Book handling

From FreeReading

Activity Type: Introduce

Activity Form: Standard

Grade: K, 1 (can be adapted for older students)

Group Size: Small Group

Length: 5-8 minutes

Materials: A Fun Day

Goal: Students can develop book-handling skills, including holding the book right-side up, turning pages correctly, and following text from left to right and page to page.

Items: A Fun Day

What to do

1. Distribute copies of A Fun Day to students. Review yesterday’s lesson by pointing to the different parts of A Fun Day as you name them. Who remembers what we see on the front cover of our book? (Title, picture, author’s name, illustrator’s name) Who can show me an example of an illustration? Open the book to any page. Point to the page number. What is this? (A page number) What does it tell us? (Where we are in the story) Today, we will talk about how to hold our book so that we can read it.
2. Close the book so that students are looking at the cover again. Look at the cover of the book again. When I begin a book, I make sure the cover is facing me so that I can read the words and see the pictures. Turn the book so that you are looking directly at the cover. Read the title aloud.
3. Place your hand on the right-hand edge of the book. When I am holding a book the right way, I can turn the cover to open the book, like this. Exaggerate opening the book. Then turn the book again so that it is facing the student and repeat the action. End with the book open on page 1.
4. Direct students’ attention to the page. Point to the page number. What is this? (A page number) What is this? (An illustration) What does the illustration show? (A girl holding a book) Point to the text on the page. Here are the words. They are at the top of the page. We read from left to right. Run your hand from left to right and point to each word as you read aloud.
5. Read the text again, explaining that the girl in the illustration is saying those words. Who is Mia? (A girl) How do you know? (The illustration shows a girl. The words on the page refer to the girl in the illustration.) Now I am ready to turn the page. Notice how carefully I turn the page. Demonstrate turning the page gently. Now it’s your turn. Hold your book right-side up.
6. Be sure students are holding their books properly. Instruct students to turn to the first page and point to the first word on the page. Repeat the process with the remaining pages, as necessary.