When I intro each unit I read a letter (more on those here)
Later I share the class books. Here are some I've made. Each child gets their own page. Even if I have to use the pages twice, they get their own page. I laminate my page and the cover page. These are usually the first and last pages.
We did these two for our insect unit:
This is a firefly book. We use name recognition and color words.
At the beginning of the year, we did a leaf book.
I just wrote with a marker on the line provided.
They are printed on cardstock.
If the pages get ripped, I use packing tape along the "spine."
I also use a generic book as well. Sometimes, I read that book first. Sometimes, I read the class book first.
For example the "In the tree" classbook, we will also read a book that just covers the leaf colors. For more advanced students, we might make a mini-book that they get to color and add things to. In this book, they trace the color word and color the leaf that color.
Kids love to star in the books and they are super popular during reading/library time.
At the end of the year, I break down the books, and each child gets their own page from each book we make. I know that some teachers send home a different class book with each child too :)
