What started as a Fast Finisher activity, has been transformed into something more. It has provided rich texts and colorful illustrations to go along with them that are a rich resource to add to our FVR library. And the best part is that students are using their originality and creativity to do so. I introduce you to: Complete the doodle. Step One. Find some very simple doodles. Google search, “complete the drawing” and click on the images that result from this search. You will see a lot of images that look like scribbles, or single lines. That is the beginning of a drawing. Step Two. Let students create. Based on the doodle, students will use their imagination to add on to the doodle and flesh out a drawing of something that incorporates the original doodle. For example, I have had students create an elephant, a fairy and a flower from the same initial doodle. The key is to ask students to use their imagination. And color. Bold color. Use lots of color to make memorable pictures. Step Three. Create a text. Once students have completed their drawings, collect them. Redistribute each drawing to a different student so that no one has their own drawing. Now, students create a story for the drawing they have in their possession. This gets interesting because I do not allow students to ask questions of the artist. Students have to imagine what the drawing is for themselves. Sometimes it is pretty obvious, and other times, it is a complete guess. If your students are familiar with Invisibles, have them create a character sketch when they write. This reinforces high frequency vocabulary such as characteristics, origin, likes and dislikes. To go further, have students create a story. Using structures such as has, can (or can’t), wants, goes also reinforces high-frequency vocabulary. Step Four. Follow up. Once students have written a text, you can choose to collect the text and drawings as-is, have students type them, or type them yourself (correcting any grammatical errors as you go. This is really dependent upon the amount of time you have to dedicate to this activity.) Once again, collect all the texts and drawings.
Step Five. Create a book for your FVR library. Finally, put all the drawings and texts into a single bound text. (I use sheet protectors and clear front report folders.) Add the text to your FVR library. Students LOVE reading texts they have created, and these are no exception.
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I have found an AMAZING, FUN way to infuse life into Free Reading time, thanks to a little post via the MN TCI Facebook group. (Thank you, Lydia Ann!)
Enter: Game of Quotes. Here’s how it works. After Free Reading time is done, instead of returning their books to the shelf, students hang on to them and game time begins. Students form groups of 4-5 and compete to find the best passage that fits a specific prompt. Basically, a bit like Apples to Apples, but for books!!! For example, I post the prompt, “Overheard in the teachers’ lounge” and students scour their novels (or other reading material) to find a phrase, sentence or multi-sentence passage from their novel that could fit that prompt. When a student finds a passage, she yells, “Got it!” Now, the race is truly on and students have 2 minutes to find a passage to fit the prompt. At the end of 2 minutes of time, each member reads their passage and group members vote on a winner. The winners of each group share their passage with the class. A much more detailed explanation can be found on The Book Sommelier Blog, where it was originally posted. (The author was inspired by this game...which I secretly can’t wait to play with my nerdy book friends.) When playing the game, it doesn’t matter if all group members are reading the same novel or not. If they aren’t, students end up asking one another questions about their novels...kids are talking about books!!! If student are all reading the same novel, perhaps as a class, the game is just as fun because rarely do two students in the same group find the same passage. Now, students are asking one other where they found “X” passage...kids are talking about books!!! I played this game with my Spanish III class recently, and we all had a blast. The slideshow containing the prompts I used can be found here. There are 25 prompts, broken into 5 different “games.” The prompts are in Spanish, but the English translation is in the speaker notes as well. (If you see any grammatical errors, please let me know and I will get them fixed ASAP.) Of course, regardless of the language you teach, you could always write the prompts in English so that students are focused on making meaning of their texts as opposed to deciphering the prompt. If the prompts are given in English (or L1), they could also be more complex, and perhaps more creative, than those I have included. All in all, this is a powerful, engaging way to showcase student creativity as well as the books in your FVR library. Happy gaming!
If you have established or are trying to establish a Free Volunteer Reading program in your classroom, a great way to get students to read books is to increase interest in a specific book through a book chat. A book chat is when someone (usually the teacher) presents a book to the class in a compelling way to raise interest level in the book.
A book chat can take ANY form, as long as it is interesting and comprehensible to your students, therefore, you determine if a book chat will take place in the students’ native language or the target language. A book chat could also be done in a combination of both languages, if that is what you want. Again, you are the driving force behind the book chat and need to determine what is really going to draw your students interest. If you are looking for a structured way with which to present book chats, think about a book chat as having three components.
The Hook The language (native or target) that you use to present the hook can be determined by what you want to do in the classroom on that particular day. For example, a hook could be a great lead into PQA or to introduce target structures present in the book. The language you use could also be determined by how much time you want to dedicate to the book chat. The purpose of a hook is to immediately draw students’ interest to the book, by creating a text to self connection between the students and the book. Various Hooks 1. Rank Order. Ask students to rank order items that are related to the story. Option 1: Once students have items ordered, students share out their list to the whole class. Discuss the lists, comparing and contrasting students’ lists with one another. Option 2: Students share and compare their lists with a partner. Using rejoinders, students react appropriately their partner’s list. 2. Four Corners. Label 4 corners in your classroom as 1, 2, 3, 4. Project text/images of four items related to the story. Generate a list of statements or questions about the images. Students move to the corner that best answers the statement or question. From here, you can practice numbers and math, seeing how many students choose corner 1 compared to corner 2, etc. You can ask students to explain or defend their choices as a whole class share out, or pair students from different corners to talk for 30 seconds about their choice. 3. Make a prediction. Project an image (preferable one the students are unfamiliar with), quote or other interesting item related to the story. Ask students to make a prediction about what the image is, what the quote means, etc. Have students share out their answers with the class. This could also extend into a One Word Image (as created by Ben Slavic), depending upon student interest. 4. Personalized Questions and Answers (PQA). Ask students personal questions that can relate to the story. PQA can last as long as you, the teacher, would like it to. Just be sure that when you wrap up the PQA session, you take some of the students’ comments and relate them to the story. 5. Poll Everywhere*. polleverywhere.com is an online, interactive poll conducted in real time. You create a poll, and students use their devices (cell, chromebook, etc.) to respond to the poll in real time. Students can instantly see the results of the poll when projected. Ask questions that are related to the story. For example, if you are doing a book chat on Brandon Brown quiere un perro, create a multiple choice poll that contains images of various breeds of dogs and ask students to vote for their favorite. Create an open-ended poll that asks students where they hide things from their parents. Watch the results come flying in! *To use polleverywhere.com, you will need to create a free account. 6. Google Earth & Maps. Using google earth, or google maps (street view), take screenshots of the various setting in the story. Use the images to compare and contrast what they see to their town. Use the images to predict where in the world the story takes place. Use the images to discuss cultural elements present. 7. Video. Show a short video clip that relates in some way to the story. After the clip, discussion can ensue, ask students to list what they saw in the clip. Connect these items to the story. For example, when Book Chatting Bianca Nieves y los 7 Toritos, show a short clip of a bullfight (if appropriate for your setting) and discuss what students saw. 8. Would you rather. This is similar to PQA, but with a twist. Ask students what they would rather do in situations that mirror those found in the story. Depending again on how much time you would like to dedicate to a book chat, you can ask anywhere from one to several questions. Allow the discussion to ensue and connect to the story. Summary Before reading a summary, be sure to connect the hook in some way to the story. For example, if you are doing Four Corners with Berto y sus buenas ideas, it is a good idea to mention that these are all things the main character of the story enjoys as well. Share a BRIEF summary of the book with the students. The summary can be as short as a few sentences, or a paragraph or two or it can come straight from the back of the book. As you share the summary, have the book in your hands so students can get a visual of what the book looks like - cover art, length, illustrations, etc. Read Aloud Find a section of the text that is both comprehensible and compelling. The section does not need to be very long, just enough to pique the interest of your students. Once you identify the section you wish to share, read it out loud to determine how long the actual reading will take. Remember, you want students to become interested in the book; keeping the reading well under three minutes is enough time to secure students’ interest, especially if you have hooked them earlier. If your read aloud is over three minutes, you certainly can “cut” parts from the reading to decrease the amount of time spent on the read aloud. In other words, you do not have to read every word from the section. Find the parts that will draw your audience to the story, and read just those parts. For example, if there are a few sentences that contain unknown structures or vocabulary, and if these sentences are not essential to the comprehension of the read aloud passage, skip them. Remember, you are trying to increase interest, not necessarily narrate the entire story. It is also important to read the section aloud ahead of time in order to practice reading. The read aloud should be fluid; it should not be choppy. This is a chance to model pronunciation and intonation in the target language, as well as demonstrate what good reading skills “look” like to your students. Furthermore, by reading aloud the section in advance, you can practice adding character voices to any dialog sections, adding dramatic pauses, choosing an inflection that will match the content, etc.to make the reading more interesting to your students. When you are set to do your read aloud to students, be sure to share with them any necessary background information that they may need to understand the passage before reading. For example, it is helpful to tell them what has happened in the story immediately prior to section you are about to read, or if there is a minor character involved that you have not yet discussed. Those are the component of a structured book chat. The link below is a google slideshow (also embedded) with examples of ready to go hooks, summaries and read alouds for the following novels:
Ready to Go! Book Chats |
Jessie Oelke
#deptofone providing compelling and comprehensible input Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
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