Edgar Fuentes's Preschool Storytime Program Page

Word cloud created at Wordle.net

Written & Illustrated by Nancy Tafuri (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 2008)

Written by Doreen Cronin Illustrated by Betsy Lewin (Atheneum Books for Young Readers 2006)

Written by Lindsey Craig Illustrated by Marc Brown (Alfred A. Knopf 2011)

Created at Tagxedo.com

Title of Program: Moo! Baa! Oink!: Farm Animals Storytime
 

ALSC Competencies:

I. Knowledge of Client Group

1. Understands theories of infant, child, and adolescent learning and development and their implications for library service.

     6. Understands and responds to the needs of parents, caregivers, and other adults who use the resources of the children's department.

VI. Programming Skills

1. Designs, promotes, presents, and evaluates a variety of programs for children of all ages, based on their developmental needs and interests and the goals of the library.
2. Identifies and utilizes skilled resource people to present programs and information.
3. Provides library outreach programs which meet community needs and library goals and objectives.
4. Establishes programs and services for parents, individuals and agencies providing childcare, and other professionals in the community who work with children.
5. Promotes library programs and services to underserved children and families.

Age Group of Audience (Example): 3-5 year olds

Books:

Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig, illustrated by Marc Brown
This book features a number of animal sounds and repetition, making it perfect for engaging children who are just learning to read. The chicks make sounds that wake up the sheep, and the sheep make sounds that wake up the cat. A number of animals continue to wake each other up, and ultimately Farmer Sue gets woken up.

Blue Goose by Nancy Tafuri 
This book features three animals that represent the primary colors: Blue Goose, Red Hen, and Yellow Chick. When Farmer Gray goes away, the three set out to paint the farm, working together to create new colors, sometimes with the help of their friend, White Duck. 

Click, Clack, Splish, Splash by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin
Duck prepares to go on a very unique fishing trip while Farmer Brown is sleeping. This counting book with simple text is perfect for engaging children to count along, and at the end children will discover what “fishy surprise” Duck and the other farm animals have in store for Farmer Brown.

Activities including fingerplays, songs, and readings:

Opening Song: “If You’re Happy and You Know It”

Lyrics: http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/games/songs/childrens/happyandmp3.htm

Book 1: - Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig, illustrated by Marc Brown
 

Fingerplay: “Over in the Barnyard”
Video & Lyrics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgK2-KMEeNs  

Book 2: Blue Goose by Nancy Tafuri

Song: “Old McDonald”
Lyrics: http://www.kidsongs.com/lyrics/old-macdonald-had-a-farm.html 

Book 3: Click, Clack, Splish, Splash by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin

Song: “Shake My Sillies Out”

Lyrics: https://www.raffinews.com/files/music_arrangements/childrens_favorites/shake_my_sillies_out.pdf 

Hands-on Learning Component: Cow Craft 

To prepare the craft, set aside one sheet of green construction paper for each anticipated child in attendance. It is best to overestimate to avoid having disappointed children when there are not enough supplies to go around. The green emulates green pastures the cows graze on. In addition, you will cut a black rectangle of approximately 3” X 4.” With the remaining black paper, cut out the two small circles that will make up the cow’s nostrils. Cut out two pear-shaped black ears about 2” long by about 1.5” wide. Cut out an ellipse shape using the yellow construction paper about 4” long by 1” wide.  Fold and cut down the middle to make the two horns. Finally, cut out a pink circle with a diameter of about 4.5” (slightly bigger than the width of the large black rectangle). Combine the small pieces and put inside of a sandwich bag to have ready for the day of the storytime. Have a prepared craft to demonstrate what the final product might look like.

 
Cow craft. Personal photo by Edgar Fuentes using Hipstamatic iPhone app.

During craft time, ask the parents to assist their children as needed and give them these instructions. This is also a perfect opportunity to teach children about the different shapes:

1. Glue the black rectangle near the center of the green construction paper.
2. Glue the white rectangle right on top of the black rectangle.

3. Glue the pear-shaped ears to each of the top corners of the black rectangle.
4. Glue the yellow horns on the top edge of the black rectangle, making sure the edges line up.
5. Glue the pink circle toward the bottom-half of the white rectangle.

6. Glue the small black dots in the middle of the pink circle (so that it looks like a button).
7. Finally, apply two eyes near the middle of the white rectangle, lined up with the nostrils.

Note: Reassure the children and the parents that no two cows are the same if the final product looks nothing like the sample. For a more unique cow, use different color construction paper, allowing kids to choose their own colors. Finally, have the child give their cow a name!

Caregiver Involement and/or ECRR2 Family Education:

Dialogic Reading (Ask Open Ended Questions & Predict What Will Happen Next):

The literacy tip I will be focusing on today is dialogic reading, or engaging in a dialogue or conversation during your shared story reading. When you ask children open-ended questions about the stories they are reading, they are using critical thinking skills as well as narrative skills.

Similarly, when you ask predictive questions, children are forced to think critically using the background knowledge “because predictions are based on information that children already possess” (Ghoting and Martin-Diaz 2013).

How it will be demonstrated:

After reading Click, Clack, Splish, Splash: A Counting Adventure by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin, I will point out to parents about the importance of asking children open-ended questions. 

I will read the book Click, Clack, Splash!: A Counting Adventure. When I get to the page where the sleepy farmer comes to check on his fish tank, I will ask children “Where do fish live?” or “What’s missing from the tank?” and explain about fish needing water to live, and that’s why the famer kept them in a talk, and that therefore the places they can go is limited to places with water.

Likewise, asking children questions like “What do you think happened to the fish?” or “What do you think the duck is doing?” are great ways to see what knowledge children have acquired. 

My aside:

After the reading the story, I will ask parents if they noticed how I asked open-ended questions during the story, not to interrupt the story, but to engage the children in the narrative. As children learn new words and concepts, they begin to answer questions using known vocabulary words. Likewise, encouraging your children to talk will help them understand what they have read (Ghoting and Martin-Diaz 2013).

I will point out to parents how I asked predictive questions to get the children to try to guess what comes next in the story. This helps them stay engaged with the story, use clues from what they have heard, and also create their own stories.

Empower:

Tell the parents: “As you read with your children, try to engage in dialogic reading to help them understand concepts such as size or colors, and also to see if the children recognize patterns. It also helps them understand how the world around them works. Finally, allow the children to make connections with the stories. This helps increase their print motivation – their love of reading books!”

Tell the parents: “As you read with your children at home, ask them questions about what may come next in a pattern or a number sequence to help engage them in the story.”

Book Display for Parents & Caregivers:
The following represents a sample of books that could be used as a book display, which parents can check out after the storytime to practice their early literacy skills with their children at home:

- Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Felicia Bond
- Click, Clack, Moo, Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin
- I Spy on the Farm by Edward Gibbs
- My Farm Friends by Wendell Minor
- No Sleep for the Sheep! By Karen Beaumont, illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic
- Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Jane Cabrera
- Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch by Mary Peterson and Jennifer Rofé

Handouts:
Handouts with lyrics will be provided to parents to follow along with the songs. The aside will be included to help parents practice at home using any of the other recommended readings from the book display list to develop their child's early literacy skills. 

References

Association for Library Service to Children. 2009. Competencies for Librarians Serving Children in Public Libraries. Accessed September 16, 2014. http://www.ala.org/alsc/edcareeers/alsccorecomps

Cow Craft. Photograph from the Personal Collection of Edgar Fuentes. 

Craig, Lindsey, and Marc Brown. 2011. Farmyard Beat. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Cronin, Doreen and Betsy Lewin. 2006. Click, Clack, Splish, Splash: A Counting Adventure. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Ghoting, Saroj Nadkarni, and Pamela Martin-Diaz. 2013. Storytimes for Everyone! Developing Young Children’s Language and Literacy. Chicago: ALA Editions.

Kidsongs. 2013. "Old McDonald Had a Farm." Accessed September 16, 2014. http://www.kidsongs.com/lyrics/old-macdonald-had-a-farm.html 

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. n.d. "Happy and You Know It." Accessed September 16, 2014. http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/games/songs/childrens/happyandmp3.htm 

OCPublicLibraries. 2011. "Over in the Barnyard." YouTube Video. Accessed September 16, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgK2-KMEeNs   

Tafuri, Nancy.  2008. Blue Goose. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Raffinews. 1977. "Shake My Sillies Out." Accessed September 16, 2014. https://www.raffinews.com/files/music_arrangements/childrens_favorites/shake_my_sillies_out.pdf 

Edgar's Homepage