Ways to Extend Story Reading

Book Talks With Props
Inquiry activities are a time for discussion as children manipulate objects and explore ideas. Toward the end of an inquiry activity, help the children summarize and reflect on their ideas. You might end the activity with a question such as "What did you learn today?" Frequently, book talks become the springboard for what occurs during the other daily literacy routines.

Shared Reading
Read books to children every day, not just one book but several books and not just new books but books that are "old favorites" of the children. "Old favorites" are books that children ask to have reread over and over again. Eventually children will memorize the text of these books. Many "old favorites" have rhyme or repetition in the text. Invite children to join in during the reading of an "old favorite."

Oversized books, often called big books, are ideal for helping children learn that the function of written language is to convey meaning and that it is permanent. Big books make it possible for every child to see the illustrations and the print and to follow along as the teacher reads. When reading a big book to a child, the teacher may want to point to the words as they are read. When this is done, children can observe print conventions in action. Pointing helps children realize that the print, not the pictures are being read. They can observe reading from left to right and from top to bottom. Often children will even "spy their letter," or the first letter in their name. You should be ready to demonstrate the letter sounds as well.

Homemade Books
Making books with children not only utilizes their reading and writing skills; it also encourages their creativity and problem-solving ability. Furthermore, children are motivated to read the books that they and their classmates write. These homemade books can be a great addition to your classroom library; children can also take them home and share them with their families:

Photo Album Book	Purchase inexpensive photo albums with with magnetic sheets. Use children's drawings, stories, or photographs to make books in the albums.
Class Books	Ask children to save their empty cereal boxes and bring them to school. Cut the fronts off the boxes. Punch two holes in the top of each box, and then attach them with rings. Children can "read" the different brands of cereal. Other ideas: other food boxes - cookies, crackers, etc., favorite soup labels, bread wrappers, wrappers from favorite candy, bags from favorite places to eat. Smaller labels can be glued onto poster board, laminated and put together with book rings.
Tag Along Books	Fold white paper (81/2"x11") inside construction paper (9"x12") and staple along the fold. After the children have drawn pictures or written stories in these books, punch two holes along the fold. Insert a pipe cleaner in the holes and form a handle. Children can carry around their "tag along" books.
Sheet Protector Books	Put children's drawings or stories in sheet protectors with ribbon or yarn to make a book. Magazine pictures, and children's drawings can be put in sheet protectors to make books.
Lunch Sack Books	Take five paper lunch sacks and fold over the bottom of each sack to make a peek-a- boo flap. Draw a picture under each flap so only part of it shows. Staple the lunch sacks together on the left side. Children can try to identify the pictures, then lift the flaps to confirm their guess. (Magnify the pictures, then lift the flaps to confirm their guess. (Magazine pictures, photos, cutouts can also be used to make lunch sack books.)
Board Books	Take five small pizza cardboard rounds and hole punch one hole along edge of each round. Put a book ring into holes to make book. Allow children to draw their own pictures and create their own "Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See?"
Creative Covers	Staple plain paper between wrapping paper, wallpaper, funny papers, contact papers, maps, stiff fabric, foam sheets, food boxes, or other materials to make books.
Grocery Sack Big Books	Cut the front and back off large paper grocery sacks to make pages. Have the children each paint or draw a picture on one of the pages, and then dictate a sentence about their picture. Punch holes in the sides and tie the pages together with yarn or string. (Songs, nursery rhymes and poems are fun to use to make these big books).
Shape Books	Cut construction paper and writing paper into unusual shapes to make books to motivate children to write and read. Geometric shapes, seasonal patterns, animals or objects that relate to a unit of study can all be used.
Sentence Strip Book	Let the children cut out pictures from school supply catalogs. Glue the pictures to sentence strips, then write sentences children dictate or allow them to write their own sentences to go with the pictures. Punch a hole in the left side of each sentence strip and attach them together with a book ring.
Baggie Book	Cut construction paper to fit inside Ziploc sandwich bags. Glue photographs of the children onto the paper and write a sentence about each of them (Children can also draw their own pictures, or you can put pictures from magazines to make baggie books.)

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