CREATING THE STORY
PART I: Creating a "Let's Get Going" story.
We will start off with an easy story:
The level is : Let's Get Going
STEP I. Preparing the first draft
The child who will be learning to read this story is at a very early level. He or she has a limited "word recognition- memory bank" and is only beginning to learn phonics and English language structure.
The topic is “Liking Books.” The goal is for the child not only to learn to read books but to like reading them. The title of the story is BILLY LIKES BOOKS
This story is limited to fewer than 25 words or forms of the same words, repeated throughout the text. The word count in such a story will be limited as well, which might cut down on the repetition. but the goal is to repeat the words as much as possible.
The topic is "liking books." The principle character is Billy. So, Billy will like books. His mother may be another character in the book. Possibly, the teacher could be another character. However, if the teacher is used as the adult character ,it is likely that other children will be in the story as well, and that would increase the number of "words used." So, in this story, the adult character will be the mother. (If you choose, the father can be used instead).
STEP 2: MAKE A SHORT PLOT OUTLINE.
l. Billy and his mother like books.
2. Mother likes to read books to Billy.
3. Billy likes to listen to the stories.
4. Billy wants to learn how to read so that he can read stories to his mother.
Much of the content will be elaborated comprehension questioning and enhanced through vivid , simple illustrations.
STEP 3: THINK OF SOME WORDS THAT MIGHT BE USED IN THE STORY.
Aside from the names, what other words might be related to
the plot content? This is a preliminary set of words, more might be added. Some of these words might not be used.book, books, like, likes, read, reads, to, you , I, will, can
STEP 4: WRITE THE FIRST DRAFT .
Here is the first text draft:
BILLY LIKES BOOKS
Billy likes books.
Billy's mother likes books too.
Billy's mother reads books.
Billy's mother reads books to Billy.
"Billy, I will read books to you."
I like to read the books to you,Billy.
"Good,good,good, mother."
" I like the books you read."
" Mother, I will read the books too."
"I will read books to you."
" Good,Billy, I will like that."
Using the tool / word count option on the computer, we find that the word count of the story is 65. As the story will be spread out over numerous pages, only one sentence for a two page spread is
doable.STEP 5: ANALYZE THE WORDS
Now we will make a list of the words.
Print out the story.
Make an alphabetical list.
1 Billy,Billy's
2. books
3. good
4. I
5. like, likes
6. mother
7. read, reads
8. to
9. too
10. will
11.that
12. you
Now we will count how many times each word appears in the story.
To do this, copy and paste the story on to a new file. Then use your "replace" option. Each computer system is
different. But what you need to do is replace each word with either a blank space or XXX. Be sure to check "find whole word." Click on "replace" or "replace all" whichever works on your own system.This is how it will look as you work.
XXX XXX XXX
XXX XXX XXX.
XXX's XXX XXX XXX too.
XXX's XXX reads XXX.
XXX's XXX reads XXX to XXX.
"XXX, XXX will XXX XXX to you."
XXX XXX to XXX the XXX to you,XXX.
"XXX,XXX,XXX, XXX."
" XXX XXX the XXX you XXX."
" XXX, XXX will XXX the XXX too."
"XXX will XXX XXX to you."
" XXX, XXX, XXX will XXX that."
Each time the word is replaced with XXX, the number of replacements are indicated. Write that number next to the word.
1 Billy,Billy's 9
2. books 10
3. good 4
4. I
5. like, likes
6. mother
7. read, reads
8. to
9. too
10. will
11.that
12. youSo far we note that the word "Billy" appears in the story 9 times.
Books--10.Complete the check.
One additional advantage to checking words in this way is that you will note any word missed in creating the word list.
After completing the check, I noticed that the word "the" was not put in the list.
XXX XXX XXX
XXX XXX XXX.
XXX's XXX XXX XXX XXX.
XXX's XXX XXX XXX.
XXX's XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX.
"XXX, XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX."
XXX XXX XXX XXX the XXX XXX XXX,XXX.
"XXX,XXX,XXX, XXX."
" XXX XXX the XXX XXX XXX."
" XXX, XXX XXX XXX the XXX XXX."
"XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX."
" XXX, XXX, XXX XXX XXX XXX."
Add the word "the" to the word list.
1 Billy, Billy's 9
2. books 10
3. good 4
4. I 6
5. like, 3 likes 3
6. mother 5
7. read, 5 reads 2
8. to 5
9. too 2
10. will 4
11.that 1
12.the 3
13. you 4
STEP 6: MAKING CHANGES IN A SECOND DRAFT:
The goal in Emergent stories is to have each word appear at least 3 times.
Looking at the list we find:
1. The word "that " appears only one time. There are two options: either increase the text to include that word at least two more times, or eliminate that word from the text entirely. Since this is a "Let's Get Going" story, it is
best to keep the word to a minimum. So the word "that"
will be eliminated.2. The word "too" only appears twice. That is acceptable.
However, see whether there is another place in the text to put the word "too." It is a good idea to keep "too" in, as it is a homophone with "to." Children in first grade might learn about homophones; this could be a good way of introducing the topic without going into detail.
BILLY LIKES BOOKS
Billy likes books.
Billy's mother likes books too.
Billy's mother reads books.
Billy's mother reads books to Billy too.
"Billy, I will read books to you."
I like to read the books to you,Billy.
"Good,good,good, mother."
" I like the books you read."
" Mother, I will read the books too."
"I will read books to you."
" Good,Billy."
New Word List
1 Billy ,Billy's 9
2. books 10
3. good 4
4. I 6
5. like, 3 likes 3
6. mother 5
7. read, 5 reads 2
8. to 5
9. too 3
10. will 4
11.the 3
12. you 4
STEP 7: CHANGES IN A THIRD DRAFT TO ACCOMODATE MORE WORD WORK
When writing a "Let's Get Going Story," and Level 1 especially, it
is always good to include "Word Work" elements.
As the sotry stands, there are no actual rhyming words. The first
part of Billy rhymes with the word will. But at this stage it is best
not to add to many two syllable words if possible.We could change the name "Billy" to "Bill," although "Bill" is more of a grown-up word.
Look for any other word in the text that might have a name which rhymes. The word LIKE is in the story and rhymes with the name
MIKE. So perhaps we could change the name Billy to Mike.
If you feel that your child is not advanced enough to learn possessives ('s), the text can be changed there too. However,
the repetition of the child's name is eliminated.
THIRD DRAFT : (WITH POSSESSIVES REMAINING)
Mike LIKES BOOKS
Mike likes books.
Mike's mother likes books too.
Mike's mother reads books.
Mike's mother reads books to Mike too.
"Mike, I will read books to you."
I like to read the books to you,Mike.
"Good,good,good, mother."
" I like the books you read."
" Mother, I will read the books too."
"I will read books to you."
" Good,Mike."
THIRD DRAFT (WITHOUT POSSESSIVE )
Mike LIKES BOOKS
Mike likes books.
Mother likes books too.
Mother reads books.
Mother reads books to Mike too.
"Mike, I will read books to you."
I like to read the books to you,Mike.
"Good,good,good, mother."
" I like the books you read."
" Mother, I will read the books too."
"I will read books to you."
" Good,Mike."
STEP 8: GENDER MODIFICATION
If you are preparing a story for a girl, the name of the
main character might be changed to make the story
gender appropriate.There is no commonly known girls name rhyming with
like, but " Jill " rhymes with "will."The story is entitled:
JILL LIKES BOOKS
STEP 9: WORD WORK POSSIBILITIES IN 3RD DRAFT
Word work could include phonics (rhyming, consonants, vowel sounds ), structure (homophones, plurals).
These are some possibilities with the third draft:
A. Rhyming words
1. In the story:
Mike, like
2.Forming other rhyming words not in the story.
bike, hike,
3.Forming new sentences with learned words.
I like the bike.
I like to hike.
Mike likes to hike.
B. Consonant Sounds
1. There are two words in the story that begin with "m" : mother, Mike
2. Two words begin with "T" : to, too
The concept of homophones can be introduced here.
C.Long Vowel Sounds
"E" as in read
"I "as in I and MikeD. Adding 's'
like--likes
read- reads
book- books
STEP 10: ADDING A FEW MORE WORDS TO THE STORY (optional)
A great way for children to learn reading is to participate in the writing of a story. They might be able to help in adding a few more words to the story.
Names are a good way of adding rhyming words.
If we added the last name of the child, we could also
include the mothers name as Mrs. --------. In this story, we could add a name, perhaps "Hill." ( If the 'girl' version of the story is used, with the name Jill perhaps the last name could be "Hood."Now we have Mike Hill, or perhaps Mike Hood, or Jill Hood. You might even use the name Hill for Jill.
The mother would be Mrs. Hill or Mrs. Hood.
Since there are quotations in the story, the word "said"
might be added as well.This would be the 4th draft of the story:
Mike Hill LIKES BOOKS
Mike Hill likes books.
Mike's mother, Mrs. Hill, likes books too.
Mrs. Hill likes to read books.
Mrs. Hill reads books to Mike too .
"Mike, I will read books to you," said Mrs. Hill.
I like to read the books to you,Mike.
"Good,good,good, mother," said Mike.
" I like the books you read."
" Mother, I will read the books too."
"I will read books to you."
" Good,Mike," said Mike's mother.
.
WORD COUNT : 77
WORDS USED: 15
WORD LIST
1. books 10
2. good 4
3. Hill 6
4. I 5
5. like, 2 likes 4
6.Mike 9
7. mother 4
8.Mrs. 4
9.read, 6 reads 1
10. said 3
11. to 6
12. too 3
13. will 3
14.the 3
15. you 4STEP 11: COMPREHENSION AND CRITICAL THINKING
There is no point in reading words without adequate text comprehension. Questions should be asked of the child who
is reading to be sure he or she comprehends the story.
Questions which requrie some critical thinking are also helpful.l. Who likes books? ( Mike and his mother)
2. Who reads to Mike? (Mike's mother, Mrs. Hill)
3.How does Mike feel about his mother reading to him? (Happy)
What word or sentence makes you believe that he is happy when she reads to him?(good) ( I like the books you read.")
4. Do you think that Mike knows how to read well yet? (no, he is learning.)
5. What makes you think that Mike does not read well yet-- that he is just beginning to learn to read? (If Mike already could read well, then there would not be a need for his mother to read to him)
6. When do you think he will read to his mother.
( when he learns how to read well-enough)*
PART II :CREATING A MORE ADVANCED STORY
(the level will be determined after the story is completed using these guidelines: the number of words used , total word count, and length of individual sentences.)
The new story will be realistic fiction on Level 2.
Now to find a specific topic.By the middle of first grade, many children have or will soon have a
Level 2 reading ability.Perhaps the topic of WORK AND STUDY ATTITUDES might be of interest.
THINK ABOUT THE TOPIC!
When children “graduate” from kindergarten, they are taking their first step away from early childhood.
The work day is more formal, and academic subjects are introduced.
Many children would rather play than work.
Most adults feel the same way.
We all love recreation. However, we must all do what we must do.
Ah! I have an idea!
Two young siblings hate to work. They are in the early grades, and must tackle subjects such as reading and math. They only want to play. What must they learn about school and life in the real world?
They must learn:
LIKE IT OR NOT, DO WHAT YOU MUST DO.
Great! I have a title.
STEP 1: THINK ABOUT CHARACTERS
.I originally decided to write about two sisters, May and Fay Mills--simple names; best of all, the names rhyme. My first draft is about these two little girls. This first draft will be analyzed and changed.
My final draft, however, will be about a sister and a brother.
.
The children who will read the story are boys as well as girls.
.
One more character will be the children's mother, Mrs. Mills.
.
.
STEP 2: THINK ABOUT THE PLOT AND WRITE A SHORT OUTLINE .
What is going to happen in the story? That is the obvious first question.
Look at the title sincethat is often a general summary of the entire story.(Sometimes the title will come to you after the story is written).Write a list of what happens in sequence:
.
l. Two sisters are of school age. Their names are May and Fay Mills.
2.They go to school but are in first or second or third grades. They are able to do academic subjects like reading, writing and math. One of the sisters is older than the others so they are obviously in different grades with different academic abilities. Because this story might be used by children in either first , second or higher grade( perhaps a is special needs or English Language Learner) it is probably best to avoid saying the exact grade. By having two children of different ages it can be used with children with varied ages. Illustrations can always enhance content meaning.
3. Their mother will show them that in life people have to do things they might not enjoy as much as doing other things. She will show them that there are some academics which they like a little bit at the least, even if they prefer to play most of all. They learn that life is NOT always a game. The mother in the story is the advisor.
.
STEP 3 : DEVISE A PRELIMINARY WORD LIST.
.The story is about two children who do not like to work in school. They only like to play. Their mother points out that they do like some work, such as reading, math and writing. Here are some words you will most likely use:
school, work, read, write, math ,play, like, go, to , you, I,
do, book, stories, some.Add other words you think you might use. This list does not force you to use every word, but it gives you a direction.
.
STEP 4: WRITE A SIMPLE TEXT AS A FIRST DRAFT.
.
Now that you have an outline of the plot you can write a short story.
Try to keep the words simple, keeping in mind that your goal is to repeat words.
As you are writing, keep "word work" possibilities in mind. ( using words with the same initial consonant, vowel sounds, rhyming words).
Remember too, that this is only a first draft and that you will analyze the text for revisions.
STEP 5: THE FIRST DRAFT
.
LIKE IT OR NOT, DO WHAT YOU MUST DO
Meet May Mills.
Meet May's sister ,Fay Mills.
Fay Mills is the little sister.
May Mills is the big sister.
May and Fay go to the same school.
May and Fay like to play in school.
So May and Fay like playtime most of all.
May and Fay Mills do not like to work in school.
"I only like to play in school," says May Mills.
"I like to be smart."
"But I do not feel like working in school at all."
"I like to play so much."May's little sister Fay feels the same way.
Fay and May's mother is Mrs. Mills.
Mrs. Mills says,
"You will not be so smart if you play all the time."
"If you like to be smart, you must work too."
"So ,like it or not, you must do what you must do."
"You must do what you must do in school to be smart.""Mother ,I will do what I must do in school to be smart," says May.
"But I will not like it at all."" I feel the same way," says May's little sister Fay.
.
"Hmmm," says Mrs. Mills.
"Fay and May, do you like to read stories in books?"
"Yes," says May.
"I like to read stories in books, but only a little bit.".
"Yes," says Fay. "I feel the same way."
"I like to read stories in books,but only a little bit."
"Most of all, I like to read big, big books.".
"Hmmm, " says Mrs. Mills.
"So you like reading in school a little bit."
"Reading is work.
" So, you like to work a little bit in school.""Yes, mother," say Fay and May.
"Hmmm," says Mrs. Mills.
"Do you like to write stories too?"
"Yes, I do,"says May.
"I like writing stories so much."
"But I do not like doing math at all."
"I do not like writing stories," says May.
"But I like doing math, so much.""Hmmm," says Mrs. Mills.
"Writing is work."
"Math is work. "" You like to do some work in school a little bit."
"You like to do some work so much."
"You do not only like playtime."
.
"Yes," says May.
"But I like playtime most of all.""Yes," says Fay.
"I feel the same way.
"So," says Mrs. Mills.
"Sometimes you work in school."
" Sometimes you play in school."
"Some work you like.
"Some work you do not like."
"You like playing most of all."Sometimes you do what you like in
school.
Sometimes you do what you do not like
in school.But you must go to school, LIKE IT OR NOT.
"Like it or not, you must do what you must do."
.
STEP 6 : WORD ANLAYSIS OF FIRST DRAFT
First, will use the tool option to find out the word count. Do the word count BEFORE writing a list of words.
I can tell that there are 458 words in the first draft word count.
Print out the story, and type the words in alphabetical order as they appear in the story. Type the word in the list only one time.
After making the list I found that there are 57 words (including forms of the words) used in the first draft.
I will now print out the alphabetical list of words used.
I will copy and paste the story on another file (this preserves the original story which is saved) and use the replace option to find out how many times words are used in the story..NOTE: THE NUMBERS WRITTEN IN BLUE ARE NEXT TO WORDS REPEATED IN THE STORY FEWER THAN 3 TIMES. THE WORDS TYPED IN GREEN ARE WORDS USED ONLY 3 TIMES IN THE STORY. I indicated these words in other colors because there will be an attempt to increase those words in the next draft.
1. a --5
2. and --7
3. all--8
4. at--3
5. be-- 5
6. big--3
7. bit-- 5
8. books--4
9. but--8
10.do,-- 24 ,doing--2
11. Fay--13
12.feel--4, feels--1
13. go--2
14. Hmmm--4
15. I--199
16. if--2
17.in--16
18.is--6
19. it--5
20. like--33
21. little--8
22. math--3
23.May--18
24. meet--2
25. Mills--13
26. most--4
27. mother--3
28. Mrs.--7
29. much--4
30. must--10
31.not--13
32. of--4
33. only--4
34. or--4
35. play--5, playing--1
36. playtime--3
37. read--4, reading --2
38. same--5
39. say--1, says--15
40. school--15
41. sister--5
42. smart--5
43. so--10
44. some-4
45. sometimes--4
46. stories--6
47. the-8
48. time-1
49. to--18
50. too-2
51. way--4
52. what-7
53. will-3
54. work--11, working--1
55. write--1, writing--3
56. yes--6
57.you--28STEP 7 : Changes , and the Second Draft
In revising the story an initial analysis of the words should be made, followed by an anlysis of the content itself.
Each word ,or form of the word should be repeated no fewer than 3 times.
The words with numbers listed in blue must therefore be increased within the story or eliminated.
These words are:
doing, feels, go, if, meet, playing, reading, say, too, working, writing
.
Several of these words are forms of other words which are presented more frequently. A total count of the original word and word form might make it unnecessary to add or delete it.
These words are:
.
doing,( counted with 'do' it appears a total of 26 times)
feels, ( with 'feel ', a total of 5 times)
playing, ( with 'play,' a total of 6 times)
reading, (with 'read,' a total of 6 times)
say (with 'says' a total of 16 times)
working (with work, a total of 12 times.)
writing (with 'write', a total of 4 times.)We must now work with the remaining words:
.
go, if, meet, too,
See if you can add these words in the text.
Suggestions are in red , purple, blue, and brown.go- (In red) Now appears in the story 7 times. Since "go" rhymes with "so" it is a good word to keep.
if- (in purple) Now with a total of 4 times appearing in the story.
meet-(in blue) Added 1 time to the story with a total of 3 times.
too( in brown) Now a total of 7 times appearing in the story. The word 'too" is helpful because it can be used as an introduction to a unit on homophones.
While increasing the number of times the above words
appear in the story ,there were several other increases as well.DRAFT #2
.
LIKE IT OR NOT, DO WHAT YOU MUST DO
Meet May Mills.
Meet May's sister ,Fay Mills.
Fay Mills is the little sister.
May Mills is the big sister.
May and Fay go to the same school.
May and Fay like to play in school.
So May and Fay like playtime most of all.
May and Fay Mills do not like to go to school to work.
"I only like to play in school," says May Mills.
"I like to be smart."
"But I do not feel like working in school at all."
"I like to play so much."May's little sister Fay feels the same way.
"I like playing in school too."
Meet Mrs. Mills.
Mrs. Mills is Fay and May's mother.
Mrs. Mills says,
"You will not be so smart if you only go to school to play. " You will not be smart if you play all the time."
"If you like to be smart, you must work too."
"So ,like it or not, you must do what you must do."
"You must do what you must do in school to be smart.""Mother ,I will do what I must do in school to be smart," says May.
"But I will not like it at all."" I feel the same way too," says May's little sister Fay.
.
"Hmmm," says Mrs. Mills.
"Fay and May, do you like to read stories in books?"
"Yes," says May.
"I like to read stories in books, but only a little bit.".
"Yes," says Fay. "I feel the same way."
"I like to read stories in books too,but only a little bit."
"Most of all, I like to read big, big books.".
"Hmmm, " says Mrs. Mills.
"So you like reading in school a little bit."
"Reading is work.
" So, you like to work a little bit in school.""Yes, mother," say Fay and May.
"Hmmm," says Mrs. Mills.
"Do you like to write stories too?"
"Yes, I do,"says May.
"I like writing stories so much."
"But I do not like doing math at all."
"I do not like writing stories," says May.
"But I like doing math, so much.""Hmmm," says Mrs. Mills.
"Writing is work."
"Math is work. "" So, you like to go to school and do some work in school a little bit."
" You like to go to school and do some work so much."
"You do not only like playtime."
.
"Yes," says May.
"But I like playtime most of all.""Yes," says Fay.
"I feel the same way.
"So," says Mrs. Mills.
"Sometimes you work in school."
" Sometimes you play in school too."
"Some work you like.
"Some work you do not like."
"You like playing most of all."Sometimes you do what you like in
school.
Sometimes you do what you do not like
in school too.You must go to school, LIKE IT OR NOT.
And if you go to school, you must do some work."Like it or not, you must do what you must do."
.
Observations about the second draft--
1. The new word count is 507
2. While increasing the number of times the words described above were used in the story, several other words appeared one or more times. The only decrease was in the word "but" which went from 8 to 7.
3. The word 'time' is still used only once. However, the word 'time' appears in the compound words 'playtime' and 'sometimes' In the 'word work' section, these compound words will be discussed.
STEP 8 : Other Changes , and the Third Draft
Before writing a third draft, think about any other changes you might want to make.
l. Gender adjustment
This story will be used for boys as well as girls. A good idea is to have a girl and a boy. Perhaps Fay can be the little brother, named Jay. We will have a new word in the word list: brother. Be aware ,now, of how many times 'sister' and 'brother' appear in the story.
2.Rhyming words
It is sensible to use names as a base for other rhyming words.Thus, the names Jay and May, rhyme with many other words, bay, day, say etc. There are many blend words with the ay
sound, such as play and clay. These names could be a good review. In addition, the long ' a' sound where 'y' stands for a vowel reinforces the rule that double vowels usually create a long first vowel.The last name should not be an uncommon name. A one syllable name that rhymes with another word used in the story might be a good idea.In the story, Mills almost rhymes with will, but it is not an exact match. One good thing is that it is are repetition of the 'm' sound. However, perhaps we could consider another name.
Some might be:
math--Path - This might be a good choice since 'math' is only used 3 times in the story. Jay and May Path, Mrs. Path-- a possibility. However, 'Path' is a rather uncommon name. In addition, there are only two other one syllable rhyming words: bath and wrath.The word 'wrath' is an advanced word for a new reader.
So perhaps we will not use the word 'path' as a surname for the family.
feel-Peel-- Jay and May Peel, Mrs. Peel-- a British sounding name, and the surname of a 19th century Prime Minister. However, in trying to find rhyming words , most are spelled differently:
deal, heal, meal etc. While this might be helpful in lessons dealing with the oddities of English spelling, it could be confusing at this point in the children's literacy development.We will discard this possibility.
The same is true for the read-Mead combination,(many rhyming words have double ee, as in feed ,) and most-post ( boast, coast, roast, toast.)
That leaves
Two others are like--Pike, ( with rhyming words , bike, hike, Mike-- as well as some often-used two syllable words such as alike, and dislike) and all-Hall.
While the like-Pike combination has a long i sound, the name Pike is not too familiar, nor are there many rhyming words with that name.
Probably, the name Hall, would be the best. It rhymes with a root word "all" which is used in the story , and has several rhyming words, including ball, call, fall, mall, tall, wall as well as small. There are also rhyming words that are spelled differently, presenting the same situation as read-Mead and feel-Peel but with the exception of "crawl," these words -- brawl, scrawl, shawl, sprawl, and squall-- are not words that the child on this reading level would encounter very much.
Therefore, for the 3rd draft, I will substitute Hall for Mills. It is my personal preference.
JAY AND MAY Hall.
Note: This may seem like a very picky matter. However, when children are learning to read, it is best to make the most out of the text in terms of extended phonetic and structure learning.
THIRD DRAFT
LIKE IT OR NOT, DO WHAT YOU MUST DO
Meet May Hall.
Meet May's brother ,Jay Hall.
Jay is the little brother.
May Pike is the big sister.
May and Jay go to the same school.
May and Jay like to play in school.
So May and Jay like playtime most of all.
May and Jay Hall do not like to go to school to work.
"I only like to play in school," says May Hall.
"I like to be smart."
"But I do not feel like working in school at all."
"I like to play so much."May's little brother Jay feels the same way.
"I like playing in school too."
Meet Mrs. Hall.
Mrs. Hall is Jay and May's mother.
Mrs. Hall says,
"You will not be so smart if you only go to school to play. " You will not be smart if you play all the time."
"If you like to be smart, you must work too."
"So ,like it or not, you must do what you must do."
"You must do what you must do in school to be smart.""Mother ,I will do what I must do in school to be smart," says Jay.
"But I will not like it at all."" I feel the same way too," says Jay's big sister May.
.
"Hmmm," says Mrs.Hall
"Jay and May, do you like to read stories in books?"
"Yes," says May.
"I like to read stories in books, but only a little bit.".
"Yes," says May's little brother Jay. "I feel the same way."
"I like to read stories in books too,but only a little bit."
"Most of all, I like to read big, big books.".
"Hmmm, " says Mrs. Hall.
"So you like reading in school a little bit."
"Reading is work.
" So, you like to work a little bit in school.""Yes, mother," say Jay and May.
"Hmmm," says Mrs. Hall.
"Do you like to write stories too?"
"Yes, I do,"says May.
"I like writing stories so much."
"But I do not like doing math at all."
"I do not like writing stories," says May's brother Jay.
"But I like doing math, so much.""Hmmm," says Mrs. Hall.
"Writing is work."
"Math is work. "" So, you like to go to school and do some work , a little bit."
" You like to go to school and do some work so much."
"You do not only like playtime."
.
"Yes," says Jay.
"But I like playtime most of all.""Yes," says Jay's sister May.
"I feel the same way.
"So," says Mrs. Hall,
"Sometimes you work in school."
" Sometimes you play in school too."
"Some work you like.
"Some work you do not like."
"You like playing most of all."Sometimes you do what you like in
school.
Sometimes you do what you do not like
in school too.You must go to school, LIKE IT OR NOT.
And if you go to school, you must do some work."Like it or not, you must do what you must do."
.
STEP 9 : Third Draft Word Analysis
Follow the directions for finding the word count, and checking the " word's used" as described above .The word list will be provided after the fourth draft of the story.
STEP 10 : CHAPTER OPTION Although most picture books, including the Emergent stories,especially on Levels 1 and 2 are usually not in a chapter book format, I favor using chapters on all levels and in some picture books.
1. Children have a short attention span. Chapter divisions give the children a break. This is especially important when the child just learning to read ( acquiring a memory word bank, learning phonetic and word structure sills). A pause in the hard work is restful, and reduces stress caused by stress and possibly frustration.
2. It gives the parent or teacher an opportunity to check comprehension. The adult can ask content questions, thought provoking / motivational inquiries, such as what might happen next (let's see), reinforce vocabulary words and possibly make some phonetic observations.
NOTE : THE PAUSE BETWEEN CHAPTERS SHOULD BE RELATIVELY BRIEF SO THAT THE FLOW OF THE STORY WOULD NOT BE OVERLY INTERRUPTED. IF THE STORY WILL BE CONTINUED AT ANOTHER TIME, A BOOKMARK SHOULD BE PLACED IN THE SESSION ENDING POINT, AND A REVIEW BEGIN THE RESUMPTION OF READING WHENEVER THAT TAKES PLACE.
3. Many beginner readers are "impressed" with chapter books. Some of these children have older siblings who are already reading chapter books which seems "grown -up" to them. In my library, very young children often ask me for chapter books.
Therefore, we now may consider chapter book divisions in
Fourth Draft
LIKE IT OR NOT, DO WHAT YOU MUST DO
CHAPTER 1: May and Jay Hall Like To Play In School
Meet May Hall.
Meet May's brother ,Jay Hall.
Jay is the little brother.
May Hall is the big sister.
May and Jay go to the same school.
May and Jay like to play in school.
So May and Jay like playtime most of all.
May and Jay Hall do not like to go to school to work.
"I only like to play at school," says May Hall.
"I like to be smart."
"But I do not feel like working at school at all."
"I like to play so much."May's little brother Jay feels the same way.
I like playing in school too."
CHAPTER 2: You Must Work To Be Smart
Meet Mrs. Hall
Mrs. Hall is Jay and May's mother.
Mrs. Hall says,
"You will not be so smart if you only go to school to play. " You will not be smart if you play all the time."
"If you like to be smart, you must work at school too."
"So ,like it or not, you must do what you must do."
"You must do what you must do at school to be smart.""Mother ,I will do what I must do at school to be smart," says Jay.
"But I will not like it at all."" I feel the same way too," says Jay's big sister May.
CHAPTER 3: Reading is Work
"Hmmm," says Mrs.Hall
"Jay and May, do you like to read stories in books?"
"Yes," says May.
"I like to read stories in books, but only a little bit.".
"Yes," says May's little brother Jay. "I feel the same way."
"I like to read stories in books too,but only a little bit."
"Most of all, I like to read big, big books.".
"Hmmm, " says Mrs. Hall.
"So you like reading in school a little bit."
"Reading is work.
" So, you like to work a little bit at school.""Yes, mother," say Jay and May.
CHAPTER 4: Writing and Math
"Hmmm," says Mrs. Hall.
"Do you like to write stories too?"
"Yes, I do,"says May.
"I like writing stories so much."
"But I do not like doing math at all."
"I do not like writing stories," says May's brother Jay.
"But I like doing math, so much.""Hmmm," says Mrs. Hall.
"Writing is work."
"Math is work. "" So, you like to go to school and do some work, a little bit."
" You like to go to school and do some work so much."
"You do not only like playtime."
.
"Yes," says Jay.
"But I like playtime most of all.""Yes," says Jay's sister May.
"I feel the same way.
CHAPTER 5: May and Jay Like To Do Some Work In School
"So," says Mrs. Hall,
"Sometimes you work in school."
" Sometimes you play in school too."
"Some work you like.
"Some work you do not like."
"You like playing most of all."Sometimes you do what you like in
school.
Sometimes you do what you do not like
in school too.You must go to school, LIKE IT OR NOT.
And if you go to school, you must do some work."Like it or not, you must do what you must do."
.
.STEP 11: 4th DRAFT VOCABULARY ANALYSIS
After this analysis you might want to stop, considering this the final draft. Or, you might want to reevaluate the story by looking at the words used in each chapter ,and revise so that as words many words as possible are repeated throughout the story .This would maximize word recognition reinforcement.
1.Word Count-- 559
2. Words Used in the Entire Story -WORD LIST (remember-- the red numbers indicate how many times that word appears in the entire story.)1. a -5
2. all -8
3.and-13
4. be-7
5.be-7
6.big-4
7.bit-5
8.books-4
9.brother-5
10.but-7
11.chapter-5
12.do-26, doing-2
13. feel-4, feels-1
14. go-7
15. Hall-14
16.hmmm-4
17. I-20
18.if-4
19.in-12
20 is-7
21. it- 5
22. Jay-18
23. like-36
24.little-8
25. math-4
26. May-20
27.meet-3
28. most-4
29. mother-3
30. Mrs.-8
31. much-4
32. must-12
33. not-14
34. of-4
35-only-5
36-or-4
37.play-7,playing -2
38. playtime-3
39.read-4, reading-3
40.same-5
41.say, -1,says-15
42. school-22
43. sister-3
44.smart-7
45. so-11
46. some-6
47. sometimes-4
48. stories- 6
49. the-8
50.time-1
51. to-28
52. too-7
53. way-4
54. what-7
55. will-4
56. work-15, working- 1
57. write-1, writing-4
58. yes-6
59. you-33
3. Word list , by chapter
It is helpful to make a word list by chapter. In this way, the child can review the words before reading the chapter. As this is a more advanced story for children who have already accumulated a small word memory bank and who have some experience in phonics, most of the words appear in chapter 1. These words are then repeated in the later chapters.
CHAPTER 1:
1. and
2. all
3. at
4. be
5. big
6. brother
7. but
8. chapter
9. do, (doing)
10.feel
11. go
12. Hall
13.I
14. in
15. is
16. it
17. Jay
18. like
19. little
20.May
21. meet
22. most
23. much
24. must
25. not
26. of
27. only
28. or
29. play
30. playtime
31. same
32. says (say)
33. school
34. sister
35. smart
36. so
37. the
38. to
39. too
40. way
41. what
42. working (work)
43. youCHAPTER 2: new words
1. if
2.mother
3. Mrs.
4. time
5. will
6. yesCHAPTER 3: new words
1. a
2. bit
3. books
4. Hmmm
5. read, reading
6.stories
7.yes
CHAPTER 4: new words
1. math
2. write, writing
CHAPTER 5 : new word
1. sometimes
STEP 12: LEVEL EVALUATION
Deciding the reading level depends upon the standard of analysis.
Many people base their evaluation on the total word count. I base my evaluation on "Words used."l. As there are typically 36 pages in a picture book, the story can be spread out throughout the text. This formate limits the number of sentences on a page appropriate for the level.
2. Some early level books designed for the beginner reader might have a small total word count, but too many words used, many of which are repeated only one time. The child might continually "stumble" over each word and not get needed repetition.
3. In addition, since the story is divided into chapters, the total word count is not as overwhelming as it might appear for an early level story. The word count for chapter 1, for example is about 119. Divided into approximately 6 pages (6 sides), the story could appear as follows:
page 6-7 ( the first few pages are used for title page, copyright etc.)
CHAPTER 1: May and Jay Hall Like To Play In School
Meet May Hall.
Meet May's brother ,Jay Hall.
Jay is the little brother.
May Hall is the big sister.
Page 7-8
May and Jay go to the same school.
May and Jay like to play in school.
So May and Jay like playtime most of all.
May and Jay Hall do not like to go to school to work.
Page 8
"I only like to play at school," says May Hall.
"I like to be smart."
"But I do not feel like working at school at all."
"I like to play so much."
Page 9
May's little brother Jay feels the same way.
"I like playing in school too."
This story has a word count of 559. The number of words used is 59. Under my criteria discussed in the INTRODUCTION to this section, my criteria for a Level 2 story limits the number of words used to between 40 and 65. THEREFORE, I CONSIDER THIS A LEVEL 2 STORY.
.STEP 13: SUGGESTIONS FOR WORD WORK
It is constructive to make the most out of every literacy experience. If the children are reading a story, word analysis exercises are helpful.
Many children are already learning phonics and word structure as part of their literacy training. Here are some suggestions for extended work with the words used in the story. The parent or teacher might choose some of the topics.
1. RHYMING WORDS
Group the rhyming words in the story.
Then follow-up with rhyming words NOT in the story.
(children love working with a felt or magnetic word. Have the letters 'ay' and substitute different consonants at the beginning)Have the children make up sentences using the rhyming words .
Compose some poems/ jingles with the children.
SET 1:The 'ay' group:
IN THE STORY:
Jay, May, say, way, play
Not in the story:
bay, day, hay, pay, gray, pray, stay, tray, Kay, Ray,
Sentences:
Jay and May say, we like to play all day.
The gray cat likes to stay in the hay.
Short poems / jingles help children develop a sense of rhythm and flow in language. It helps them understand syllable beats. If a simple melody can be composed to go with the rhyme, all the better.
Jingle:
Jay and Ray, and sister Kay,
Together , they go out to play."We love to go outside," they say,
"It's so much fun to play each day."
*
Devise similar exercises with other rhyming words in the story.
Set 2: the "o" group
In the story:
go, so
Not in the story:
no
(at this stage, it might be too confusing to introduce rhyming words that are not
spelled the same after the initial consonant--such as row, blow, toe, etc. --unless a child says the word when the class is asked for other rhyming words. However ,this is an important literacy issue as the child progresses.---------------------------------------------------------------------
Set 3: the "all" group
In the story:all, Hall
Not in the story:
ball, call, fall, mall, tall, wall, small
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Set 4: the "it" group
In the story:
it, bit
Not in the story:
fit, hit, lit, pit, sit,
Think of words to rhyme with other story words-
and--- band, hand, land, sand,
at- bat, cat, fat, hat, mat, pat, rat, sat, vat
big-- dig, fig, pig, wig
like- bike, hike, Mike,
same- came, dame, fame, game, lame, name, tame,
will- bill, fill, hill, Jill, kill, mill, pill
*
2. INITIAL CONSONANT SOUNDS
One of the advantages of having a word list for a story is that word work possibilities are easily observed. Since the list is in alphabethic order, consonant sounds, especially initial sounds are immediately noticeable.
--By looking at the list, the consonant "m" has many words:
May, meet, most ,much, must ,Mrs. mother
--The consonant "s"
same, say, sister, so
also-- smart , school, stories-- which have two or three initial consonant sounds.
The consonant "b"
be, big, but ,bit ,books.
also, brother,
Any of the words can be used as a sample of a sound in order to think of words not in the story.
For example: the words "like" and "little"
lost, late, lend, look etc.
3. FINAL CONSONANT SOUNDS
The children could also be introduced to endings in final consonant sounds. This is more difficult than initial sounds, but also helpful in training children to hear sounds. English is basically a phonetic language (with exceptions to rules), which makes this type of training very helpful.
big- bit ( not in the story-- bid , bin, )
in, is, it , if
Words in the story with ending changes in words not in the story: (words in the story are written in red; words not in the story are in blue)
and -ant
but- bud, bug, bum, bun, bus,
feel- feed, feet
work- word, worm,
4. VOWEL SOUNDS
The easiest vowel sound for children to learn is the LONG VOWEL . Children can be introduced to some of the rules for long vowels.
LONG a:
Jay ( and words rhyming with Jay), -- two vowels together; in this word , 'y' is used as a vowel sound.
same- An 'e' at the end of a one syllable word with a consonant inbetween makes the first vowel long.
LONG e:
be,meet, feel, read,
LONG i:
like, time, write
LONG o:go, most, only,
LONG uThe word "you" has the long u sound.
Short vowel sounds can be introduced to students at this letter who are somewhat more advanced in the phonetic training.
5. FORMS OF WORDS
endings such as ed, s,es, ing, ed,er can be taught using words in the story as a springboard. The plural of words should be emphasized. Children can learn that s, or es is added to a noun, but can be added to other words (verbs) which has nothing to do with plural. (words in the story are red; words not in the story are blue)
Plurals of nouns
brother-- brothers
sister-sisters
chapter-chapters
mother-mothers
school- schools
book- books
big-biggerChildren will learn that nouns ending in ' y 'usually have'ies ' in the plural form.