These simple stories with strong picture support are wonderful for introducing five and six year olds to the joys of reading. Rebus pictures provide an easy and engaging way to share the responsibility of creating meaning with beginners. The rebus images provide markers that ground the youngest reader in what the book is about. Simple syntax and natural language help youngsters develop an ear for what sounds right. Well-chosen photographs provide strong support for comprehending the important ideas.

The Rebus books make it possible for emergent readers to "read." What a perfect format for a gradual release of responsibility--from fluent adult and dependent child to fluent child and celebrating adult! Young readers who struggle with language have pictures to keep them focused on the meaning. For children experiencing English as a new language and those whose language proficiency is underdeveloped have exciting opportunities to "read" high interest materials and grow their personal vocabularies and experience natural, repeating syntax.

Two instructional threads run through the teacher support materials for each series: a repeating Concept of Print strand and a repeating Making Sense strand. The first focuses on the basic understandings of how we organize and write stories and books. The other focuses on how we create meaning from stories and books.

Each series presents possibilities for rich Concept Development . Learning stations that extend the concept as well as language opportunities for enriching children’s oral and written communication skills are suggested for each group of books.

Developmentally appropriate Assessment Ideas for each series encourage teachers to observe their students and document their growth as they read the six books in the series. And suggestions for extending the understanding at home are included in Home Connections .

A brief list of specific suggestions for high-frequency words, an interactive writing activity, and a familiar song or poem is provided for each book in the series. Teachers can create word walls with the high-frequency words, provide charts with these words used by the children in meaningful content, and write the words to childhood classic songs and poems that foster the love of language.

The Fun Times books take youngsters to familiar and perhaps unfamiliar places of childhood fun--the fair, a picnic, the beach, a park, the zoo, and a farm. Approximately ten picture words are introduced in the beginning of the book so supportive conversations can provide young readers with the vocabulary needed to understand the stories and participate in reading the book. Young readers feel successful with the repetitive sentence structure and have many opportunities to read carefully selected high frequency words. By changing the syntax on the last page, children learn to pay attention to the print on the page. The rebus images help children self-monitor their "one-on-one match" or spoken word and written word.

Concept of Print Strand

The title of a book is on the cover and the title page.
The title helps us know what the book is about.

Before reading each book in this series, point out the title of the book on the cover and the title page. Use the "I Do, We Do, You Do" strategy to teach children where to locate the title and what its function is.

"I Do" (Teacher models strategy)

Teacher: "Boys and girls, today we are going to read this book. We get an idea of what it is about by reading the title and looking at the picture on the cover. I wonder what the book is called. Oh, I see the big colorful letters. I bet this is the title (At the Beach). Yes! It sounds like what a book could be about and it even matches the picture. This looks like a book about having fun at the beach because all three girls look really happy."

"We Do" (Teacher and students practice together)

Turn to the title page and ask if anyone can find the big colorful words on the page. Ask if they remember what it is called. "We did it! Together we found the title on the title page." Throughout the series, have the children point out the title and make statements about what they expect to find in each book. Most children should be ready for "You Do" after one or two modeling experiences.

Making Sense Strand

The pictures and the words help tell the story.
Often the pictures help us figure out the words in the story.

Use a think aloud to help children see how thinking about the picture will help them figure out the text. "Look at the picture. As I look at it, I see a whole family going to the beach. They have all their beach toys and towels. The words on this side say ‘Let’s go to the beach.’ That is just what they are doing! Read it with me, ‘Let’s go to the beach.’ Thumbs up if you think the words and pictures match." Turn the page, read the text, and state, "Thumbs up if you think the words and pictures match." Continue to highlight the match of text and pictures throughout the book, adjusting frequency to match needs and interest of children.

Concept Development

There are lots of places to play and to explore.

Learning Stations
Drama Center: Provide prop boxes for socio-dramatic play from some of the different places mentioned in the books (hay bale, stuffed animals, and picnic basket and blanket,).
Science Center: A shell collection, an ant farm, magnifying lenses, and science notebooks encourage children to observe, discuss, categorize, and record information.
Math Center: Create a sand table by filling two new kitty litter boxes with sand and various measuring cups and spoons as well as objects to fill with sand. Have a place for children to record their experiences (For example: It took 4 cups from the yellow cup to fill up the red bowl).
Listening Center: Let the children listen to tape recordings of the books. To prepare the tapes, have student volunteers take home each book and recording supplies. The practice will promote fluency and their fluent reading will support their classmates’ skill development.

Language Development

Photograph/Picture Display: Have students bring photographs or draw pictures of themselves at a favorite place to play and explore. They can write (or an adult can scribe) about this activity. Make a bulletin board and/or scan the pictures and text into a class book.
Vocabulary Development: Enlarge the rebus pictures and words on the introductory pages. Print on card stock paper. Cut into simple two piece puzzles for each word.
Take a Trip and Make a Book: Take a class trip to some place fun (from the school playground to a children’s museum to an apple orchard). Record the events with a digital camera. Make a class book following the format of the rebus book. Be sure to decide on a title! Don’t forget the Picture Words pages.

Assessment

Monitor your students’ growth during the six instructional periods as well as periodically hereafter. Provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate their skill during the semester during regular class activities. Keep an assessment clipboard with you during instructional times

Indicator	Not Yet	Developing	Proficient
Title knowledge/ use	Cannot locate	Locates title	Locates title and uses title and cover picture to predict content
Picture/text relationship	"Reads" the picture, but doesn’t expect text to match	Knows the picture and text help tell the story	Uses the pictures to decode the text

Home Connections

Send a letter home before beginning this unit on Fun Times encouraging families to talk about the places they like to visit. What makes them special? Your students might enjoy drawing or making photographic picture words to go with their own special place. An interactive bulletin board can have children match the picture words with the place name and photograph.

Plan a family/class outing to a new place such as a strawberry farm, high school athletic event, or children’s concert. When you return to school, let each group make their own book. They may follow the pattern developed in the series.

Provide recordings of the stories for children whose families do not read English. Encourage bilingual children to bring in the picture words in their native languages.

Circulate a traveling book entitled, There’s No Place Like Home . Have each family add a page. The first page can be yours; provide a model by writing and drawing what you do for fun at your house!

-	High-Frequency Words: this, is, where, you
-	Interactive Writing: Enlarge a map of the school. Write explanations for important parts. (This is where you eat your lunch.)
-	Song/Jump Rope Refrain: Have fun jump roping to refrains such as Miss Mary Mack : Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack All dressed in black, black, black With silver buttons, buttons, buttons All down her back, back, back She asked her mother, mother, mother For fifty cents, cents, cents To see the elephants, elephants, elephants Jump the fence, fence, fence They jumped so high, high, high They touched the sky, sky, sky And didn't come back, back, back Till the fourth of July, July, July
Check www.saskschools.ca/~gregory/gym/skiprhymes.html for other rhymes.