Listening and story time
English · Early Years · The School
Stories have a shape
Every story has a beginning. That is where we meet someone. It has a middle. That is where something goes wrong, or changes. It has an end. That is where it all gets sorted out. After a story, try saying it in three sentences. Use those three parts. Retelling is not remembering every word. It is finding the shape underneath the words.
Who, where, what
Three questions unlock any story. WHO is it about? WHERE does it happen? WHAT happens? Ask them out loud after every book. Children who can answer these three can answer comprehension questions later. Those questions are just these three in longer words.
What happens next?
Stop halfway through and ask a question. What do you think happens next? There is no wrong answer. But a GOOD prediction uses a clue from the story. He looked hungry, so maybe he eats it. Say the clue out loud. That is the start of inference. It is a skill that carries all the way to GCSE.
Stop halfway through Little Red Riding Hood, just as the wolf reaches Grandma's house first. Ask what will happen next. A guess is: they have tea. A PREDICTION is: the wolf will trick her, because he already lied to her in the wood. Say the clue out loud after the guess. Then read on. If the prediction was wrong, ask which clue misled you. That is the interesting part.