Which classroom activity best promotes understanding of academic language?

The selection of the option where a teacher reads aloud and thinks aloud about concepts and vocabulary is particularly effective in promoting understanding of academic language for several reasons.

First, this approach models for students how to process complex language and concepts critically. When the teacher articulates thoughts while reading, it provides a real-time demonstration of how to engage with text—an essential skill for mastering academic language. This modeling helps students to understand how to break down difficult vocabulary and phrases, fostering better comprehension.

Additionally, think-aloud strategies encourage a dialogue about the text, allowing students to hear an expert's interpretation and rationale for word choice and sentence structure. This scaffolded learning experience can make challenging academic language more accessible and demystified for students, promoting deeper understanding.

In contrast, the other activities may not provide the same level of interactive support. For instance, reading independently or silently can limit discussions and the opportunity for immediate clarification on difficult terms, which can be crucial for grasping academic language. Round-robin reading, while involving multiple students, often lacks the analytical component that a think-aloud provides, and underlining main ideas may promote surface-level engagement rather than a deeper understanding of linguistic nuances. In this context, the teacher's active engagement and strategy significantly enhance students