Study Tools for Raisel's Riddle

DD is only with us every other weekend, so there is quite a bit of a break between each little unit.  I have been doing little things with the two younger ones to keep Cinderella fresh in their minds.  Earlier this week I took the book Yeh-Shen A Cinderella Story from China and sat down with them on my lap.  Chase immediately started to look for the fish.  When I asked him what the story was about he smiled his sweet little smile and said "A fish!"  I agreed with him, because he's right, in a way.  I then went through the book page by page and put the story in my own words - at his level of understanding.  Chase has Pervasive Developmental Disorder - NOS (a mild form of Autism) and a Receptive/Expressive Language Disorder.  Finding ways to get him to "get it" is a test in patience and creativity.  I broke the story down for him in small chunks.  After we were done I asked him some simple questions:

ME: What happened to the fish?  

Gavin: She killeded him.

Me: Who killed him?

Gavin:  the stepmommy did.

Me: What did Yeh- Shen ask the spirit of the fish?

Gavin: She was hungry.  She wanted food.

Me: What else did she ask for?

Gavin: ummmm, a dress and little shoes.

I would say that he listened and understood a little bit better this time around.  I plan on reading it to him again, repetition is the key for understanding in his particular case.

We pick up DD on Friday.  I think I am going to find a Perrault version of Cinderella cartoon and watch that with the kids before reading Yeh-Shen again, especially when I asked Donovan to tell me about Cinderella two weeks ago and he looked at me like I had two heads.  "I don't know, never heard of it?"  "You never even saw the movie?" I asked him incredulously.  I know we once had Cinderella II, but that was when he was a baby.  I guess if he has seen it, he doesn't remember.  Sigh, I love Disney's Cinderella, and then realized I don't have a copy of it.  I wonder how that happened?????

So here is the plan for this weekend:

1. Watch some version of Cinderella (I would prefer Disney's version, we shall see.)
2. Re-read Yeh-Shen
3. Begin Filling out a compare/contrast worksheet.
4. Read Raisel's Riddle
5. Finish the worksheet

Watch some version of Cinderella

This is a great way to remind Donovan of the story and introduce it to Gavin and Mia.  I sure hope I can find the Disney version!!!

Re-read Yeh-Shen

Repeated reading is an integral part of increasing both fluency and comprehension.  Back in 1979 S. Jay Samuels developed the technique of repeated reading to "improve reading fluency on indicators such as word recognition accuracy, reading speed, and oral reading expression" (Samuels, 2002, p. 175).  Even the National Reading Panel in 2000 agreed that repeated reading positively affected fluency, reading speed, and comprehension among students learning to read.  It totally makes sense.  

Begin Filling out a compare/contrast worksheet

When I taught in the school system our district had each teacher place a copy of Bloom's Taxonomy somewhere in the classroom.  In addition to this we had to incorporate one of the six levels in each of our lesson plans.  I haven't thought about Bloom's Taxonomy for almost two years (that is when I took time out of teaching to finish my Masters degree and stay at home with my two kiddos.).  Today as I sat down to prepare my plans for this weekend Bloom's Taxonomy kept flashing through my brain.  

Now, this isn't the version they gave us, it was a boring wheel.  I love this one and am planning on printing it out, laminating it, and putting it by my desk to help remind me of a key to getting my three little ones to participate in higher thinking.  

Analyzing is an important part of learning.  When we investigate, compare, contrast, explain, identify and examine we participate in a “transactional  process in which students bring meaning to and take meaning from the books they read and discuss” (Tavers & Tavers, 2008, p. 90).   

Writing down how Cinderella, Yeh-Shen, and Raisel's Riddle are similar is a rehearsal activity for DD to prepare for his essay.  When he gathers his ideas and puts them in a visual format he will be able to recall the information needed.  For Chase I will prepare a worksheet with pictures on it that he can circle that will help him talk about what is the same and what is different.  

Read Raisel's Riddle/ Finish the worksheet

Pretty self explanatory!!!

Write a four paragraph essay 
My son DD doesn't like to read or write when he is with us.  I think because he only sees his dad and siblings so rarely he thinks the weekend should be going to the movies, Chuck-E-Cheese, or park.  I have started to do "Family Learning Times" so that he sees we are all learning together.  It is important for him to see the connection between reading and writing, and to be an example for his siblings.  I found a great format for a compare/contrast essay for DD that is simple to use and includes the chart he needs. Chase will draw a picture and then tell me the story in his own words, which is part of the Language Experience Approach.  I will dedicate an entire post to that next week.

Resources:

Samuels, S.J. (2002) Reading Fluency: Its Development and assessment.  In S. J. Samuels & A. E. Farstrup (Eds.), What Research has to say about reading instruction (3^rd ed.). Newark, DE: International Reading Association, Inc.

Tavers, B.E. & Tavers, J.F. (2008).  Children’s literature: A developmental perspective. Boston:  Wiley and Sons