Mrs. Mole's Birthday Present (pages 12 to 15)
- Before reading the story, use the small images near the title to help children identify the characters. Then ask them to name the characters in each illustration.
- After reading the story, ask children to describe Harriet's problem and how she and her friends solved the problem.
- Ask children to imagine what Harriet might have given Mrs. Mole if she had gone back home to find a present.
When you reread this simple story, invite children to chime in on the parts they remember. This would also be an easy story for children to act out.
What Did Ethan Pack? (pages 16 and 17)
- Before playing the memory game, ask children to describe the objects they see in Ethan's room.
- Read the text and invite children to take turns repeating the sentence and adding an additional object.
- After playing the memory game with older children, write what each child adds to the sentence so they can practice reading a longer and longer sentence!
- For younger children, playing the memory game may be too difficult. If so, have each child repeat the phrase Ethan packed his. . ., and ask the child to complete the sentence by saying one thing that Ethan packed.
In many group settings, a child says something and an adult responds. Children can be so focused on the adult response that they often don't listen to their peers. This activity invites and encourages children to learn how to listen to one another—a key skill for social, emotional, and cognitive development.
My First Backpack (bonus pages)
- After making the mini-book, ask children to describe what they see on each page.
- Read the book together. Ask children to retell the story in their own words.
- Reread the book, pointing to the object in each illustration as you read.
- Encourage children to share the book with a friend. Remind them that they can use the pictures to tell the story.
Children will quickly memorize the phrase In goes my ___ and recognize that the picture supplies the last word in each sentence. As they retell and share this book with others, young children will begin to see themselves as "readers," an important early step on the road to reading success.