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- As you read be
expressive. Read slowly and with
a great deal of animation. Match your voice
and facial expressions to the character that
is speaking. Be sure to show the pictures while
you read the book. During the first
reading of a book, stop only once or twice
for reactions, predictions about what will
happen next, comments, or questions. (During
the first reading of a book you want most of
the discussion to take place after the story
is finished.) Later when you are re-reading
the same book, you should take
time to stop and engage children in discussion
as you go through the book.
Re-reading familiar books will also provide
an opportunity for teachers to show children
how books and print work. In addition, reading
the same book several times increases children’s
participation in the reading process. Children
learn repeated phrases or, predictable
repetitive sentence structures when books
are read aloud repeatedly. You can also show
children important features of books such
as where the title is, and important features
of print, such as where to start reading and
what to do when you come to the end of a line;
how to point to the words while reading; and
what specific letters, words, or punctuation
marks look like. Be sure to focus on only
a few concepts at a time.
- After reading, ask your students a question that asks them
to share what they understood about the story.
The first question you ask should be related
to the purpose that was set for listening before
you began to read the book. Keep in mind that
the most successful and engaging read-alouds
for preschoolers take place in small groups
of four to eight children. When you are reading
to a larger group (which of course you will
do on occasion), you are more focused on keeping
students still and quiet and not disrupting
the flow of the story. Smaller groups lend themselves
to increased participation and discussion by
every child. Smaller groups are even more important
for students who have had few experiences with
books or who are learning to speak English.
Access to Print:
The Role of the Daily Schedule and Classroom Environment
in Providing Positive Experiences
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The daily schedule, room
arrangement, and available materials strongly
influence children’s motivation to
read and to interact with books. While more
details will be provided about this when
we discuss the emergent literacy environment,
keep in mind three things:
- Include daily engaging
and inviting read-aloud times.
- Make books accessible and available to children.
- Celebrate all attempts to
read and interact with books!
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