PODCAST · education
Mrs. Dolinka's Read-Alouds
by Lauren Dolinka
We don't have to stop our read-alouds just because we're learning at home! I'll post sections of our novel here for you to listen along from wherever you are.
Episodes
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Excerpts from Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Today I'll read some excerpts from Jacqueline Woodson's Brown Girl Dreaming, which is a fascinating memoir because it's actually written in verse. That means it's structured more like poetry, which is rare for a memoir. Brown Girl Dreaming is a beautiful, poetic book, and if you like these...
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Muffin by Susan Cooper
"Muffin" is a unique memoir because it's told from the third-person perspective about a classmate of the author. The author uses her classmate's story to illustrate how life in England was affected by World War II. If you are writing about a bigger time period (like COVID-19, for example) and are...
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Why I Never Ran Away From Home by Katherine Paterson
"Why I Never Ran Away From Home," by Katherine Paterson, is a really sweet memoir about growing up in the shadow of your older siblings. If you have siblings, love The Wizard of Oz, or have ever felt a little out of place, you will love this short story.
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The Great Rat Hunt by Laurence Yep
Today's memoir is called "The Great Rat Hunt," by Laurence Yep. It's a beautiful and funny story about growing up, feeling inadequate at sports, race, and a boy's relationship with his father. As you listen, pay attention to how the memoir is organized. As opposed to other memoirs we've read that...
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All-Ball by Mary Pope Osborne
I thought it would be fun to read some memoirs to you so that you have more examples to inspire you as you write your own. This first memoir is called "All-Ball" by Mary Pope Osborne. As you listen, consider the powerful symbolism of All-Ball. What does All-Ball represent to Mary?
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Author's Note, Acknowledgements, and About the Author
I always love learning about the author and their writing process. I find this "back of the book stuff" to be particularly interesting! Give it a listen.
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The Thing About Jellyfish: Part 7
Today we will finish The Thing About Jellyfish. We'll read all of Part Seven: "What If?," "The Only Thing That Ever Made Sense," "Any Other Kid," "What Remains," and "Heroes and Villains." After you listen, let me know what you thought about the ending and whether you liked the book overall!
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The Thing About Jellyfish, Part 6
Today, we'll read all of Part 6: "Immortality," "To Australia," "Sit," and "She Made It." Listen to find out what happens on Suzy's trip!
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The Thing About Jellyfish: Part 5E
Today, we'll finally finish Part 5, the longest part of the book! The chapters I'll read are called, "Goodbye, Ming Palace," "Tuesday, 3 PM," "Wednesday," "Goodbye, Home," "Phone Call," and "Endings." It's a bit long, but I wanted to finish up this section today. Feel free to split up your...
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The Thing About Jellyfish: Part 5D
This is the fourth section of Part 5, which includes the following chapters: "Deadline," "Instant Calm," "How to Plan Your Escape," "Spare Change," "Goodbye, Thor," and "How to Say Goodbye." Listen to find out all about Suzy's plan, and to witness a cute interaction between Suzy and Justin.
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The Thing About Jellyfish: Part 5C
Today, I'll read the third section of Part 5: "The Worst Kind of Silence," "Two Day's Silence," "And Then More Silence," "What I Don't Want to Talk About," "Things Are Closer Than They Appear," and "Bridget Brown." I can't wait to hear your predictions after you listen! What is Suzy going to do?!
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The Thing About Jellyfish: Part 5B
We'll continue reading Part 5 of The Thing About Jellyfish today! The chapters I'm reading are called: "Terribly Wrong," "Even More Wrong," "Venom," "Look at Me," and "Pollination." A lot of change is described in this section. As you read, start thinking about some of the changes you are...
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The Thing About Jellyfish: Part 5A
Part Five of The Thing About Jellyfish begins with the chapters, "Stronger Than Us," "Imagine a Creature," and "How to Send a Message." Listen to hear how Suzy's presentation goes and to find out more about Suzy's plan to send a message to Franny. It's pretty gross! After listening, let me know...
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The Thing About Jellyfish: Part 4C
To wrap up Part Four, I'll read three chapters: "How to Lose a Friend," "Taking Over," and "How to Not Forget." After listening, let me know if you have any predictions for what will happen next. What do you think Suzy did to send Franny a message?
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The Thing About Jellyfish: Part 4B
In this section, I'll read four chapters: "Face-to-Face," "Millions of Things to Learn," "How to Know Things Have Changed," and "Zombie Ants." After you listen, let me know what you think of the book so far!
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The Thing About Jellyfish: Part 4A
Enjoy listening to the first four chapters of Part 4: "Blooms," "How to Drift Apart," "A Click, Then Silence," and "How to Get Things Wrong." It's a long section, so there's no question for thought at the end.
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The Thing About Jellyfish: Part 3C
To finish up Part Three, I'm reading four chapters today: "How to Make a Promise," "Experts #2 and #3," "How to Not Say Something Important," and "Crazy Brave." Notice that all of the "How to" chapters are the ones in which Suzy shares her memories in the present tense, as if she's speaking...
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The Thing About Jellyfish: Part 3B
In this section, I read three more chapters: "Dumb Old Words," "Expert #1," and "Mote of Dust." Enjoy! On Monday, I'll finish reading Part Three.
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The Thing About Jellyfish: Parts 2 & 3A
Part Two is just one chapter, "Best Educated Guess," so I started reading Part 3 as well. I read three chapters: "Early Life," "How to Have a Friend," and "Dr. Legs." It's really interesting to pay attention to tense in this book, and how the tense shifts in different parts of the story. Notice…
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The Thing About Jellyfish: End of Part 1
In this episode, I'll read three chapters: "Invisible," "How to Make a Friend," and "150 Million Stings." There are some really interesting author's moves in this section. One is that the author alternates between telling Suzy's story in the first person perspective and flashing back to Suzy's...
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People of Sparks: Chapter 2
Chapter 2 of The People of Sparks is called, "Out from Below." It describes the chaos that occurred when the people of Ember were trying to leave the city. After you listen, respond to the Question for Thought by clicking on the Message button and recording a voice memo. The question is: how is…
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The Thing About Jellyfish: Sneak Preview
Here is a sneak preview of The Thing About Jellyfish, by Ali Benjamin. It's realistic fiction and a beautiful book with some mature themes, like coping with grief. Be sure to cast your vote for our next read-aloud novel once you finish listening to this sneak preview!
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Wishtree: Sneak Preview
For our next book “sneak preview,” I’ll read the first few chapters of a book called Wishtree (the chapters are really short!). Wishtree is written by Katherine Applegate, who also wrote The One and Only Ivan. It’s a beautiful story told from a really unique perspective.
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City of Ember: Chapter 17
Chapter 17 is titled, "Away." Will Lina and Doon make it to the Pipeworks and take the boat into the river? Listen to find out! Make sure you listen to the end of the episode to hear what today's Questions for Thought are.
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City of Ember: Chapter 14
Let's see if your predictions came true! Will Lina and Doon find the way out of Ember? Today, we'll listen to Chapter 14, "The Way Out." Listen all the way to the end of today's episode for a creative "Question for Thought" assignment on describing everyday objects.
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City of Ember: Chapter 12
The title of this chapter is “A Dreadful Discovery.” Listen to find out what that discovery is! Today’s Questions for Thought are: What are your reactions to the discoveries that Lina and Doon have made? Can you make any connections between what we are seeing in Ember and what we’re seeing in the...
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City of Ember: End of Chapter 11
In this episode, I'll finish reading chapter 11 of City of Ember. Question to Think About: Do you agree with Lina or Lizzie? Why?
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
We don't have to stop our read-alouds just because we're learning at home! I'll post sections of our novel here for you to listen along from wherever you are.
HOSTED BY
Lauren Dolinka
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Mrs. Dolinka's Read-Alouds have?
Mrs. Dolinka's Read-Alouds currently has 27 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Mrs. Dolinka's Read-Alouds about?
We don't have to stop our read-alouds just because we're learning at home! I'll post sections of our novel here for you to listen along from wherever you are.
How often does Mrs. Dolinka's Read-Alouds release new episodes?
Mrs. Dolinka's Read-Alouds has 27 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Mrs. Dolinka's Read-Alouds?
You can listen to Mrs. Dolinka's Read-Alouds on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Mrs. Dolinka's Read-Alouds?
Mrs. Dolinka's Read-Alouds is created and hosted by Lauren Dolinka.
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