Grade: Kindergarten Subject: English Language Arts Unit: Read-Aloud Comprehension SAT: Information+Ideas ACT: Reading

Listening to Stories

Story time is special! Learn how to be a super listener and discover the exciting parts of every story.

📖 How to Be a Good Listener

Active Listening

Active listening means using your whole body to pay attention!
When you listen well, you understand the story better and can answer questions about it.

The Four Listening Rules

Good listeners remember these four important things:

👀
Eyes Watching
Look at the book and the person reading
👂
Ears Listening
Listen carefully to every word
🧘
Body Still
Sit calmly so you can focus
🧠
Brain Thinking
Think about what is happening in the story
Remember! When we listen to a story, we can make pictures in our mind. Close your eyes and imagine what is happening - it is like watching a movie in your head!

📚 Parts of a Story

Every story has special parts. Let's learn about them!

Story Elements

ðŸ‘Ī
Characters
Who is in the story?
🏠
Setting
Where does it happen?
📖
Events
What happens?

Beginning, Middle, and End

Stories have three parts, just like a sandwich!

1
Beginning
How it starts
2
Middle
What happens
3
End
How it finishes

📖 Story Time: Buddy Makes Friends

Let's read a story together! Use your best listening skills. You can click the buttons to move through the story.

🐕 Buddy Makes Friends 🐕

Beginning
🐕🏠☀ïļ
This is Buddy. Buddy is a friendly brown dog.
One sunny day, Buddy went to the park.
Page 1 of 5
Think About It! As you read the story, think about:
  • Who are the characters? (Buddy, the squirrel, the duck, Daisy)
  • Where is the setting? (The park)
  • What happens at the beginning, middle, and end?

✏ïļ Story Questions

Let's see how well you listened to the story about Buddy!

Question 1: Who is the main character in the story?

Question 2: Where does the story take place?

Question 3: Who became Buddy's friend at the end?

Question 4: What did Buddy and Daisy play with?

Question 5: How did Buddy feel at the end of the story?

ðŸŽŪ Listening Activities

ðŸŽĩ Good Listener Song

Sing along to remember how to be a good listener!

I'm a good listener, yes I am!
Eyes are watching, here's my plan:
Ears are listening to every word,
My body's still, I won't be heard.

Brain is thinking all the while,
Stories make me want to smile!
I'm a good listener, yes I am,
Being quiet - yes I can!

🎭 Act It Out

After hearing a story, try acting it out!

  1. Listen to a story with a grown-up
  2. Talk about what happened in the story
  3. Pretend to be the characters
  4. Act out the beginning, middle, and end

Try it! Can you act out the story of Buddy?

🖍ïļ Draw the Story

Draw pictures to show what happened in a story!

  1. Fold a paper into three parts
  2. Draw the beginning in the first box
  3. Draw the middle in the second box
  4. Draw the end in the third box

🔍 Story Detective

Be a detective and find story clues!

  • Character clue: Who is the story about?
  • Setting clue: Where does it happen?
  • Problem clue: What goes wrong?
  • Solution clue: How does it get fixed?

Am I a Good Listener? (Click to check!)

👀 My eyes watched the book
👂 My ears listened carefully
🧘 My body stayed still
🧠 My brain thought about the story
ðŸĪ” I can answer questions about the story
📖 I know the characters and setting

📝 What We Learned

👂

Active Listening

Use eyes, ears, body, and brain to listen well!

ðŸ‘Ī

Characters

Characters are who the story is about.

🏠

Setting

The setting is where the story happens.

📖

Story Parts

Stories have a beginning, middle, and end.

🚀 Next Steps

  • Practice using the four listening rules during story time
  • Ask a grown-up to read you a story and practice being a good listener
  • After each story, try to tell someone about the characters and setting
  • Draw pictures of your favorite story's beginning, middle, and end
  • Move on to learn about Answering Story Questions!