ReedALOUD: Lenny & Lucy

I have read Lenny & Lucy by Philip and Erin Stead with two different purposes this week, one for my Mock Caldecott and one to show my kindergarten students how books get a reader wondering and how good readers are thinking while they are reading. This beautifully-illustrated and emotionally powerful book is easy to teach with.

They started to share their wonderings by looking at the cover:

Some students wanted to share additional wonderings when we reached the two page forest spread.

The students continued to share wonderings as we read through the book. 

Where is the car going?

What is on the roof?

Why is the car in the woods?

Why are there so many trees?

Where are the leaves?

What is all that white?

Where are they going?

Why couldn't they sleep?

Why does he not want to live there?

Did he tell his parents that he didn't want to be there?

Why does his father like this house?

Why is he worried about the woods?

Are they moving? 

What are the packages on the car?

I wonder where the mom is.

Is the mom in the woods?

Is their house in the woods?

I wonder what will happen next.

I wonder what is on the other side of the bridge.

It might sound disruptive to the story and distracting, but it wasn't. We'll reread and review the wondering questions next week, see which were answered in the text and try to answer those that were not. Next we begin a unit where the students explore a wondering question. They will draw a picture of what they are wondering about, I'll help them find articles on Pebble Go, and then they will record over their picture what they have learned. Stay tuned!

Until then, please read this book.