If you are looking for fresh inspiration for your curriculum planning in the new year, you might enjoy checking out Cox Campus story guides to pair with popular children’s books. These story guides give tips and conversation-starters that educators can implement while reading with young children in Preschool, Pre-K, and Kindergarten classrooms.
Cox Campus story guides use a strategy called “START,” which helps to create rich learning opportunities during storytime, by guiding conversations about the story and the characters. This strategy encourages educators to re-read stories multiple times, digging deeper into the details of the story with each read.
“START” is an acronym for the following:
State: a simple introduction to the title, author, and main idea of the story (“What is the story about?” “What problems are the characters facing?”)
Teach: introducing conversations about thoughts or feelings of the characters
Ask: using open-ended questions to encourage children to think more deeply about the story
Respond: answering children using new words to help increase vocabulary and language skills
Tie: wrapping it all up; summarizing the story and your conversation with the children
To learn more about this strategy, click here.
There are many story guides available to pair with popular children’s books and introduce discussions that fit in with the current season. Here are two of these books, and their corresponding story guides, that you might enjoy using in your classroom.
“START” story guide: The Snowy Day
Main Idea: “Sometimes good things come to an end.”
Cox Campus also has a list of free activities to pair with this particular book to build and extend upon learning with the children in your care.
“START” story guide: Immi’s Gift
Main Idea: “We can make friends by sharing what we have.”
Talk the Tot: The Importance of Infant & Toddler Years 
Storytime Videos & Activity Guides from Tandem Partners
Defining and Understanding Early Literacy