Actionable Tips for Using Books To Build Language this Fall

I know, I know!  Don’t shoot the messenger!  Many of you are not at all ready for Winter. I know when I lived in New England I dreaded Winter.  But Fall was my favorite month.  
Here in Southern California we don’t get snow except in the mountains.  And we do get a little bit of crispness and a few changing leaves.


But, since Winter is coming, students will be moving from harvesting to hibernating in their Science lessons.  
Some students are simply learning the cycle of seasons, from Fall to Winter to Spring to Summer. 

language in stories


And within each of those seasons are more cycles. Students learn about life cycles of apples, pumpkins, and flowers. In farm units, they study the birth cycles in Spring.

There are so many great children’s books out these days, on every topic imaginable.  So, no surprise that it’s hard to choose just one or two - or even 3 - for any given season.  
hibernation station

I introduced a couple of books for Back to School season. Now I’d like to make the transition from Fall to Winter with “Hibernation Station.”

This is a fun book with a familiar structure.  First one animal, then another and another, end up on Bear’s train as hibernation season begins, and they cause quite a commotion.  There are a lot of good vocabulary words in the book, as well as great sequencing and retelling possibilities.  And the book is a perfect gateway to information to about hibernation.



And, as a tie-in to reading foundational skills, the book contains heavy use of rhyme!  How much more fun can you get?

The book also offers an opportunity to talk abut what is real and what is make-believe.  Do animals really wear pajamas?  Do they take trains? Do they talk?  Do they hibernate?

Just for fun, here is a rhyming worksheet you can use right now, along with an answer key. Just drag and drop onto your desktop.

Have fun, stay warm and dry, and…….. keep on talking!








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