Today while we were reading our chapter book read aloud, Coyote Autumn, a few action words came up: pounce and herd. The author was telling us about the coyote puppy getting involved in a soccer practice session that Brad, the main character, and his sister were having. I stopped and had a child show us pouncing.

This makes me think that at home when you are sharing a book, don't assume that your children understand all the words you understand. I thought we knew what pouncing was, you know, like a cat. I was wrong. Somebody did know, but it took a few tries until I found someone.

When we talked about herding, many kids thought I said hurting. We talked about sheep dogs or border collies who gather their sheep and keep them from wandering off.

These terms, when understood, keep the story making sense. When they are not understood, it can take your child off track and allow them to miss important information in the story. And, someday when they are reading books alone, they will misunderstand and they might not even know it.

I think this is why research says that the talking around books is as important as the read aloud. Soooo, don't forget to talk as you go.

Mary Ann