This year Red Bus are implementing the Core Book Approach. Its aim is to promote Literacy in Early Years - encouraging early reading, a love of books, and the 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. Each room has a different core book, which is used differently from the other fiction and non-fiction books in each room.
Children are introduced to a new book every 6 weeks. First they read the story in small groups, involving interactive props and resources that support the retelling of the story and add a new interest. Each core book is represented in a variety of ways, depending on the cultural capital of that cohort of children. This could mean books in another language, puppets, games, etc. They all help tell the story differently.
As we continue to share the book with children, we can begin to add greater depth to our conversations, adding open-ended questioning if suitable. 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 salt dough Superworms or going on a Bear Hunt in the garden! 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!
