介绍:
Read with You Podcast–The Smallest Cow in the World
Thursday, 23 June 2016
You are listening to the Read with You podcast. Welcome to read with you.
Today I will describe the benefits of another book used in our I Can Read Marathon which will take place July 4th through August 28th. Today’s book is entitled, The Smallest Cow in the World. This Level 3 book is an excellent choice for students who want to strengthen their vocabulary and practice common grammar patterns.
The story takes place during a period of transition for a close family as they move from their home to a new farm. Placed within this context, the story describes many different emotions which are commonly experienced during a confusing time of transition. By reading this book, students will gain proficiency in describing many different feelings, such as Happiness and Sadness, Anger and Gladness, as well as Loneliness and Worry. Listening to the following passage will give you a taste of this emotional language:
“Don’t cry for Rosie,” May said. “She is the meanest cow in the world.” Marvin cried louder than ever.
The grammar is consistent throughout the story which first of all allows for extended focus on structures such as the simple past tense. Secondly, repeated structure introduces many contractions, such as “Don’t; doesn’t; didn’t; and can’t”. Contractions are very common in American English but tend to be difficult for non-native speakers to pronounce and use correctly. Finally, a third grammar focus that can be found in this book is the superlative. Many students who struggle with this grammar element use compensation techniques; for example, they may say “very, very mean” instead of “meanest” or “very, very smart” instead of “smartest”. Reading through this book can give them the familiarity they need with superlative. All three of these grammar focuses (simple past tense, contractions, and superlative) can be heard in the following passage where Marvin is telling his father how the cow came to be so small:
“Her new owner was a witch,” said Marvin. “Rosie didn’t like her... The witch got mad. She turned Rosie into the smallest cow in the world.”
This book’s strength lies in its descriptive power. It uses a large number of emotion vocabulary, and by including many superlative forms, students can further expand their ability to describe. This valuable addition to ones English education is woven into a remarkably relatable story of change and transition that children of all ages can enjoy.
Thank you for listening. This episode was presented by Read with You. If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it. Sharing your knowledge is a beautiful thing. We look forward to having you join our next episode.
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