Dialogic Reading Planning Worksheet
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Remember! Great dialogic reading sessions always include:
Introducing the title and author of the book. Point them out with your finger!
Asking the children what they think the story will be about based on the title and cover.
Using each type of C-R-O-W-D questions when planning your story time’s.
Following up your questions by evaluating children’s’ responses, expanding on their ideas, and repeating
key information! (P-E-E-R)
 Page numbers begin on the first page with story text.
 As you are becoming more comfortable with dialogic reading, you are ready to begin composing your own
questions for the books. We have provided a framework and a few questions to get you started. Remember to have
a variety of types of questions.
Book Title: __Maria Had a Little Llama by Angela Dominguez______________________________________
Note for Teachers: Maria Had a Little Llama is based on the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. Some
of your students may not know the rhyme, so we’ve included it below. Feel free to sing the rhyme before
reading the story.
Also Maria is set in Peru, so there are many references to Peruvian culture, including geographic landmarks and
musical instruments. Looking for Peru on a map or listening to Peruvian music may help the children connect to
the text.
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Mary had a little lamb
Little lamb, little lamb
Mary had a little lamb
Its fleece was white as snow
And everywhere that Mary went
Mary went, Mary went
Everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go.
He followed her to school one day
School one day, school one day
He followed her to school one day
Which was against the rule.
It made the children laugh and play
Laugh and play, laugh and play.
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school.
And so the teacher turned him out
Turned him out, turned him out.
And so the teacher turned him out
But still he lingered near
And waited patiently
Patiently, patiently
And he waited patiently
Til Mary did appear.
Continue
Reading 1
Reading 2
Reading 3
Cover: What is happening on the
cover?
Cover: What is happening on the
cover?
Cover: What is happening on the
cover?
Prompt Type: __O___
.
Prompt Type: _O____
Prompt Type: __O__
P2: What is a llama? Can you find
any llamas on the page? How many
do you see?
P2: Look at Maria’s home. What do P2: What is Maria doing with the
you notice? Do you think Maria lives llamas? Why would the llama be
dancing? Maria has something close
near us? Why or why not?
to her mouth, what do you think it is?
Prompt Type: _Wh___
Prompt Type: _O & D_____
Prompt Type: _O__
P3: “Whose fleece was” ___ (white as
P3: What are these white dots? When
P3: What is a fleece? What color is
snow). Note: you are gesturing for
snow? Is there anything else that you do we see snow? What can you tell
the child to complete the sentence
can think of that is the color of snow? me about snow?
.Have you ever played in snow? Tell
us about it.
Prompt Type: Wh & O_
Prompt Type: _R & D_
Prompt Type: _C___
P5: Behind Maria and the llama is a
map. A map tells us where a place is.
P5-6: Maria has different instruments Do you think Maria and the llama live
P5-6: Where are Maria and the llama
in her hand. Can you find them? What close or far away? They live in a
going?
country called Peru that is far away
are their names?
from here. Do you have friends and
Prompt Type: __O___
family who live far away like Maria
Prompt Type: _Wh__
and the llama? Where do they live?
Prompt Type: _O & D_
P9-P10: Wordless pages – Can you
find Maria and the llama? Where are
they going?
Prompt Type: __O___
P12: What does the sign say? What
does it mean?
Prompt Type: _Wh, O___
P13-14: What happened when the
llama came to school?
P9-10: What do you see in this
picture?
P8-P9: What is happening on this
page? Why is the llama following
Maria to school?
Prompt Type: _O__
Prompt Type: ___O___
P11-12: Have you ever had a llama
come to school? What would you do
if it did? Do you have any animals in
your school?
P11: What do you think will happen if
Maria and the llama go to school
together?
Prompt Type: _ D__
Prompt Type: __O__
P15: Look at Maria’s face; what do
you think she is feeling?
P13-14: Would you like a see a
llama? What do you think it would
feel like to touch it?
Prompt Type: _O___
Prompt Type: _D &O_
Prompt Type: __Wh__
Continue
P15: Why did the teacher send the
llama out? (Feel free to refer to
previous page with the laughing and
playing to make connections.)
Prompt Type: _WH___
Reading 2
Reading 3
P20: Look at the llama and Maria;
what do you think they are feeling?
P19-20: What do you think will
happen when they go home? Do you
think the llama will follow Maria to
school tomorrow?
Prompt Type: __O__
Prompt Type: __O__
P17: Have you ever had to wait for
P18: What does it mean to be patient? P23-24: What kinds of instruments do something for a long time? Were you
you see? How many are there?
patient? Was that easy or hard?
Prompt Type: _Wh__
Prompt Type: __Wh__
P21: What does “love’ mean? How
do you show love to others?
P20: Look at the llama and Maria;
what do you think they are feeling?
Prompt Type: _Wh & D_
Prompt Type: __O__
P23-24: What do you see in this
picture?
Prompt Type: __Wh__
Prompt Type: __D___
P19-20: What do you think will
happen when they go home? Do you
think the llama will follow Maria to
school tomorrow?
Prompt Type: __O___
P23-24: What do you think is
happening at the end?
P23-24: What do you think is
happening at the end?
Prompt Type: _O__
Prompt Type: _O__
Small Groups: How will you divide your children? Who is in which group?
Small Group 1
Small Group 2
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Small Group 3