Module 6
Question: How would you read/view a wordless book with a class or small group?
Question: How would you read/view a wordless book with a class or small group?
Wordless picture books are told through illustrations only. Sharing this form of book provides an opportunity for literacy rich conversations. It promotes creativity and imagination by allowing a student to dictate the story however he/she wants to. All readers can enjoy wordless picture books and should be exposed to them whether or not they can read words proficiently (Serafini, p.25).
I have used wordless picture books on several occasions - 1) for struggling and reluctant readers, and 2) to teach how to infer. Using picture clues is an important comprehension strategy - students are able to use this form to begin to understand basic story structure. Students can tell the story by describing the pictures and what is happening on each page. Students are then able to sequence the events of the visual narrative (beginning, middle, end). Wordless picture books has the capability of increasing a child's vocabulary by encouraging the use of words they might not normally use. Remember, young children can read pictures long before they can read words. The visual information presented in wordless picture books can be quite complex and requires the sequential understanding of story structure. The greatest strength of wordless picture books seem to be that they ensure successful reading experiences because there are no "right" words.
Normally, I would use wordless picture books to teach story structure and after, have students create their own retelling of the illustrations. This allows students to give voice to the visual narrative as well as interpreting characters' thoughts, feelings and emotions. Currently, I am working with a struggling reader and introduced Chalk by Bill Thomson. He could not believe that seeing images on a page without words counted as reading. I modelled how I would read the first few pages. His hand shot up and he said he had a different explanation. I heard what he had to say. He provided in-depth descriptions and possibly longer sentences. The next goal is for him to use Google's Read and Write to record his explanations onto a Google Doc. The student will then cut the sentence strips and place them on the corresponding pages. With my struggling reader, I try to create a non-threatening atmosphere. True, he sees his peers reading chapter books and that puts added pressure on him. However, we work on small successes. I do not correct his word choice and will only give prompts when he asks a question; I will not provide my own suggestions. This is a process about becoming a successful reader. The open-endedness or ambiguity that is inherent in wordless picture books allows readers to construct diverse interpretations and return again and again to reconsider their initial impressions (Serafini, p.26).
I have used wordless picture books on several occasions - 1) for struggling and reluctant readers, and 2) to teach how to infer. Using picture clues is an important comprehension strategy - students are able to use this form to begin to understand basic story structure. Students can tell the story by describing the pictures and what is happening on each page. Students are then able to sequence the events of the visual narrative (beginning, middle, end). Wordless picture books has the capability of increasing a child's vocabulary by encouraging the use of words they might not normally use. Remember, young children can read pictures long before they can read words. The visual information presented in wordless picture books can be quite complex and requires the sequential understanding of story structure. The greatest strength of wordless picture books seem to be that they ensure successful reading experiences because there are no "right" words.
Normally, I would use wordless picture books to teach story structure and after, have students create their own retelling of the illustrations. This allows students to give voice to the visual narrative as well as interpreting characters' thoughts, feelings and emotions. Currently, I am working with a struggling reader and introduced Chalk by Bill Thomson. He could not believe that seeing images on a page without words counted as reading. I modelled how I would read the first few pages. His hand shot up and he said he had a different explanation. I heard what he had to say. He provided in-depth descriptions and possibly longer sentences. The next goal is for him to use Google's Read and Write to record his explanations onto a Google Doc. The student will then cut the sentence strips and place them on the corresponding pages. With my struggling reader, I try to create a non-threatening atmosphere. True, he sees his peers reading chapter books and that puts added pressure on him. However, we work on small successes. I do not correct his word choice and will only give prompts when he asks a question; I will not provide my own suggestions. This is a process about becoming a successful reader. The open-endedness or ambiguity that is inherent in wordless picture books allows readers to construct diverse interpretations and return again and again to reconsider their initial impressions (Serafini, p.26).
References
Serafini, F. (2014). Exploring wordless picture books. In The reading teacher. 68(1), 24-26.
Serafini, F. (2014). Exploring wordless picture books. In The reading teacher. 68(1), 24-26.