I read with interest a previous thread which began with a question regarding
appropriate listening behavior during story time. I didn't respond to that
discussion but now I will add my 2 cents with this question. I am a slow learner
but after many years of observation and practice in an elementary school library I
came to the conclusion that one reason some children are not "appropriate" in a
given situation is that they have not been taught what is "appropriate" and/or it
doesn't occur to them on their own. Reading a story aloud to a class or group of
children is much different than reading a story one to one - which is what most
preschoolers are accustomed to when they first come to school. One to one -
questions and comments are spontaneous and encouraged. When reading to a group this
can be disruptive and can lead to only outgoing children dominating the experience.
I could tell which children are read to at home on a regular basis - they sit close
- and are engaged - and will offer comments and questions. I would sometimes have
them turn around and notice all the other students and remind them that it isn't
just the two of us and since this is school let's practice raising our hands if we
have a questions or a comment (not necessarily those words but you get the idea).
Story time is a great opportunity to teach listening - being attentive - courteous.
Yes, sitting up with eyes on the reader. I encouraged students to use story time as
an opportunity to practice listening. We even went a step further when I realized
that sometimes they need help with appropriate responses and/or reactions to the
story content. This was especially true of the older students who were reacting to
tragic or graphic descriptions or real situations with "cool" or the like. We
actually had discussions about this and it was amazing how thoughtful the kids
were. Some even suggested that they sometimes get “mixed up” separating violent
or graphic content that is representative of real life tragedy from video game
simulations – or the like. They started reacting with faces showing concern
and/or sadness when it was appropriate.
Kathy Mladenich
Lifetime Librarian
Gig Harbor, WA
klibrary@harbornet.com
--- basyak10@HOTMAIL.COM wrote:
From: Barbara Karp <basyak10@HOTMAIL.COM>
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: [LM_NET] Target: PRIMARY: satisfying read-alouds
Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:04:04 -0500
In my humble opinion, one of the best reasons to read to kids is to introduce them
to some great books (and authors) they might not know about otherwise. It's also
heartwarming to see children enjoying the story, especially if they can interact
(provide sound effects, repeat refrains, etc.).
Here are some of our favorites:
Silly Little Goose!
Nancy Tafuri
Kitten's First Full Moon. Kevin Henkes
The Seals on the Bus.
Lenny Hort
Oliver Finds His Way.
Phyllis Root
The above titles provide opportunities for listener interaction.
Princesses Are Not Quitters! Kate Lum
The Library Lion.
Michelle Knudson
Wild About Books.
Judy Sierra
Basya Karp, LibrarianShulamith High School and Shulamith School For GirlsBrooklyn,
NY
basyak10@hotmail.com
> Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:52:41 -0500
> From: media.teatime@GMAIL.COM
> Subject: Target: PRIMARY: satisfying read-alouds
> To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
>
> Hi, folks.
> A teacher made a comment to me a few days ago that she felt guilty
> about stealing time from her day to read a really good story to her
> students. (She was feeling overwhelmed by the demands of
> parent-teacher conferences, the approaching fractured calendar due to
> the holidays, and the beginning of some new units.) I was so
> disheartened to hear a good teacher say she felt that sharing a good
> story didn't "fit' in her day unless it was strictly
> curriculum-related. The number of demands on teachers' time has been
> a big topic of discussion in my building.
>
> So, I have two questions:
> What is the best reason to share quality stories with kids? (Modeling
> good writing? Demonstrating fluent reading? etc.)
> What is your favorite read-aloud for kids 4-8?
>
> I'm looking for the stories that get kids excited, or reduce them to
> awed silence, or that they spontaneously applaud. I just read 'Anansi
> and the Moss-Covered Rock" to a kindergarten class and got that best
> of all comments at the end: "Read it again!" What stories have gotten
> this response from your kids? I'd like to give a list of stories to
> my teachers of 'Books Worth the Time" along with a list of "Reasons to
> Steal the Time!"
>
> I'll let this question stand for a few days, since US schools will be
> closed for part of the week, and then I'll post a HIT.
>
>
> --
> Anne-Marie Gordon, NBCT
> Library Media Specialist
> Livonia Primary Library
> Livonia, NY
> agordon@livoniacsd.org
> media.teatime@googlemail.com
> Resources wiki: squareone.pbwiki.com
> Webpage: http://classrooms.livoniacsd.org/agordon/
> Blog: repurpose.edublogs.org
>
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