1. Using Wordless Picture Books to Teach Pre-reading Skills
Tricia White, M.Ed.
English as a Second Language Teacher

2. Introductions Name Age group you teach
Favorite book to read to your students

3. “Wordless picture books allow children to project their own imaginations upon a story and ‘own it’,” –Bob Staake, Day of Dialog

4. Why choose wordless picture books?
Allows for a level playing field
Richer language and more complex sentences are used
Allows for many interpretations
Activates thinking on a visual level

5. Why are they important?
Emergent readers can generate a story based on the images they see
Early readers can “read” their own verbal text
Independent readers can add details with plot, character, and setting
Podzielinski, M. (2014, July 7). Because Pictures Say a Thousand Words: The Value of Wordless Books. Retrieved from International Literacy Association: picture-say-a-thousand-words-the-value-of-wordless-book

6. Recent Study
A study done in a Head Start Program, focused specifically on teachers’ sharing of wordless picture books in a preschool setting found…
wordless books support children’s emergent literacy development
that they are particularly beneficial for supporting the literacy skills of dual language learners.
Schick, A. (2015). Wordless book-sharing styles in bilingual preschool classrooms and Latino children's emergent literacy skills. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy,

7. Pedagogical Possibilities
Knudsen-Lindauer (1988) suggested that wordless picture books offer numerous pedagogical benefits for emerging readers.
the development of pre-reading skills
sequential thinking
a sense of story
visual discrimination
inferential thinking.
Serafini, F. (2014, September). Exploring Wordless Picture Books. The Reading Teacher, pp

8. 5 Things Readers of Wordless Picture Books must learn:
Give voice to the visual narrative by participating in the story sequence
Interpret characters’ thoughts, feelings, and emotions without textual support for confirming these ideas
Tolerate ambiguity and accept that not everything may be answered or understood
Recognize that there are a range of reading paths to explore through the visual narrative
Elaborate on hypotheses about what is happening in the narrative sequence
Serafini, F. (2014, September). Exploring Wordless Picture Books. The Reading Teacher, pp

9. Best Practices for English Language Learners
Oral Language is the best foundation of literacy.
Literacy activities at school should start with oral discussion, which is necessary for the completion of meaningful tasks.
Louie, B. a. (2015, July/August). Enhancing English Language Learners' Language Development Using Wordless Picture Books. The Reading Teacher, pp

10. Reading Standards for Pre-K
With prompting and support, retell a sequence of events from a story read aloud (Key Ideas)
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story (Key Ideas)
With prompting and support, “read” the illustrations in a picture book by describing a character or place depicted or by telling how a sequence of events unfolds (Craft and Structure)
With prompting and support, make predictions about what happens next in a picture book after examining and discussing the illustrations (Integration of Knowledge and Ideas)
With prompting and support, make connections between a story or poems and one’s own experiences (Integration of Knowledge and Ideas)
Education, M. D. (2011, January). Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy. Retrieved from Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education: MACommonCore.pdf#search=%22reading%22

11. WIDA (World-Class Instructional Design & Assessment)
The Can-Do Descriptors highlight what language learners can-do at various stages of language development as they engage in teaching and learning in academic contexts.
Level 1 (Entering)
Level 2 (Beginning)
Level 3 (Developing)
Level 4 (Expanding)
Level 5 (Bridging)
Level 6 (Reaching)

12. What can Wordless Picture books address in comprehension?
Character
Setting
Sequence
Prediction

13. What I did….

14. What I did…(cont.)

15. Student Work Results…

16. Pancakes for Breakfast…

17. Strategies… Build background knowledge I wonder….
What do you think the character might be feeling here? How would you feel?
What is happening to _________?
What do you think might happen next?

18. YOUR TURN!!!
In a group or with a partner, take one of the books and create a lesson.
Things to think about....
Who is my audience?
What is my goal?
How long do I want this to be?
Can I break this into many sessions?

20. This is something that you can do with a regular picture book.
You have a Go-To book that the children love and want to use…use it!