Saturday, October 19, 2013

Read Aloud Roundup: October 2013

Read Aloud has a new crew of volunteer readers this school year! My wife has sat in for the past couple of months while the roster got sorted out, and now we have some fresh faces along with the "old hands" who have read to the same teacher's classroom for many years in a row. I think it's great for kids to have that ongoing connection (even part-time) with an adult role model, and to have that adult lead discussions on big topics.

This month's general theme was Being Different. (A new title about Dia de los Muertos fit the bill as well as being seasonally appropriate.) I asked the readers (particularly the newer ones) to keep in mind the school's mission: to empower student learning by teaching awareness, acceptance and non-violence, celebrating our diversity, achieving academic excellence, and fostering strong family-school-community connections.



Kindergarten (could also be 1st)
1.  Who is Roo to Gracie?
2.  Why does Gracie decide to stop playing with Roo?
3.  What makes Gracie change her mind about playing with Roo and Sarah?



Kindergarten (could also be 1st)
1. Who are Angelito and Estrellita talking about? (early on)
2. Do you think they are right to be scared?
3. What would you do on Day of the Dead if you were celebrating?


1st Grade
1. Do you know anyone with autism?
2. Does Zack seem like other kids?
3. What could you do to help if you had a friend with autism?


1st Grade
1. Does Andy have someone who helps him with his autism?
2. How does Rosie work hard at keeping her brother safe? How do you think she feels about Andy?
3. Do you think Sarah will get to talk to Andy?


2nd Grade
(there are more discussion questions in the back of the book!)
1. Have you ever tried to join a group, game, or activity and the other kids wouldn’t let you? If so, how did that make you feel?
2. Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation as Brian, with kids talking about the fun things they’ve done with each other in front of you and you weren’t included or invited? If yes, how did that make you feel?
3. How many kids did it take in this story to help Brian being to feel less invisible?


2nd Grade
1. Did any of Carla’s sandwiches sound good to you?
2. Do you think her sandwiches are a good way to stand out from the crowd?
3. What did you learn about people who eat different things than you do?


3rd Grade (ended up being used for the 4/5 split class)
1. Why do Shin-chi and his sister have to go to school with different names?
2. What is the hardest part about going away to school?
3. Why did the people running the schools think this was a good thing? What did the schoolchildren lose in going to the residential schools?


3rd Grade
1. What kind of child was Jose? 2. How supportive were Jose’s parents of his dreams? 3. Do you have a dream that you want to follow? What will it take to achieve it?


4th Grade
1. Why are some words more expensive than other?
2. What kind of words should cost more?
3. Did Oscar express himself well?


4/5 Grade (maybe used in 3rd this month?)
1. What kind of name is Slow? What different things can it mean?
2. What are some of the qualities you had when you were younger? Would you want to be known by them? What has changed?
3. How did he get his new name?


5th Grade
1. Does Shining’s silence bother you?
2. What is so important about listening?
3. What was the gift that Shining developed through being silent?

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