Understanding a story more deeply

Today I introduced the reading skill of character to the kids. A character is "a person or animal in a story".  We talked about the four characters in FIX IT DUCK by Jez Alborough and how Duck is the main character. Reading comprehension is the result of understanding phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary and fluency in a story. All components work together to increase understanding. Helping young children learn to break down a story into parts and understanding the deeper meaning of each part is successful reading. In kindergarten, the MOST important part of reading to master is the LOVE of stories. That will benefit a child for a lifetime academically as well as emotionally.  Discovering the "magic" of fiction is a key goal in kindergarten!!!