This week we are using booktalk cards at all our sites.
These are cards that prompt some reflection about a book and are beautifully designed by Eva for Bookworm. The sets are colour coded to aid the Resource Person as a guide. Younger readers can choose cards that ask for a booktalk around simpler concepts in a book like, ‘who was a your favourite character and why’ while older readers can pick a card that asks ” compare two characters in the book” or ” if you were to change the plot, what would it be and why or ” talk to a friend about the book, either to convince them to read it or not to read it ‘.
Today at Chimbel, our seasoned library children did not know what to expect when we played a Find a book.. game. But they cooperated beautifully as they went off read their little clues and found a book to read. Once they settled down to read, we moved into smaller groups and said ‘lets use the cards’. There is a magic in form. The idea of suspense and the card itself excite them so much that it does not matter if the content is complex.
Each and every child opened their activity books to record responses that the card demanded and with such excitement and happiness. The children are superbly comfortable with the RPs to ask for spelling support, word supply and even to ask for full length translation of sentences they want to convey in their writing. They are growing as readers, very slowly but joyfully.
