Good morning,

I hope you had a nice weekend.  It is always good to have a break, even if we are still staying safe at home.

I found a great website and wanted to share another story with you since children's literature can be fun for all ages.  Literacy is all about language and a good book allows us many opportunities to improve many different areas of language.  For example, when someone is reading a story, you can practice your listening skills.  You can also work on language comprehension by asking yourself who, what, when, where, and why questions as the story unfolds.  Books can even help expand your vocabulary if you take the time to define unfamiliar words.  Did you know that you can also learn how to solve problems and improve your social skills by following the examples used in books? 

I took a Children's Lit class in college and learned that the best children’s books are not always as simple as they seem.  Good authors frequently use writing techniques such as repetition.  They also introduce new vocabulary and figurative language.  A good narrative also includes story elements like a clear beginning, a setting, characters, a plot, a problem, a climax, a solution, and finally a conclusion.  

Below is a link to a book about a missing cake and how a detective solves the case.  I know some of you might feel this is not age appropriate, but I disagree.  Relax and have fun.  The story is read by an amazing actress who is able to change her voice just a enough so that each character comes alive.  As I listened to this story, I was able to guess what happened to the cake and why.  I was also able to make inferences based on the clues the author included in her story.  Please take some time out of your day and watch this videoclip.  Afterwards, see if you can answer some of the questions I have listed below.  I work with different students, so you might find some questions too easy and others too hard.  Just try to answer the questions that are challenging for you.  

https://youtu.be/-UO-fLPG1kg 

Easier Questions and Recommendations

1. Make a list of the different animals in this book.   
2.  Where do each of these animals live?  (e.g., The pig lives in a ____ pen.  The rabbit lives in a ______ hole.)
3. What is the dog's name?  Is that a good name for a dog?
4. Have you ever tasted a carrot cake?  Did you like it?
5. Have you ever lost something?  Where did you find it?
6. Draw a simple picture of each of animals.  Or you could ask someone to help you draw your favorite animal so you can color it.  

Harder Questions and Recommendations

1. List at least three examples of figurative language used in this story and explain what they mean.
2. List at least three vocabulary words that you were unfamiliar with and define them.  Do you want to add these new words to the vocabulary in your head?  If so, try to use the words several times throughout your day. 
3. Can you name some writing techniques used by this author?   
4. Can you identify any of the story elements?
5. Were you able to figure out what happened to the cake?
6. Did you know that for some people sleep walking and sleep eating are real?  Check out the research if this interests you.
7. Read a book to or with someone in your house or on the phone.  Don't forget to speak slowly and clearly, loud and proud.  Can you use a different voice for each character?
   

Let me know if you enjoyed this story and what you learned.  I love getting your emails.  As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.     

Stay healthy,

Bonnie Angle, MA, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

(562) 354-8353

[email protected]