We’ve selected a winter-themed traditional tale and poem from the resources in your Oxford Owl subscription, to help your Reception and Year 1 children engage with stories and poems.
Storytime and Poetry Time resources
Both sets of resources are designed for use in a whole class setting, outside of phonics lessons, for example, at the end of the day. They aim to develop an understanding and deep love of stories and poetry in young children. Some of the features include:
- traditional tales (six for Reception and six for Year 1) with important, timeless messages to impart
- wonderful, memorable poems (six for Reception and six for Year 1) organised in a way that makes them easy to learn by heart, and focusing on feelings and situations that young children are likely to be familiar with, such as bedtime, siblings and feeling poorly
- beautiful accompanying illustrations to display as you read the story to the class
- poetry videos with performers, showing you how reading poems with thought and attention can evoke strong feelings in children, and how they can then perform the poems themselves
- a gradual build–up of familiarity with, and understanding of, the story or poem, by hearing them three times
- copies that can be printed out, once the children are familiar with the story or poem, for them to take home for a parent or carer to read to them
- full teaching notes
Give it a try with… The Selfish Giant
The Selfish Giant from the Year 1 Storytime is a modern retelling of the Oscar Wilde classic. A giant who has a beautiful garden selfishly stops children playing in it. Winter descends and snow and frost cover the garden.
Without the children to bring back spring, the cold creeps into his castle home and the giant feels miserable. Only when children return, does spring come back. The giant realises how selfish he has been and in future welcomes children into his garden.
Give it a try with …I’ve got a cold
I’ve got a cold from Year 1 Poetry Time is by the award-winning poet, Roger McGough, and describes how awful we feel when we have a cold and want sympathy.
There are some inventive ailments that children will find very funny. The poem’s humour conveys that a cold really isn’t a serious illness, even though it can make us feel pretty bad.
Getting going
Take a look at the Poetry Time and Storytime pages on your Phonics Online subscription to begin using the resources.
Other stories and poems include (login to Owl to view):
Storytime
Jack and the Beanstalk
Stone Soup
The Ugly Duckling
Little Red Riding Hood
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The Enormous Turnip
The Fisherman and the Fairy
The King Who Wanted to Touch the Moon
Little Bear
The Ant and the Grasshopper
The Elves and the Shoemaker
Poetry Time
Bedtime March-past
Zanzibar
Oh, Oh, the Story Man
If I Were a Hawk
Cake-O-Saurus
Where Am I?
The Tiger
Brother
Granny, Granny Please Comb My Hair
The Monster Under Your Bed
The Sound of Music
We hope you enjoy these resources with your class!