As teachers, we know that the benefits of reading books aloud to children are immeasurable. But have you ever read a wordless picture book to your students? Wordless picture books are books with no, or very few, words. These books require readers to rely on the illustrations and not the text, to drive the story.
How to Teach with Wordless Picture Books:
Picture Walk: Look through the book’s illustrations before going back and “reading” the story.
Pay attention to details: When looking through the pictures, be sure to pay close attention to the faces and body language of the characters. Be sure to notice the use of color, and any other clues you can find in the illustrations.
Make Predictions: Look for clues in the cover illustration and throughout the book to make predictions about what the story will be about and what will happen next.
Oral Storytelling: Children can tell the story to a partner or the whole class using their own words. This gives them the chance to orally express what they see happening and helps build a strong vocabulary.
Story Writing: Older children can write the story in their own words.
Add dialogue: Add speech bubble sticky notes to the pages of the book and write what the characters are saying.
Read the book multiple times: You’ll be surprised what you notice on a 2nd or 3rd reading that you didn’t see the first time!
Benefits of Wordless Picture Books:
