[H1]EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
[H2]Chapter 1
1. Observe a young child in a childcare setting for three one-hour sessions. Record your observations of the
language the child uses and summarize your findings in regard to the importance of language in that child’s life.
2. Generate a list of activities and experiences that would be appropriate for use in developing language
experience stories.
3. Observe three to five television shows geared toward young children. Identify any or all of the following
aspects:
–language that makes something meaningful to a young child;
–depictions of violence that could have a negative effect on a young child;
–a situation/language that could be used with a specific children’s book;
–situations that reinforce stereotypes.
[H2]Chapter 2
1. Observe a preschool class for two or more one-hour sessions. Describe the “conditions of learning,” as
identified by Cambourne, that you observed. Include immersion, demonstration, engagement, expectation,
responsibility, approximation, use, and response.
2. Using several samples of drawing/writing created by four- and five-year-olds, identify the level of invented
spelling, as described by Gentry, for each: precommunicative, semiphonetic, phonetic, transitional, and
conventional. Explain your reasons for your identifications.
3. Observe a situation in which children are interacting with each other and with adults. Identify and record
language in which a story (even if very brief) is being told and the responses of the listener to that story.
[H2]Chapter 3
1. Compare two or three children’s books that were illustrated using the same media (e.g., oil paint, collage,
watercolor) but by different illustrators.
2. Select two or three children’s books that have been the targets of attempted censorship. Read the books to
determine the reasons some might have objected to them. Explain whether or not you feel that censorship
attempts are reasonable for these books.
3. After reading five to ten children’s books in which the characters are depicted as young children, or the
characters are identified by gender, list examples of gender stereotyping or examples of when a character
overcomes a stereotype.
[H2]Chapter 4
1. Read two versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella). Compare how they are similar to each other and
compare them with the version you recall from your childhood.
2. Read a children’s book that was awarded the Caldecott Medal several decades ago and discuss what the book
reveals about society’s view of children at the time.
3. Describe a book that you recall as a favorite from when you were a young child and why it was a favorite.
Interview a child under age eight and ask them to identify and justify one of his or her favorite books. Compare
the books and the reasons supporting each selection.
[H2]Chapter 5
1. Attend a storytime program for young children at a local library. Observe and record how the reader or
storyteller maintains the children’s attention and keeps control of the audience.
2. Develop a plan to share a story at a local library or at a program for young children. Include strategies for
motivation, the involvement of the children, a seating pattern, and your criteria for selecting the story.
3. Create a list of 20 easily collected props (e.g., hat, ball, sock puppet, set of blocks, cardboard box, heavy coat,
stuffed animal). Using three of these, match each with a motivational activity to be used with a children’s book
of your choice.
[H2]Chapter 6
1. Volunteer to share a story based on a plan you have developed. Try to include the use of a prop or puppet in
the telling. Describe and evaluate your experience.
2. Attend a presentation by a children’s book author. Record and share the key points in the author’s talk.
3. Using a single prop (e.g., egg, hat, food item), prepare and present an oral retelling of a story from a
children’s book.
[H2]Chapter 7
1. Locate three children’s books (fiction, nonfiction, or a combination) that could be used to help children
understand a developmentally appropriate science, social studies, or mathematics concept.
2. Interview a young child to create a list of topics of interest to that child. Using a library or other sources,
identify one appropriate children’s book for each topic of interest to that child.
3. Find a children’s book that is related in some way to a non-majority cultural group. Create a meaningful
activity for children that is related to the story.
[H2]Chapter 8
1. Read two children’s books that depict different cultures and reflect on how the main characters are different
from or similar to us.
2. Interview a parent or caregiver in your community to learn of the fears and concerns that the individual sees
in children. Identify children’s books that could possibly be used to address those fears or concerns.
3. Locate and read one to three current children’s books that you find to be dull and uninteresting. Identify the
factors that make them that way (e.g., quality of the writing, subject matter, didacticism) and the reasons the
publisher might have wanted to publish them.
[H2]Chapter 9
1. Using a computer search engine, explore Internet Web sites related to children’s literature. Identify three that
you find particularly helpful and share them with others.
2. Compare a television version of a children’s story with a print version. Describe the advantages and
disadvantages of each as a means of presenting a story to a child?
3. Observe a story telling using an Internet site or a podcast. Identify what you feel are the pros and cons of the
presentation.
[H2]Chapter 10
1. Identify some of the important places in your community. Select one place that would be an appropriate
destination for a field trip for young children. Identify three storybooks that could be used before, during, or
after the field trip in order to enhance the experience.
2. Interview a group of parents of young children. Ask them for the titles of storybooks that their children have
particularly enjoyed and why they think their children responded so positively to those books.
3. Identify a location or activity from your community that is important to children and a relevant book. What
are the benefits of either taking a field trip to the site/activity or inviting a representative to come to the
classroom. If you had to choose only one, describe which one it would be and why.