Special Education and Inclusion

**Nicole Corey** · 02-18-2002, 02:06 PM

Hello everyone, my name is Nicole and I am new here. I have a question regarding reading to preschoolers with disabilites.

I am an undergraduate student at the College of Saint Rose, concentrating in communication disorders. I currently intern at a specialized preschool for children who exhibit cognitive, physical, speech, and/or language delays. Part of our weekly routine is story time. When it is my turn to read a book to the class, I notice a lack of engagement.

My question is this, how do I hold the attention of my students during story time? What are some helpful ways in which I can make this activity more engaging for my students, who have an array of disibilties? Also keeping in mind, there are some “typically developing children” within the class as well. Any suggestions or techniques would be very helpful.

Thank you,
~ Nicole

**joannec908a** · 02-18-2002, 03:24 PM

Niclole, Do you read the text before you read it to the children?
You could try acting out the parts, changing voices for different characters. Point out things on the page and ask the children what it is or what it does or what color it is.

I teach middle school but have young grandchildren. I ask them what they think will happen. What they think the pictures mean.
I also try tomake them guess at what the next page means by looking at it closely before reading it.

Try to make the students different characters in the book.

Hoe this helps

Jo-Anne

**James4** · 03-08-2002, 03:18 AM

Hi!
While my Special Ed. Students are ED, BD, CO, etc, and of high school age, I have found that the way to any mixed group of children is to vary what you are doing, and as has been mentioned, get the students involved in the activity. If just listening to you read is not grabbing their attention, Use whatever will...vocal characterizations, funny faces, movement, gestures, having them suggest characterizations (or mimic yours). Also, putting up a picture relating to the story or something in the story without explaining how it relates will give them the opportunity to discover where it fits with the story. After a while, the picture will cue them that a story is coming, and they will listen to find where the picture fits in. And be aware that SOMETIMES nothing will work. You have to learn to accept that and try again the next time...
Jim

**Catherine** · 03-08-2002, 03:55 AM

As a kindergarten/grade 1 teacher, story time is my favourite time of the day. I love reading to kids! Reading to children takes skill (practice) and knowledge about what books children are attracted to and how to present them in the most engaging manner.

Firstly, choose your books carefully. For preschool age children I would find books that had some repetition to them to help the children become more engaged and involved in the story (children like to chant the repetitive parts of the story). Young children also enjoy books that have a rhythm or rhyme to them. Choose books that you enjoy reading and that enjoyment will show through. Read the same book regularly - young kids love repetition. I worked in a preschool class where we read "Where the Wild Things Are" every day before nap time for 2 months (at the children's request). If the children have a very short attention span you may want to pick two shorter stories and do a finger play or song in the middle to keep their focus.

Secondly, practice your story telling techniques. Listen to children's books on tape or watch videos and see how professional story tellers engage the kids. I love to listen or watch Robert Munsch tell stories. He is so animated and the children are always involved. Watching him has made me a better story teller. Robert Munsch books are great for involving young kids in the story. They are also fun to read - especially some of his older ones (The Paper Bag princess, Mortimer, Angela's Airplane, etc.). Children love it when you act silly. They love the characters to have different voices or if you make appropriate hand gestures as you read. Try to be animated, think of it as a performance, rather than just reading. Have fun with the stories you share.

I hope this gives you some help

Catherine

**Hope4Me** · 03-08-2002, 01:02 PM

I would agree on reading rhyming books or books with repetition, and encourage the children to chime in! Children also like to hear a story that is based on makebelieve. Be sure to ask questions while reading such as what do you think will happen next? and why do you think he/she did that?

Here are some of my favorites:

If you are looking for nonfiction - Gail Gibbons writes some great books with informative pictures

Brown Bear, Brown Bear - has repetition
Shake My Silies Out by Raffi is a get up and move book.
For Halloweed I love Shake dem Halloween Bones - it has a sing song rhyme to it
If You give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff (Also If You Give a Mouse a Cookie)
Amelia Bedelia (a bit longer) has Amelia taking things a bit too literally - by Peggy Parish

My very favorite for young kids - Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton - all of her books are fun, short and most rhyme!

Story time is so important for these little ones! I taught Language Development Self Contained for 2 years and LOVED it! Sadly they closed the program because our district went to full inclusion.

**Marie'a Townsend** · 03-12-2002, 10:22 PM

Dear Nicole,
Have you tried the use of puppets related to the story and getting the children to use these. You could also use food if it is in the text, i have found that many of my students are food orientated and will keep their concentration a little longer if there is a chance of something good to taste.
I have also found interactive poems very useful where the students all act out the story in the poem, the Lion Hunt is a great poem for this and the students seem to love moving over all the different settings in the story.
Hope this is of some help
Best wishes and good luck
Marie'a Townsend.