For this First Reading, remember this session should last about 20 minutes. Adjust the length of time to your reader’s attention span. Don’t feel that you have to use all the questions.
Remember the two basic questions that provide the structure for making inferences, predictions, and conclusions.
~What do I see in the illustration? This opens up long-term memory enabling the brain to activate prior knowledge and existing connections to the illustrations.
~What is happening in the picture? Inferential thought forms.
*Number the pages. The first page with text is page 1.
Pages 1 – 6:
~ What do you see on these pages? Are the two ducks alike or different? Explain your answer.
~ What do you think is happening in the illustrations?
~ In these illustrations, can you tell whether the setting is in the past, the present, or the future? (Setting is both where and when a story happens) How can you tell?
~ What do you think about the lack of color in the illustrations?
Pages 7 – 12:
~ What do you see on these pages? What’s happening?
~ Start to pull out other sensory information and create a movie in your head. What sounds, colors, smells, etc., would there be in the park? What kind of day is it?
~On page 12, great sensory information can be added when the boy rushes by the ducks. Add the emotions of all the characters who are on the page.
Pages 13 – 18:
~ What are the ducks doing? It looks like they might be talking to each other. What might they be saying?
~ Do you see more information about the setting (both when and where)?
Pages 19 – 24:
~ On pages 19 and 20, where are they?
~Why might the ducks choose this location for their nest?
~ Who might the man be?
Pages 25 – 34:
~ What do you see on these pages? What is happening on each of these pages?
~ Make a movie in your head of these pages. What sounds, smells, tastes, textures (touch) might you add?
~ What emotions might the ducks and ducklings be feeling?
~ What might the ducks and the ducklings be saying to each other?
Pages 35 – 36:
~ Describe what is happening on these pages.
~ What sounds might you hear? What might the ducklings be saying to each other?
Pages 37- 40:
~ Plenty of emotion and sensory details can be added to these illustrations! What do you see? Explain the scenes to me. Use lots of sensory details and emotion.
~ What is the police officer doing? Why?
Pages 41 – 46:
~ What do you see? What’s happening?
~ On page 46, who might the police officer be calling? What might he be saying? How might he be saying it?
Pages 47 – 50:
~ What do you see? What’s happening?
~Are all the ducklings still in the group? Have your child count the ducklings.
Pages 51 – 56:
~ What do you see? What’s happening?
~ How might the police officers have known to be at that intersection to help the duck family?
~ On pages 55 and 56, it looks like the duck family and the police officers are talking to each other. What might they be saying to each other?
Pages 57 – End:
~ What do you see? What is happening?
~ What kind of sounds and feelings would you put in your movie on the last page?
What did we learn about real ducks from the actions of the duck family?
What questions do you have in your head right now?