Kids Love A Good Read Aloud!!!

So, yesterday morning before school, I was reminded of something I learned from Regie Routman. "Children learn best from people they love." David Brooks,(conservative analyst) on tv, was talking about a book he has written and he mentioned this same idea as a possible focus for improving schools. In the afternoon, I was reading the most exciting and dramatic chapter in The Castle In The Attic to my 6, 7 and 8 year olds as they quietly drew the castle, the dragon that guards it and William who took it all on! I must admit I was using my most dramatic voice! They were all really hanging on every word, as kids always do when I read this book. Then, it was time to stop for P.E. As the kids got up to clean up and line up, Xander walked over to me, put his arms around me and said one of my favorite lines, "You're the best teacher!" Well, maybe not, but one thing is for sure, Xander will remember that I took him into that castle with William as he defeated that fire-breathing dragon and took on Alistor, the evil wizard! This is another commercial for Read Aloud...they will love you for it and if they love you, they will learn more, too!!! It is a great job! But, I think it's more too! My hope for these kids is that they experience this kind of pleasure from books with teachers, with parents, alone and with friends time and time again FOREVER! I'll take Xander's praise, but I know the book deserves the praise. The book is the magic!! And kids deserve to experience it! It is what school should be about!

Mary Ann

A 4-YEAR OLD BECOMES A READER

This is the story of a little girl in preprimary who became a believer/reader in a few minutes while reading with her primary buddy and the primary teacher. Lydia had finished reading two easy picture books to her preprimary buddy! I happened to be standing next to her getting ready to call a halt to the reading as most kids were finishing. I looked at the book in Lydia's hands and realized that it was very predictable with only a couple of lines per page and repeating words on most. I asked Lydia to read the page again which she did. I asked the four year old if she could point at the words as Lydia read. She gave me a blank stare so I pointed at the words while Lydia read. Then when Lydia read it again, I held the little girl's finger and we pointed together at the words as Lydia spoke them. The next time Lydia read I had told her to leave out "you" when she came to it. I said it as we pointed at it. The next time Lydia read it, I did not say it, her buddy said it as we pointed at it. I turned back to another page and asked her to find that word, "you" again which she did. I stopped everything in the room, and announced to the group that this 4 year old had become a reader. Everybody cheered. Also, I noticed as I was "performing" this reading lesson that the dad with the class had turned to watch me do it. I am predicting that this dad will do the same that evening at home. For those who think phonics and phonemic awareness and reading readiness lessons are necessary before a kid is ready to begin learning how to read, I say NOT SO!!! THIS IS HOW KIDS LEARN TO READ!!! Of course the fact that every time the preprimary kids come, I stop at the end to have them show us the beginning of the story, the end of the story, who the story is about...I ask them this time of the year to find a letter, and ask what is it, I have my kids show them a word and tell them what it is. I ask the preprimary kids to find something "green" and ask, what is it?, etc. We do this every time, so maybe this is the reading readiness part!??? and whatever Kelly and Florine do, which I doubt is flash cards and phonics pages. At least I hope not! Mary Ann

Kids Work Through Big Words

Today during Reading Workshop, as a group of olders was discussing The Missing Mummy, an A to Z Mystery, someone asked, "what is this word?" She was pointing at "sarcophagus" and a couple of the other kids immediately attempted a pronunciation. I was proud to hear sar-cof-u-gus come out of the mouth of one of them and others agreed with her.

I had figured this unknown word out last night as I read the book myself, and this was exactly how I would say the word. The text explained that this is the coffin in which the mummy rests.

A little while later when I was talking with the youngers who are reading Henry and Mudge books, Henry's picnic lunch was discussed. Lydia announced that Henry ate jelly sandwiches, a pear and some gingersnaps. At first she tried the cookie word by beginning with a hard g sound. I reminded her that sometimes g says j especially if it is followed by an e or an i. She quickly got gin and then ger and snap was easy for her.

The point of all this is that when kids cannot acquire a word from what they know by chunking or beginning the word, they do try to at least say the word. I breathe a sigh of relief when their attempts stay close to the sounds represented by all those letters. And when they figure out the meaning from the context, I might even gloat at all these kids know about reading!!!

All that hard work we do is paying off!!

Mary Ann

UNKNOWN WORDS IN TEXT

Jim Trelease, respected Read Aloud expert, claims that "rare" words are only heard by children in books. This is how they learn new vocabulary. Rare words, yes, but..."parka?"

The other day I was reading Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary to the class. In the story, the kids were putting away their parkas in their cubbies. I asked, "what is a parka?" Somebody guessed glue, and other guesses were other supplies. No one knew what a parka was. I cleared that up and went on with the story. The kids probably would have figured it out for themselves eventually because Ralph was going to hide in the pocket of some kid's parka, but ...

I guess this is why research says that although reading aloud to children is important to their achievement, talking with them during the read aloud is just as important!

By the way, there are probably not many kids in the room who could not figure out how to say "parka" but it would not help them get the picture of Ralph in that parka. They would have been picturing a mouse in a bottle of glue!!!

Mary Ann

You are right, Ethan, it is sad that people would poison animals. The good thing is that maybe the author will not let that happen again in this book. But I am worried that because the Bent Lady missed one piece of bad meat when she went searching for it, that one of the little critters will find it.

Miranda thinks there will be a happy ending to this book and that all the cats will find a home. Me, too! But especially Ratchet!!

Here's hopin'!

Ms. R.

Learning from Fiction: The Cats of Roxville Station

My new interest, cats, has led us to a new book by Newbery Award-winning author, Jean Craighead George. This author is a naturalist who is famous for her books, My Side of The Mountain and Julie of the Wolves. Her great gift is that she can weave into an exciting story with appealing characters so much information about nature.

This story is about a community of feral (stray) cats and a lonely adolescent boy who is an orphaned foster child.

Not only are we learning about feral cats, how they survive, how they communicate and how much like domestic cats they really are, we are learning about butterflies, raccoons, foxes, hawks, snakes and a wide range of human beings!

As we go along, we stop and discuss the facts the author incorporates into the story. In fact, we are sharing this information in the hall. The kids are taking turns writing a statement of nature facts as they come up and then we publish them for others to read as they pass in the hall.

I want my students to know that fiction is entertaining, but it also a whole lot more and those who read, read, read, get smarter and smarter!!!

This is the best reason of all for parents to read to their kids forever!

Mary Ann

HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

As we neared the end of Coyote Autumn, our latest chapter book read aloud in the classroom, some alumni of our class volunteered to help me finish the reading. Zachary Arrindell and Roman Elston, upper primary students, remembered how difficult it was for me to read the final pages of this book.

Two years ago, as they were listening to the ending of this book about a boy who befriends an orphaned coyote and tries to make him a pet, they watched as I had to pull in some older boys to read as I got choked up by the goodbyes in the story. Now Zachary and Roman wanted to be the ones who step in to assist. And so they were.

I knew yesterday as the story wrapped up and the lump in my throat began to swell, that help would be needed soon. So I warned my rescuers to be ready today. As my students were writing their homework note, I corralled my helpers and brought them back to the room.

I started reading and then as the words began to get to me, I did my usual, passing off the book to first one reader and then the other.

Roman, always the gentleman, even got kleenex as the flood began!

Letting kids see, once in awhile, how you can be moved by books is a good thing! But I am now up for something a little lighter!

Thanks, though, to my helpers. They are good readers, and I know where they learned!! Right here in Class 114! We share lots of memories and we added another one today!!
Mary Ann