7th Meeting: Reading Story Books to Young Learners

The last regional ETJ meeting was November 27th 2005.

The Topic was: "Reading story books to young learners".

Unfortunately due to many reasons, personal and others many members
were unable to attend. Despite the disappointing turn out some
positive things were discussed and resulted in some useful advice
and activities for reading story books to young learners.

TECHNICHES AND READING METHODS FOR SHARED READING

Suggested Procedures:

1. Picture focus reading.

Hold up the book and read the title twice while pointing to each
word. Students repeat the title x 2. Ask questions about the title and pictures on the cover E.g. What's this? What color is this? How many....? Etc Continue to turn the pages and discuss the pictures using graded language.

2. Action meaning focus.

Read the text but focus on the pictures. Have students point to the
objects that you refer to in the story. Ask questions that require
the students to explain the action etc. e.g. What is she doing?
Where is the dog? Do you like dogs? Etc.

3. Text focus.

Read and point to the text. Pause after each page and encourage
students to repeat the text. As k individual students to reads some
of the text. Ask the students comprehension questions. Point o the
word (cat). How many t's are there?, How do you spell dog? etc.
Encourage the students to read the book again by themselves.

4. Role playing.

Once a book has been read two or three times and the students are
familiar with the story, assign roles to each student and act out
the story. Alternatively, the teacher narrate the story and the
students act out the events only. e.g, running, making a cake,
eating etc.

Other general suggestions.

1. Remember to vary your voice and have fun
2. Choose age appropriate books
3. Choose short books
4. Choose colorful books with interesting or funny pictures.
5. Read picture books in class as much as possible

ACTIVITIES AND GAMES

GAME 1.

Pass the parcel - word reading game.

Preparation

A) Make Flash cards with the words from the text of the story.
B) Wrap a small present or some candy in newspaper or other paper.
C) Place a flash card on the out side of the wrapping paper.
D) Wrap the parcel again and again each time inserting a word flash
card between the layers.

Game Procedure

A) Arrange the students so that they are sitting in a circle.
B) Play some music or sing a song or chant
C) The students pass the parcel around while music is being played
or song / chant is being sung / said.
D) The music is stopped randomly and the person holding the parcel
has to read the word on the flash card from the story.
E) If the student can read the word, they can unwrap one layer and
the game repeats until the last player unwraps the present or
candies.

GAME 2.

Picture Book Puzzle

Preparation: Choose a book e.g "Brown Bear Brown Bear, What do you
see? Eby Eric Carle

A) Make flash cards (A4) with the pictures from the story. E.g
brown bear, red dog, green frog, etc.

B) Cut the flash cards so each flash card becomes 3 pieces making a
simple puzzle. You may choose to write the words on the same side as
the picture or on the back making 2 puzzles, one for pictures and
one for reading practice.

C) Make as many cards as you like according to how many pictures you
want to cover and how many students you have. In this book there are
10 pictures of animals. Is you wanted to use all of them you would
start with 10 A4 flash cards and after cutting them you would have
30. It's a good idea to have 2 or more sets for team games.

D) laminate the cards

Game procedure 1

A) Play as a whole class, working against a timer.
B) Spread the cars out on the floor or table (upside down.)
C) How fast can the class arrange the puzzle and say the Picture or
read the word.


Game procedure 2

A) Divide the class into teams.
For a small class of 6 students 2 teams of 3. For a large class of
32 students 4 teams of 8.

B) Give each team an equal number of matching flash cards.
C) Spread them out and place them upside down on the floor or desk(s)
D) Select one student from each team to call out a picture from the
book.
E) The first team to make the picture or word wins a point.
F) Repeat with other pictures and students.

GAME 3

Picture book basket

Preparation

Choose a book e.g "Brown Bear Brown Bear, What do you see?Eby Eric
Carle

Game procedure

It's just like fruits basket, but instead of using fruit, use
vocabulary from the picture book. Instead of calling out just a word
have the students ask a question or make a statement. I.e. "Do you
like green frogs? The students who answer, Yes, I do. Change seats.

A) Arrange the students so they are sitting in a large circle on
their chairs.
B) A student or the teacher stands in the middle and says “Do you
like green frogs?”
C) All students answer with Yes, I do or No, I don't
D) The students who answered Yes, I do Exchange seats.
E) The student standing in the middle quickly sits down and a new
student is in the middle
F) The new student asks a new question. Using flash on the board
with magnets will help students to remember.

GAME 4 .

Slow Peek

Preparation: Choose a book e.g Brown Bear Brown Bear, What do you
see? Eby Eric Carle

A) Make flash cards (A4) with the pictures from the story. E.g
brown bear, red dog, green frog, etc.

Game procedure

A) Slowly reveal the card upwards from behind.
B) The first student or team to guess or say correctly gets a
point / or the card.
C) Fast pace, most points, cards wins

GAME 5 .

Quick Flash

Preparation: Choose a book e.g Brown Bear Brown Bear, What do you
see? Eby Eric Carle

A) Make flash cards (A4) with the pictures from the story. E.g
brown bear, red dog, green frog, etc.

Game procedure

A) Teacher quickly flashes the card to the students.
B) First student to say wins

GAME 6.

Run and get it

Preparation: Choose a book e.g "Brown Bear Brown Bear, What do you
see? Eby Eric Carle

A) Make flash cards (A4) with the pictures from the story. E.g
brown bear, red dog, green frog, etc.

Game procedure

A) Dived class into 4 or 2 teams. Line them up at one end of the room
B) Place flash cards upside down randomly on the floor at one end of
the room.
C) The first 4 students, 1 from each team stand up.
D) After the Teacher calls out the Flash card students race to find
the corresponding card.
E) Once found the student must say the Flash Card.
F) Cards are given as points or put back and points given
separately.
G) Students go to the end of the line the next 4 stand up.

See you at the next meeting

Bradley Yaxley