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Elementary Programs Chapter

by Jeanette Larson

World Wide Words

Books To Share

Books to Show or Booktalk

Bulletin Board

Letter Tree

Create a tree with wide, spreading branches out of construction paper. Use die-cuts to cut out letters in a variety of type styles, sizes, and colors or purchase these pre-cut from a teacher supply store. Attach the letters to various parts of the tree, hanging off of limbs, climbing up the tree trunk, or sitting in the leaves like fruit.

Displays

Library Book

Create a library book in the library using chalkboard paint. First, sketch a book on a blank wall, or for a less permanent mural, ask a volunteer to cut one out of plywood that can stand against a wall. Paint the book with chalkboard paint, available at most hardware stores or on-line from Blick Art Supplies, www.dickblick.com/zz014/12/. Provide chalk and let the children write their stories in this “library book.”

Refreshments

Let the kids “eat their words” by serving Alpha-Bit cereal or gummi letters, available from Haribo. Or, make cookies using letter cookie cutters and let the children embellish the letters with frosting and other decoration before eating them. Alphabet cookie cutters are readily available at baking stores.

Contests

Caught Reading

Invite the children to take digital or Polaroid pictures of their pets or friends’ pets looking at open books. Post the photographs in the library or place digital images on the library web site. Ask patrons to vote for pets in various categories such as cutest, best read, most appropriate book, smartest animals, etc. Give a ribbon to everyone who enters and give a small prize to the children whose pictures get the most votes in each category.

Incentives

Dover Publications, www.doverpublications.com, sells inexpensive editions of classic titles that will appeal to young readers. Most cost $2.00-$3.00 but discounts are available for library purchases.

Songs

Sing, “I Can Read” by Purly Gates, an original song created for the 2004 Texas Reading Club, Color Your World…Read! The lyrics and an MP3 file are on-line at www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/projects/trc/2004/manual/internal_chapters/themesong.html.

Rhymes and Poetry

A Word is Dead

(By Emily Dickinson. Public domain.)

A word is dead

When it is said,

Some say.

I say it just

Begins to live

That day.

Audio Recordings

Reader’s Theater

Dincerella

“Dincerella” by Rob Reid is a twisted reader’s theater version of Cinderella filled with spoonerisms and other creative word play. It’s available in Family Storytime: Twenty-four Creative Programs for All Ages by Rob Reid, a book that is available through NetLibrary, a TexShare resource.

Click Clack, Moo: Cows That Type

Let the children perform the reader’s theater script about an unusual group of animals and their typed words on Teachers.net, http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/2277.html.

Creative Dramatics

D. W. Gets Her Library Card

Let the children present a play using the script on PBS Kids athttp://pbskids.org/arthur/print/playmaker/script. The web site includes information on costumes and props.

Stories

Peddler Polly and the Story Stealer

In Polly and the Story Stealer, the town’s stories are disappearing just as a stranger arrives to sell storyboxes. The story is on Aaron Shepard’s Web Site at www.aaronshep.com/storytelling/GOS06.html. A reader’s theater script of the story is also available.

Riddles and Jokes

(By Jeanette Larson.)

Q. What does a librarian use to serve lunch?

A. A book plate!

Q. What kind of food did the bird book eat?

A. A book worm!

Q. Who writes a book in invisible ink?

A. A ghost writer!

Crafts

Personalized Stationery

Materials
Directions

In advance, cut the corrugated cardboard into rectangles. Provide each child with two or three of the rectangles, one or more pipe cleaners, and sheets of plain stationery. The children bend the pipe cleaners to create a shape or letter, or to spell out a name or word. Longer names and words may require more than one pipe cleaner. Children apply a line of craft glue to the pipe cleaner and press the pipe cleaner onto a piece of corrugated cardboard. They then use the scissors to trim the cardboard to within a ¼-inch of the pipe cleaner. They glue another piece of cardboard to the first to create a base for the stamp. When the glue is dry, the children press the stamp onto a stamp pad and then onto the stationery to create personalized paper. If desired, provide envelopes and allow each child to create a packet of stationery to wrap with a ribbon.

Pencil Toppers

Materials
Directions

In advance, use the Ellison pencil cap die or the pattern provided at the end of this program to cut out blank caps from light cardboard or construction paper. Provide stickers, crayons, glitter pens, and other craft items to allow the children to create their own simple pencil topper. If possible, have pencils to give away at the end of the program. After decorating, fold the pencil cap along perforated lines and slip it over the pencil point. Slide the pencil cap up to the eraser end of the pencil.

Favorite Letter Key Chain

Materials
Directions

The children trace their favorite letter at least three times onto a single color or different colors of craft foam. They then cut out the letters and punch a hole at the same place on each letter. Next they stack the letters, aligning the holes, and glue the letters together to create a three-dimensional effect. Then they are ready to slip a key ring or a key chain through the holes. Oriental Trading Company, www.orientaltrading.com, sells inexpensive split rings to use in creating key rings.

Games and Activities

Poemstarts

Use one or more of the “Poemstarts” in Read a Rhyme, Write a Rhyme, edited by Jack Prelutsky, to encourage the children to write their own poetry.

Four Word Book Reviews

Challenge the children to write a book review in only four words. For example, “Spider and pig, friends.” describes Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White very succinctly. Print the reviews on index cards and put them in a box or post them on a bulletin board for others to read.

The Name Game

Begin by playing Shirley Ellis’ popular song from the 1960’s, “The Name Game.” This song shows how to make a rhyme out of anybody’s name. Let the children take a turn making their name part of the rhyming song. If you have trouble catching on, try the on-line version at Cox-TV, http://cox-tv.com/namegame/#. Put any name in the magic box and the computer will create your name game.

For example:

Shirley!

Shirley, Shirley, Bo Birley

Banana, Fanna, Fo Firley

Fee, Fy, Mo Mirley

Shirley

Ultimate Synonyms Search

Download the “Ultimate Synonyms Search” based on Boris Ate a Thesaurus by Neil Steven Klayman at Rainbow Bridge Books,www.rainbowbridgekids.com. Reproduce copies for the children to play.

Web-Based Activities

Bookworm Adventure
This word game from PopCap, www.popcap.com, is available free on-line or can be purchased for unlimited play. Lex the bookworm’s mission is to save the Great Library by traveling through various islands and defeating the bosses at the end of each chapter. Players must create words from a palette of letters. Also available is Bookworm Deluxe, which features the same word play without a story line.
Shel Silverstein
www.shelsilverstein.com
Children can listen to Silverstein read his poetry, create their own poetry, print a poetry kit with word searches and other activities, or print coloring sheets.
Word Central
www.wordcentral.com
Sponsored by Merriam-Webster, this site provides games to help children learn new words, use a verse composer to write poetry, or build their own dictionary.

Guest Speakers

Invite a local author or poet to visit with the children and discuss the craft of writing.

Videos/DVDs/Films

If you have public performance rights, show these videos and DVDs, or segments of them, to the children. Otherwise, display them for home use. The length listed is for the entire film.

My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States. (30 minutes)

Magazines

Stone Soup
www.stonesoup.com
This magazine is written and illustrated by young people and encourages submission of original work.

Professional Resources

2004 Texas Reading Club manual, Color Your World…Read!
www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/projects/trc/2004/manual
The manual for the 2004 Texas Reading Club, Color Your World…Read!
Aaron Shepard’s Web Site
www.aaronshep.com
Author and storyteller Aaron Shepard shares his scripts for reader’s theater and storytelling.
Blick Art Supplies
www.dickblick.com
Purchase speciality supplies from this on-line retailer.
Cox-TV
http://cox-tv.com
This family web site includes some original games.
Dover Publications
www.doverpublications.com
This publisher sells inexpensive blank books and coloring books.
PBS Kids
http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/playmaker/script
The web site includes the script, information on costumes, and templates for props to put on a play.
Rainbow Bridge Books
www.rainbowbridgekids.com
This publisher’s web site provides puzzles and games to accompany the books they publish.
Teachers.net
http://teachers.net
Self-billed as the “ultimate teacher resource” site, teachers share their lesson plans and reproducible materials.

Craft Materials

Pencil Topper Craft

Pencil topper craft pattern

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