MASKED THE PLAY

If your children have a favourite soap opera or dramatic series, make the most of the minutes you have during commercial breaks. That’s really about all the time your children will need to review what they know about the characters and simple plot and predict the outcome of the programme.
Turn down the sound as soon as the script breaks. Ask a child, ‘What do you think is going to happen next?’ or ‘How do you think the story will end?’ — depending where you are in the plot sequence. Your child may very well be able to predict the entire sequence of events after the break.
If you have a video recorder, you can try one of these variations:
Stop the Cameras. Tape a film or hour-long programme while it is being shown, but plan to view it later. Stop the tape at crucial intervals — when you learn a character’s secret, after you witness a significant event, or at a cliffhanger — and ask your children those same questions. Encourage them to support their predictions with insights into the characters and foreshadowing in the plot.
Write 2ur Own Ending. Watch a programme with your children until just before the end. Then turn off the TV and turn on the video recorder.
While it tapes the end of the programme, family members write their own endings. (A couple of paragraphs will do, but a short script is more fun.) Take turns reading your endings aloud, then play back the one you recorded on the tape. Were any of the endings the same or similar? Vote for the one you thought was best.
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