1 of 62

Stories and Strategies for Any Age: Improving Engagement through Children's Books and Read Alouds

Joe Stanzione

ASFM Elementary Principal

joe.stanzione@asfm.edu.mx @josephstanzione

2 of 62

Strategy or Activity: Total Physical Response - Stories in Motion

Description:

  • Review the action words in the story.
  • Give instructions while you are reading.
  • Act out the motions.
  • Pause where needed for comprehension.

Titles:

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Stories in Motion

7

3 of 62

4 of 62

Stories and Strategies for Any Age: Improving Engagement through Children's Books and Read Alouds

Joe Stanzione

ASFM Elementary Principal

joe.stanzione@asfm.edu.mx @josephstanzione

5 of 62

6 of 62

Q: What in the world does engagement really mean?

A: It’s complex, multidimensional, messy and out of your control….sometimes.

Student engagement is a function of both the individual and the construct. It varies in intensity and duration.

Behavioral Engagement

focusing on participation in academic, social, and co-curricular activities

Emotional Engagement

focusing on the extent and nature of positive and negative reactions to teachers, classmates, academics, and school

Cognitive Engagement

focusing on students’ level of investment in learning

7 of 62

Point 1 - Clarity

No Flipgrids - No Nearpod - No Jamboard - No New Websites

No Breakout Rooms - Nothing Google (except this presentation)

Not reading entire book.

Yes to the Chat Box - Yes to Virtual Hand Raise to Share

Engagement in books, reading, takeaways and thinking.

8 of 62

Point 2 - Possible Fail

9 of 62

Point 3

A Love of Books

10 of 62

Why do Writers Write?

11 of 62

Why do Writers Write?

  • Share personal thoughts
  • Speak to an audience
  • Create and maintain relationships
  • Communicate
  • Inspire an audience
  • Find rest and repose
  • Find themselves
  • Stay connected
  • Find a voice
  • Tell a story of someone
  • Explore
  • Process ideas
  • Develop skills
  • Gain knowledge
  • Keep imagination alive

So teachers have ‘the perfect book’ to use when they are teaching about….

12 of 62

Start with an Emotional Connection

13 of 62

14 of 62

Engagement - How do we really know?

TEACHER-DIRECTED LEARNING

  • Paying attention
  • Taking notes
  • Listening
  • Asking questions; responding to questions
  • Following requests
  • Reacting

STUDENT-DIRECTED LEARNING

  • Unprompted
  • Reading critically (pen/pencil)
  • Writing to learn
  • Performing/presenting, inquiring, exploring, explaining, evaluating, and experimenting
  • Interacting with other students, gesturing and moving

Edutopia: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-engagement-definition-ben-johnson

15 of 62

Sprinkling in a bit of Research

16 of 62

Reading aloud is the foundation for literacy development. It is the single most important activity for reading success.

(Bredekamp, Copple, & Neuman, 2000).

17 of 62

Let’s Get Started

18 of 62

Strategy or Activity: Keep the Count

Description:

  • Find the punctuation marks (or anything) that are used throughout the story. Keep a tally of each.
  • Listen to the changes in my reading voice with each punctuation mark.

Titles:

There is a Bird on Your Head! by Mo Willems

Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver

1

19 of 62

Strategy or Activity: What is so funny?

Description:

  • Select a humorous book.
  • Discuss humor.
  • As you read, have students write in the chat box. Maybe a Waterfall?
  • Do not stop reading.
  • Review at the end.

Titles:

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin

Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey

2

20 of 62

Strategy or Activity: Wordless or Near Wordless Books - Ask What Questions

Description:

  • Make photos of certain pages of a wordless book.
  • Challenge yourself to ask only questions that start with WHAT.
    • What do you notice?
    • What is your evidence?
    • What will happen next?
  • Have students write WHAT questions.
  • Have students tell the story.

Titles:

Journey or Quest by Aaron Becker

Tuesday by David Wiesner

Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell

3

21 of 62

22 of 62

23 of 62

24 of 62

25 of 62

26 of 62

27 of 62

28 of 62

29 of 62

Reading aloud is the foundation for literacy development. It is the single most important activity for reading success.

(Bredekamp, Copple, & Neuman, 2000).

It provides children with a demonstration of phrased, fluent reading (Fountas & Pinnell, 1996).

30 of 62

Strategy or Activity: Say the phrase - Unmute and Mute

Description:

  • Select books that have repeated words of phrases.
  • Model the expectation. Push buttons!
  • Practice muting and unmuting at the same time.
  • Read the story.

Titles:

A Little at a Time by David Adler

4

31 of 62

Strategy or Activity: Pause and Draw or Window Pane

Description:

  • Select a book that includes specific information or artistic theme.
  • Do not show the book.
  • Read the book and pause at certain moments to have students draw what is learned or a prediction.
  • Share in a ‘1-2-3 show!’ manner.

Titles:

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

One by Kathryn Otoshi

It Might Be an Apple by Shinsuke Yoshitake

5

32 of 62

Strategy or Activity: I Spy - Repeated Phrase in a Book

Description:

  • Select a book repeated phrases or with photos or illustrations that are complex or have specific entries.
  • Hide the picture or illustration until you are ready to reveal.
  • Read the page at the same time.

Titles:

I Spy by Lucy Micklethwait

6

33 of 62

Strategy or Activity: Total Physical Response - Stories in Motion

Description:

  • Review the action words in the story.
  • Give instructions while you are reading.
  • Act out the motions.
  • Pause where needed for comprehension.

Titles:

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Stories in Motion

7

34 of 62

A 1984 study by Thomas Sticht showed that a child's reading level doesn't catch up to their listening level until around 8th grade.

35 of 62

Strategy or Activity: Picture First - Fiction or Informational Text

Description:

  • Select a book with compelling, provocative pictures.
  • Show the photo/picture first.
  • Ask:
    • What stands out?
    • What will the book say?
    • What is missing after reading the excerpt from the book.

Titles:

Talented Animals by Keith Pigdon

1

36 of 62

37 of 62

38 of 62

Strategy or Activity: What’s the Sequence? Order of Events - Sketch the Scene

Description:

  • Select a story that has a clear order of events.
  • As the story is read, pause for the location or event in the story.
  • Students draw for 60 seconds or less. Label if needed.
  • Students cut out pictures.
  • Reread story and show word or illustration
  • Put story back in order using pieces.

Titles:

Flower Garden by Eve Bunting*

8

39 of 62

Listening to others read develops key understanding and skills, such as an appreciation for how a story is written and familiarity with book conventions, such as "once upon a time" and "happily ever after" (Bredekamp et al., 2000).

40 of 62

Strategy or Activity: The Simultaneous Reply or I-2-3 Show!

Description:

  • Select a book with short, clear messaging. Reactions matter!
  • Explain the activity and expectations.
  • Students use cards to share their reaction to a prompt in the book.
  • Have the all reply at the same time.

Titles:

One of Those Days by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

9

41 of 62

Strategy or Activity: Foldable Graphic Organizer

Description:

  • Select a book with information you want to be discussed
  • Four important ideas, words or concepts
  • As you read, students can fill the graphic organizer
    • Fiction
    • Informational Text

Titles:

Skunks by Rose Lewis

This is the Tree by Miriam Moss

10

42 of 62

Children can listen on a higher language level than they can read, so reading aloud makes complex ideas more accessible and exposes children to vocabulary and language patterns that are not part of everyday speech. This, in turn, helps them understand the structure of books when they read independently (Fountas & Pinnell, 1996).

43 of 62

Strategy or Activity: How would you say this phrase?

Description:

  • Select a title with compelling message and plenty of spoken language in quotations. Focus on inflection.
  • Find a statement that is meaningful.
  • Have students say it aloud with the emphasis on their selected words.
  • Discuss the differences.

Titles:

Crow Call by Lois Lowry

11

44 of 62

“Daddy,” I ask shyly, “were you scared in the war?”

He looks ahead, up the hill, and after a moment he says, “Yes, I was scared.”

45 of 62

Strategy or Activity: Hidden Word

Description:

  • Before reading, cover the rhyming word on each page.
  • Practice how to mute/unmute
  • Read the book aloud with pauses at the end of the line.
  • Read with inflection in your voice.
  • Reveal the word.

Titles:

Have You Seen My New Blue Socks by Eve Bunting

12

46 of 62

It reveals the rewards of reading, and develops the listener's interest in books and desire to be a reader (Mooney, 1990).

47 of 62

Strategy or Activity: Zoom In! - Close Reading

Description:

  • Select books with specific pictures or illustrations or words that are important to the lesson.
  • Take a photo of the page.
  • Zoom in on the word or illustration.
  • Ask why this is important to the story. What is the reason for the word choice?
  • Follow close reading protocols.

Titles:

The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

Journey or Quest by Aaron Becker

13

48 of 62

49 of 62

Strategy or Activity: Bring a Friend or Go and Ask

Description:

  • Find another person to sit with you during the story.
  • Ask conversation questions
    • What did I carry when I was young?
    • What were my first words?
    • What did I cry about?
  • Tell the stuffed animal while on mute.

Titles:

Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems

14

50 of 62

Strategy or Activity: In Your Room

Description:

  • Get a piece of paper.
  • Show the cover page.
  • Draw a map of your room or special place.
  • What would you say good night to?

Titles:

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

15

51 of 62

Research shows effective read alouds to be those where students are actively involved in the story and story telling rather than simply listening (Dickinson, 2001). It increases Vocabulary (Hargrave & Senechal, 2000), Comprehension (Van de Broek, 2001) and Concept Development (Wasik & Bond, 2001)

52 of 62

Strategy or Activity: Pick Compelling Stories - Discuss - Up, Down, Both

Description:

  • This is for the teacher. We need to educate ourselves about good books.
  • Read lots of them!
  • Select ones that are age appropriate.
  • Read it to them.
  • What was compelling?

Titles:

Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson*

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

16

53 of 62

“The read aloud is like the Swiss Army knife of literacy; it has multiple uses at every age and in every content area.” ASCD, Why Every Class Needs Read Alouds, Laura Varlas.

54 of 62

Share Time

55 of 62

Influences

Lisa Stone

Joy Verbon

ASFM Teachers and Admin Team

https://www.prodigygame.com/in-en/blog/student-engagement-strategies/

Edutopia

Cult of Pedagogy podcast

Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey

Children’s Literature Class

Damn Good Authors!

56 of 62

Stories and Strategies for Any Age: Improving Engagement through Children's Books and Read Alouds

Joe Stanzione

ASFM Elementary Principal

joe.stanzione@asfm.edu.mx @josephstanzione

57 of 62

Energizers

58 of 62

59 of 62

60 of 62

61 of 62

62 of 62