- Choose books based on the interests and experiences of your students.
- Choose books with bright, colorful illustrations.
- Limit the length of books/read aloud times to match the attention span of your students.
- Make reading a positive experience.
- Before reading to students introduce all the parts of the book - the front cover, the title, the author. Show students how to hold a book and turn the pages.
- Pause when reading to explain the meaning of unfamiliar words.
- Make comments while you are reading and briefly summarize what has happened.
- Read a familiar book again - first taking a picture walk through the book asking questions like "do you remember what happened here?" or "what did the character do first?"
- Pay close attention to student's body language, facial expressions, questions and comments to judge their understanding of the book.
- Invite students to chime in when you read familiar books with repetitive patterns.
- Read books more than once to students so they become familiar and comfortable with them.
- Read "Wordless Books"
- First Reading: Look through the book with students and have them tell you what is different about this book from other books. Explain that you are going to look at the pictures and make up a story to go with them. Ask the students to help you make up names for the characters.
- Second Reading: Describe what you see in the illustrations on each page. As you go through the book encourage the students to describe what they see in the pictures.
- Third Reading: Now it is time for the students to tell you the story.
- Photocopy pictures from books and make felt board characters by cutting out the pictures and gluing felt to the back. Use these felt characters to quiz students about characters names, actions, wishes or to retell the story dramatically.
- Ask all types of questions when reading: what, where, when, who, how and why.
- Copy the illustration techniques from books. Try collage like Eric Carle, watercolor like Vera Williams or plasticine like Barbara Reid.
- Make puppets of characters in the book you are reading. Give each student a puppet of a specific character. Have them raise their puppet when their character is talking.
- Use puppets to dramatically retell a story.
- Go on a field trip to the public library.
- Have the librarian show students the different sections of the library.
- Review the rules when at the library.
- Let students sign up for their own library cards.
- Talk about how to sign out and return books.
- Ask the librarian about upcoming events at the library.
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