I LOVE
READING ALOUD TO CHILDREN
Every year my read aloud favorites change as I find new titles (and titles that have been around a while but are new to me). I find a new one that children love and my list gets longer. In the photo on the right, I'm sharing Eric Carle's book, The Very Busy Spider, with a group of Georgia Head Start children. Each joined me just a few minutes after this photo was taken, to trace the spider's web as she built it. I find much of the magic of sharing stories with children is when true interaction takes place.
At a recent Super Saturday training of preschool teachers in NE Alabama sponsored by Childcare Resources Network (check out their recent article about authors Jan and Stan Berenstain), I had a chance to share 21 of my favorites in action and now you have a chance to see the list too:
A FEW OF
THE LITERACY AMBASSADOR'S FAVORITE READ ALOUDS
A Sock is a Pocket for Your Toes by Elizabeth Garton Scanlon
Baa-Choo by Sarah Weeks
Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
Big Words for Little People by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell
Corduroy by Don Freeman
Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss
Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
How to be a Cow by Bo Vine
Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik
LMNO Peas by Keith Baker
Melvin Might? by Jon Scieszka (part of the Trucktown Series)
Moon Glowing by Elizabeth Partridge
Moosetache by Margie Palatini
On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman
Poof by John O'Brien
Seven Big Bubbles by Pam Walton
The Handkerchief Quilt by Carol Crane
The Little Red Caboose by Marian Potter (A Little Golden Book Classic)
What Do You Do with A Tail LIke This? by Steve Jenkins
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Who is It? by Salley Brindley
The best way to share stories with children is interactively, repeating and exploring books and stories together.
A TIP FOR INVOLVING FAMILIES
Get families involved by setting aside a special day for each family once a month in which you acknowledge one specific effort they are making that is positively impacting their child's development and growth. It can be as small as having them come regularly to school, making sure they have a healthy breakfast to start their day or reading a story with them every night.
As a part of that special day (a different one for every family), share a new book or resource with them. You can even set up a special area in your classroom that contains take home book kits, CDs, special toys, and a disposable camera so families can capture at home learning events and activities on camera. If you have families who think it's "all up to the teacher", remind them that they teach their child important lessons and ideas every day and show them how much fun and how relationship-building reading with their child and learning with their child can be.
We'll be posting more frequently going forward to share this with your friends.
HAPPY READING!
As always, I'd love to have everyone who visits this blog share your favorite read aloud book (and why you choose it above all others). Maybe you're like me and there are just too many to choose one. If that's the case, share a few titles so we can all explore the best together. You can also find book lists that target emergent literacy skills in my new book for preschool (and kindergarten) teachers, Before They Read.
