Reading
nonfiction picture books aloud can be tricky because they often contain significantly
more words than fiction picture books. And even if the art is enticing and the
writing is engaging and the information is fascinating, a picture book read
aloud shouldn’t last too long.
When
I plan a nonfiction read aloud, I ask myself a lot of questions. What parts of
the book should I highlight? Should I skip over anything? Would additional
visuals or props improve the audience’s experience? Would using a document
camera help? Sometimes I make the right decisions on the first try. But other
times, the kids surprise me, and I make adjustments as I go along.
For
Can an Aardvark Bark?, I thought students would be excited to make the animal sounds throughout the book’s main
text. But I worried that reading the spreads that featured secondary text about
four animal examples might be too much. I considered reading just the main text
and pointing out the four exemplar animals shown, but that would mean skipping
over a lot of cool information.
Can an Aardvark Bark?, I thought students would be excited to make the animal sounds throughout the book’s main
text. But I worried that reading the spreads that featured secondary text about
four animal examples might be too much. I considered reading just the main text
and pointing out the four exemplar animals shown, but that would mean skipping
over a lot of cool information.
When
I asked author Josh Funk (@joshfunkbooks) for advice, he suggested that I read
just one or two of the examples.
I asked author Josh Funk (@joshfunkbooks) for advice, he suggested that I read
just one or two of the examples.
“And
kids can choose the examples,” I said, piggybacking on his idea. I was
confident that this combination of strategies—making animal sounds and choosing
animal examples—would make for a great read aloud. But I was wrong.
kids can choose the examples,” I said, piggybacking on his idea. I was
confident that this combination of strategies—making animal sounds and choosing
animal examples—would make for a great read aloud. But I was wrong.
It
turns out students weren’t as enthusiastic about making the animal
sounds as I expected. What captivated them was the information. They stayed
quiet so they wouldn’t miss a thing.
turns out students weren’t as enthusiastic about making the animal
sounds as I expected. What captivated them was the information. They stayed
quiet so they wouldn’t miss a thing.
Luckily,
my other strategy—letting students choose the animal examples—was a huge hit. On
pages where the vote was close, I read the two top choices, and everyone was
happy.
my other strategy—letting students choose the animal examples—was a huge hit. On
pages where the vote was close, I read the two top choices, and everyone was
happy.
What
was my take away from this experience? I was delighted to discover that the
thing kids liked most about the book—the fascinating information about how and
why animals communicate—was the same thing that inspired me to write it in the
first place. What could be better than that?
was my take away from this experience? I was delighted to discover that the
thing kids liked most about the book—the fascinating information about how and
why animals communicate—was the same thing that inspired me to write it in the
first place. What could be better than that?
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7 Responses
Love this post, Melissa! Great strategy!
Thank you for sharing! My goal this year has been at least one non-fiction book per week for #classroombookaday, but I struggled with HOW due to the complexity of the text. These strategies will work!
That's revealing. Engagement (by choices, predictions, open-floor questions) makes read-alouds alive.
Thanks, Melanie.
So glad to help, Katie.
I had such a blast working with the kids.
The same thing happened to me when I read Shaking Things Up I thought they wouldn't want me to read every page, so I started in order then skipped around. They clung to every work and wanted me to go in order and not skip any. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, reading non fiction or longer picture books takes up a ton of time. I did the exactly same thins as you and previewed the text first trying to see how I could get more bang for my buck. Ss sure can surprise us! Great post, can't wait to read this book now.