Menu
Search Search Basket
0
Cart
Little Blue Truck Reading Guide

Little Blue Truck Reading Guide

Our focus book this month for our preschool transportation theme is Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle and Jill McElmurry. This is a sweet book full of sing-songy rhymes which is great for building vocabulary. It is a favorite in many households.

Check the preschool reading strategies we use when reading Little Blue Truck.

Lil’ Explorers Focus Skills

Reading

  • Concepts About Print

Lil’ Creators Focus Skills

Reading

  • Concepts About Print

Required Materials

*Affiliate Link

Little Blue Truck

Enjoyment
The first reading is always about reading for enjoyment. As you read this book with your preschooler let them just listen and relax. If they point out the animals or ask about the truck, answer their questions and engage their conversation. Make the reading extra fun by using different voices for each animal.
Concepts About Print
This week you will be reading our focus book for the second time and I encourage you to focus on concepts about print. Concepts about print are pre-reading skills that are necessary to begin to learn to read. They are skills that most children will obtain inherently as long as they are read to frequently. These skills include:
  • holding the book right side up
  • recognizing that text is written by an author
  • reading from left to right
  • turning the pages the correct direction
  • recognizing that words hold meaning
  • the “return sweep” – recognizing that you read left to right and then swoop down and read left to right again

It is important to only focus on one concept about print (CAP) skill at a time so that the text is still enjoyable and comprehendible. With that said, this month we are going to focus on the return sweep.

In order to teach your Lil’ about the return sweep, you simply use your finger to guide your reading. I recommend that you read at your normal pace and move your finger at that same pace.

Recall Details
I’m sure when you think back to your school days, you remember reading books aloud to a teacher or even reading silently and then came the game of 20 questions. Reading became a chore that you did so that you could answer countless questions on a test later on.

I don’t want reading to be like that but obviously reading comprehension is an important skill. So how do we practice our ability to recall details from a text without quizzing your child silly? Rather than quizzing, “what is this” “who said x” “what did character do”, try having a conversation with them about the text.

Try the following questions and phrases as you read Little Blue Truck.

  • “Wow! The blue truck said hi to all of the other animals, do you remember what sound he made to say hi?”
  • “All of the animals said hi back to the blue truck. My favorite was the pig who said oink, which animal sound was your favorite?”
  • “Oh no, the big dump truck got stuck in the mud! Who came to help him get out?”
  • “Little blue truck came to help the big dump truck, but what happened to him? “
Make Connections
Making connections is arguably the number one reason why we fall in love with books. We love identifying with a character’s joys and struggles and we love learning about creatures and events that we imagine or interact with on a regular basis.
Check out some of the connections that we made while reading Little Blue Truck.
  • There is a cow and sheep, just like when we go to the farm
  • Little Blue Truck says ‘Hi” to all of his friends. What are your friends names?
  • There is a mud puddle from the rain. Do you like playing in rain puddles?
  • All of the animals helped Little Blue Truck just like when you help each other.

Lesson Bundles

Want more lessons like this? Check out my lesson bundles!

Learn More

Leave a comment

Back to Blog
Older Post
Newer Post
×