P3 Book Practice
PHASE 3 - IMPLEMENTING TEACHING TOOLS AND RESOURCESBook practice
Talking and listening
Book-based discussions offer an important opportunity to model and develop empathy skills at the same time, especially deep listening and discussion.
There is a comprehensive, research based Empathy Booktalking briefing paper here .
This helps you talk with children in a way which builds empathy.
You can use the prompt book-talking question cards in many ways. For staff/parent training; in primaries some schools send them home in book bags to encourage good family practice at home; at secondary level, some schools ask pupils to put them in their study books.
CPD VIDEO: do watch Deputy Head Helen Mulligan discussing her class’s reaction to Malorie Blackman’s Cloud Busting. It shows how sensitive book-talk can unlock problems like bullying, because the discussion can be kept safely within the the story.
Active listening is a fundamental empathy skill. In the programme’s planning phase, staff are asked to reflect on the elements of great listening, and then to model this to children – with book discussions as a perfect springboard. Being a great listener is something we can all keep working on, and children and staff can practice together!
Additional classroom resources can be found below.
Top Tips: book-talking and listening
- In book discussions, focus more on the characters and feelings than the plot
- Have a discussion of equals. You can learn a lot about a pupil from their experience of the book.
- Open up a shared space for reflection – using phrases like “I wonder ”
- Keep your discussion within the story – let children make the connection to their own lives.
- Have fun with building an ethos of active listening – everyone can practice listening 100% and share their experience of doing this (it’s not easy!)
