Resource: Abiyoyo

Print Background Essay

Reading aloud brings stories like Abiyoyo to life for children, and it is one of the most important thing parents and caregivers can do to prepare children for success in school. From birth to age six, the brain is in a critical period of language development. Hearing language as a story is read aloud helps the brain organize itself to learn language, strengthening the language connections in the brain and making it more receptive to oral and book learning. Research shows that the amount of time children spend being read to in the preschool years strongly predicts their readiness for kindergarten and even their performance at the end of the sixth grade.

This read-aloud is presented without interruption, keeping the listener involved as the tale unfolds and the suspense builds. After the story has been read, children enjoy discussing the parts they like best, whether the story is scary, and how they feel about the father and son. This type of discussion about a vivid story fosters critical thinking and shows children that adults are interested in their responses. Since comprehension is the goal of reading, various strategies can be introduced after a story is read aloud: summarizing the plot, identifying the "problem" in the story and explaining how it is solved, thinking about the characters in the story and how they change, visualizing various story elements, and comparing this story to others and to real-life experiences. Reading is an interactive process, so we always want to show children how to talk, think, wonder, and make connections as we read.

Story comprehension also relies on an understanding of the words used by the author. There are a number of unusual words in this tale: "ukulele," "wand," "ostracize," "pasture," "staggered," "foolish." It is useful to go back over the story to see which words children have heard before and explain the meanings of any new vocabulary words. Try to use the new words during the day so that children learn to "hold on" to the word meanings they acquire through reading. Building vocabulary is a crucial part of language development and another strong predictor of academic success in future years.

Print Teaching Tips

• Pause the video segment at the point where it shows the cover of the book, and ask students to talk about what they see on screen. Who are the people on the cover? What are they doing? Look at the instrument propped up next to the boy. Do you remember what that instrument is called? Provide the word "ukulele" and explain what it is. You may want to review some of the other vocabulary in the story: "magician," "wand," "disappear," "giant," “staggered."
• Ask children to talk about what they like (or don’t like) about this story. What is their favorite part? Invite volunteers to play the roles of father, son, and Abiyoyo as you retell the story with your students’ help. Be sure to supply a magic wand!
• Some listeners become fascinated by the word "zoop"—the magic word used as the father waves his wand. This word can be the springboard for exercises in phonological awareness, spotlighting the /z/ sound and recalling other words that contain it.
• If we take the word "zoop" further and ask children to manipulate its three sounds: zzz. . . ooo. . . p, stretching them out, and deleting the /p/ at the end or the /z/ at the beginning, we help them develop a more advanced awareness of the separate sounds in words, called phonemes. Phonemic awareness is also a strong predictor of children’s success in learning to read and spell.