HIT: Questions during Read-alouds Pt. 1

[Brunell <brunell@avenew.com>]

Dear Colleagues,
Since I received several requests for a hit regarding my query about
questioning/interruptions during a primary read-aloud, the messages I
received follow the  posted question below.  Thanks to all who offered
their suggestions...it is being taken under advisement :-)

Dear Colleagues,
How do you handle questions/comments during
read-alouds?   I would like
to begin the year letting my students (K-3) know my
expectations once
and for all, however...I'm not sure what I want?!#?!
Sometimes I find
that the stopping and starting interferes with the
flow of a story and
yet, I hate to ignore a student's request.  TIA!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I feel the same way you do. I usually take the first
three or four comments,
then tell them we're going to read some more of the
story and will take more
comments later. Usually we get to everybody, but it is
frustrating! I know
it means a lot to the kids to be heard, so I tough it
out. Good luck!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I allow one finger in the air for if a student is totally confused but
otherwise we listen without interruption.  We would never get to book
selection.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I know exactly how you feel!  I'm often in the same
boat.  This isn't
exactly a perfect solution, but it's worked OK for me.
I think about the
book I'm planning to read, and, if I think it will be
damaged by
interruptions, I tell the kids that I want to read it
all the way through
without any comments or questions because it will be
hard to understand
otherwise.  They are very respectful of that.  The
only problem is that the
little ones often forget their comments by the end of
the story, and they can
often be very insightful and wonderful.  Other times I
don't say not to
interrupt and they do - a lot.  At some point, one kid
will say, "Will you
PLEASE just read the book."  I ask the kids, "What do
you think?  Shall I
finish it all the way?"  They usually say yes at that
point and let me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
People have different philosophies on this one, but I
think it does depend
on the purpose for which you are reading. When I read
it is usually not to
teach, but to share a wonderful story. I try to
explain difficult concepts
while I read the story, and do not allow questions
until the end. For
example, in the Tale of Peter Rabbit, there is the
word "fortnight". I say
something like "that was the second jacket and pair of
shoes Peter had lost
in a fortnight-that is two weeks long!" I will also
explain things before I
begin the story. I've been a media specialist for 11
years and try to be
flexible, but in my experience, children, especially
kindergarteners, veer
off task easily. And older students can wait patiently
for a stopping point
to answer questions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I putting my two cents on this query to the group
because I've wondered if I
am violating some sacred methodology with my own
strategy in handling this
issue. I welcome you to correct/comment or amend my
approach.  I give a
little talk with preschool and kindergarten about the
difference in being
read to in a group as large as a classroom and being
read to curled up next
to your mom, dad, grandma, etc. on the couch with just
the two of you or a
sister or brother, etc. etc. Although, I can remember
being read to and
having just one other listener interrupting the rhythm
and flow of a story
agitating me as a child. After years of observation,
it occurred to me that
kids don't automatically know the difference and some
have not had the
experience of hearing a story in a large group before
(summer library
programs and the like). They do get it. I even ask
them, after of discussion
about the difference in the settings, how many of you
would prefer that
people do not interrupt the story? Most of the hands
go up with heads
nodding.
Another thing that I just added....I'm a slow
learner....It occurred to me
that young children have ideas pop into their heads
that automatically fly
out their mouths - we want that to happen, right? So I
look at them when
they comment, smile big, point to my head and say
something
like...."terrific idea! Keep those ideas coming inside
your head, hear the
words and try not to let them jump out of your mouth."
It becomes a kind of
game and some kids who really get it will - during a
story - point to their
head when the get eye contact from me and we smile
knowing smiles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Usually what I do is telll them that I will read the
story through and then
they can ask questions. One the skills they are
supposed to be getting is
how to listen.   I am fairly lenient though.  If a kid
asks in a puzzled
way during the story what that word means,  I will
answer in a sort of
aside then go on reading.  The purpose of a book is to
enjoy it, learn
things etc and if you really don't understand a word
or  I figure I can
help.  If a kids wants to make a comment on the story,
I ask him to wait
til the end of it and they have a chance to discuss
it.
--
Laurel Brunell, Media Specialist
Orland Center School
Orland Park, IL
brunell@avenew.com

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