Can you use a library that can go anywhere?

• Encourage the middle school teacher to arrange some outside planning time with the older "Study Buddies" to orient everyone to the objectives and goals for this project. For example, as creators of this WebQuest, we met with the teacher who was in charge of the participating ninth grade students. She then presented our task outline to her students and was also able to answer her student’s questions.
• Although we choose to connect to our middle school ninth grade English enrichment class, you might want to consider asking senior citizens and/or parents to participate.
• An available computer lab would benefit the accessibility of viewing online literature.
• Send newsletters home to inform parents about this project. Send updated general classroom progress reports so the kindergarten parents can then discuss this school event with their child.
• "A picture is worth a thousand words". Use a digital still shot camera and video camcorders to record segments of this project. This can be reviewed, at any time, by the kindergarten students, the "Study Buddies", and shared with parents. Other educators might like to see this successful teaching practice as well.

• We used a large shoe box for each kindergartner to store their newly constructed booklets in. We decorated these boxes with brightly colored contact paper. They were stored in our classroom and were available for the students to pull out and revisit anytime.

• Ask your superintendent, principal, specials teachers, the custodian, the cafeteria staff, and any other school helpers.
• Parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and any family member who will read or tell an interesting tale.
• Community helpers such as the local fire fighters, police, etc.
• Do you have any local published children’s authors?
• Another grade level that you are not currently working with.
• Call your local University’s Early Childhood Department and ask if they have a children’s literature class that would like to participate.

• Use student drawings. Offer more than crayons. Have paint, markers, colored chalk, colorful construction paper, glue, scissors, and other miscellaneous items that can be glued on the child’s project.
• Software programs such as KidPix can make the illustrations interesting.
• Offer a digital camera to capture real objects that can be used to illustrate written work.
• Have a scanner available to record student work electronically.

Check http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/cyk3.html for CyberGuides which are supplementary, standards-based, web-delivered units of instruction centered on core works of literature. Choose "Katy And The Big Snow" for an example of how to use this literature to study several curriculum areas such as mapping and science skills.

Look at instructional strategies to help the emergent reader by visiting http://www.ash.udel.edu/incoming/east1/emergent/emergent.html

Would you like to check the young student’s sight word awareness? See http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/ieo/bibs/dolchwordlist.html for Dolch Sight Words.