Empowering The Youngest Readers: Reading Without Words (Page 2 of 4) in pdf

Classroom Activities

compare and contrast their descriptions. Do the characters need

Predicting

names? Throughout the story, what do their faces tell you about

Predicting works well on the first reading of a new story. Show the

their emotions and feelings? As a class, make a list of character

cover of the book first. Ask students to describe the cover image and

traits for the boy, the bluebird, and the group of mean boys.

predict what they think the book will be about. Who are the

characters? What do they imagine the characters will do? Then, at

Text-to-Self Connections

certain points in the story, stop reading and ask students to talk about

While reading a wordless picture book with a group, stop

the predictions they’ve made and whether they were right or wrong.

occasionally and ask students to make text-to-self connections.

Then have students make new predictions based on what has

Ask if a child has ever felt the way a character feels, or whether they

happened in the story so far. Predicting story elements will encourage

have ever experienced what that character is going though. In

children to use their previous experiences and develop the critical

Bluebird, the little boy starts out lonely and doesn’t have

thinking skills necessary to comprehend the plot.

any friends. Then the boy makes a new friend. Where appropriate,

Story Mapping

ask the students to share if they have ever felt lonely. Then later,

ask students to talk about a time they made a new friend. How did

After going through the wordless picture book with students,

they feel? Making text-to-self connections enriches a child’s

have students describe what is happening in the story. Who are the

understanding of a text by relating the experiences of a character

characters? What is the setting? What is the problem of the story?

to that of their own lives.

What events do the problem cause? What is the conclusion or

solution to the story? Use the sample story map to understand the

Grammar Activity

various parts of any story.

Even though there are no words in the book, you can still identify

Sequencing

parts of speech based on the narrative you’ve created. Create separate

lists of nouns, verbs, and adjectives based on the action of the

After reading, explain that all stories have a beginning, middle, and

book. For nouns, think about the characters, the places, and the

end. Ask students to discuss what happens in each section of the

things in the book. For verbs, think about what the characters and

wordless picture book. When telling the narrative of the book,

things in the book are doing. For adjectives, think about how

encourage children to use sequencing phrases like first, then, next,

you would describe the characters, places, and things in the

after that, and last to describe the order in which events happen.

book. How would you describe the setting of the story in Mine!?

Characterization

Cause and Effect

Identify the characters in the book and describe their physical

In storytelling, all actions create consequences. Explain cause

appearance, their behavior and actions, and how the character

and effect to students, using simple examples, such as “Cause:

interacts with other characters. In Bluebird, the characters do not

I did not wear a jacket outside when it was snowing” and “Effect:

have names. How would you identify them? Do the characters need

I was cold.” Go through the wordless picture book and identify some

names? How would you describe their physical appearance?

character actions, and what were the effects of their actions. In

What do their faces tell you about their emotions and feelings?

A Ball for Daisy, the brown dog takes Daisy’s ball. What is the

Ask multiple students to describe the same character and

effect of the brown dog’s actions?

Empowering The Youngest Readers: Reading Without Words Page 2

Related Articles

Related forms

Related Categories