The reading program we use in our curriculum has a few big books, but most of them are worthless in my opinion. :huh: I'm looking to supplement my reading program next year by selecting/using different big books, and activities for them. I have a few ideas already, but I'm wondering if any of you have suggestions for good titles for shared reading experiences. Also, where might I be able to find some at decent prices? Please, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! :thanks:
I have ordered a few from Scholastic book orders. They aren't cheap, but I use bonus points. They also come with teaching ideas. Maybe you could check ebay.
Scholastic Sometimes you can get big books really cheap ($6.95 I think) from Scholastic when they have their end of year clearance. Keep checking their website. I got quite a few last year from them.
I would also like to know how you use big books. I am inheriting several from the teacher who is leaving. I know sometimes she made them part of her literacy centers. How else do you incorporate them?
I use them for shared reading on the easel with the whole class. Last year, I let the kids reread them in literacy stations. They really loved that. I only have 2 kids at stations, but with more it could be difficult. Make sure they know how to treat the books carefully so they don't get ruined. You can do lots of different activities depending on the topic of the book. You can also look for certain words or sounds. This works well with big books because everyone can see them.
Like SaraFirst I use big books for shared reading experiences. It's a great activity for small or whole group. It gives you an opportunity to model reading strategies with think alouds. For centers, you could make them available with some wikki sticks and have the kids look for words with certain rhyming patterns, sounds, special spelling patterns, etc. They could use the wikki sticks to circle/underline words without ruining the book.
Scholastic is having their warehouse sales this month and that is usually a great place to pick up cheap books. The last one I went to had some big books but not many so you wnat to get there early. Search for scholastic bookfairs online and they will have you put in where you live and tellyou where the closest sale will be. Ours starts tomorrow and goes throough Saturday.
Great! What a fantastic idea. Can you get wiki sticks at a craft store or is it solely a teacher thing? I was thinking I could use my weekly coupon on them if I could get them at Michaels or Joann. Thanks Ya'll
