file 4
EARLY CHILDHOOD LITERACY STRATEGIES PROGRAM OBJECTIVES MET III.
Promote education in the home CAPSTONE ACTIVITY
Read a book aloud in class as a model for reading aloud with children. • • • •
Level 3: Read a complex storybook aloud to the class and ask interactive questions. Journal about the experience. Level 2: Read a mid-level storybook aloud to a group in the class and ask interactive questions. Journal about the experience. Level 1: Read a basic storybook aloud to a group in the class. Fill out a questionnaire about the experience. All: Fill out an application for a library card. PURPOSE
• • • •
To teach parents strategies for reading-aloud To help parents ask grammatically sound questions during interactive reading To increase parent confidence when reading to or with their children To help parents have the tools to enhance their children’s learning at home and better prepare them for school DIRECT USE
• • • • •
Forming questions related to pictures, text, and books Reading to or with their young children Engaging children in the process of reading aloud Preparing children for school Making life-long learning a family priority NECESSARY GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY
Question/answer structure Question tags (i.e. “isn’t it?”) Literacy Network
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Simple past tense Simple future Madison WI
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www.litnetwork.org
Present progressive tense
Second conditional
Relevant Vocabulary literacy comprehension
vocabulary gesture
voices turn the page
between down during except for from in into next of
off on onto opposite out outside over past since than
through throughout to toward under underneath until up upon with
dinosaur dog dolphin duck eagle elephant fish fox frog giraffe goat goose
horse kangaroo lion monkey moose mouse octopus owl parrot pig rabbit rat
shark skunk snail snake spider squirrel tiger turkey turtle whale wolf zebra
cul-de-sac dining room door
downstairs driveway garden
Vocabulary: Prepositions about across after around at before behind below beneath beside Vocabulary: Animals alligator ant bat bear bee butterfly cat caterpillar cheetah chicken chimpanzee crocodile
Vocabulary: House and Neighborhood apartment attic basement Literacy Network
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hallway house kitchen lawn
living room neighbor neighborhood park
playground sidewalk stairs street
upstairs window yard
Verbs • • • •
• • • •
To be To have To say To do
• • •
To ask To run To play To think
To hide To find To look
Interactive Reading Questions • • • •
• • • •
What’s that? What’s happening? What’s he/she doing? Where’s he/she going?
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Early Childhood Literacy Strategies: Unit Activities Activities
I. Interactive Reading Unit Introduction (Speaking/Listening) In order to introduce this unit and the overall goal, the instructor might demonstrate an interactive read-aloud with a children’s book to the class. The class can also discuss reading aloud, as a large group or in small groups. Students might be asked to list some benefits of reading aloud with children (e.g. word recognition, vocabulary building, improving memory, improving cognitive skills). It might also be useful to present this introduction as a survey, and have students ask each other questions like: “Do you read aloud to your children?” “How often?” “For how long?” A lesson on frequency and time lengths could be easily incorporated, if necessary for the learners. Interactive reading can be an intimidating concept when presented as crucial for a child’s development, but it is important to also present it as fun, easy, and flexible! Parents should be assured that even if they lack the skills to perfectly pronounce English or if they cannot read all the words, their children still benefit from being read to. The class may want to brainstorm ways to “read” even if the parent or child cannot actually read or pronounce all of the words. For very low-level or low-literacy students with young, encourage them to point out letters with their children in a book and to talk about the pictures in any language. For such students with older children, encourage them to ask their children to read aloud. II. Fill out a Library Card Application (Speaking/Reading/Writing) Students can fill out library card applications. These can actually be used to apply for library cards or can simply act as language practice. To make this a four-skills-focused task, it can be done as an information gap activity. That is, students can be paired and should fill out the form for each other by asking questions (i.e. “What’s your last name?” “How do you spell that?”). Lower level students can be asked to just fill in the “Patron Information” section, while higher students can be asked to complete that and additionally read and reword the “Acceptance of Responsibility” section. The forms are available online or can be picked up at a local library branch. *This activity is also found in the Home Reading Plan Unit. III. Read: Past Practice – A Day in Class (Appendices A and B) (Reading/Grammar) The past tense is often used for storytelling and is therefore important for students who plan to read storybooks in English with their children. Teach first the regular past simple with –ed. Pronunciation of regular –ed past tense verbs should be taught as well, since parents will be encouraged to read aloud to children. A simple rule to teach is that for verbs that end with (or sound like
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they end with) “d” or “t,” pronounce the –ed ending. All other regular –ed verbs will have only a “t” or “d” pronunciation (like walked and washed, respectively). The pronunciation and common irregulars should be taught through various other activities, especially for low- and mid-level students. One book to use when talking about the past is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle—this is especially good for students to begin to study irregular past simple verbs. As you read together, note the past verbs: lay, came, started, ate, was, had, felt, built, called, stayed, nibbled, pushed. IV. Grammar: Past Tense (Appendices C and D) (Grammar/Speaking/Writing) This grammar is in preparation for interactive reading practice. Directions are not included on the worksheet to allow for flexibility and variations. Students should look at the pictures in pairs or groups and make questions in the past tense about the pictures. They can then ask those questions of other students, either as a class or by pairing groups together. Encourage students to get creative and specific with their questions and go beyond “What happened?” For low-level students, Appendix D provides sample questions. Some students may be encouraged to model their own questions on them, while very low level students may be asked to simply match each question to a picture (some are relevant for more than one). V. Grammar: Present Continuous (Appendix E) (Grammar/Speaking/Writing) This grammar is in preparation for interactive reading practice. Directions are not included on the worksheet to allow for flexibility and variations. The present continuous is often used to talk about pictures or events in a storybook (e.g. “What is happening there?”). The grammatical structure is included on the worksheet but should be taught before the sheet is handed out. Students should look at the pictures in pairs or groups and make questions in the present continuous about them. They can then ask those questions of other students, either as a class or by pairing groups together. Encourage students to get creative and specific with their questions and go beyond “What is happening?” Encourage them also to come up with more than one question and more than one answer. There is space to write the questions and answers if it benefits the students to make this more of a writing activity than a speaking activity. VI. Grammar: Future (Appendices F and G) (Grammar/Reading/Writing) This worksheet does not heavily focus on the grammatical differences between the future forms “will” and “going to.” Those differences (summarized briefly below) can be taught before this worksheet, depending on student capabilities. While many times “will” and “going to” can be used interchangeably, there are subtle differences in their usages that should be taught to students who are ready. A quick summary: “will” is used: 1) a prediction based on opinion; 2) if decision is made spontaneously; 3) for a future fact. “Going
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to” is used: 1) if a decision has been made before talking; 2) if a prediction is based on current evidence (something you see/hear now). Both of these forms are used when asking about the events in a storybook. With the worksheet, students look at the pictures and captions, which imitate storybook styles, and write or ask questions in the future. They may answer the questions themselves or ask a partner or group and record the other students’ answers. Appendix __ is for lower students and Appendix __ is for higher students. Lower students can use either form (will or going to) or can be encouraged only to focus on one of them. Higher-level students should be encouraged to try to choose the correct form based on their question and the situation: is it a planned activity (going to – for the school bus picture, for example: Where’s he going to go?) or a spontaneous activity (will – for the birthday picture, for example: What will she say to her brother?). VII. Grammar: Question Tags (Appendix H) (Grammar/Reading/Speaking) This is recommended for higher level students—for instance, for students who no longer have much trouble forming normal questions. It is probably more useful for lower level students to focus on mastering questions rather than moving on to question tags. Teach the question tag structure (match the auxiliary verb and negate the tag), using the handout of Appendix __ to explain. One way to practice is to use a die or a pair of dice and assign specific tag questions to numbers (i.e. 1 = don’t you; 2 = aren’t they; etc.), and then as students roll they should say or create a sentence using the appropriate tag. When students are able to put grammatically correct tags on sentences, they may be ready to form sentences with question tags about pictures or books. Show pictures or read short pages from a picture book and have students make comments using question tags, like “He’s hungry, isn’t he?” and “They don’t like the rain, do they?” VIII. Grammar: What If? Game (Grammar/Reading/Speaking) This game can be introduced if the second conditional (“If I had enough money, I would go to Hawaii”) seems to be an appropriate grammatical goal for the students. If the group of students is at a high level and are ready to learn the second conditional, this game can be used as a twofold learning experience: students will learn the second conditional, and they will learn how to play this “What if?” game with their children as they read. Cards can be made with open-ended questions, like “What if the teacher colored his hair purple?” or “What if our class was seven hours long?” that students can draw, ask each other, and answer with the appropriate grammar (i.e. If class was seven hours long, I would fall asleep!). When or if students get confident enough with the grammar, they can write their own “What if” questions to ask either or to mix in with the teacher’s cards. Another activity to use this grammar, which is directly relevant to reading, is to show pictures or read short pages from a picture book and ask second conditional questions like “What if that was you?” and “What would you do if that happened to you?” Literacy Network
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IX. Discuss: Before/During/After Reading (Speaking/Listening) Introduce or reiterate to students the idea that reading is interactive and should be a stimulating activity for children. Introduce the educational notion that an activity like reading should involve aspects before, during, and after the actual reading. Use the class or a recent class activity as an example. Next, group or pair students according to the class dynamics (decide if groups will be leveled or mixed level with the strongest students spread throughout). They should brainstorm answers to the question: What can you do with your child before/during/after reading a book? Encourage even the obvious answers to start in order to get everyone thinking. Have groups or pairs share their ideas either in a jigsaw or with the whole class. Some ideas include: Before – talk about the title; look at the cover; ask if the book seems recent or old; guess what the story is about; ask why the child wants to read this book. During – let the child hold the book; ask questions about the pictures and the story; explain new words; ask how they think the story will end. After – ask the child if he/she liked it; ask for the child’s reactions; ask what they would like to read next; re-read the book. X. Reading Aloud in Your Second Language (Appendix I) (Reading) These are some research-based tips for reading aloud in a second language. This short reading list can be used in various ways. Before looking at it, students can be asked to brainstorm a list of tips for reading aloud in English (if other activities have been done prior to this, it should not be too hard even for lower or mid-level students). After these are read or explained, follow-up activities will help emphasize their importance. For lower level students, the instructor or a lead student can demonstrate the tips as they are read. Students can also learn the meaning of each tip and then demonstrate to each other and guess which they are demonstrating (as a sort of charades game). Mid or higher level students can be asked to either reword the tips (changing as many words as possible without changing the meaning) or to explain why they think each is important.
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Appendix List: Worksheets A. “Grammar: Past Practice – A Day in Class” (lower level) B. “Grammar: Past Practice – A Day in Class” (higher level) C. “Grammar: Past Tense” D. “Past Questions” E. “Grammar: Present Continuous” F. “Grammar: Future – ‘Will’ and ‘Going to’” (lower level) G. ““Grammar: Future – ‘Will’ and ‘Going to’” (higher level) H. “Grammar: Question Tags” I. “Reading Aloud in your Second Language”
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A Grammar: Past Practice A Day in Class Read the story in the present. Then, fill in the blanks in the story below with the past.
Present Today, I attend English class. I learn about the past tense. The teacher shows some examples, and then we practice. I work in a group with three other students and we talk about the worksheet. I return home at 7:30pm. At home, I cook dinner and later I watch TV.
Past . Yesterday, I _____________________ English class. I _____________________ about the past tense. The teacher _____________________ some examples, and then we ____________________. I _____________________ in a group with three other students and we _____________________ about the worksheet. I _____________________ home at 7:30pm. At home, I _____________________ dinner and later I _____________________ TV.
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B Grammar: Past Practice A Day in Class Read the story in the present. Then, fill in the blanks below with the past.
Present
Today, I go to English class. I learn about the past tense. The teacher shows some examples, and then gives us a worksheet. We practice in groups. I work with three other students and we talk about our answers. We do not understand one question, so we ask the teacher. I return home at 7:30pm. I cook dinner. I have pasta for dinner. After I eat, I watch TV.
Past Yesterday, I ______________________ to English class. I ______________________ about the past tense.
Grammar: Past Tense Use the past tense to ask and answer questions about the pictures.
The teacher examples, and then ______________________ What______________________ do you think happened? some What do you think he/she/they did? us a worksheet. We ______________________ in groups. I ______________________ with three 1. students and we ______________________ about our answers. 2. We other
_____________________________________ one question, so we ______________________ the teacher. I ______________________ home at 7:30pm. I ______________________ dinner. I ______________________ pasta for dinner. After I ______________________ I ______________________ TV
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C
C Grammar: Past Tense Use the past tense to ask and answer questions about the pictures. What do you think happened?
1.
What do you think he/she/they did?
2.
3.
4.
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D
Past Questions
Where was he?
Where were they?
Where was she?
Was he angry?
Did he ride the horse?
Was she happy?
Did they run fast?
Did she get bad news?
Did he swim?
Did she make a mistake?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Where was he?
Where were they?
Where was she?
Was he angry?
Did he ride the horse?
Was she happy?
Did they run fast?
Did she get bad news?
Did he swim?
Did she make a mistake?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Where was he?
Where were they?
Where was she?
Was he angry?
Did he ride the horse?
Was she happy?
Did they run fast?
Did she get bad news?
Did he swim?
Did she make a mistake?
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E Grammar: Present Continuous I You
am are
_____ing
He She It
_____ing
is
They
are
____ing
We
are
____ing
_____ing
1. What’s the sheep doing?
2. What are they doing?
3. What’s he doing?
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F Grammar: Future “Will” and “Going to”
What do you think she will do?
What will they do next?
What’s he going to do?
What do you think they are going to do? Jimmy was nervous. He did not know the bus driver.
1.
The firefighter ran out of the house with the dog.
2.
3.
Randy wanted to help Alana blow out the candles.
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G Grammar: Future “Will” and “Going to” What do you think she will do?
What will they do next?
What’s he going to do?
What do you think they are going to do now? Jimmy was nervous about his first day of school. He did not know the name of the new bus driver.
1.
Luckily, the firefighter found Spot just in time! He ran out of the house with the dog in his arms.
2.
3.
Alana got ready to blow out the candles on her cake. Randy jumped up to help her.
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H Grammar: Question Tags Use a question tag when you want to check a statement (similar to “right?”). To make a question tag, check two things in the sentence: 1. Verb. Is there a helping verb (also called an auxiliary)? Helping verbs are underlined in these examples: They have gone. We can sing. She will go. You should write. 2. Positive or Negative. With a positive sentence, make a negative tag. With a negative sentence, make a positive tag.
*If there is no helping verb: He/She/It - Present: No helping verb He hates carrots.
Use “Does/Doesn’t” He hates carrots, doesn’t he?
You/They/I/We - Present: No helping verb You don’t go to class on Fridays.
Use “Do/Don’t” You don’t go to class on Fridays, do you?
Past: No helping Verb Jane went home at 9:00.
Use “Did/Didn’t” Jane went home at 9:00, didn’t she?
* If there is an auxiliary/helping verb (like be, can, will, should, have), the question tag will use that verb: Helping verb: Be Frank isn’t sleeping.
Frank isn’t sleeping, is he?
Helping verb: Can They can work tomorrow.
They can work tomorrow, can’t they?
Helping verb: Will You won’t (will not) go to Sue’s house.
You won’t go to Sue’s house, will you?
Helping verb: Should We should talk to the boss.
We should talk to the boss, shouldn’t we?
Helping verb: Have/Has Susan has not applied for citizenship.
Susan has not applied for citizenship, has she?
*If the only verb is the whole sentence is “be” (is/am/are/was/were), then use that same verb: He is late.
He’s late, isn’t he?
They aren’t good players.
They aren’t good players, are they?
You were late yesterday.
You were late yesterday, weren’t you?
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I
Reading Aloud in your Second Language Use the first language too! Translate! Focus on important words in the book. Point at the words as you or your child says them. Use gestures and facial expressions to help your child understand. Answer your child’s questions about the story. Repeat the story. It is very useful for children to hear it again and again! Try new books.
Gillanders, C. & Castro, D.C. (2007). Reading aloud to English Language Learners. Children and Families, 21(3), 12-14.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Reading Aloud in your Second Language Use the first language too! Translate! Focus on important words in the book. Point at the words as you or your child says them. Use gestures and facial expressions to help your child understand. Answer your child’s questions about the story. Repeat the story. It is very useful for children to hear it again and again! Try new books.
Gillanders, C. & Castro, D.C. (2007). Reading aloud to English Language Learners. Children and Families, 21(3), 12-14.
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Early Childhood Literacy: Capstone Activities Capstone
Read a book aloud in class as a model for reading aloud with children. • • • •
Level 3: Read a complex storybook aloud to the class and ask interactive questions. Journal about the experience. Level 2: Read a mid-level storybook aloud to a group in the class and ask interactive questions. Journal about the experience. Level 1: Read a basic storybook aloud to a group in the class. Fill out a questionnaire about the experience. All: Fill out an application for a library card.
Read a Book Aloud: Interactive Reading Practice The instructor may have already read a book aloud interactively in this unit, but it would be a good idea to do it again (perhaps with a simple book that has been used in class, like The Very Hungry Caterpillar) in order to model the activity to the students. (If using The Very Hungry Caterpillar, ask questions like: Do you think he’s happy? How many sweets are there? What day is it?) Questions to ask while reading should have been covered in various capacities throughout the unit, but it may be worthwhile to review such questions (e.g. What is the setting? What’s happening here? What did he do?). Phrases such as “turn the page” may also be useful to review if they were covered. The review may be done the same day as the capstone activity or a class before. This activity may work best if students work in partners: they can alternate reading pages and asking questions. Pair students by level and give each pair a book (see the list below for book suggestions). Instruct students to read the book together first, with 3 purposes: 1) to check their comprehension; 2) to prepare to read it aloud, checking the pronunciation of any new words; and 3) to write or prepare interactive reading questions. Low level students may be asked to prepare a set number of questions or one for every other page, while higher students can be asked to prepare a question for each page. This preparation may take up to 30 minutes, but depending on the time frame and the abilities of the student, it can be cut short so that students only plan on reading half of the book. Next, the pairs will read their books aloud and ask their questions. If the class is large enough, group pairs together in order for each pair to read their book to the other pair. If not, the pair can read to the class as a whole. Listeners should try to answer the interactive questions (the reader’s partner can help if need be). Suggested Books for this capstone Most of these books can be loaned from the Family Literacy department! Contact the director. • •
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Red Fish, Blue Fish Literacy Network
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Eric Carle Dr. Seuss
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• • • • • • •
Bark, George From Head to Toe Goodnight Moon Green Eggs and Ham If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible… Where the Wild Things Are
Jules Feiffer Eric Carle Margaret Wise Brown Dr. Seuss Laura Numeroff Judith Viorst Maurice Sendak
(low to mid level) (low to mid level) (low to mid level) (mid to high level) (mid to high level) (advanced level) (advanced level)
Reflections on Reading Aloud Students should reflect on their reading aloud experience in writing. Ideally, this should be done immediately after reading in class, but it may also be a take-home activity or an activity for the following class. Low-level students can fill out a questionnaire after they read the book aloud, while mid and higher level students should journal about the experience. (Alternatively, this can be a discussion activity.) Level 1 (Appendix C1) This is for low-level students who need guidance in their writing. They may be encouraged to answer in short sentences, if capable. Levels 2 and 3 (Appendix C2) This list of questions is for mid and high level students, to be used as a starting point for writing about their reading aloud experience. Mid-level students may be encouraged to answer the questions, while higher students should be encouraged to think about paragraph construction and organization.
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C1 Reflect: Reading Aloud
1. What book did you read? _____________________________________________________________ 2. Who did you read it with? _____________________________________________________________ 3. How many pages did you read? _____________________________________________________________ 4. What was the book about? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________
5. Tell one question you asked. _____________________________________________________________
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C2 Reflect: Reading Aloud Think about the following questions, and then write about your experience. 1. What book did you read? 2. Who did you read it with? 3. How did you choose the book? 4. How many pages did you read? 5. What was the book about? 6. What happened in the book? 7. What are some of the questions you asked while reading? 8. Did you or your classmates enjoy the book? Why or why not? Would you read it with your children?
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Promote education in the home CAPSTONE ACTIVITY
Read a book aloud in class as a model for reading aloud with children. • • • •
Level 3: Read a complex storybook aloud to the class and ask interactive questions. Journal about the experience. Level 2: Read a mid-level storybook aloud to a group in the class and ask interactive questions. Journal about the experience. Level 1: Read a basic storybook aloud to a group in the class. Fill out a questionnaire about the experience. All: Fill out an application for a library card. PURPOSE
• • • •
To teach parents strategies for reading-aloud To help parents ask grammatically sound questions during interactive reading To increase parent confidence when reading to or with their children To help parents have the tools to enhance their children’s learning at home and better prepare them for school DIRECT USE
• • • • •
Forming questions related to pictures, text, and books Reading to or with their young children Engaging children in the process of reading aloud Preparing children for school Making life-long learning a family priority NECESSARY GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY
Question/answer structure Question tags (i.e. “isn’t it?”) Literacy Network
1118 S. Park St
Simple past tense Simple future Madison WI
53715
(608) 244-3911
www.litnetwork.org
Present progressive tense
Second conditional
Relevant Vocabulary literacy comprehension
vocabulary gesture
voices turn the page
between down during except for from in into next of
off on onto opposite out outside over past since than
through throughout to toward under underneath until up upon with
dinosaur dog dolphin duck eagle elephant fish fox frog giraffe goat goose
horse kangaroo lion monkey moose mouse octopus owl parrot pig rabbit rat
shark skunk snail snake spider squirrel tiger turkey turtle whale wolf zebra
cul-de-sac dining room door
downstairs driveway garden
Vocabulary: Prepositions about across after around at before behind below beneath beside Vocabulary: Animals alligator ant bat bear bee butterfly cat caterpillar cheetah chicken chimpanzee crocodile
Vocabulary: House and Neighborhood apartment attic basement Literacy Network
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hallway house kitchen lawn
living room neighbor neighborhood park
playground sidewalk stairs street
upstairs window yard
Verbs • • • •
• • • •
To be To have To say To do
• • •
To ask To run To play To think
To hide To find To look
Interactive Reading Questions • • • •
• • • •
What’s that? What’s happening? What’s he/she doing? Where’s he/she going?
Literacy Network
1118 S. Park St
Madison WI
What happened? What will he do? What do you think will happen next? Can you find…?
53715
(608) 244-3911
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Early Childhood Literacy Strategies: Unit Activities Activities
I. Interactive Reading Unit Introduction (Speaking/Listening) In order to introduce this unit and the overall goal, the instructor might demonstrate an interactive read-aloud with a children’s book to the class. The class can also discuss reading aloud, as a large group or in small groups. Students might be asked to list some benefits of reading aloud with children (e.g. word recognition, vocabulary building, improving memory, improving cognitive skills). It might also be useful to present this introduction as a survey, and have students ask each other questions like: “Do you read aloud to your children?” “How often?” “For how long?” A lesson on frequency and time lengths could be easily incorporated, if necessary for the learners. Interactive reading can be an intimidating concept when presented as crucial for a child’s development, but it is important to also present it as fun, easy, and flexible! Parents should be assured that even if they lack the skills to perfectly pronounce English or if they cannot read all the words, their children still benefit from being read to. The class may want to brainstorm ways to “read” even if the parent or child cannot actually read or pronounce all of the words. For very low-level or low-literacy students with young, encourage them to point out letters with their children in a book and to talk about the pictures in any language. For such students with older children, encourage them to ask their children to read aloud. II. Fill out a Library Card Application (Speaking/Reading/Writing) Students can fill out library card applications. These can actually be used to apply for library cards or can simply act as language practice. To make this a four-skills-focused task, it can be done as an information gap activity. That is, students can be paired and should fill out the form for each other by asking questions (i.e. “What’s your last name?” “How do you spell that?”). Lower level students can be asked to just fill in the “Patron Information” section, while higher students can be asked to complete that and additionally read and reword the “Acceptance of Responsibility” section. The forms are available online or can be picked up at a local library branch. *This activity is also found in the Home Reading Plan Unit. III. Read: Past Practice – A Day in Class (Appendices A and B) (Reading/Grammar) The past tense is often used for storytelling and is therefore important for students who plan to read storybooks in English with their children. Teach first the regular past simple with –ed. Pronunciation of regular –ed past tense verbs should be taught as well, since parents will be encouraged to read aloud to children. A simple rule to teach is that for verbs that end with (or sound like
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they end with) “d” or “t,” pronounce the –ed ending. All other regular –ed verbs will have only a “t” or “d” pronunciation (like walked and washed, respectively). The pronunciation and common irregulars should be taught through various other activities, especially for low- and mid-level students. One book to use when talking about the past is The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle—this is especially good for students to begin to study irregular past simple verbs. As you read together, note the past verbs: lay, came, started, ate, was, had, felt, built, called, stayed, nibbled, pushed. IV. Grammar: Past Tense (Appendices C and D) (Grammar/Speaking/Writing) This grammar is in preparation for interactive reading practice. Directions are not included on the worksheet to allow for flexibility and variations. Students should look at the pictures in pairs or groups and make questions in the past tense about the pictures. They can then ask those questions of other students, either as a class or by pairing groups together. Encourage students to get creative and specific with their questions and go beyond “What happened?” For low-level students, Appendix D provides sample questions. Some students may be encouraged to model their own questions on them, while very low level students may be asked to simply match each question to a picture (some are relevant for more than one). V. Grammar: Present Continuous (Appendix E) (Grammar/Speaking/Writing) This grammar is in preparation for interactive reading practice. Directions are not included on the worksheet to allow for flexibility and variations. The present continuous is often used to talk about pictures or events in a storybook (e.g. “What is happening there?”). The grammatical structure is included on the worksheet but should be taught before the sheet is handed out. Students should look at the pictures in pairs or groups and make questions in the present continuous about them. They can then ask those questions of other students, either as a class or by pairing groups together. Encourage students to get creative and specific with their questions and go beyond “What is happening?” Encourage them also to come up with more than one question and more than one answer. There is space to write the questions and answers if it benefits the students to make this more of a writing activity than a speaking activity. VI. Grammar: Future (Appendices F and G) (Grammar/Reading/Writing) This worksheet does not heavily focus on the grammatical differences between the future forms “will” and “going to.” Those differences (summarized briefly below) can be taught before this worksheet, depending on student capabilities. While many times “will” and “going to” can be used interchangeably, there are subtle differences in their usages that should be taught to students who are ready. A quick summary: “will” is used: 1) a prediction based on opinion; 2) if decision is made spontaneously; 3) for a future fact. “Going
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to” is used: 1) if a decision has been made before talking; 2) if a prediction is based on current evidence (something you see/hear now). Both of these forms are used when asking about the events in a storybook. With the worksheet, students look at the pictures and captions, which imitate storybook styles, and write or ask questions in the future. They may answer the questions themselves or ask a partner or group and record the other students’ answers. Appendix __ is for lower students and Appendix __ is for higher students. Lower students can use either form (will or going to) or can be encouraged only to focus on one of them. Higher-level students should be encouraged to try to choose the correct form based on their question and the situation: is it a planned activity (going to – for the school bus picture, for example: Where’s he going to go?) or a spontaneous activity (will – for the birthday picture, for example: What will she say to her brother?). VII. Grammar: Question Tags (Appendix H) (Grammar/Reading/Speaking) This is recommended for higher level students—for instance, for students who no longer have much trouble forming normal questions. It is probably more useful for lower level students to focus on mastering questions rather than moving on to question tags. Teach the question tag structure (match the auxiliary verb and negate the tag), using the handout of Appendix __ to explain. One way to practice is to use a die or a pair of dice and assign specific tag questions to numbers (i.e. 1 = don’t you; 2 = aren’t they; etc.), and then as students roll they should say or create a sentence using the appropriate tag. When students are able to put grammatically correct tags on sentences, they may be ready to form sentences with question tags about pictures or books. Show pictures or read short pages from a picture book and have students make comments using question tags, like “He’s hungry, isn’t he?” and “They don’t like the rain, do they?” VIII. Grammar: What If? Game (Grammar/Reading/Speaking) This game can be introduced if the second conditional (“If I had enough money, I would go to Hawaii”) seems to be an appropriate grammatical goal for the students. If the group of students is at a high level and are ready to learn the second conditional, this game can be used as a twofold learning experience: students will learn the second conditional, and they will learn how to play this “What if?” game with their children as they read. Cards can be made with open-ended questions, like “What if the teacher colored his hair purple?” or “What if our class was seven hours long?” that students can draw, ask each other, and answer with the appropriate grammar (i.e. If class was seven hours long, I would fall asleep!). When or if students get confident enough with the grammar, they can write their own “What if” questions to ask either or to mix in with the teacher’s cards. Another activity to use this grammar, which is directly relevant to reading, is to show pictures or read short pages from a picture book and ask second conditional questions like “What if that was you?” and “What would you do if that happened to you?” Literacy Network
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IX. Discuss: Before/During/After Reading (Speaking/Listening) Introduce or reiterate to students the idea that reading is interactive and should be a stimulating activity for children. Introduce the educational notion that an activity like reading should involve aspects before, during, and after the actual reading. Use the class or a recent class activity as an example. Next, group or pair students according to the class dynamics (decide if groups will be leveled or mixed level with the strongest students spread throughout). They should brainstorm answers to the question: What can you do with your child before/during/after reading a book? Encourage even the obvious answers to start in order to get everyone thinking. Have groups or pairs share their ideas either in a jigsaw or with the whole class. Some ideas include: Before – talk about the title; look at the cover; ask if the book seems recent or old; guess what the story is about; ask why the child wants to read this book. During – let the child hold the book; ask questions about the pictures and the story; explain new words; ask how they think the story will end. After – ask the child if he/she liked it; ask for the child’s reactions; ask what they would like to read next; re-read the book. X. Reading Aloud in Your Second Language (Appendix I) (Reading) These are some research-based tips for reading aloud in a second language. This short reading list can be used in various ways. Before looking at it, students can be asked to brainstorm a list of tips for reading aloud in English (if other activities have been done prior to this, it should not be too hard even for lower or mid-level students). After these are read or explained, follow-up activities will help emphasize their importance. For lower level students, the instructor or a lead student can demonstrate the tips as they are read. Students can also learn the meaning of each tip and then demonstrate to each other and guess which they are demonstrating (as a sort of charades game). Mid or higher level students can be asked to either reword the tips (changing as many words as possible without changing the meaning) or to explain why they think each is important.
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Appendix List: Worksheets A. “Grammar: Past Practice – A Day in Class” (lower level) B. “Grammar: Past Practice – A Day in Class” (higher level) C. “Grammar: Past Tense” D. “Past Questions” E. “Grammar: Present Continuous” F. “Grammar: Future – ‘Will’ and ‘Going to’” (lower level) G. ““Grammar: Future – ‘Will’ and ‘Going to’” (higher level) H. “Grammar: Question Tags” I. “Reading Aloud in your Second Language”
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A Grammar: Past Practice A Day in Class Read the story in the present. Then, fill in the blanks in the story below with the past.
Present Today, I attend English class. I learn about the past tense. The teacher shows some examples, and then we practice. I work in a group with three other students and we talk about the worksheet. I return home at 7:30pm. At home, I cook dinner and later I watch TV.
Past . Yesterday, I _____________________ English class. I _____________________ about the past tense. The teacher _____________________ some examples, and then we ____________________. I _____________________ in a group with three other students and we _____________________ about the worksheet. I _____________________ home at 7:30pm. At home, I _____________________ dinner and later I _____________________ TV.
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B Grammar: Past Practice A Day in Class Read the story in the present. Then, fill in the blanks below with the past.
Present
Today, I go to English class. I learn about the past tense. The teacher shows some examples, and then gives us a worksheet. We practice in groups. I work with three other students and we talk about our answers. We do not understand one question, so we ask the teacher. I return home at 7:30pm. I cook dinner. I have pasta for dinner. After I eat, I watch TV.
Past Yesterday, I ______________________ to English class. I ______________________ about the past tense.
Grammar: Past Tense Use the past tense to ask and answer questions about the pictures.
The teacher examples, and then ______________________ What______________________ do you think happened? some What do you think he/she/they did? us a worksheet. We ______________________ in groups. I ______________________ with three 1. students and we ______________________ about our answers. 2. We other
_____________________________________ one question, so we ______________________ the teacher. I ______________________ home at 7:30pm. I ______________________ dinner. I ______________________ pasta for dinner. After I ______________________ I ______________________ TV
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C
C Grammar: Past Tense Use the past tense to ask and answer questions about the pictures. What do you think happened?
1.
What do you think he/she/they did?
2.
3.
4.
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D
Past Questions
Where was he?
Where were they?
Where was she?
Was he angry?
Did he ride the horse?
Was she happy?
Did they run fast?
Did she get bad news?
Did he swim?
Did she make a mistake?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Where was he?
Where were they?
Where was she?
Was he angry?
Did he ride the horse?
Was she happy?
Did they run fast?
Did she get bad news?
Did he swim?
Did she make a mistake?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Where was he?
Where were they?
Where was she?
Was he angry?
Did he ride the horse?
Was she happy?
Did they run fast?
Did she get bad news?
Did he swim?
Did she make a mistake?
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E Grammar: Present Continuous I You
am are
_____ing
He She It
_____ing
is
They
are
____ing
We
are
____ing
_____ing
1. What’s the sheep doing?
2. What are they doing?
3. What’s he doing?
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F Grammar: Future “Will” and “Going to”
What do you think she will do?
What will they do next?
What’s he going to do?
What do you think they are going to do? Jimmy was nervous. He did not know the bus driver.
1.
The firefighter ran out of the house with the dog.
2.
3.
Randy wanted to help Alana blow out the candles.
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G Grammar: Future “Will” and “Going to” What do you think she will do?
What will they do next?
What’s he going to do?
What do you think they are going to do now? Jimmy was nervous about his first day of school. He did not know the name of the new bus driver.
1.
Luckily, the firefighter found Spot just in time! He ran out of the house with the dog in his arms.
2.
3.
Alana got ready to blow out the candles on her cake. Randy jumped up to help her.
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H Grammar: Question Tags Use a question tag when you want to check a statement (similar to “right?”). To make a question tag, check two things in the sentence: 1. Verb. Is there a helping verb (also called an auxiliary)? Helping verbs are underlined in these examples: They have gone. We can sing. She will go. You should write. 2. Positive or Negative. With a positive sentence, make a negative tag. With a negative sentence, make a positive tag.
*If there is no helping verb: He/She/It - Present: No helping verb He hates carrots.
Use “Does/Doesn’t” He hates carrots, doesn’t he?
You/They/I/We - Present: No helping verb You don’t go to class on Fridays.
Use “Do/Don’t” You don’t go to class on Fridays, do you?
Past: No helping Verb Jane went home at 9:00.
Use “Did/Didn’t” Jane went home at 9:00, didn’t she?
* If there is an auxiliary/helping verb (like be, can, will, should, have), the question tag will use that verb: Helping verb: Be Frank isn’t sleeping.
Frank isn’t sleeping, is he?
Helping verb: Can They can work tomorrow.
They can work tomorrow, can’t they?
Helping verb: Will You won’t (will not) go to Sue’s house.
You won’t go to Sue’s house, will you?
Helping verb: Should We should talk to the boss.
We should talk to the boss, shouldn’t we?
Helping verb: Have/Has Susan has not applied for citizenship.
Susan has not applied for citizenship, has she?
*If the only verb is the whole sentence is “be” (is/am/are/was/were), then use that same verb: He is late.
He’s late, isn’t he?
They aren’t good players.
They aren’t good players, are they?
You were late yesterday.
You were late yesterday, weren’t you?
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I
Reading Aloud in your Second Language Use the first language too! Translate! Focus on important words in the book. Point at the words as you or your child says them. Use gestures and facial expressions to help your child understand. Answer your child’s questions about the story. Repeat the story. It is very useful for children to hear it again and again! Try new books.
Gillanders, C. & Castro, D.C. (2007). Reading aloud to English Language Learners. Children and Families, 21(3), 12-14.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Reading Aloud in your Second Language Use the first language too! Translate! Focus on important words in the book. Point at the words as you or your child says them. Use gestures and facial expressions to help your child understand. Answer your child’s questions about the story. Repeat the story. It is very useful for children to hear it again and again! Try new books.
Gillanders, C. & Castro, D.C. (2007). Reading aloud to English Language Learners. Children and Families, 21(3), 12-14.
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Early Childhood Literacy: Capstone Activities Capstone
Read a book aloud in class as a model for reading aloud with children. • • • •
Level 3: Read a complex storybook aloud to the class and ask interactive questions. Journal about the experience. Level 2: Read a mid-level storybook aloud to a group in the class and ask interactive questions. Journal about the experience. Level 1: Read a basic storybook aloud to a group in the class. Fill out a questionnaire about the experience. All: Fill out an application for a library card.
Read a Book Aloud: Interactive Reading Practice The instructor may have already read a book aloud interactively in this unit, but it would be a good idea to do it again (perhaps with a simple book that has been used in class, like The Very Hungry Caterpillar) in order to model the activity to the students. (If using The Very Hungry Caterpillar, ask questions like: Do you think he’s happy? How many sweets are there? What day is it?) Questions to ask while reading should have been covered in various capacities throughout the unit, but it may be worthwhile to review such questions (e.g. What is the setting? What’s happening here? What did he do?). Phrases such as “turn the page” may also be useful to review if they were covered. The review may be done the same day as the capstone activity or a class before. This activity may work best if students work in partners: they can alternate reading pages and asking questions. Pair students by level and give each pair a book (see the list below for book suggestions). Instruct students to read the book together first, with 3 purposes: 1) to check their comprehension; 2) to prepare to read it aloud, checking the pronunciation of any new words; and 3) to write or prepare interactive reading questions. Low level students may be asked to prepare a set number of questions or one for every other page, while higher students can be asked to prepare a question for each page. This preparation may take up to 30 minutes, but depending on the time frame and the abilities of the student, it can be cut short so that students only plan on reading half of the book. Next, the pairs will read their books aloud and ask their questions. If the class is large enough, group pairs together in order for each pair to read their book to the other pair. If not, the pair can read to the class as a whole. Listeners should try to answer the interactive questions (the reader’s partner can help if need be). Suggested Books for this capstone Most of these books can be loaned from the Family Literacy department! Contact the director. • •
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Red Fish, Blue Fish Literacy Network
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• • • • • • •
Bark, George From Head to Toe Goodnight Moon Green Eggs and Ham If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible… Where the Wild Things Are
Jules Feiffer Eric Carle Margaret Wise Brown Dr. Seuss Laura Numeroff Judith Viorst Maurice Sendak
(low to mid level) (low to mid level) (low to mid level) (mid to high level) (mid to high level) (advanced level) (advanced level)
Reflections on Reading Aloud Students should reflect on their reading aloud experience in writing. Ideally, this should be done immediately after reading in class, but it may also be a take-home activity or an activity for the following class. Low-level students can fill out a questionnaire after they read the book aloud, while mid and higher level students should journal about the experience. (Alternatively, this can be a discussion activity.) Level 1 (Appendix C1) This is for low-level students who need guidance in their writing. They may be encouraged to answer in short sentences, if capable. Levels 2 and 3 (Appendix C2) This list of questions is for mid and high level students, to be used as a starting point for writing about their reading aloud experience. Mid-level students may be encouraged to answer the questions, while higher students should be encouraged to think about paragraph construction and organization.
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C1 Reflect: Reading Aloud
1. What book did you read? _____________________________________________________________ 2. Who did you read it with? _____________________________________________________________ 3. How many pages did you read? _____________________________________________________________ 4. What was the book about? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________
5. Tell one question you asked. _____________________________________________________________
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C2 Reflect: Reading Aloud Think about the following questions, and then write about your experience. 1. What book did you read? 2. Who did you read it with? 3. How did you choose the book? 4. How many pages did you read? 5. What was the book about? 6. What happened in the book? 7. What are some of the questions you asked while reading? 8. Did you or your classmates enjoy the book? Why or why not? Would you read it with your children?
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