Books and Activities for Primary Aged Children

Books for Primary Aged Children:

1. "The Owl Who Was Afraid of The Dark" by Jill Tomlinson
2. "All the Wild Wonders" by Windy Cooling
3. "What Was the March on Washington?" by Kathleen Krull

I chose these books for primary aged children because a wide range of genres should be provided such as fiction, non-fiction, poetry, fairytales, etc. Chapter books are also appropriate for this age group, but it is still important for books to have frequent illustrations because they provide important contextual information about the concepts presented in the books.

Activities for Primary Aged Children:

1. Word families: Word family activities may focus on onset and rime. In these activities, children sort words (written on cards) from two or more word families, such as hop, stop, mop, map, tap, and cap. Initially, the teacher guides the sorting process. Later on, children can work in pairs or alone. After sorting, words are written down in categories, and children are encouraged to add more words to each category on their own. When children can quickly and correctly read and spell the selected word families, the focus can change to new word families. Word family activities enhance learning knowledge by encouraging children to identify and manipulate words, which enhances their phonetic knowledge of oral and written language.

2. Shared Reading: In shared reading, children take turns reading to each other from individual copies of either basal readers or trade books. At the first grade level, reading pairs are more effective than larger groupings. In second or third grade, children may be able to have shared reading in groups of three or four. The purpose of shared reading is to provide opportunities for children to read orally in an informal setting. Through repeated opportunities to read texts at their appropriate level of reading, children develop reading fluency.

3. Group Projects: A wide variety of language skills are enhanced through group projects. In these projects, students use listening, speaking, reading, and writing to explore, create, and solve problems. By working together on a project, children are encouraged to reflect on their thinking. The development of this "critical reflectiveness" contributes to literate thinking. Group projects require social and interaction skills that students may need to acquire over an extended period of time. Teachers may need to introduce collaborative projects one step at a time, providing a supportive environment in which students can gradually assume more responsibility for planning and conducting their own projects.