to ask which books your yr1,2 and 3 children love?

[lovelylentils]

I need mumsnet help please!

I've got an interview on Friday and I need to read to a group of yr1,2 and 3s for 20-30 mins. So what do your dc love??
I'd like something in which I can do voices, actions, use props etc?

Any suggestions would be fantastic.
xx

www.amazon.co.uk/Ms-Wiz-Spells-Trouble/dp/0761455485

I think this could be just the what you're after.
I haven't read these books since I was little and now I've gone all nostalgic!

There's also this Ursula Bear. This book actually has two stories in it, so you could read one or both depending on how things pan out time wise.

I'm determined to find you something!

There's this which is available here.

Or this available here

Ds is yr 2 and mainly prefers chapter books along the lines of Jeremy strong or roald dahl.

But two books he takes out of the library very regularly are Biscuit Bear by Mini Grey and Mouse trouble by John Yeoman. Both are books you can read in a sitting. Mouse trouble would perhaps be the best for all the age groups.

I teach years 3&4 & they still love Julia Donaldson books. My personal favourite is tyrannosaurus drip. Is it an interview for a teaching job? The trick to catering for different year groups is not the book you choose but your questioning. Try to include some higher order questions (google it, or look for info on blooms taxonomy if you're not sure) to cater for older and/or higher ability children. X

What about the Julia Donaldson book 'The Highway Rat'? It's really good to read aloud-especially if you give all the animals voices!! and it's also based on a poem, so if you need to, you could explain that and read some of the poem. And talk about where her ideas have come from etc. That's if you need to do talking/questioning etc. but that way there should be plenty of scope for a variety of question types.

Teafairy's idea is great! I love The Highwayman - an exciting poem... agree the ending is a little macabre, so don't read that bit in case there are precious parents of the three year olds around.

I also second Winnie the Witch - picture books and some paperback books with pictures but more text. In that vein... the Worst Witch might be good. There are some silly bits that should appeal to the younger ones.

Thanks EugenesAxe!

Agree about picking the right bit of the poem if you decide to use it but it does lend itself well to being read...just google it and see how many versions you can listen to!

The highway rat is a brilliant book but think the original poem is beyond the understanding of such young children. Lots of difficult words in it. X

Some of the short Paddington stories might work?

It's more about them hearing the pattern and rhythm, rather than understanding it really. The main focus being on the JD book, it's only a short session after all. But it's good for children to see that even writers borrow ideas too! I would only read a verse or two of the poem at most, but you're probably right, might be a tad above them. Been a couple of years since I was last in class.

Another vote for Mr Gum. Boys year 2 and year 3, love it.

Definitely Mr Majeika. The main reason being, that I expect that especially the year 2 and 3 kids already know most if not all the Roald Dahl books and possibly get bored.

All the Mr Majeika books are great, but especially the one where Mr Majeika being the teacher turns an obnoxious pupil in a toad. Amazon sells them, Blackwells usually has a few as well.

Wow! Thank you for all your ideas.
Crocodilesmiles Thank you - you have shown real dedication to my plight!
I think Mr Gum would be too long for a 20-30min session but I can see why the chn love it.
YorkshireDeb it is a teaching interview. Thanks for your point about questioning. It's refocused me. It's been over a yr since I last taught due to my own dc, and my last class were Y6 so I've gone into a slight melt down today over he age appropriateness of each book.
I went to the library this afternoon and managed to grab a few of your suggestions. One I quite like (which also has a pattern and rhythm to it like JDs books) called Happiness is a Watermelon on Your Head!

Ds (y3) is heavily into beastquest. Dd in y2 likes rainbow magic stories.

Would highly recommend Claude In The City by Alex Smith(?) most of them won't have read it, it seems to be fairly unknown still but y1 - y3 would love it. You will have them in fits of giggles every time you mention characters like Dr Ivan Achinbum.

There's two self contained stories in the book - about 10 mins solid reading each or 30 if you stop to discuss all the characters :) the illustrations are funny too!

Roald Dahl's The Enormous Crocodile is great for that age range and w

*would take about 25 mins to read.

lovelylentils remember that mainly what they're looking for in a teaching interview is how you interact with & engage the children. I say go with the book you said you liked from the library - if you like it, they're far more likely to be sold on it. Then try to show your differentiation through questioning & maybe allow them to answer questions in different ways (like talk partners). X

The enormous crocodile would be perfect! My yr1 loves it and its about the right length. The voices are ideal too.

Good luck!

Hmmm .... I think that The Enormous Crocodile is too young for year 3. We use it in Reception/Year 1.

How was the interview? Hopefully it wasn't snowed off?

You need something short, so a picture book is ideal. I don't think picture books are too babyish for Year 3 as a one off. We still use picture books in our literacy lessons, although the class reading book is a chapter book( 'arry Po''er)

Have you read any Anthony Browne books? For year 3, Voice In The Park is very good, and can lead to lots of discussions. For younger children, maybe Into the Forest or Tunnel.

You could also look at Borka by John Burningham. He illustrated as well as wrote the story (in the 60s, I think) and it's about a goose born with no feathers. She gets left behind when her family migrate as she never learnt to fly due to other geese bullying her.

What is the objective of your lesson?

Incidentally, you should repost in Primary Education or Staff room as there are a lot of teachers there. And the TES is an invaluable source, especially for interviews.

Good luck!

DS(6) loves captain underpants & horrid Henry. He also loved The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom when he was 4/5