During the Third Reading, enjoy reading the entire text together. Either take turns reading pages to each other or have your child be the reader and you be the listener and questioner. As you go through the text, have fun dramatizing both the dialogue and the sounds that might occur in the setting.
DISCUSSION OPTIONS:
~ Talk about vocabulary:
• public: Review what it means. Talk about the public buildings and places in the story. Discuss the public places that your child enjoys. Talk about places that are not public places.
• polite: Review the page. Talk about the characters in the story who are polite. Are there any characters in the story who are not polite? Talk about experiences or people in your child’s life that connect with polite.
• all of a dither: Review page 11. Are there any other pages in the book where Mr. McCloskey could use that phrase? Again, connect to your child’s life. Has your child ever been all of a dither, or have you?
• responsibility: Who has responsibilities in the story? Who has the greatest responsibilities? What responsibilities do you and your child have?
~ What did you learn about ducks from this story?
~ Do you think the title is a good one? Explain. If not, what would you title the story?
~ This story is a fantasy. What is fantasy in the story, and what is real in the story?
ACTIVITY OPTIONS:
~ Talk about creating some parts of the story in color for your visualizations. If you are interested in having your child start a journal, Amazon has a couple of options. My daughter ordered iScholar Primary Composition Book for her children. (also located in the Practickle Bookstore)
• Your child can draw the colorful scenes that you have been visualizing.
• Your child can write his own story, or you can be the scribe.