Early Literacy: A Seasonal Approach
By Helen Raczuk & Marilyn Smith

Do you have a stack of favourite picture books? Confused about how to integrate them into a balanced literacy program? Then, this is the book for you!  This resource was designed to support and extend the way picture book collections may be used in existing balanced literacy classrooms.  Activities are generic, and work well with more than 80 suggested picture book titles.

Contents:

• activities to support over 20 great stories for early readers

• more than 15 original reproducible readers theatre scripts
• reproducible mini-books
• 4 seasonally themed teaching units
• strategic teaching model
• seasonal themes with suggested picture books titles

Autumn Section includes:

The Pumpkin Blanket’, by Zagwyn, is a story about pumpkins, autumn and gardens.  It is also a story about changes, growing up, and learning to consider needs of others which come ahead of personal needs. Teachers, therefore, have the option of partnering it with picture books such as:

• Ira Sleeps Over, by Waber

• Franklin’s Blanket, by Bourgeois, (focus: changes, and growing up)

• Selina and the Bear Paw Quilt, by Smucker

• The Quilt Story, by DePaola, (focus:  family stories and traditions preserved in heirlooms such as a quilt.)

Activities in this guidebook:

• Pumpkins - mini book.  Use as follow-up / take home project.

• My Blanket - Readers Theatre Script - wrap up performance, with displays of writing, and other work done in the autumn unit.

Other Picture Books Featured in sample units:

• WINTER – Sadie and the Snowman, by Allan Morgan

• AUTUMN – The Pumpkin Blanket, by D.Zagwyn

• SUMMER – Take Me Out to the Ball Game, by MaryAnn Kovalski

• SPRING – The Garden, from Frog and Toad, by Arnold Lobel

PRICE $25 (CA)