Day 2

I think I may have started a new trend.  Today before lunch I walked up to the school to see if the children were out for lunch.  A  couple of the children from top class were out so I chatted with them and by the time I headed down to where I read yesterday... I had 20 plus children following.  It is really hard to count exactly how many because like most children they are constantly moving. 
I took my place in the blue chair on Mamma Vencencia's porch and instructed the children to sit so that everyone could see.  This lasted for only a couple of minutes but the older children reminded the others to sit.  Before I began reading "Big fat hen" today... we talked about the cover and the title.  This was a bigger book than yesterday's with glossy paper pages.  The images are very bright and colorful and ones that the children could relate to as there are chickens in the village.  We read through the book several times... each time talking about something different... like counting the eggs on each page... or what is going to hatch out of these eggs.... or what are the chicks about to do...  Each child was engaged at his or her own level.  And I learned that even chickens/hens make different sounds here!

To extend the book I made little paper eggs with written numbers (1 and one) on each to ten and as I held up the numbers the children retold the rhyme.  At this point I tried to have one of the older boys video but that turned into a huge distraction as they all wanted to see the images on the camera rather than the actual story.  Will have to reevaluate this means of documentation.

Ended up reading the book a couple more times while a couple of the little ones rubbed my arm or touched my hair and just watched me.  Not sure what is more interesting... the book or me!  Gave them a chance to explore the book.  They looked at the cover and the slip that protected the book... they turned the glossy pages and answered questions as I asked... before I got up to leave... I placed the book into Seche's hands and let him read it.  Seche is in P1 and was able to read every word on the page even the words on the flaps of the slip that I had not read.  This is the same child that skipped school yesterday and showed up at my doorstep asking for a soccer ball.  I told him that he needed to come to school to get the privilege of the soccer ball.  As he and I talked, I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up and he stated "A pirate!".  This child has so much potential... and proved to me that even though he doesn't have a storybook filled life, he does know how to read.  The same child that does just what is needed in the classroom to get by... happily read a story to the younger children from the storybook!  From today's observation, I am going to conclude that storybooks definitely make it more enjoyable to read.  On a side note, I am really wishing that I had brought a story book about pirates!