The more interactive you make reading, the more eager children will be to read on their own. When young readers connect the words on pages to actions of their own, vocabulary and ideas are reinforced in ways you could never do by merely reading the book.
Recreate the story
One way to connect action to reading is to choose a short book that the children can re-create on their own as the class reads the book together. Let’s say that you choose a short little book that tells the reader how a young child spent their recess or recreation period in their school day. Every child can immediately identify with the character in the book because it describes a part of their day, too.
Look at the illustrations
As you and the class finish the first short page of the book and look at the illustration opposite, ask the class how that relates to their own day. It may have discussed how happy the character was that recess was approaching and how the class left the room to go outside. Discuss how their routine is the same or different from the book. You can then let the children actually leave their desks and go through the process they are accustomed to as well as re-enacting the character’s actions.
Describe the action
Now here is where the fun can come in! In our example book, the child goes outside to play and the book will describe what he or she does with their time. After reading each action in the book, let the children act out the scene then describe or do what they typically do that’s different or similar. This is a great opportunity to practice verbal expression as well as reading skills.
Create your own version
After you have finished the story and the children have been able to act out their own version of it you’ll have instilled or encouraged several important reading skills. First, by discussing the book the children are honing their verbal and critical thinking skills. They’ve heard the ideas of their classmates and so they’ve learned new ways of doing things. They have applied action to ideas, reinforcing their imagination’s ability to mentally picture an activity they have read about. As an added bonus, your class has had a chance to move around and get some exercise, which will calm them down considerably for the next step!
Drawing Works, too!
Follow your dramatization with a short session to allow the children to draw their own illustrations of the book and perhaps the way their day differs from the character. This, too, reinforces the use of imagination in connection with reading words on a page. As well as seeing the book’s illustrations, the children will begin to imagine their own ideas and also hone their critical thinking skills.
Physically and verbally dramatizing and discussing the book on a basis that relates personally to the child will encourage reading for pleasure. This will build the students understanding of the text, their ability to interpret the story, and their motivation to relate the story to their own lives.
