1. CHILDREN’S STORIES
The importance of reading and being read to.

2. This Week:
 Monday: What makes a good children’s story?
 Tues-Wed: Making Your Children’s Story
 Thursday: The History of Children’s Stories ft.
“Little Red Riding Hood”.
 Friday: Who knows!?!?!

3. Piaget and Reading
 Sensorimotor - 0-2
 Egocentric, the 5 senses, exploring surroundings
 Preoperational – 2-7
 Egocentric, learning to classify, categorize and count.
 Concrete Operations – 7-11
 More social, less egocentric, some symbolic learning
 Formal Operations – 11- adulthood
 Abstract/complex thinking, logic and
reason, predicting consequences, symbolic learning.

4. Question:
 How does reading and being read
to help encourage learning at
each stage?

5. Benefits of Reading
 Intellectual Development
 Vocabulary and language
 Gathering information
 New ideas and concepts
 Social Development
 Listening and asking questions
 Reading together
 Reading to someone

6. What Does Reading Encourage?

7. Language Skills
 Recognizing and repeating letters, sounds and
words.
 Seeing, hearing and practicing the use of
language.

8. Memory
 Remembering
letters/words, details, characters, plot, and
situations.
 Connecting stories to own experiences.

9. Symbolic Thought
 Reading words, understanding meaning and
visualizing.
 Making word-image connections.

10. Imagination
 Encourage understanding
beyond experience of
the child.
 Exercising creative
thought.
 Language can
express anything!

12. Curiosity
 Listening and
Observing
 Show and tell
 Asking Questions

Who, what, where, w
hen, why and how?
 Inspire new
interests

13. Preparing Kids for Reading
 Caring about reading
 Having books available
 Reading to your child
 Bring your child’s attention to writing/language
 Library visits

14. Reading to a child is the single most important
factor in their reading success!

15. Your Favourite!
 What was your favourite book from
your childhood?
 What made it so fantastic?

16. What makes a good children’s
story?
 Enjoyable story
 Age appropriate (language, plot, themes)
 Likeable characters
 Familiar situations
 Humorous, exciting, make-believe
 Basic, descriptive language
 Strong illustrations
 Respectful of diverse cultures and beliefs
 Pleasing rhythm, rhyme and repitition

17. Before You Start
 Age Appropriateness
 Language Level
 Plot and Characters (Be original!)
 Illustrations
 Themes, “lessons”, and learning opportunities

18. Your Assignment
 Your Job: Create your own children’s story
 Where: the computer lab
 When: Tuesday and Thursday
 Why: To illustrate your knowledge of:
1. the importance of reading for kids
2. the characteristics of a good children’s story

19. Online: Storybird
 http://storybird.com/
 Online reading, story creating and sharing.