Reading With Expression Game Works!

In my last post I taught you how to play a brand new "Follow the Leader Expression" reading game that I had just made up on the spot. The purpose of this game was to turn reading to your child into a "play-based" activity. I knew I would have to quickly actually try out the game I had just told you to do. If it didn't work as I had envisioned and predicted it would, then I would have some major editing to do in my last post. But, whew!!! It worked exactly as I had imagined.

As usual, my grandchildren are my little guinea pigs these days. The 5 and the 3-year old did awesome! The 3-year old did most of the tracking with her finger. She was learning a lot from this simple activity. The 2-year old chimed in occasionally with repeating a phrase with expression. He definitely can mimic expression at his young age. But, his attention span was quite erratic. The other two made it all the way through.

The book we read was so great for this activity that I will share it with you. It is So Many Bunnies - a bedtime abc and counting book written by Rick Walton. The words are in rhythm and rhyme, making it ideal to put expression to. Check it out from your library!

Doreese

"Follow the Leader Expression" reading game

In an article I recently read by Paul Mackie, he said, "The main key to any storybook is that it should be a sensory, play-based activity and above all be fun." All of the See abc's learn to read books are this way. But, how can you make any book play-based? One idea I just had was to play "Follow the Leader Expression" - a game I just now made up! If you use our program, you will see that reading with expression is a very big part of it. I believe it's really important to train young ones early to hear that there's a difference between reading with expression and reading in a monotone voice. They will quickly see, I mean hear that they prefer reading with expression.

Back to my new "Follow the Leader Expression" game. You simply read a sentence with expression, then have your child repeat it after you with the same expression. This simple game is going to accomplish several great things: 1. Teach your child how to play with their voice and make different tones; 2. See that they can make something sound exciting! 3. Help develop a feel of reading fluency by saying the sentence smoothly; 4. As you point to the words both while you read them, and then while your child repeats them, your child will learn a lot about direction of reading and when it is their turn, they will feel like they are truly reading; 5. They will have fun with reading because it is "play-based." (By telling them you are playing the "Follow the Leader Expression" reading game, you've already made it fun!)

For longer sentences, divide them up.

So, have FUN with ANY storybook! Doreese

CNN iReport - Changing Lives with Education

Hi everyone,

A college student had to interview someone for his entrepreuneur class and he chose me! Then he had to post it on CNN iReport. So, go and check it out.

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-429864

And, by the way, that cute student is my son, Michael.

Doreese

April Fools from Mother Nature!

I thought it was spring!

Sherry lives in Southern Utah and she is experiencing spring down there with leaves and flowers coming out. I live in Northern Utah and we had a few days that teased us making us think spring was here. Then today we woke up to several inches of snow on the ground! One of our big quaking aspen trees in the backyard is also on the ground! :0(

Though it is really beautiful, I'm ready for spring. I think I'll take some of my own advice and cozy up with a good book myself today, and try not to be too jealous of Sherry being able to go out and take nice springtime walks outside.

Doreese