Book Talk Tuesday

Hello again!!  I'm back with my second post for Tuesday, and I'm linking up with Deanna Jump from Mrs. Jumps Class for Book Talk Tuesday!!  I just LOVE this linky party, because I not only get to share my favorite books but I also get to learn about brand new gems from the other bloggers linking up!  Today I'm sharing a book I use during the beginning of the year, and a FREEBIE!!

Click the picture to go to Amazon to get a copy for yourself!

This is a GREAT book to use at the beginning of the year in kindergarten.  Not only does it help them with their alphabet skills, but it is also a great tool to use when introducing kinders to the wide, wide world of being in school.

There is a great learning opportunity before you even start reading!!  Right after the title page there is this little spread.

The letters of the alphabet, with their buddies, appear as if they were drawn in crayon.  This is a great place to have a discussion with kinders.  First, go through the alphabet WITHOUT SINGING the song.  Just because a little remembers the ABC song, doesn't mean that they are able to recognize the lettersw.  Point to each letter as you say it.  Then, have one of the littles take turns coming up to the book to point to and say the names of the letters they recognize.  It could also be a good time to practice letter sounds, and pairing them with any motions you might do to help access their kinesthetic memory.

The book starts with the littles outside of the school building getting off of the bus.  The story lets us know that today is 'Aa day', which means they need to find whatever they can that starts with their letter of the day.  In the picture they are all gathering acorns for their 'Aa Day', and then down in the right hand corner you can see a list of other things that start with the letter A.  You can have your littles help you find those other pictures...kind of like a Hidden Picture game.  I just love that the book talks about a letter of the day!!  Do you do letter of the day in your class?  In mine, we do a letter of the week.  Yep, we take a whole week to focus on one letter!  :-)  On with the story!!

For each letter of the alphabet, the students do different things that start with that letter.  For D, they draw dinosaurs.  For E, they paint elephants on the easel.  Many of these words are items you have in your classroom, that you can point out to them as you read.  They get so excited when they can find a word that starts with the given letter!  Don't forget, on each page there is a small group of 'Look For' words that begin with the letter on the page and are hidden somewhere in the illustration.

I really like how the book includes different events that the littles may come across in school.  Like calendar, gym, and valentines.  Every page there is an opportunity to stop and discuss, and this book becomes a fast favorite for Daily 5 Book Boxes.  My kinders really enjoy searching each illustration for words that start with the given letter.

After going through the alphabet, there is this cute little map of the school in the story.  I like to talk to my kinders about these pages, ask them if they know what a map is and what it is for.  Then we compare our school to the one in the book.  My littles are always jealous of the playground shown, since our playground is NOTHING compared to this one!!  All we have are two things to climb on, this school has swings and slides and tunnels and a fort!  That is the line I hear the most when we compare our school to the picture!!

I really like this book, and my kinders do too.  I wanted to share a FREEBIE with you that can be used along with the book.  However, it could also be a stand alone activity or one used with ANY ABC book.

It is a Write the Room activity for the beginning of the year.  Learners should use the resources already in the classroom, like ABC lines and alphabet charts, to help them complete the recording sheet. You don't have to hang up any extra posters, just print and go!  There are four different versions of the recording sheet to help meet the diverse needs of the learners in your classroom.  Just click on the picture below to take you to my TPT store and grab the freebie for yourself!

I love to hear from my readers and would love to know your opinion on this activity!  Please leave me some feedback when you download, and it would be awesome for you to come back and leave a comment here!!  Don't forget to jump back over to Mrs. Jump's Class to see who else has linked up for Book Talk Tuesday!!