Read a Book in an HourAuthor(s): Emily PorterSource: The Reading Teacher, Vol. 41, No. 6 (Feb., 1988), pp. 615-616Published by: Wiley on behalf of the International Reading AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20199873 .

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Read a book in an hour Emily Porter

Reading a book in an hour is a motiva tional technique that is applicable in a

variety of situations. It's also a cooper ative approach where the students learn from each other and group spirit

develops. Inform the students they will read a

book in an hour. Then tell them that

you have bought the paperback they are going to read and that it belongs to

you. Tear it apart chapter by chapter. The chapters are distributed to the

class. Students who are slow readers

are given short chapters and faster readers are given longer chapters.

It is easier to tear the paperback apart if you put a paper clip on the

pages included in each chapter. One note of caution: Some books have

chapters that end on one page and an

other begins on the back of the same

page. Since you will be tearing the book apart, make a copy of one of the

pages and clip it to the chapter. Students read the chapter to them

selves. Depending on the age of the

group and the length of the chapters, allow about 20 minutes for reading.

When the students have completed reading, they tell what was in their

chapter. Limit them to 1 to 2 minutes each for the retelling. This can be ac

complished by the use of a paragraph frame constructed to summarize the

chapter, such as the following.

In chapter_, the problem starts

when_do_. Next _. Then

_. The problem is

finally solved when_. The

chapter ends when_.

The paragraph frame provides a

guide for the retelling. The student reads the chapter, completes the blanks in the frame, and uses the completed frame for the retelling.

Together, the students retell the book

chapter by chapter using their para

graph frames.

For some students, this provides an

opportunity to be involved in reading a

book and listening to the rest. For oth ers it may stimulate their interest in

reading the book personally. Select a book that is at the students'

independent reading level. (A difficult book will quickly dim enthusiasm.) Select a book with approximately the same number of chapters as you have

students. If that is not possible, one

student can read the beginning of a

chapter and another the end and then collaborate on the paragraph frame for the retelling.

Another possibility is to select books that have a sequel. Tales of a Fourth

Grade Nothing and Superfudge by Judy Blume are examples. This is

meant to be motivational, however,

and two books may take too long to re tell and dim enthusiasm.

Content area teachers find this an ef

fective method when biographies and

period novels serve to provide back

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ground information for the topic they are

teaching. Students are also in

volved in summarizing what they are

reading. Collect the chapters and keep them.

The book is reusable for another group to read it by chapters.

Oklahoma State Department of Educa

tion, Sapulpa, Oklahoma

Sequencing: Easy as 1, 2, 3 Mildred Vallas Westcott

One of the most difficult reading skills children must learn is sequencing. To understand cause-effect relationships and to use outlines, they must know how to order their own thoughts and those of others.

Sequencing skills can be taught us

ing typical workbook materials by having students chunk the material.

First, have them divide the material

they have read into beginning, middle, and ending sections. Paragraphs, sec

tion headings, and chapters sometimes

provide natural divisions.

Example using a story written by a 2nd grader: (1) Once upon a time a princess named

Samantha was feeding her dog Rex when a horrible dragon named Ezadar kidnapped her. She told him "You'll be sorry once my hero Prince Charles comes to get me."

(2) "Huh! Once! Once! He doesn't even know you have been kid

napped. In fact, nobody knows you have been kidnapped."

(3) Meanwhile, back at the castle, Queen Lisa went down to Princess Samantha's room to eat lunch with her. The poor queen found that her

daughter was missing. She was so

upset that she called Prince Charles to help. Prince Charles saved Prin

cess Samantha and saved the day.

Next, tell students to go through the sentences (or pictures) to be sequenced and write B next to beginning senten ces, M next to middle sentences, and E next to ending sentences. Then they put the sentences in order.

M _ No one knew that Samantha

had been kidnapped. B _ Samantha was feeding Rex.

E _ Queen Lisa went to have

lunch with Samantha. E _ Prince Charles rescued

Samantha.

M _ Prince Charles did not know

that Samantha had been kid

napped. B_Samantha was kidnapped by

Ezadar.

Having 2 or 3 sentences to sequence within 3 specific categories is easier for children than having to arrange the entire text in order at once.

Although some students still have

difficulty with the middle section, chunking the material helps to clarify the beginning and end portions. This

gives confidence to students as they at

tempt to define the middle section. The chunking procedure is useful at

all grade levels. Readers from grades 2

through 6 have been relieved to find that a complex task can be broken down into manageable parts.

Gentilly Terrace Elementary School, New Orleans, Louisiana

Story time for preschoolers in kindergarten Barbara Vensel Stewart

The first day of kindergarten has to be one of the most exciting, exhilarating days of a young child's life. Yet, along

616 The Reading Teacher February 1988

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