The Creative Curriculum for Kindergarten Digital Sampler - Flipbook - Page 20
Teaching Strategies® Children’s Book Collection
Book Discussion Cards™
Reading aloud with children is the best way to inspire a love for reading and to promote
language and literacy skills. The Teaching Strategies® Children’s Book Collection includes
beloved classic tales, contemporary works by well-known authors, and original nonfiction
books—one for the teacher to read and one version for students to explore on their own—
that were created to complement the studies featured in the Teaching Guides. Each book
was selected for its rich vocabulary; its diverse characters, families, and cultures; and the
new ideas and meaningful content within its pages.
Because some of the best children’s books have fairly complex story lines, early childhood
experts recommend that they be read to students at least three times—each time in a slightly
different way—in order for them to benefit fully. These high-quality, repeated read-alouds are
an essential component of learning in kindergarten.
Book Discussion Cards™ show teachers how
to conduct multiple effective read-alouds,
ensuring that children are getting the most
out of these experiences. They help
teachers engage children in rich, analytical
book discussions that encourage criticalthinking skills and support social-emotional
development. Children develop skills to
reconstruct, as opposed to retell, a story,
which prepares them for literacy
experiences in kindergarten and beyond.
The First Read-Aloud section
helps teachers introduce the
problem in the story, present
new ideas and ways of thinking,
and ask questions after reading.
Digital Children’s Library
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The Second Read-Aloud section
guides teachers to ask different
questions and add clarifying
comments as they read.
Intended as a quick reference for group
read-alouds, Book Discussion Cards™ offer
suggestions for introducing each book,
emphasizing vocabulary as the story is
read, commenting on characters, and
asking probing questions. The cards also
have specific guidance for supporting
children’s social-emotional development.
The Vocabulary section
offers definitions in
child-friendly language
that a teacher could use
to explain the words to a
kindergarten student.
The Supporting Social–
Emotional Development
section describes how to
use the story to support
students’ development in
this all-important domain.
The Third Read-Aloud section
helps teachers invite students
to reconstruct the story by
calling on their memories
and comprehension skills to
identify the main characters
and important story elements.
It directs teachers to ask
questions such as “What is
happening here?” or “What is
[character’s name] thinking?”
With The Creative Curiculum® Cloud, teachers and families have
access to a library of books across all genres and titles, in English and
Spanish. Many books include interactive e-reader functionality.
Sample Question:
Families can explore the library on their own via the Family Mobile App.
they want to join her?”
“Olivia wants her family to
be in the band. Do you think
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