Teaching story elements is an important part of helping my little readers gain comprehension. Before we even open a new book, we talk about the author and the illustrator. Kids love when they start to learn about different authors and illustrators. Even if they aren't quite independent readers, they can easily look at a book and name a familiar author like Eric Carle! Be sure to download the Free Printables here!
We learn about the setting, characters, and events in the story. We also make connections to every book; it can be a connection to an experience or memory, a connection to another book, or a connection to a movie or show.
Story Element Sticks are one way to make practicing story elements fun in your classroom! To get started, I got a pack of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See Cups. They are so cute, and they seem so special compared to plain paper cups! I also grabbed some rainbow craft sticks from my storage closet. I wrote a different story element on each stick and then placed them upside down in the cups. After a read aloud, I can pull out the sticks, and we can discuss the different story elements. Once we have had time to practice together, I give small groups or partners a cup to share. They can take turns picking out a stick and talking about the different story elements. First graders love pretending to be the teacher! One of our other favorite comprehension activities, is Lace and Retell cards. These cards are perfect for centers, early finishers, and partners! For Lace and Retell, the students retell important story elements as they lace Eric Carle character cards. My kiddos love this fine motor activity so much that they don't even realize they are practicing comprehension! To create them use a hole punch and punch holes around the edges of the Jumbo The World of Eric Carle Cutouts. You can choose how many holes to create and where to punch them. To create my Lace and Retell cards, I used permanent markers to make colorful rings around 6 holes. For example, I used a red marker to make the title ring and a yellow marker for the author ring. I kept my colored rings in a line so little ones wouldn't get frustrated if they had to lace the entire way around the card. You could leave blank holes between the different colored rings if you want the kids to do more lacing. Download the Free Retell Printable here! As kids lace through each hole, they have to share the story elements from the book. When they finish retelling each element, they can finish lacing the card for fun. You can keep these cards in a little basket at your reading center or early finisher station. Nothing makes me happier than looking at our Eric Carle Story Elements bulletin board. This bulletin board is one my favorites because it looks beautiful without requiring a lot of prep! I used the Very Hungry Caterpillar Centerpiece pieces and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do you See? Centerpiece Set to decorate the outside of the board. The bright pieces are a perfect match for the Painted Palette Rainbow Paint Chip Border. To create the display, I stuck on The Word of Eric Carle Library Pockets. You get a lot of pockets in a set so there are plenty of choices for all the kids! After we have read a collection of Eric Carle books, I let my little ones choose their favorite book. I made inserts for the library pockets so kiddos can show their understanding of the book. This is a great little assessment! They can draw or write what they know about each story element. The inserts easily fit into each pocket to create a colorful display! You can download the library pocket inserts for free. Teaching story elements is an important objective, but more importantly, I am teaching my little ones to LOVE reading! Eric Carle's books are beautiful, unique, and just right for the youngest readers! They are perfect for developing comprehension and a passion for reading!
