Craft Lesson #1

Develop appropriate active strategies, such as interpreting illustrations, to construct meaning from print

DISCUSSION
Many of the readings that are given to first graders can be simple or too complex without illustrations. Interesting books that have vivid pictures can help children develop strategies in where the pictures can tell them what is happening without having to read the whole text. This in return helps students with complex words and understanding of what is happening in a story. This can be a useful tool for children who do not have English as a first language. The relation of an author and the illustrator is a good integration into helping children develop and grow from the relationship of illustrations and text.

MATERIALS
Books:
1. Cook-A-Doodle-Doo! By Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel
Illustrated by Janet Stevens
2. Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine
Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
3. Dona Flor by Pat Mora
Illustrated by Raul Colon
4. La Mariposa by Francisco Jimenez
Illustrated by Simon Silva

HOW TO TEACH IT
The TEA states some of the reading skills that children entering the first grade should know. Some of the skills that children should know are that words have meaning and that letters make up words, recognize words, and know the alphabet, and other simple tasks as pretend that they are reading and know how to hold a book.
In Dona Flor, in the second page of text “Some children laughed at her because she was different. ‘Mira! Look! Big Foot!’ they talked when she walked by.” When the teacher shows the illustrations to the children, they will be able to understand the meaning of the text because of the connection of the drawing of a big foot and a big woman, different from everyone else.
In Cook-A-Doodle-Doo, pictures that are shown throughout the text as to what rooster uses to measure ingredients to bake a cake are the symbols that children will be able to relate in what is happening in the story without having the difficulty of having the reading involved. Key words such as “sift”, “cut the butter”, and “beat the egg” have good illustration at the side of the text that teachers will be able to show so that children can better understand what is being said in the story.
When authors such as the above have colorful pictures and vivid illustrations, children have the capability of relating text and illustrations. This in return helps them develop in decoding unfamiliar words because of looking at the pictures and getting a view into what is happening in the story. Predicting what will happen and having a motivation to read when they look at the pictures they will be able to understand and figure out with clues in the illustrations what they have difficulty in reading.
As children look at the picture while they read the text or are being read to, they will have a better understand and develop language knowledge with the relationship and connection of both illustrations and text.