Transcript How to Read a Book

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.
Where to Read
• 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.
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.
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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.