Of course it worked! But, seriously, I am so happy that those who read my blog actually try some of the ideas! I’m going to share part of a communication from a parent who tried a suggestion on a trip to their cabin, and then I’ll share a little bit about how to extend the strategy to even make it better. The children are three and four years old.
If you haven’t read the post yet and want to know what we’re talking about, go to the post “The Three Bears and the Little Red Hen.”
There is no TV, no cell, and no internet. It’s wonderful up there. But we did bring books, and let me tell you, my little ladies surprised me!! As I read, I started asking questions like you suggested and they were answering them!!!! I read a page or two and asked a question. When they knew the answer, they say it, and then I kept reading. But when they didn’t know, they were quiet. I could tell they were thinking. I gave them time and then re-read the page and asked again, and they answered. I guess it surprised me just how much they can really comprehend at this age.
She did this GREAT! And it is surprising what children know and can do. These “little ladies” are a little on the young side for this strategy, but each child is different and develops at different rates, so go ahead and try. If the strategy doesn’t work, that’s fine. However, whether you use this story reading strategy or not, remember to play with language with your preschoolers. Play with language all the time. When you’re driving down the road, sing songs and recite nursery rhymes. Use the same simple rhymes and songs over and over so that the children memorize them. Use especially nursery rhymes (See the post Jack and Jill for more information about that strategy).
Another GREAT source for language play are the Dr. Seuss books. Just be careful with selecting Dr. Seuss books. Some of his books are pure nonsense and fun and a type of play with language, They are great for developing phonological awareness, structure of language and sounds in words. Some of his book are real stories with a distinct beginning, middle, and end, with characters and settings. They have a plot. These types of books are great for asking questions.
Now, how to extend this story reading strategy. Here’s just a few suggestions.
1. The four questions apply to the overall story. For example, there is usually only one main character in the story. So, in Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the answer to the question of “Who is the story about” is Goldilocks. The three bears are not the main characters. For the setting question, after the Goldilocks goes to the bear’s house, ask the question: “Where does the story take place?” Sure, Goldilocks goes through the woods to get to the bear’s house, but the real plot of the story is in the house itself. This helps children to be able to sift through relevant and irrelevant information. By asking just these four questions for books that have a plot, we can extend the strategy to be more meaningful and helpful for children.
2. Begin story time with a summary using the questions that will be asked. For example, “We’re going to read a story about Goldilocks. She goes to the bears house and gets into trouble. The bears find out and she jumps out a window and runs away. Let’s read the story.” In this way, you are linking the questions to the summary and highlighting the important components of the structure of all stories.
3. After you have read the story, summarize it again. “We read a story about Goldilocks. She went…..” You get the idea. This summary once again emphasizes the important points of the following: (a) who is the story about, (b) where does the story take place, (c) what was the problem, and (c) how did the story end.” And remember why you are doing this. It is because all stories, narratives, have the same structure and you are sensitizing the little ones to a strategy that they need for comprehension.
4. Finally, link today’s story to yesterday’s story. Hold up the book from the day before and review the same set of questions. For example, “Remember, yesterday we read a book about Goldilocks. She went to a bear’s house and got into trouble. The bears found out, and Goldilocks jumped out a window and ran away. TODAY we are going to read a story about the Little Red Hen. She lives on a farm. She asks for help from the other farm animals to make bread, but they refuse. She ends up making the bread by herself and eating it all up.”
Remember, each child develops at different rates. Some will benefit from this story grammar strategy early on and some not until they are around five years old. Be careful not to push the child into something when they are not developmentally ready. Do not be afraid to adapt the strategy to a simpler form or to extend it as you see the child learning. (A simpler form is just summarizing the story before you begin reading. “Today, we’re going to read a story about….” without asking the questions.)
Remember also, even if you don’t get this strategy exactly right. For example, you forget to ask a question or choose the wrong type of book. Don’t worry. It’s all good. You have done something really wonderful with your child anyway. You have read a book together and shared time. That is the most important thing you can do.
I invite comments, suggestions, ideas.
If you have questions that I might be able to answer generally, please email me. Please, keep in mind that this blog is for suggestions that may or may not work. Here is the disclaimer, professional advice requires much more in-depth information and contact and is beyond the scope of this blog. email: gail.coulter@outlook.com.
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