Listening and Responding to Stories
Listening and Responding to Stories Objective: Students will be able to listen attentively to a story, ask questions to clarify understanding, and make relevant comments during discussions.
Learning Objectives
- Explain how to listen carefully when someone is speaking or reading.
- Demonstrate asking basic questions about a story.
- Practice making comments related to the story to show understanding.
Materials Needed
- Picture book appropriate for 2nd grade (e.g., ‘Charlotte’s Web’ or similar)
- Paper and crayons or markers
- Question prompt cards (simple who, what, where, when, why questions)
Key Vocabulary
- Listen
- To pay close attention to sounds or someone speaking.
- Question
- A sentence that asks for information or an answer.
- Comment
- A spoken or written statement giving an opinion or reaction.
Detailed Activities
Story Listening and Discussion
- Begin by explaining the importance of listening carefully when someone reads a story aloud.
- Read the selected picture book aloud to the student, pausing occasionally to ask simple questions about the story.
- Use the question prompt cards to encourage the student to ask their own questions about the story.
- Invite the student to share their thoughts or comments about the characters or events in the story.
- Draw a simple picture about their favorite part of the story and describe it aloud.
Parent & Instructor Notes
- Encourage your child to listen quietly and raise their hand or wait their turn to speak during storytime.
- Model asking questions about the story yourself to demonstrate curiosity and engagement.
- Praise your child’s efforts when they ask questions or make comments, reinforcing positive behavior.
Assessment Questions
- Can you tell me one thing you remember from the story?
- Who was your favorite character and why?
- Can you ask a question about what happened in the story?
- What did you like or think about the story?
Extension Ideas
- Have your child retell the story in their own words to check comprehension.
- Create a story-related craft or drawing to deepen engagement with the material.
- Listen to an audiobook together and discuss it afterward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Try reading shorter stories or breaking the reading into smaller parts with breaks in between. Use engaging voices and ask questions to keep their interest.
You can model asking simple questions yourself and encourage your child by providing question starters such as ‘Who?’, ‘What?’, ‘Why?’, or ‘How?’.
Teacher’s Guide
Common Misconceptions:
- Students may confuse listening with just hearing and might not actively engage with the story.
- Children might answer questions without fully understanding the story context.
- Some students may find it hard to formulate their own questions or comments.
Scaffolding Ideas:
For Struggling Students:
- Use shorter books or stories with repetitive phrases to build confidence.
- Allow drawing or acting out parts of the story to support comprehension.
- Provide sentence starters to help with asking questions and making comments.
For Advanced Students:
- Encourage them to ask more complex questions that require inference or prediction.
- Have them summarize the story or compare it to another story they know.
- Invite them to create their own story and ask questions about it.
Pacing Recommendations:
- Spend about 15 minutes reading the story and modeling listening.
- Use 15 minutes for guided questioning and encouraging student questions.
- Use the last 15 minutes for comments, drawing, and reviewing to reinforce learning.
Standards
- 2.SL.5 — Ask and answer questions about key details or information presented in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
Printable Worksheet
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