Introduction
Kindergarten texts such as read-aloud are meant for the enjoyment, easy comprehension, and good introduction of literature to the pupil. The teachers use such texts to reinforce the curriculum developed for students at this level. The readers in this case need to acquire literary knowledge to understand the text. Analyzing a read-aloud kindergarten book is an individualized assessment. It helps the teacher to get in-depth information on whether the text meets the learner’s needs. (Beck and McKeown, 2001)
Analysis of the Text
The text of the analysis is a read-aloud ‘what Lives in the Sea?’ by Head sprout (2003). The storybook has three chapters. Each chapter has an independent story about what lives in the sea. The chapter of analysis in Chapter Two. It talks about swimming in the water near the shore. The story has an introduction, techniques of learning vocabulary, and questions that should be answered after reading the text. These parts are well designed to help the learner develop a strong understanding of the book.
The author of this text understands the challenges faced by kindergarten readers. The author does not pose a problem in the introduction like many other texts. The author introduces a problem which the learners can directly get from the text. The introduction talks of animals that swim in water near the shore. He mentions examples of these animals such as Squid and Jellyfish. He continues to tell the reader that Jellyfish is dangerous and it can sting. The introduction should simply make the problem easy to be understood by the kindergarten reader.
The vocabularies used in the text are those that try to explain the idea being expressed. The words are key components in understanding the story. These words are swimming, shore, Octopus, and many more. In addition, the meanings of these words are given in short descriptions. For example, the author explains that a Sea Horse is not a horse but a fish (Collins, 2004).
The difficult animal names that can confuse the reader are outlined at the end of the text. These can be used by the teacher to test the understanding of the reader. For example, the teacher can ask the reader to describe the sea animals such as Jellyfish.
It is also worth noting that because the text is meant for kindergarten children other meanings are created when the teacher is reading aloud for example the dangerous Jellyfish that can sting can be demonstrated using voice and dramatic gestures. Reading aloud usually supports the learner’s understanding by selecting the most appropriate vocabulary. In the case of a technical word, short explanations are provided.
Some vocabulary can confuse the reader. In such a case, the teacher or the parent should explain to the child as she reads aloud. Moreover, the author can provide brief meaning in brackets in between the story (Cochran-Smith, 1984).
The questions at the end of the text such as “can you remember the names of any of the animals learned?” The questions are used to test the readers’ understanding.
Conclusion
The read-aloud text for kindergarten level deliberately provides a simple approach that is comprehended by the reader. They put into consideration that the kindergarten readers cannot give their analytical thinking unless guided by the teachers. The text has achieved its goals. That is, it has addressed the reader’s needs. The reader has learned about the sea animals effectively.
References
Beck, I. & McKeown, M. (2001). Text Talk: Capturing the Benefits of Read-Aloud Experiences for Young Children. The Reading Teacher, 55, 10-20.
Cochran-Smith, M. (1984). The Making of a Reader. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Collins, M. (2004). ESL preschoolers’ English vocabulary acquisition and story comprehension from storybook reading. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation: Boston University.
Head Sprout. (2003). What Lives In The Sea? Web.