Showing posts with label comprehension. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comprehension. Show all posts

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Terrapene Ornata Part 3

Click here to listen to: Terrapene Ornata, Part 3 (35:23)
During the summer before his fifth grade school year, Haver Hawkings sets out to find all 21 geocaches hidden by an expert named Babatoochee. Having found 20 of the 21 caches, Haver searches for the final one hoping it will be the secret that unlocks the entire mystery. 

Hi All,

We want to thank our sponsor this week, Bags By Betty. Betty's creations are beautifully unique works of art that have a practical purpose. Browse her online store at bit.ly/bagsbybetty to see samples of all her fabulous creations and like her Facebook page at facebook.com/bagsbybetty54 .


Check out the magic she worked on Mr. Chris' old Buffalo Bill's jersey. 

If you remember from the last episode, we had mentioned that Terrapene Ornata, Parts 1 and 2 are the next installments of the Pogona Vitticeps series. They’re stand alone stories and you don’t NEED to have listened to the Pogona Vitticeps stories before listening to these two, but it does add a little something extra magical to the experience if you listen to those first.

Pogona Vitticeps, Part 1 (16:00)
Strange images seemingly appear out of nowhere when Vivien 
spends time with a special animal. 
Free audio download: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 1
Blog with activities: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 1

Pogona Vitticeps, Part 2 (23:45)
Amidst tragedy, Vivien learns the secret behind her visions 
and discovers she has a difficult decision to make. 
Free audio download: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 2
Blog with activities: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 2

Terrapene Ornata, Part 1 (19:30)


Haver Hawkings loves geography and maps but hates getting dirty. 
When his teacher introduces him to a global hobby called Geocaching, 
Haver learns there's a world of hidden objects for him to discover.
Free audio download: Terrapene Ornata, Part 1
Blog with activities: Terrapene Ornata, Part 1

Terrapene Ornata, Part 2 (16:18)
Haver, a bit of a neat freak, heads out to find the first of the 21 caches hidden by expert geocacher, Babatoochee. Unfortunately for Haver, obtaining the cache isn't as 
easy as he had hoped.
Free audio download: Terrapene Ornata, Part 2
Blog with activities: Terrapene Ornata, Part 2 

VORACIOUS VOCABULARY
What did you say? A word of the day! 
In our story there are many juicy words 
that are fun to use and say.

acquisition: the act of gaining possession 
hoist: to raise or lift.
obstacle: something that obstructs or hinders progress.
silt earthly matter, fine sand.
squelch: to make a splashing sound.


JUST ADD IMAGINATION!
Try these activities to keep your imagination glowing
after hearing the story.

1. Locate scientific names for different animals. Make a matching game with a picture of the animal on one card and their scientific name on the other using the collage option at http://picmonkey.com. In your family see who can match them all correctly!




2. Name the world that Haver sees through the back of the metal turtle (Hint: You need to listen to Pogona Vitticeps, Part 2 to know the name). 

3. Step out of your comfort zone and get messy by making this Paper Mache Patchwork Turtle. 



COMPREHENSION CHALLENGE
After listening to the story, can you recall the
details to answer these questions?

1. Who asked the question that gave Haver the idea about how to organize the messages within the caches?
2. When did Haver begin his search for Babatoochee's caches? 
3. Where did Haver have to reach his hand to retrieve the last cache? 
4. Why didn't Haver quit after realizing what he was looking for?
5. What did Haver see when he looked into the open back of the metal turtle?


Bella K of Maine
Morgan of Virginia
Hayden of Virginia
Landon of Virginia
Liv of Ohio
Kai of New Hampshire

* * * * * * * * * *

Did you know...our fully illustrated version of Dragonfly, Dragonfly
Show Us The Way is now available in English and Spanish as an in-app purchase from the Flying Books appIt is available for download 
on your iPhone or iPad. 

Illustration by Reg Silva

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

PEOPLE'S CHOICE



Happy New Year! We look forward to watching the glow grow brighter in 2014 with all the new (and old) stories we can share together. Feel free to share them with your loved ones, friends, second cousins twice removed and anybody else you can think of at the moment. They can find us here on the blog, on our Facebook page, on Twitter, on our Pinterest board, and on iTunes.

Each member of the Night Light Stories household chose a 
favorite story for your listening pleasure. 

Enjoy!  


TUCKER'S CHOICE (age 8): 

Sled Ride: (6:06)
A little boy tells of his exciting sled ride down 
the hill while tryingto avoid a collision.
Free audio download: Sled Ride
Blog with activities: Sled Ride

MAGGIE'S CHOICE (age 6)

Lulu and Her Lavender Lion: (12:31)
A girl's journey through her memories with her imaginary friend.
Free audio download: Lulu and Her Lavender Lion
Blog with activities: Lulu and Her Lavender Lion

MR. CHRIS' CHOICE (age 39)

Agent Tissue Has an Issue: (14:21)
Agent Tissue is hot on the trail of a runaway nose that is hiding on the playground. Can his two new recruits help him catch the slippery culprit?
Free audio download: Agent Tissue Has an Issue
Blog with activities: Agent Tissue Has an Issue

MS. MEL'S CHOICE (age 36)

The Watermelon Seed: (10:18)
A little boy and his grandmother exchange letters describing the different changes he is seeing in his mom after she swallows a watermelon seed.
Free audio download: The Watermelon Seed
Blog with activities: The Watermelon Seed


If you had to choose a story, which one would it be? 
Share with us in the comments below or over at our Facebook page.

BRING ON 2014!

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Episode 59 (Flashlight): An Interview with a Zombie



Click here to listen to: An Interview with a Zombie
A talk show host interviews a popular guest 
about his latest viral video.
Hi All,

We're back! And it feels so good. We've missed you all terribly! Summer flew by and the Fall, well, it felt like someone hit the fast forward button. Our daughter started Kindergarten this school year and I started back to work full-time. I'm teaching...wait for it...Conceptual Physics in a high school. We're just finding our groove with this new schedule. We hope you are finding the groove with yours. 

Our new story, An Interview With a Zombie, is just in time for Halloween. If you really like Halloween-ish stories, we have a few more. Funny, sweet, silly, spooky, or mysterious, we have all different genres just for you to try out. 


We'd also like to send out a special thanks to SodaStream for 
sponsoring this episode. "Set the bubbles free!"


VORACIOUS VOCABULARY
What did you say? A word of the day! 
In our story there are many juicy words that are fun to use and say.

gnaw: to bite or chew on
infectious: tending to spread from one to another
ravenous: extremely hungry
shamble: to walk or go awkwardly, shuffle

JUST ADD IMAGINATION!
Try these activities to keep your imagination glowing
after hearing the story.

1. The story features many 'plays on words' such as, "The alarm was so loud it could wake the dead." Make a list of all the other word play about zombies you heard in the story.  

2. With an adult, 'Zombify' yourself using the link or from an app. 'Make a Zombie' is a free iPhone and iPad app. Send your zombie-self to us at [email protected] or post it on our Facebook Page. We'd love to see how you zombie it up for Halloween!

3. Interview members of your family about their lives. What do they do for a living? What are their favorite hobbies? Which food do they find the yummiest? If they could be a monster, which famous monster would they be?

4. We want to here you speak like a zombie. Record yourself speaking like a zombie using http://recordmp3.org or a similar voice recorder. Send us the link or the audio file so we can hear your creepy voices.


5. Listen to our three other stories that have a Fall-ish theme! Halloween is right around the corner! 

The Patchwork Pumpkin: Part 1 (17:12) and Part 2 (12:14)
A little girl living on a farm longs to carve the Halloween pumpkin with her father but his chores seem to keep them apart. Can she find a different way to spent time with her father?
Free audio download: The Patchwork Pumpkin (Part 1)
Blog with activities: The Patchwork Pumpkin (Part 1)
Free audio download: The Patchwork Pumpkin (Part 2)
Blog with activities: The Patchwork Pumpkin (Part 2)

The Heebie Jeebies: (6:57)
What goes bump in the night? How do you keep the Heebie Jeebies 
away, especially on Halloween?
Free audio download: The Heebie Jeebies

Blog with activities: The Heebie Jeebies

A Glummy, Gloomy Halloween (11:17)
A goblin named Glum wants to have a surprise birthday party for his brother Gloom, but every monster he invites already has plans for the evening.
Free audio download: A Glummy, Gloomy Halloween
Blog with activities: A Glummy, Gloomy Halloween


COMPREHENSION CHALLENGE
After listening to the story, can you recall the
details to answer these questions?

1. Who was the host interviewing?
2. What does the host refer to that is "so loud it could wake the dead?"
3. Where was the guest on the show from in the United States?
4. Why does the interviewer ask about her guest's video?
5. How does the zombie answer when she asks him any question?

Griffin  
Olivia
Andrew
Isabella
Tricia
Lauren
Ryan
Cate 
Kelly
Riley
Noah
Zadie
Zachary
Junior
Pam
Tucker 
Brayden

Did you know...our fully illustrated version of Dragonfly, Dragonfly
Show Us The Way is now available in English and Spanish as an in-app purchase from the Flying Books appIt is available for download 
on your iPhone or iPad. 

Illustration by Reg Silva

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Episode 58: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 2



Click here to listen to: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 2 (23:45)

Admist tradgedy, Vivien learns the secret behind her visions 
and discovers she has a difficult decision to make. 

Hi All,

We want to send out a special thanks to our friend, Claire for introducing the second part of the Pogona Vitticeps for us. She did such a great job in her narration! Her father is a professional audiobook narrator and podcast host. He explained to us that while helping him record, Claire was bitten by the audio narration bug and wondered if she could do some narration of her own. The best way to learn how to do something is by practicing and we were happy to give Claire an opportunity to hone her skills. Keep up the good work, Claire. 

SPARKLING ANNOUNCEMENT


It’s been a busy year. Summer vacation is upon us. Mr. Chris and I have decided to take a small break for the summer from producing new Night Light Stories. We’re going to use that time to continue to submit stories to different publishers.

While we're away, we encourage you to go back through our 58 stories and re-listen to some of your favorites. Please tell others all about Night Light Stories while you're visiting with family, splashing in waves or waiting in line to ride a huge roller coaster.

We look forward to watching the glow grow brighter with the many stories we can share together. Have a great vacation everyone! We'll see you in the Fall.

VORACIOUS VOCABULARY
What did you say? A word of the day! In our story
there are many juicy words that are fun to use and say.

admire: to regard with wonder, pleasure or approval
elegant: gracefully refined and dignified
engulf: to swallow up in
portal: a door, gate, or entrance


JUST ADD IMAGINATION!
Try these activities to keep your imagination glowing
after hearing the story.


1. A pet name is a nickname or an affectionate name that someone calls you. For example, Vivien names her bearded dragon Pagona, but calls him Pogo for short. What is YOUR nickname? Type your nickname into http://metaatem.net/words to create something like this:

Foam Letter P bead letter O Sponge Letter G letter O  

2. Take a picture of your pet and send it to us at [email protected] or post it on our Facebook Page

3. Keep a journal (or blog!) this summer of all your fun adventures. Use it to document facts you have learned, trips you've taken and masterpieces you've drawn.


COMPREHENSION CHALLENGE
After listening to the story, can you recall the
details to answer these questions?

1. Who left Vivien the pendant?
2. What change happened to Pogo?
3. Where did Vivien's mother go with Noona when Vivien was three?
4. Why did Vivien have to go alone into the portal?
5. How did Vivien's latest vision help her?


We want to send out bright birthday wishes to:

Drew M from New York

Alex P of West Virginia
Catie P of Colorado
Alyse B of New York
Zoe of West Virginia
Molly D of Virginia
Luke of Texas 
Kim of the Musing Mommies Podcast

We hope your days SPARKLED!

Monday, April 29, 2013

Episode 57 - Pogona Vitticeps, Part 1

Click here to listen to: Pogona Vitticeps, Part 1 (16:00)
Strange images seemingly appear out of nowhere when Vivien 
spends time with a special animal. 

Hi All,

Here we are at the end of April. That old adage has proven true. There have been a lot of showers (granted some were snow showers) but that precipitation has brought us May flowers. We are starting to see some buds blooming around our yard. Take a look!




VORACIOUS VOCABULARY
What did you say? A word of the day! In our story
there are many juicy words that are fun to use and say.

deliberation: careful consideration before decision.
devour: to swallow or eat up hungrily.
indigenous: originating in and characteristic of a particular region or country.
inquisitive: eager for knowledge.


JUST ADD IMAGINATION!
Try these activities to keep your imagination glowing
after hearing the story.


1. Go outside and hunt for crickets or other insects. When you find one, study it and make a sketch labeling all of its parts. Be careful to include as many details as possible. You can use the following website for help looking up the names of different insect parts: http://kids.sandiegozoo.org/animals/insects

2. Illustrate what you think the main character, Vivien, looks like in the story. 


3. In the story Vivien has done research on bearded dragons. Conduct your own research on bearded dragons or pick an animal you're interested in! Keep a journal of interesting facts you discover!

4. Send us picture of all your hard work at [email protected] or post them on our Facebook Page

COMPREHENSION CHALLENGE
After listening to the story, can you recall the
details to answer these questions?

1. Who asked the store clerk what happened to the bearded dragon?
2. What recent event caused Vivien to be sad?
3. Where did Vivien find a strange, sooty black mark?
4. Why did Vivien give Pogo fruit?
5. How did Vivien convince her father to buy the bearded dragon?


We want to send out bright birthday wishes to:

Olivia of Ohio
Kaileigh of New Hampshire
Mason G of Kentucky
Alessandra of New York
Ethan of Massachusetts
Annabeth of Illinois
Lilly of New Jersey
Riley of South Dakota
Alex P of Colorado
Riley of Colorado
Madelyne
Oliver B
Morgan B

We hope your days SPARKLED!