A new section written over 2014. There are eight tales in all, retold in a similar way. Each set of story files will include:
- A version with symbol support. The text also has larger outline symbol pictures to colour. Children who cannot read should benefit from the symbols if a helper reads and tracks the text with a finger – repeat the book several times! (Be sure to sit where the child can view the text – it is all too easy to provide help like pointing but make it useless by obscuring the child’s view of the page!)
- A version with coloured illustrations and text for early reading level aimed at young readers with a Reading Age of 7-8 yrs approx. – it is very difficult to get these long, complicated stories into really easy-to-read vocabulary! It can be read aloud to children with delayed/impaired language and literacy skills.
- A read aloud version with outline pictures and a text to be read to more able children. (Or read alone by youngsters with a Reading Age of 11 yrs approx.) This version will vary – it might be prose or verse. It has traditional literate narrative language features and there are many opportunities for discussion: inferences to be drawn, comparisons with other versions, vocabulary meanings etc.
- A version arranged as a picture-sequencing task with 8-12 outline pictures and simple captions. After sequencing the pictures is done correctly, the task can be developed further by cutting the captions from the picture cards and working with pictures and captions. To complete this task, the captions have to be matched to the pictures and then the whole story lined up. You can give half the set to start with!
The simpler stories have been retold by Catherine Redmayne who has done all the illustrations. The versions for older children have been retold by Pip Harrison who is a teacher and writer in New Zealand.
THE FROG PRINCESS trad tale 1 A story available online in various versions from different countries. This one is based on a Russian tale.
BLONDINE, BONNE-BICHE & BEAU-MINON trad tale 2 An old French story available online in the full version. It has been retold with new character names Blondie, Doe and Looker.
THE REAL PRINCESS trad tale 3 A Danish Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale (AKA The princess and the pea / The princess on the pea).
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD trad tale 4 (The simple versions have been based on a translation of the original Charles Perrault telling.)
THE TWELVE BROTHERS trad tale 5 A scary Brothers Grimm tale. New additional activity: tessellations.
CINDERELLA trad tale 6 The well-known tale. Plus tessellations and writing frame.
THE MAGIC HORSE from 1001 ARABIAN NIGHTS trad tale 7 Much abbreviated text! Plus tessellations and writing frame.
THE LADY AND THE LION trad tale 8 A combination of two very similar tales from the Brothers Grimm. Plus tessellations and writing frame.
IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE titles 8-10 in the USING LANGUAGE LEVELS BY MARION BLANK feature 3 stories in each title. See the list of these in this post.
languageisheartosay.com 