shares a book with an adult or a child  

(A home made photo book using photos from home or photos taken through out the school day is very motivating for children who are just starting to look at books).

A quiet comfortable place to read.

1. Sit with a child on either side of you and encourage the children to take it in turns to turn over the book pages.
2. As you look at the book point to interesting pictures and comment e.g. "Look... cat drinking" "Look... big bus"
3. Keep your language simple and repetitive. Try to repeat exactly the phrases used to describe an object so that children get lots of opportunity to learn.
4. Can you take a child's finger to point to the thing you are talking about?
5. When a child is used to this procedure can you point to a picture and start off describing it using the usual phrase e.g. "Look... cat dr... " Will the child complete the phrase and eventually produce the whole phrase independently?
6. Can the child take it in turns to point to items in the book with a friend and take it in turns to comment on what they see. You may need to prompt by saying 'Look... what's this?'

Copies of some pictures in the book - for example some objects in the book -coloured and cut out.

1. Get settled and comfortable as above.
2. Open the book at a familiar page and give the child the photo copied object from the page. Can the child match the photo copy with the real object in the book?
3. As the child matches can the child make a comment about what they are matching?
4. Put out a number of photo copies of objects that are in the book and let the children take turns in matching and commenting. Reward a successful match with lots of praise. Give any help needed - the object is to enjoy a book rather to be good at matching.

A quiet comfortable place to read

'Wh' words on symbol cards

• Who
• What
• Where
• When

1. Two children take it in turns to turn over the pages of the book;
2. Two children take it in turns to point to pictures on the page and then comment;
3. Use the 'wh' word cards (who/what/where/when) The children take it in turns to turn over the 'wh' cards and to answer the questions e.g 'Who... is this', or, 'Where... is the dog' etc.

'Wh' words on symbol cards

• Who
• What
• Where
• When

1. Ask two children to choose a book each
2. Each child reads a book or looks at the pictures and then chooses a 'wh' word symbol card to give to the other child to support asking a question of the other child about their book e.g 'Who is sad?'
3. Each child draws a picture from their book. Each child tells the other child about the picture and maybe matches it to the original in their chosen book.