Tell Me - Aidan Chambers

Tell Me: Children Reading and Talk

Aidan Chambers

Aidan Chambers has identified many ways in which to initiate children’s talk about texts. His book gives examples of questions that assist children in speaking about their reading.

I would advise reading this book before embarking on the session of lessons detailed. If this is not possible, the essential element of Chambers’ book are four basic book talk questions.

• Was there anything you liked about this book?
• Was there anything you disliked?
• Was there anything that puzzled you?
• Were there any puzzles - any connections - that you noticed?

Every time I have used these questions the response has been very positive. Children are given a structure in which to express their feelings regarding the text. This leads on to higher order thinking; children engage with texts and begin to explore the meaning of books orally.

After reading a shared text you could use a grid of four boxes on a flip chart with the above headings to record the class responses. I have found that doing this gives a wealth of information which the children can use to inform independent writing later on in a unit of work.

I would still advise reading Chambers’ book in its entirety. The practical approaches to book discussion offered are invaluable in the process of facilitating children to be thinking readers. Throughout a year of using his approaches within my classroom I have observed children discussing texts on a far deeper level than ever before.

Tell Me: Children, Reading and Talk
Aidan Chambers (1993), ISBN: 0 903355 42 6, The Thimble Press.