In collaborative literacy activities, which practice supports peer modeling?

• A. Students think-aloud as they read and discuss text with peers
• B. Students work in isolation
• C. Teacher dictates steps without discussion
• D. Students copy work from peers

Answer: (A)

When students verbalize their thinking while reading and discuss the text with peers, they model cognitive strategies in action. This make-it-visible approach shows how to approach a text—predicting what might come next, questioning unclear parts, clarifying meaning, and monitoring understanding. When peers hear these thinking steps, they can imitate them, discuss them, and apply similar moves in their own reading. That shared demonstration is what supports peer modeling in collaborative literacy.

Choosing to work in isolation, having the teacher dictate steps without discussion, or simply copying what others did doesn’t convey how to think through a text or how to handle tricky passages. Those approaches miss the modeling of cognitive strategies that peers can observe and learn from.