Use a School Readiness Activity to provide early literacy thinking experiences for preschool children that will prepare them to do well in the early grades.
Show and Tell: A Favorite Book
Purpose/Skills
- To develop an appreciation for many different kinds of books
Materials
Picture books
Vocabulary
| book | title |
| main character | who |
| what | where |
| why | how |
Literature Suggestion
Read any picture books, especially books children already know and love.
Warm-Up
Hold up a picture book that you like. Explain that it is one of your favorite picture books. Model how to talk about a book. Point to the title and author's name as you read them, then show a few illustrations and talk about the main characters or topics in the book and what it is about.
Procedure
- Tell the children you are going to play "Show and Tell." Describe how the game is played: Each child "shows" his or her favorite book by holding it up for everyone to see. The child then "tells" about the book by describing what it is about and mentioning the main character, if there is one. If necessary, help the children make more detailed descriptions by asking who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about the book. For example: What is the bear's name? Where does the lion live? Why is the boy happy?
- Ask for volunteers, but make sure that every child participates. If necessary, encourage children who are shy by reminding them of books you have seem them looking at in the book corner.
Enrichment
Invite children to pretend to be one of the main characters in the books they selected and ask them to do something that character did. For example, if the main character is a hopping rabbit, have the child jump around. Help English Language Learners understand what to do by pointing to pictures that show action in the book and by naming that action.
Observation Assessment
- Proficient - Child easily selects a book and describes at least three things about the book.
- In Process - Child needs help remembering what the book is about, and can remember only one or two things about the book.
- Not Yet Ready - Child cannot describe a book.
