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Story Time!. Tips on How to Read a Book to Elementary Students. Before you get there…. Be prepared. Read the book before you get to the school. Practice reading aloud:
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Story Time! Tips on How to Read a Book to Elementary Students
Before you get there… • Be prepared. Read the book before you get to the school. • Practice reading aloud: ~Be clear. Pronounce words clearly, and read at a moderate rate so that children have time to process what’s happening in the story. ~Be expressive. Read pages with varied vocal expression. Children pay attention to an enthusiastic reader, and may lose focus if it sounds “boring” or monotone. ~Be heard. Read at a volume that can be easily heard by the entire group.
Desks or Carpet? Prior to reading a story to the class, ask the teacher where they prefer having “story time,” as many classes sit either at their desks or on the carpet. Find out if the teacher has a specific routine or procedure for calling students to the carpet. Desks: When students are seated at their desks, be sure to hold the book high and circulate around the room. This allows all students an opportunity to view at least some of the pages up close. One drawback is that some students may become distracted by playing with things inside their desks! Carpet: When students are seated at the carpet, they tend to be more focused. Be sure they are sitting on their bottoms (legs crossed) with their hands in their laps. This is because some like to get on their knees to see better, but this prevents children behind them from having a good view of the book. Where to Read
As you begin… • Make sure you have the students’ attention before beginning the story. You may want to say, “The story will begin when all of you show me you are ready.” • Praise those students who are quiet and ready, and the others will likely follow. • Connect to their life: Introduce the general topic of the book and relate it to something in the students’ lives. Ask them to tell you what they know from their own experience. Call on a few different students. This will get them more interested in the story. • Show the cover of the book. Ask students what they see, then discuss what they think the book will be about. “Based on the cover, who can predict what this story will be about?” Take about 3-5 predictions then begin reading the story.
Understanding the story Stop every few pages and ask questions. This is to help the students understand the story and maintain involvement. • Summarize: Ask students to briefly tell in their own words what has happened so far in the story. “Who can quickly summarize what has happened so far?” “Can someone add to that by summarizing in another way?” • Clarify: Monitor how well they are understanding the story. “Are there any parts you would like me to clarify?” “Do you have any questions about something that is not making sense to you?” Then clear up any confusion. • Predict: Ask students to predict what they think will happen next. “Based on what we have read so far, who can predict what will happen next?”
Reviewing the Book When finished reading the book, you can review the story in many ways. • Have students retell what happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the story. • Ask students what their favorite part of the book was. • Talk about the main idea or theme of the story. • Ask students if they would recommend the book to someone else. Why or why not? • Relate it to the activity you will be doing next for a smooth transition.