Read-Alouds

[sweetpea3829]

So...now that we have nailed down this whole living books and twaddle business...tell me...

 

When you do your read alouds, do you have a discussion afterwards? Do you ask comprehension questions, or have narrative discussions to see if they were paying attention/listening?

 

Or is it purely for the joy of reading a book out loud?

 

And right now, I'm using audio books (so they can have a read aloud while I run around trying to get everything else ready...we have our read aloud in the morning, over breakfast).

 

So is that technically, "cheating?"

Edited September 12, 2012 by Sweetpea3829

[mytwomonkeys]

for us it is purely the joy. we usually end up reading more than i planned because we are dying to see what is going to happen next. we enjoy all sorts of literature, from twaddle to classics:)

[Mergath]

My dd is only four and so we just began the longer chapter book read-alouds this summer, but I'll ask her a few open-ended questions about each chapter, just to gauge how much she's taking in. Stuff like, "Who was your favorite character?" and "What was your favorite part?"

 

Also, I don't think audio books are cheating. ;)

[Woodland Mist Academy]

So...now that we have nailed down this whole living books and twaddle business...

lol

 

When you do your read alouds, do you have a discussion afterwards? Do you ask comprehension questions, or have narrative discussions to see if they were paying attention/listening?

 

Or is it purely for the joy of reading a book out loud?

 

 

It depends. If it's a book we are studying then I might questions or ask for a narration. Most of the time we just discuss after reading for the joy of discussing the book. I don't force the discussions, though. Sometimes there is nothing to say. Occasionally we just put the book away--each of us alone with quiet thoughts.

 

And right now, I'm using audio books (so they can have a read aloud while I round around trying to get everything else ready...we have our read aloud in the morning, over breakfast).

 

So is that technically, "cheating?"

I don't think so. That's actually a wonderful idea.

 

ETA: My daughter is in the logic stage, so that might make a difference in how we approach read alouds now.

[Kathryn]

We talk about them, but it's not quiz-like. I want read-aloud time to stay fun. Well, for him at least. Notice I've been roped into reading Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens after we finished Peter Pan. I thought the torture was over...

[merry gardens]

For the joy, plus for the educational value of listening.

 

If we discuss the books we read, it's usually prompted by the children or perhaps because it ties into something else we're learning.

[Targhee]

For us it is just to enjoy the book! I may help them make inferences by asking questions, or fill in background information or give them an explanation as an aside, but for the most part we just read (or listen) to the beauty of the language.

[prairiegirl]

Read alouds, at least for our family, is for pure joy. We may discuss but only because it seems to be a natural progression from the reading. I don't force discussions.

[tammyw]

We do talk about the book during and after, but in a completely natural way. Stuff like "back in that time, they thought it was okay to do *that*" or when I have a feeling about what's coming next, I'll say "I have a really strong feeling I know what's going to happen next..." and they might offer their ideas also. After it's finished, we might lament that it's over (If we loved it) or talk about what it is we liked.

 

Sometimes my son has dreams about the characters from books, so I'd say he gets pretty emotionally involved. He was really sad after we finished The Great Brain. He cried for 30 minutes straight because of the kid that lost his leg. He was just sobbing and sobbing (he was also really tired) and nothing I could say would help him feel better. That night he had a dream about that kid.

[MerryAtHope]

For the joy here too! I like to use both audios AND to read-aloud to my kids (we typically do read-alouds before bedtime, but have used audios at other times for fun). Discussions for us are more a natural outcome of reading and wanting to discuss--not something formal like following an IG and asking comprehension questions. Sometimes I'll ask "why do you think so & so did that?" or, "what do you think will happen next?"

 

Or, another thing I've done--before we start a chapter I'll ask, "who can remind us what happened last time?" That's a great way to check comprehension that's not too stuffy.

 

Enjoy! Merry :-)

[serendipitous journey]

Chiming in on the "for joy" front ... Button does not like being asked questions about our read-alouds! We are basing much of this year from Ambleside Online Year 2; he knows which books I expect narration from (as in, the AO books), and which I usually don't, and if I ask for a narration on a non-"school" read-aloud he is sure to let me know!!!

 

He also doesn't naturally just love books, so I'm still trying to fan the embers of his interest.

[wearejenandkev]

We do a lot of read alouds during breakfast and lunch as well. When I am done I say, "Tell me about it." I start with the youngest so that he can say the easiest answers. Then , I move onto the middle (in age.) He has to tell me more (without repeating what my other son said.) Then, I move to my oldest. Again, he tells me more (without repeating.) He is the oldest, so he should be able to draw more details out of the story. Once everyone has gone, I tell them what I remember....filling in the important points that they might have missed. This releases the pressure of "I have to get it right" and allows them to talk about anything they want to talk about. Some days they remember things I have forgotten about the story!

 

The other thing I do a lot, which wouldn't work during mealtime, but it is something that works great at other times.......is narration with playdough. I hand them a chunk of playdough while I am reading. (no tools or toys...just a hunk of dough....same color works best) While I am reading they have to create "proof" that they are listening. They can create anything they want as long as they can justify how it relates to what I am reading.

 

At first, I only did this during fun read-alouds, but I have tried it with history as well. It worked great! While reading about the Egyptians my boys were creating shadufs, the Nile River, and re-enactments of the battle between upper and lower Egypt..... out of a hunk of dough! I was amazed at the things they came up with!

 

If you want to see pictures of their playdough creations, you can check them out on my blog:

 

http://teachingboys.net/2012/08/30/playdough-narration-for-read-alouds-part-2/

 

Jennifer

[sweetpea3829]

Thanks for the input everyone!!!

[mamatohaleybug]

We read aloud for pure joy and togetherness here. Naturally, conversations often happen but nothing is forced. I want my daughter to love reading forever and always; snuggling up with mom and dad to read has been a beautiful thing for all of us. :001_smile:

[MerryAtHope]

We do a lot of read alouds during breakfast and lunch as well. When I am done I say, "Tell me about it." I start with the youngest so that he can say the easiest answers. Then , I move onto the middle (in age.) He has to tell me more (without repeating what my other son said.) Then, I move to my oldest. Again, he tells me more (without repeating.) He is the oldest, so he should be able to draw more details out of the story. Once everyone has gone, I tell them what I remember....filling in the important points that they might have missed. This releases the pressure of "I have to get it right" and allows them to talk about anything they want to talk about. Some days they remember things I have forgotten about the story!

 

The other thing I do a lot, which wouldn't work during mealtime, but it is something that works great at other times.......is narration with playdough. I hand them a chunk of playdough while I am reading. (no tools or toys...just a hunk of dough....same color works best) While I am reading they have to create "proof" that they are listening. They can create anything they want as long as they can justify how it relates to what I am reading.

 

At first, I only did this during fun read-alouds, but I have tried it with history as well. It worked great! While reading about the Egyptians my boys were creating shadufs, the Nile River, and re-enactments of the battle between upper and lower Egypt..... out of a hunk of dough! I was amazed at the things they came up with!

 

If you want to see pictures of their playdough creations, you can check them out on my blog:

 

http://teachingboys.net/2012/08/30/playdough-narration-for-read-alouds-part-2/

 

Jennifer

 

LOVE this, what a creative idea!

[Chava_Raizel]

We do a lot of read alouds here. I used to do it during lunch, but with a toddler in the house I find it easier to read during her nap time. Sometimes we read at bedtime as well. As far as discussion, I might ask them for a narration, or I'll mention a point in the story that I found interesting and ask for their take on it. Sometimes, if it's just a fun book, I don't ask them anything at all and we just enjoy the story. Funnily enough, that's usually when they have the most to say.

 

I also sometimes ask if everyone remembers what happened the last time we read, just to see who has been paying attention. I'm really not a fan of discussion questions, because I feel like often they are overly specific and ask for details that might not have caught the child's interest or be important to the overall story. I feel asking them, "So,what happened in that chapter?" is far more effective. Sometimes they might need a clue or something to jumpstart their memory, but even that doesn't need to be too specific. I might say something like, "Do you remember when ___ happened? Why do you think he did that?"

[kolamum]

So...now that we have nailed down this whole living books and twaddle business...tell me...

 

When you do your read alouds, do you have a discussion afterwards? Do you ask comprehension questions, or have narrative discussions to see if they were paying attention/listening?

 

Nothing formal except for SL books, & even then I don't always do formal stuff unless I'm not sure they were paying attention. My children are so use to me speaking about books & characters within books as though they were real people or good friends, that they now do the same thing.

 

It's so not abnormal for a child to say at the dinner table, "Do you think ... will ever ...?" Sometimes, if things are uncontrollably noisy I'll say, "Hey what do you guys think is going to happen in the book? I'm so certain that detective is actually one of the kidnappers, what about you?" {Gadgetman} & it will often bring up more talk & discussion.

 

 

Or is it purely for the joy of reading a book out loud?

 

Everything we read is for the pure joy of reading the book. Yesterday our LA assignment was to discuss the difference between Good & Bad books. My kids STRUGGLED with this. We've rarely read a bad book, & often when we do we put it down & pick something better up. We don't keep bad books, we move them out of the house. So it took all of us some time to come up with a book we hadn't totally enjoyed.

 

And right now, I'm using audio books (so they can have a read aloud while I run around trying to get everything else ready...we have our read aloud in the morning, over breakfast).

 

So is that technically, "cheating?"

 

If it is, then we cheat too! We've always got an audio book going around here. Sometimes we listen to it sometimes I'll pick up the book that goes with it & read it. It's one reason I'm so excited about the whole WhisperCync over at Audible/Amazon.. all though I'm not a huge ebook person. I so much love stuffing my nose in the OLD library books that still smell of paper & glue & bring back lovely memories of being able to spend my entire summer reading away. Oh happy sigh! :D

 

 

 

When my children were a bit younger we use to have something called The Green Bowl Club. After finishing a book we'd have an "official" meeting & I'd fill the green bowl with popcorn & we'd sit around chatting about books. My kids loved it mostly because they got to eat popcorn & anyone who took popcorn had to seriously listen to the other people's opinions on books. It was also REALLY fun to hear their takes on characters & choices made in the book.

 

It was also equally a great, all be it somewhat sneaky, way for me to work in character training of my own. "Yes, I agree Lenny is a bit stuck-up seeming, but I still think he just needs a hug. I feel bad for him because the other wombats think of him as an outsider. That can be a hard!" {Wombat Chronicles} It makes them stop & reevaluate their own opinion, & we love seeing if some of our predictions & thoughts about the story or characters turned out to be right.

 

Now, we don't need that "official" setting. It's just customary to have a good book on hand for any trips we make. Dh gets so use to hearing us talk about specific ones he'll pick them up anytime he sees them on sale. I think we've got about 4 copies of Heidi, 2 of Wombat Chronicles, & .... :lol:

 

Do what works for you, what helps your family build the best memories in regards to the stories you read! A few weeks ago we were reading lots of books about pioneers & the foodage of pie, stew, & cornbread came up so much my kids begged for it. So we made a day of it & had pioneer food.

 

Other times we've made crafts based on the books, drawn pictures, discussed, made snacks. But none of that was planned except for The Green Bowl Book Club I mentioned before.