Pajama Rama, or Parent/Child Read-in, was an exciting family event for all at Riviere Elementary School in Metairie, Louisiana. Parents, students and faculty wore their pajamas and brought blankets, pillows and books for a night of shared reading. 
  As family members entered the building, they were handed a list of higher order thinking questions to use immediately after the child read the story. It was explained that this type of questioning technique helped the child process the story at a higher level of comprehension.
  Families were spread throughout the building and huddled together to read and respond to stories. Teachers and the principal were also engaged in the activities by reading, talking and reassuring the children and parents as they read.
  After the children and parents read their stories, they were invited to go to centers that were set up in advance. The centers were designed to expand the child’s story and to deepen the child’s understanding of the story.
  One center consisted of sentence strips to help the child sequence and retell the story. Another center had organizational mapping chart/worksheets that required the child to tell the beginning, middle and end of the story or to describe a character of the story. A third center had large newsprint paper with lines and space to draw a picture and create their own stories.
  Overall, the Pajama Rama was an excellent opportunity for parents to learn comprehension techniques to use with their child when sharing stories and have fun!