Each week I select a section from a favorite read aloud book for copywork or dictation exercises . The girls LOVE this (especially dictation) and often ask for more! This weeks dictation was from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This popular book is well loved in our home as we have read it yearly for the past three years (I admit I'm a sucker for blatant demands when a book is thrust into my hands and cute children pile around expectantly).
This weeks dictation work (Grandpa Joe's lively response to the prized golden ticket):
"Then very slowly, with a slow and marvelous grin spreading all over his face, Grandpa Joe lifted his head and looked straight at Charlie. The color was rushing to his cheeks, and his eyes were wide open, shining with joy, and in the center of each eye, right in the very center, in the black pupil, a little spark of wild excitement was slowly dancing. Then the old man took a deep breath, and suddenly, with no warning whatsoever, an explosion seemed to take place inside him. He threw up his arms and yelled 'Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!' And at the same time, his long bony body rose up out of the bed and his bowl of soup went flying into the face of Grandma Josephine, and in one fantastic leap, this old fellow of ninety-six and a half, who hadn't been out of bed these last twenty years, jumped on to the floor and started doing a dance of victory in his pajamas. "
It is so fun to read, I found that the girls wanted to read it over and over even as they were writing. How could they help but grin from ear to ear! We could roll around in these wonderul expressive words!
Maybe that's why we HAD to have a nibble from my not-so-secret chocolate stash at the end of each read! Sure glad we've moved on to Strawberry Girl, except, we did bake molasses cookies the day we read all about sugar caning and how molasses is made. All this reading is not so good for my figure! :)
4 comments:
I am impressed that Manda and Emma are doing such difficult dictation. I think it is wonderful that they like to read and be read to. So did you! Mom
Dude, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory is awesome! I loved that book as a kid. Matilda is Dhal's best work though. Darkly hilarious, as only he can write them.
We suffered a Dove chocolate heart attack at our house two weeks ago after reading "Lilly's Chocolate Heart" (board book, nothing noteworthy in the literary department!) for the 50th time! You should have seen the girls eyes light up when I pulled out the first three red-foil wrapped chocolate hearts. And their sweet voices consoling Caleb when he wailed for one and was refused!
I miss you! Wish you could come over and read MY kids a book!
weeeeeeeeeeeellllll, i am embarassed to admit i judged this book, unread, by the movie a few years back!! now, though, i guess i've been sufficiently enticed to give it a go. chocolate and all!
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