group, the feel-good chemical oxytocin—released when you hug someone or snuggle your dog—increased, while cortisol, the stress chemical, decreased.

Additionally, the kids themselves used the pain scale—the one with a series of smiley faces ranging from green happy faces for low pain to red grimacing faces for high pain—to self-report their pain levels. After the read-alouds, these children reported significantly lower pain levels. That’s incredible. We didn’t give them any medication or change their treatments; we simply read to them. If we can take kids in psychologically challenging environments like hospitals and see such significant results, imagine what read-alouds can do for classrooms.

Most people feel validated when they learn about this long-standing body of research. It’s wonderful when research confirms our gut instincts. Teachers often tell me, “You’re giving me permission to continue doing read-alouds.” Read-alouds build language comprehension and help kids understand how to use language. They expose kids to rich vocabulary, and the sophistication of the vocabulary in books—whether picture books or middle-grade novels—is far richer in breadth and depth than the language kids hear daily. There are just so many reasons to incorporate read-alouds every day and across all content areas.

Sara

Of course, I love hearing this. I’m no longer in the classroom, but when I was, reading aloud to my students was one of my favorite things—both for instructional purposes and just for the fun of it. I can definitely relate to the teachers who are like, “Okay, good. I can still have a science of reading-aligned classroom and read aloud to my students.”

So, we know that read-alouds are beneficial, and we know that a lot of teachers are using read-alouds in their classrooms. But one of the things that was an aha moment for me as I was reading through your book is that many teachers aren’t using them daily to maximize their impact, right? What are some of the trends you see in how read-alouds are actually being used in classrooms?

Molly

When we think about read-alouds, I made the mistake as an initial classroom teacher of not really planning my read-alouds. I knew which book I was going to read—I was in a middle school classroom, so I was reading chapter books—and maybe I’d know how many pages or chapters I was going to read. But that was the extent of my planning. And I think that’s pretty common.

In fact, there’s a research study that shows 50 to 70% of teachers don’t intentionally plan their read-alouds. So what? What’s the impact of not planning? Well, there’s a subsequent study that looks at the richness of teacher language and the ways we ask our students to engage during impromptu read-alouds. Not surprisingly, we skim the surface of instructional opportunities when we don’t plan. We often choose vocabulary that isn’t the richest or most impactful, fail to identify background knowledge that might be essential for comprehension, and focus on surface-level tasks like clarifying or summarizing.

The takeaway is that when we’re not intentionally planning our read-alouds, we miss significant instructional benefits. I introduce an explicit planning process that asks us to first evaluate the text we’re going to read aloud. Consider what background knowledge the text assumes students have and where we can intentionally build their comprehension through think-alouds, rather than just assessing comprehension with questions.

Sara

I know! That was one of the things that stood out to me when I heard you speak at The Reading League. You talked about how, when we ask questions during a read-aloud, we’re actually assessing rather than teaching. That realization was like, “Oh my gosh, you’re so right!”

I know I’m going to ask you more about think-alouds later in our conversation, but I read your article, and you summarized parts of it where you said a 2017 survey revealed that 50 to 70% of respondents did not allot intentional planning time for their read-alouds. Research indicates that when teachers don’t intentionally plan their read-aloud discussions, they’re more likely to ask surface-level questions, clarify content, or request simple summaries, rather than facilitating rich text reflections or reactions.

You shared a little about what intentional planning looks like, but I’m curious—should we avoid surface-level tasks like asking clarifying questions or requesting summaries? Is there a place for those, or should we skip them and focus on vocabulary, think-alouds, and activating background knowledge? Where’s the balance?

Molly

When I answer questions like this, I always look to the research. I don’t know of any research that says a read-aloud must be X, Y, or Z. So, I think there’s a place for surface-level tasks, but I want to draw attention to the idea that if we’re only staying on the surface, we’re missing deeper instructional opportunities.

I encourage teachers to reflect on their read-alouds: What language are you using? What’s your intentionality in planning? Maybe, like me, you were just planning how many pages to read without leaning into deeper intentionality. Now that you’re aware of this, how can you shift your approach to reach those richer levels of language comprehension?

Sara

Yeah, I was definitely that teacher. I’d think, “All right, we have time for a read-aloud. Let me grab my book,” and we’d just sort of go with the flow. I always said I was “teaching from the heart,” exploring things as they came up.

I know you mentioned a few things already, but do you have any additional tips or suggestions for teachers? What should they focus on in terms of activating background knowledge, how many think-alouds to include, or what intentional planning for a read-aloud should look like?

Molly

Yeah. When I think about my intentional planning, I really want to set my kids up for success before I’ve even read a page of the book. So much of that involves being aware of potential comprehension breakdowns, particularly with background knowledge. We really have to take a text and critically examine it to ask, “What do my kids need to know to be successful?”

For example, the book I often talk about is Mo Willems’ picture book Knuffle Bunny, which takes place in a laundromat. If you’re a child who has never been to a laundromat—maybe you have a washer and dryer at home—then that gap in background knowledge is already chipping away at your comprehension. But in less than a minute, I can build your background knowledge before reading and set you up for success.

I could go to Google Images, pull up a picture, and explain: “This is a laundromat. A laundromat is the setting of this book. It’s a place where people go to do their laundry.” Right away, I’ve front-loaded that knowledge to minimize comprehension breakdowns and set you up for success, all before even cracking open the spine of the book. This isn’t a lengthy teaching process; it’s quick and intentional.

Sara

Yeah, I love that you mentioned this because I think sometimes when teachers hear, “Oh my gosh, I need to be intentionally planning for a read-aloud,” they feel overwhelmed, thinking, “I don’t have time to plan for anything else!” And that feeling is valid. But it’s so helpful to recognize that it doesn’t take long to plan how to activate background knowledge or identify vocabulary words. These things can happen relatively quickly—both on the teacher’s side and when brought into the classroom.

Now, I know in both your article and your book, you emphasize the important role of background knowledge in comprehension. You briefly touched on this earlier, but can you explain why it’s so vital during the read-aloud and how teachers can effectively plan for it?

Molly

Sure. As I explain this, I also want to talk a little about the concept of “funds of knowledge.” It’s an older term in the research, but it’s not as familiar as the term “background knowledge.” Background knowledge is having a moment in the spotlight for its critical role in comprehension.

Think of background knowledge as Velcro—it helps us connect new information to what we already know. When we know a little about something, we’re more likely to absorb and make sense of incoming information. It’s also one of the key reasons why comprehension can break down, so it’s important to be aware of that.

We often think of background knowledge as factual knowledge—what you know about domains like social studies, marine biology, or music. But there’s also a broader set of knowledge that’s essential for being a successful reader and navigating everyday life.

In 1992, researchers wrote about “funds of knowledge,” a concept I came to relatively late but found fascinating. It shifts what can often be a deficit-based perspective to an asset-focused one. These researchers studied children from migrant families living in the Rio Grande Valley of Mexico and Texas. Often, these kids were viewed through a deficit lens, with people assuming, “They’ve never been on a plane to Europe, they’ve never been to an art gallery, they don’t go to summer camp or horseback riding.”

The researchers, however, highlighted the vast amount of knowledge these children possessed about their communities, neighborhoods, and cultures. They were incredibly smart and resourceful in navigating their worlds. For instance, one family couldn’t afford a mechanic when their car broke down, so they bartered services with a neighbor—offering house cleaning and laundry in exchange for car repairs.

This knowledge, which they termed “funds of knowledge,” represents the practical, social, and cultural intelligence people use to navigate their lives. It reframes how we view students’ knowledge—showing that these funds of knowledge are not just assets but are also reflected in books. Understanding the social worlds, environments, or settings of characters is crucial for comprehension.

So, I think about knowledge not just in terms of factual information but also in terms of the human experience—how we exist and navigate our particular social spheres. That’s the essence of funds of knowledge.

Sara

I love that. I remember the first time I heard about funds of knowledge was when I heard you speak at the Reading League. When you explained the difference, I thought, “I love this idea.” Sometimes we view a lack of background knowledge as a deficit, but we all have these funds of knowledge, and they’re different for everybody. I just love the perspective that we can recognize the knowledge our students already have. Even if they don’t know much about science or social studies, they have knowledge we can tap into. I think if we’re strategic about identifying read alouds, we can help students see that their funds of knowledge can help them comprehend and understand the characters, the setting, and the events in a story. I love that you shared that.

Molly

Yeah, and I think it’s interesting. When I came across this research—again, this is from 1992, so it’s not new.

Sara

It’s been around for a minute.

Molly

Exactly. I try to stay on top of research. I went through a PhD program where I had to read a lot of literature, and I think, “Why didn’t I know about this particular topic?” As someone deeply entrenched in the field, why hadn’t I come across this? I think it’s an interesting conversation when you consider critical literacy—whose voices get amplified, who gets lifted up, and why this particular notion and research, which focuses on a specific population of students, wasn’t more widely known. I know some of the researchers who wrote about this have since passed away, so I’m trying to do what I can to leverage their work. I think it’s brilliant writing, and it didn’t get the spotlight it so deserves.

Sara

Thank you for bringing that to my audience. I think they’ll benefit from understanding the difference between funds of knowledge and background knowledge.

I’ve been so excited to talk with you about the role of think alouds. When I heard you speak at the Reading League, you emphasized that when we ask questions during a read aloud, we’re really assessing. But when we want to use a read aloud as an instructional, comprehension-building approach, a think aloud is such an effective strategy. Can you explain what a think aloud is and why it’s such a powerful tool for helping students build comprehension?

Molly

Sure, my background in think alouds actually started as a doctoral student in grad school. I read Dolores Durkin’s research, which was conducted in 1978–1979. She went into classrooms and observed, I believe, fourth-grade instruction—almost 4,000 minutes of classroom instruction—to see how classroom time was being used. She found that only 1% of classroom time was dedicated to building comprehension or explicit instruction in comprehension. I think about that all the time, because if you ask most teachers, they’ll say they want to build their students’ ability to understand text. That’s what most of us, as lifelong proficient readers, do on a daily basis. We read to understand. Yet here we are, saying that very little classroom time is actually spent building comprehension.

When we think about building comprehension, we really need to focus on teacher modeling, which is where think alouds come in. A think aloud is essentially a small shift in the language that many of us are already using, but it’s kind of mind-blowing when you realize the intentionality behind it. So often, we ask our students questions during a read aloud: “Where is the character going?” or “What do you think is going to happen next?” Those questions are great for facilitating oral language and checking whether students are understanding, but I want to be clear—they don’t actually build understanding. I’m not helping my students better comprehend a text by simply asking them questions. If I want to use a read aloud to build comprehension, my time is better spent doing a think aloud.

A think aloud is when I open up my mind and use teacher language—first-person, narrative language—to model my thinking. It’s like giving students a movie of all the internal processes I, as a reader, use to understand text. I might say something like, “I’m getting the sense that…” to model how I’m making an inference, or “I wish I could ask the author…” to show how I’m generating a question. Most of us already use think alouds to teach any skill. If you’ve ever taught a kindergartner how to tie their shoelaces, you’ve done a think aloud: “First, I’m going to take two laces. Then I’m going to make loops. Watch as I make bunny ears.” That’s a think aloud because I’m literally modeling the behaviors and actions I’m using to complete a skill.

When it comes to comprehension, think alouds are about unpacking this internal process. One of my favorite articles about think alouds is called You Can Read This, I’ll Show You How, and I love that title. I’ll show you how—that’s exactly what a think aloud is. I’m giving students the language of what I’m doing inside my head to make meaning, so they can better understand not just the text we’re currently reading but also apply those strategies to their own reading.

Sara

I love that. I think so many teachers were already doing think alouds, but as they began aligning their instruction with the science of reading, they might have felt like they couldn’t use them anymore—almost as if think alouds were associated solely with balanced literacy. I love hearing that they are actually a really effective way to build comprehension. You mentioned some specific language teachers can use, like, “I wish I could ask the author,” to indicate they have a question. What are some other practical things teachers can do when planning and modeling their think alouds for students?

Molly

Sure. The first thing I want to do is examine my text for potential comprehension breakdowns. I want to lean into those moments where I think, Oh, this part could be confusing. If I know something is going to be confusing, that’s where I do a think aloud. For example, let’s take the middle-grade novel Holes, which so many of us know and love. That book can be confusing because it has two timelines. The author assumes the reader is able to make the jump between those two timelines, but many kids struggle with that. So I identify that as a potential comprehension breakdown. If there’s a chance that students’ comprehension could go off track, I’ll front-load with a think aloud. For instance, I might say, Oh, I’m noticing here that the author is switching to the story that takes place a long time ago, not the current story with Stanley and his friends at Camp Green Lake. I’m literally taking those tricky parts and unpacking them with a think aloud.

When we think about the role of think alouds in the science of reading, it’s important to remember that the science of reading is a long-standing body of research, and the research around think alouds is also long-standing. We have extensive evidence—and I’m happy to share any of that research with listeners—showing how think alouds improve comprehension for students of all ages, from young children to college-level readers. It doesn’t matter the genre or format; the research supports the effectiveness of think alouds. As we work to align our practices with the science of reading, we must also remember that alignment isn’t just about phonics and decoding. It’s about integrating research-based practices like think alouds to support comprehension.

Sara

Yeah, I love that. You mentioned that read alouds aren’t a substitute for explicit instruction in teaching reading, but given their importance, where do you see read alouds best fitting into a literacy block or an overall instructional plan?

Molly

Great question. When I say read alouds are not explicit teaching, I want to be very clear. I’m not saying, Oh, let’s just do a read aloud and assume that’s going to give my students phonemic awareness and all the rich, explicit instruction we know is necessary to build the neural pathways of the reading brain. Instead, I see read alouds as an opportunity to leverage complex, sophisticated texts—often above my students’ grade level—and read those texts aloud to them.

When I read aloud, I’m removing the difficulty of word identification. I’m saying, I’ll take that off your plate. I’ll do the work of lifting the words off the page for you. This allows me to focus on building their language comprehension. By reading aloud texts that are above grade level, I tap into the fact that listening comprehension outpaces reading comprehension until about seventh or eighth grade. Reading aloud gives students exposure to richer vocabulary, more background knowledge, and complex language structures that are essential for developing skilled readers.

I’m always amazed by the notion that listening comprehension outpaces reading comprehension until kids are around 13 years old. To me, that’s a constant reminder, especially when working with younger students, that we not only should read aloud texts that are sophisticated but that we have to. By doing so, we provide students with access to vocabulary, language, and background knowledge they wouldn’t encounter on their own.

Sara

So it sounds like there really should be more time dedicated to these read-aloud experiences in the classroom, as opposed to giving students more independent reading time, because of the benefits that come from building their listening comprehension skills.

Molly

Yeah, I mean, particularly with my K through two kids. Of course, I want to build vocabulary and language comprehension through those read-alouds, but I also want to give my kids explicit time to transfer their word identification skills to decodable text. Taking a first grader, for example, who is really entrenched in beginning reading but isn’t yet fluent—they are working so hard to lift the words off the page that their comprehension is compromised. They’re not going to pick up vocabulary and comprehension just through reading their early readers or similar texts. I need to make sure I’m building those upper-level skills of Scarborough’s Reading Rope through my read-alouds.

Sara

That’s awesome. I love it. I love hearing your approach to reading aloud. And again, I feel like teachers are going to feel so affirmed that this is something they need to continue doing in their classrooms. So if teachers could take away one piece of advice about read-alouds from your book or research, what would you want that to be?

Molly

I want people to understand that it’s not a luxury. It’s not an, Oh, when my kids behave really well, or when they earn points for their behavior, then they get a read-aloud. It’s also not something we can push aside when our time is running short. It is not a waste of instructional time. I hear that a lot—that it’s a luxury or something teachers will get to when they have time. I see it as a must-do, have-to-do, should-do, want-to-do, and get-to-do.

And I think it’s really affirming when we understand that read-alouds are essential. Then we can return to that place where we’re like, Oh, my kids love it. I love it. And now I understand all of the components. I want to make sure that read-alouds happen in every classroom, every day.

Also, a read-aloud might not look like what you might think of as your grandmother’s read-aloud—the teacher in a rocking chair with every kid on the carpet. It may not be a picture book read from start to finish. In a fourth-grade social studies class, for example, you could take a letter from a soldier written during the American Revolution and read that aloud. You can do a read-aloud in math—there’s a fair amount of research that shows when we read aloud in math, we increase kids’ computational and problem-solving abilities.

So, it’s cross-content. It doesn’t have to be a book read from start to finish. It doesn’t have to be 15 minutes in one sitting. I worked with a gym teacher who was always introducing new games and sports by explaining the rules. He asked, Why am I always just talking through the rules? Why don’t I take the U.S. Volleyball Association rules and read them aloud to my kids as I introduce volleyball? He could think aloud, unpack the rules, and use that as a read-aloud text.

There are so many different and engaging ways to do read-alouds. It’s not just a kindergarten teacher in a rocking chair with a picture book.

Sara

I love that, and I hope that as teachers are listening to this, their wheels are starting to turn about how they can be more creative with finding time to read aloud to their students, because we know it’s so incredibly important.

Molly

Yeah, I love reading aloud from page-a-day calendars. There are so many books now—actually, I have a ninth grader at home, and as she eats breakfast and packs up her backpack every day, we have a book that is literally “Today in History.” You open up to the date, and there’s a paragraph about what happened on this day in history. I read aloud from that, and it takes, you know, one to three minutes, but I’m building her social studies knowledge, giving her background knowledge, and filling what otherwise might be downtime with a meaningful read-aloud.

Sara

I love it. That’s amazing, Molly. Thank you so much for joining me today. If my listeners want to either read some of your work or connect with you online, what’s the best way to find you?

Molly

Sure, you can find my website at drmollyness.com. I’m happy to share any research. I always joke that I will happily violate copyright law for listeners and share research articles. I strongly believe that research should be readily available to the people who need it most—classroom teachers. Don’t tell my sister, who is a copyright lawyer, but if you’re interested in any of the research, reach out to me. I’ll happily share articles so you can become a more informed teacher and share them with your colleagues to continue the learning.

Sara

And I can confirm that Molly will do that because I reached out to her after the Reading League conference, and I was like, Hey, could you share some of the articles you mentioned? She sent me a long list of them. So, if you’re interested in learning more, definitely reach out to her. Again, Molly, thank you so much for joining me today.

Molly

My pleasure. Thanks for the work that you do.