The aim of the Core Book Approach is to promote Literacy in Early Years - encouraging early reading, a love of books, and development of communication and language.
We do this through 6 different stories spread out through the year – our ‘Core Books’ – that are picked purposefully for their varied themes and subjects. The books might include...
• One that has a good beginning, middle and end (traditional tale)
• A rhyming one (repeated refrains)
• One that reflects culture (diverse)
• A classic text
• One that draws out many different feelings (wellbeing/growth mind-set)
• And one of the rooms choice (miscellaneous)
Children are introduced to a new book each term (every 6 weeks). First they are read the story, often involving interactive props and resources that support the retelling of the story and add interest. As we continue to share the book with children, we can begin to add greater depth in our conversations, adding open ended questioning if suitable. Older children will become more comfortable with the book, repeating phrases and remembering what happens next in the story.
We will also include characters, themes and ideas into the rest of our play – creating saltdough Superworms or going on a Bear Hunt in the garden! We try and incorporate the Core Book into the whole of the Learning Landscape so children can experience the story in different ways. This leaves children with a deep understanding and knowledge of the book.
If you’ve told us your child is bilingual or has English as an Additional Language, we have purchased versions of these stories in their home language and English. Our teams are supported to incorporate home languages in play wherever possible and allow children to explore these stories in both languages.
Partnership with Parents is an integral part of the Red Bus approach, and is so easy to do with Core Books! We will let you know what our core books are for each term in the newsletter, alongside activity ideas, new vocabulary, talking points, and links to a video so you can watch a reading of the book together. We encourage you to participate in these and would love to see these contributions added to ParentZone!
