Blog entries by Federica tagged italian

Reading to the child (part 3)

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:15:00 +0100

BOOK N. 2

The second book we read is titled “Dany the fawn”: this story is about a family of rabbits consisting of Daddy Rabbit, Mummy Rabbit and two bunnies.

One day, Daddy Rabbit brings the bunnies to school; while he’s coming home, in the wood, he sees a fawn named Dany, which looks hungry and frozen.

So, he offers it a shelter in his house.

While Dany is drinking a cup of milk, Mummy Rabbit and Daddy Rabbit realize that outside is starting a blizzard, and they worry for their bunnies, because they have to come home from school.

Dany is very kind, and it runs through the snow to help the bunnies, which can finally come home.

A. likes the fawn very much, in fact she looks carefully the cover of the book, on which there is a nice picture of the animal.

This animal reminds her the fawn Bambi, the Walt Disney’s character, in fact she never says Dany, but Bambi.

Even in this case I refer to the pictures, at which she looks with interest.

QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE CONTENT:

I constantly ask her some questions, to stimulate thinking and to involve her in the story’s interpretation:

F “Daddy Rabbit, while he is coming home, sees somebody: a little fawn! Look at the picture: does it look happy or sad? Why?”

A “It’s sad, because it’s frozen and it wants its mother!”

F “Yes. And what could happen after it?”

A “He takes Bambi to his home!”

F “Yes. Now, look at this picture: what’s happening to Mummy Rabbit? She’s looking out of the window, and she looks worried! Why?”

A “Because it’s snowing, and the bunnies are at school!”

F “So, what could happen after it?”

A “Bambi va les chercher!”

F (turning the page) “You’re right! So, what do you think about the fawn?”

A “Bambi is very kind because it takes the bunnies at home!”

F “Would you like to be one of the characters? Why?”

A “I would like to be the fawn, because it’s very nice and kind.”

OTHER

F “Do you like the cover of the book?”

A “Yes, I like it very much. Why don’t we draw a picture of the fawn?”

F “Ok!”

Observations:

I’m satisfied with the activity, because I noticed that I had child’s interest and attention.

We often read together, and A. likes listening very much, especially if I imitate the characters’ voices and I add details to reading, always referring to the pictures.

A. also likes listening the same book several times.

Reading to the child (part 2)

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:06:00 +0100

BOOK N. 1

We start from “The Ducks Painters”: briefly, the story is about two troublemaker ducks which have to paint Mrs. Rabbit’s home.

Mrs. Rabbit is very tidy, and since the ducks don’t do a good job, she doesn’t give them a reward (a cake), but a punishment (a pumpkin).

I begin to tell the story, referring to the pictures, adding details and trying to imitate the characters’ voices.

A. is attracted by the story and by the pictures, and she carefully looks at them.

QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE CONTENT

I ask her some questions, and she answers me referring to the pictures:

- F “What’s happening here? Mrs. Rabbit will be happy?

- A. describes the scene “No, they are getting everything dirty!” she says, referring to the picture and pointing with her finger the color spots all over the home. “They have made the floor, the table, le sofa, dirty!”

- F “You’re right! And what’s happening here?”

- A “Here comes Mrs. Rabbit…”

- F “Do you think she will be happy?”

- A “No! Because the ducks have made a mess all over the house!”

I focus on a picture in particular, observing that the ducks have a proud expression, despite the bad job they have done:

- F “Look, they’re smiling. Why?”

- A (she’s thinking) “I don’t know”

- F “Maybe, they think they have done a good job. But is Mrs. Rabbit happy, instead?”

- A. turns the page “No! Look!” she says, pointing with her finger Mrs. Rabbit’s upset expression.

- F “She looks desperate! What will she do now?”

- A. turns the page again, pronouncing: “Pumpkin!”, referring to the punishment that Mrs. Rabbit gives to the ducks.

At the end of the reading, A. asks me to read the book again.

She also says that, this time, she would like to be the narrator (obviously, by means of the pictures).

I tell her that I’m agree.

I observe with curiosity that she focuses on the same details I underlined before, also pointing the same pictures that I pointed. For example:

- “Mrs. Rabbit has a very clean and tidy home. Look, here she’s cleaning the floor!”

- “In this picture the ducks are laughing, because they think that Mrs. Rabbit will give them a cake!”

I ask her some question before starting the next reading:

F “Would you like to be one of the ducks?”

A “No…”

F “Why?”

A “Because they are nothing but trouble!”

Reading to the child (part 1)

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:58:00 +0100

Hello everyone, my name is Federica; I’m 25 years old and I live in Turin.

I would like to describe a reading activity based on principles of PASS;
I did this activity with the child I babysit with; she’s born to French parents, and raised in Italy.
I hope my post may be of interest to you.

Before performing the activity, I prepared several question to ask the child, and then I took note of her answers and her comments.

We spoke in Italian.

In some occasions, the child pronounced some words in French, the language of her parents; I have shown these words in Italics.

F = me A = child (4 years and 10 months)

QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE CHOICE OF BOOK

- F “Why don’t we read a book?”

- A “Yes, which one?”

- F “The one you like the most”

She starts leafing through various books.

Finally, she chooses two books: “The Ducks Painters” e “Dany The Fawn”.

- A “I’d like to read these two books!”

- F “Why?”

- A “Because they’re about animals, and I like animals very much”

- F “Ok. Who bought you these books?”

- A “Mum”

- F “Do you think she would like them?”

- A “I don’t know…”

- F “Do you think she would read them?”

- A (laughing) “Oh, no! She is an adult!”

- F “And your brother? Do you think he would read them?”

- A “No, he’s a boy. He only plays with voitures!”

- F “Do you think did you enjoy these books when you were a baby?”

- A “Yes, because I’ve always liked animals!”

A. is looking forward to read the books, and while I’m asking her the last questions, she opens the first book to make me understand that she doesn’t want to talk anymore, but reading.