During the Third Reading you will have three different ways to read the story:
~Your child and you may switch roles, with your child reading/retelling and you asking questions.
~Your child and you may alternate “reading”pages.
~You may leave out words to see what vocabulary words your listener inserts. The substitutions may be new vocabulary words or other synonyms. The important point is that the word inserted keeps the meaning of the text the same.
All of these methods will enhance comprehension and retention of the story.
DISCUSSION OPTIONS:
~At the end of the story, make up a story about what happens the next morning. Try to build the word amble into your creative extension. Try to build humor into the extension as the author does.
~Would you like to have a friend like Amos? Why?
~Does Amos remind you of any of your friends? Who? Explain.
~Which animal character would you pick to be your friend? Why?
~ Let’s add another animal to the story to be Amos’s friend. Who can we add? How can we make the actions and the personality of the animal humorous?
ACTIVITY OPTIONS:
~ This story lends itself to a journal activity. In the Third Reading for Make Way for Ducklings, I mention a primary writing journal that is sold on Amazon. Find it in the Practickle Book Store. This would be an opportunity for your child and you to write and illustrate:
∙an extension of the story created by your child.
∙a story about a real-life friend.
~ Read Good Night, Gorilla. There are many connections between the two stories, both in the illustrations and in the text.