Warning: This post contains spoilers for a popular elementary read aloud…

which… I mean… to be fair, the title is the spoiler. BUT you don’t know what the book is yet so there’s still time to turn back. Also… this post is kind of about spoilers so you might as well choose your side now.

I STILL remember the moment clear as day even though it has been over ten years. My class was at the end of an endearing, quick chapter book about the friendship between a boy and his dog - classic. Little Willy’s grandfather’s farm was in jeopardy due to a villainous tax man and the only way to save it was by winning the grand prize money in a dog sled race. Lucky for Willy, he and his dog, Searchlight, knew the track by heart.

The storyline and rising action were masterfully crafted and my entire class was collectively devouring the last chapter on the edge of our seats. We just HAD to know if Willy won the race and could save the farm. (Did I mention his grandfather had recently become really sick and bound to his bed?? I mean, a LOT is riding on this race.)

This brings us to the first page of the final chapter. The race was on and it was down to just Willy and Stone Fox, the seasoned Native American champion racer, battling for first place. They were neck and neck and Willy was in the lead but Stone Fox was gaining! They turned the corner and saw the finish line. There was a chance they might actually be able to save the farm!

And then I read this WITHOUT ANY WARNING to my sweet, angelic, unprepared third graders…

“Go, Searchlight! Go!” little Willy cried out.

Searchlight gave it everything she had.

She was a hundred feet from the finish line when her heart burst. She died instantly. There was no suffering.

The sled and little Willy tumbled over her, slid along the snow for a while, then came to a stop about ten feet from the finish line. It had started to snow—white snowflakes landed on Searchlight’s dark fur as she lay motionless on the ground.

Wait… WHAT?! Her heart BURST?!! Why was this chosen as a third grade read aloud???

You see, I, like most readers, tend to read faster during intense parts, eager to find out the ending so it took a second for me to realize what I just read. As my mouth dropped open in shock, I slowly looked up and watched as the same shock, horror, and anger started to ripple throughout the room. “She died??? Searchlight DIED? TEN FEET FROM THE FINISH LINE????”

I have since had many conversations with colleagues about the ending of this book and whether that was necessary, but that debate is not the point of this post (although you better believe I have opinions). The point is that NO ONE WARNED ME.

Then I realized… wait… is this why I was always told to preview the read aloud before reading it to students?

Ohhhhhh.

So, I guess that is the real question: As teachers, should we preview Read-Alouds… even if they are chapter books and that feels like a lot of work? Is it better to share the reader experience alongside our class or pre-read so that we are prepared?

In my opinion, previewing the read-aloud is always a good idea (don’t hate the messenger!). There are a slew of reasons other than just being prepared for shocking chapters that this might be important.

Take Aways…

5 Reasons to Preview Read-Alouds

Content. Some books might be on a Pinterest “Best Read-Alouds for 3rd Graders” list and you get into it and… maybe not the best fit for YOUR 3rd graders (I’m looking at you, Winn Dixie). It may not be that you throw out a book but you may need to avoid certain words, parts, or just choose to use excerpts as opposed to reading the entire story.
Reading level. Some books seem really enticing but when you start reading them, they are way above or below the average comprehension level of your class. (An example for my class was Junie B Jones - some crews love it but it was just too immature for my class to enjoy it.)
Interest. Some books just don’t hit like their book summaries promise. Some of that is due to personal preference and some books just aren’t built for large group read-alouds.
Length. Some books are just too long for a classroom read aloud depending on your time slot you have to read it (especially if you are trying to find one to fit within a certain unit). Check out the audiobook from the library or look on youtube for a reading of the book to get a feel for how long it will take you to read it to your class. If the audiobook is 16 hours long and you only have 10-15 minutes to devote to a read aloud each day… might not be the best choice.
Teachable Moments. Previewing the book will help you know how to get the most out of the book. You can flush out what chapters you can read together, which characters you might want to pay attention to, teaching points you can hit along the way, a feel for plot development, helpful questions to ask, etc.

Tips for a Quick Read-Aloud Preview

In a perfect world, we would be able to pre-read every read aloud and fill it with post-it notes full of teaching points and conversation starters. However, some days you just have to grab a book off the shelf to fill time.

Do a quick Amazon or Goodreads review check. Read a few one and two star reviews to prepare for potential issues. “Critics” are helpful here.
Check CommonSenseMedia.org. This is a great option for books (and movies) as it has age recommendations and separates the subject matter into categories like “Language” or “Violence Content” so you have a pretty good idea of what’s coming. The only downfalls are that it doesn’t have the most exhaustive selection and you get a limited number of free searches each month.
Ask a Teaching Partner or the School Librarian for some quick recommendations. They know the school and your grade level and will have (at least) vetted out the texts they suggest.

So, why didn’t anybody tell me the dog dies?! Probably one of two reasons - They enjoy cruel, unusual punishment or they assumed I already knew (or would at least read a little ahead).

FINAL SPOILER WARNING:

If you made it this far, you have accepted all warnings of spoilers so... drumroll… the book mentioned is… Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner.

And just a heads up - the dog dies.

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