Tip – How to know if your child sees the cinema of the mind

HPIM0154,
originally uploaded by nettesbt.

The cinema of the mind is the movie that plays while you read. A lot of adults do not have this either. They were never taught. And so, now, they do not enjoying reading themselves. But the cinema in your mind is what propels the story on, what makes a book worth reading.
You can tell if your child has not mastered this. There are telltale signs. Ask your child how he sees a character. If he cannot describe the character or the scene or the movement of events he does not have the cinema running. If he hates to read than the cinema is most likely missing. If, when you announce that you’ll be reading a great book like Harry Potter to him, he sighs and rolls his eyes the cinema is most likely missing. If you stop reading and ask him what he thinks happens next and he really doesn’t care than the cinema is probably not there. And most of all if he cannot tell you what has happened so far, besides the last paragraph or so, than the cinema is again missing.
The purpose of this blog is to help with this problem specifically. For when the cinema is there the reader cannot help but answer all these questions with enthusiasm and to want to read or be read to.

Comprehension exercise with Dylan - Smells

Chocolate truffle brownies,
originally uploaded by chatirygirl.

I walked into the house from playing and was consumed with the smell of sweet chocolate. “What are you making?” I asked.
“Brownies,” Mom said. “We’ll have some later.”
I went back outside and later Mom called me for lunch. The smell that greeted me at the door this time was pasta and cheese. “Is that home made macaroni and cheese?” I asked. “Yes, come, let’s eat.”
Again I went outside to play. I could smell fresh cut grass. The neighbor was mowing. I love that smell. When I went back inside to get something I smelled lemon. Mom was burning the candle. I smiled. It was a day of sweet smells.

This went well also. He said he could imagine the smells each time. He also reported some visuals although that was not the point of this exercise. Good though. Soon he'll have to put it all together anyway.

Tip - Language

Hungry for Conversation,
originally uploaded by Mike_el Madrileño.

The language you use with and around your children helps form his ability to read also. Starting at infancy consciously talk to your baby. Have conversations. Tell him what you are doing, how your day was, what so and so said to you, etc. As the child grows be sure to introduce more sophisticated language in conversation. Think of words you read a lot and be open to explaining the meanings. Open a dictionary in front of your child, or look up an Internet dictionary, not to enforce his doing so, but to model how to find information. Our children do model our behaviors so one day he will open the dictionary himself.
If your vocabulary is small you can increase it with a thesaurus or typing words on the computer and looking up synonyms in the tools of Word. Or you can increase your vocabulary simply by reading more yourself, which isn’t a bad idea since children do model us.

Comprehension exercises with Dylan - Sight visualization

Hawaiian Sunset 2,
originally uploaded by Automania.

I had Dylan close his eyes while I read the following visualization that I'd made up:

I walked out my door and into the wonder of the sun setting in the west. The sun sat on the hill in the distance in a half-circle of orange. It was huge and somehow unreal, like a painting placed on the tapestry of the sky. Colors joined and melded in the sky around it in celebration of its grandness. Yellow joining orange, joining red and blending into many hues of each. Melting together. Reaching out to touch all that witnesses its glory. All things changed by it’s light. The light touches me. My skin is now golden. It glows.

-This was a lot more successful. Dylan described walking out a blue door with a golden handle. He said there were all types of colors in the sky blended in. He saw a yellow hill and his hands as golden. They were purple at first, but turned gold.

Tip - Reluctant participants

HPIM1123,
originally uploaded by nettesbt.

If your little darling does not stay still while you are reading to him or her try some of these ideas:
-act out the story and try to get the child involved
-change your voices a lot and put more dramatic effect into the story
-reach for the book with fun rhymes

Comprehension Exercises with Dylan #3 - using all senses

Teens-to-Tots Storytime,
originally uploaded by Danbury Public Library.

This week I read a chapter from one of Dylan’s books to him while he closed his eyes. I told him to really try to put himself there. I said that he should use all of his senses; try to hear the events, feel, smell, see and feel the emotions. He is a stubborn one. After the chapter I asked him if he smelled anything and went through all the senses. He was very hesitant. I had to mention specific occurrences in order to get anything out of him and it was sparse even then.
So that leaves me going in a backward direction. Next week I will go back and attempt to engage all the senses separately.