Billy’s Biscuits

• Story by Janie Spaht Gill, Ph.D.
• Illustrations by Lori Wing
• DOMINIE PRESS / Pearson Learning Group
• GLE: Real/Make-believe (pre-kindergarten, kindergarten & Grades 1 & 2)
• Curriculum Extension Activities
• Cook biscuits for the class or your children and have the children enjoy putting on their favorite toppings of butter, jelly, molasses, brown sugar or cinnamon.  Eat and enjoy!
• Across the bottom of a piece of chart paper, write the toppings the children used.  Have each child draw the topping he or she chose and then write the word under the picture.  Then the children glue their pictures above the correct label on the chart paper, thereby creating a bar graph.
• Think about, discuss and list other foods Billy could have eaten to turn him into another animal.  For example, eating carrots could have turned him into a rabbit, or eating fish could have turned him into a cat.  Then have each child pick four sentences from the list to write and illustrate.  For example, a child could draw a rabbit and write, “I ate a carrot and turned into a rabbit.”  Combine each child’s pages to make a take-home book or keep.

View video here.

Escape From The Zoo

• Story by Janie Spaht Gill, Ph.D.
• Illustrations by Elizabeth Lambson
• DOMINIE PRESS / Pearson Learning Group
• GLE: Problem/Solution (pre-kindergarten, kindergarten & Grades 1 & 2)
• Curriculum Extension Activities
• Have the children play a guessing game.  The leader does an animal movement and the other children guess the animal.
• Invite the children to bring a stuffed animal from home.  Have them classify the animals by color, and then record the numbers of animals of each color.  Arrange the animals in order from largest to smallest.  If possible, weigh the toys and arrange them in order from lightest to heaviest.
• Write the names of the animals in the book across the bottom of a sheet of chart paper.  Have the children vote for their favorite animal, thereby creating a bar graph.
• Ask the children to draw and cut out their favorite animal in the story.  Under each drawing, have them write the names of the animal.  Arrange the animals on a chart from lightest to heaviest, and then in alphabetical order. 
• Do simple mathematical word problems, using children standing in front of the class.  (“Two monkeys plus one elephant equals three animals,” etc.)

View video here.

Hats

• Story by Janie Spaht Gill, Ph.D.
• Illustrations by Elizabeth Lambson
• DOMINIE PRESS / Pearson Learning Group
• GLE: What is an author? (pre-kindergarten, kindergarten & Grades 1 & 2)
• Curriculum Extension Activities
• Have each child create a paper hat.  Girls’ hats can be made out of paper plates, with yarn threaded on two sides to go under the chin.  Boys’ hats can be created in the shape of an Abe Lincoln hat by making a cylinder out of black paper for the top.  The bottom can be made out of black paper by cutting a large circle with a hole in the center.  The cylinder is then slipped through the hole.  Both hats can be decorated using scrap materials, sequins, glitter, beads, construction paper, flowers, etc.  The children can then have a hat parade!
• Using the hats created above, the children can sort them according to color, size, and shape.  A bar graph can be created to show the results.  The children can also vote on which hat is the funniest, the tallest, the most original, the widest, etc.
• Brainstorm a list of nouns beginning with the letter h.  Have each child pick a word to draw.  Then have the child write the word beneath the picture.  Put the words in order, from the tallest to the shortest.  The children could also arrange them in categories, such as animals, foods, names, etc.
• Have the children create their own Hats books, following the language pattern of the text.  On each page the child draws a hat, and beneath the hat, he or she writes, “Should I wear my _____ hat?”  “My _____ hat?” etc.

View video here.

I’m Scared

• Story by Janie Spaht Gill, Ph.D.
• Illustrations by Bob Reese
• ARO Publishing
• GLE: How characters feel (pre-kindergarten, kindergarten & Grades 1 & 2)
• Curriculum Extension Activities
• Describe times when children have had feelings similar to the scary feelings described in the story.  Have them identify additional feelings they may have experienced.  List these feelings.
• Play a name game in which a child makes a facial expression to pantomime a feeling, and the other children guess what feeling is being imitated.
• Have the children make a book about feelings.  On each page, they should write a word that names a feeling.  Then they should describe a time they had that feeling.
• After talking about feelings, have the children cut out pictures from magazines in which people show various feelings.  Glue these under categories such as happy, sad, mad, worried, etc.

View video here.

Jenny’s Yellow Ribbon

• Story by Janie Spaht Gill, Ph.D.
• Illustrations by Lori Anderson Wing
• DOMINIE PRESS / Pearson Learning Group
• GLE: Sequence two pictures (pre-kindergarten, kindergarten & Grades 1 & 2)
• Curriculum Extension Activities
• Have the children write a cause and an effect on a sentence strip.  Cut the sentence strip in half, separating the cause from the effect.  Then mix up the causes and the effects.  One by one, the children match the cause with the appropriate effect.  For example, “I didn’t clean my room.” (Cause)  “I couldn’t find my socks.”  (Effect)
• Play a game of “Ten Questions” in which one child hides a small object, such as a yellow ribbon.  The other children have ten guesses to try to determine where the object is.  Their guesses must be in the form of a questions calling for a “yes” or “no” answer.  The child who makes the correct guess and finds the object then becomes the one to hide something from the others.
• Talk about the rhyming words in the story: seat/street; mat/cat; ground/sound, etc.  Ask the children to write several words that rhyme with each pair of rhyming words in Jenny’s Yellow Ribbon.  For example, beginning with seat/street they might add heat and meet.
• Write the text of each page of the story on separate sheets of paper and have the children illustrate them.  Then hang the pages in correct sequence on a string that has been strung across the room.

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Lucy’s Boot

• Story by Janie Spaht Gill, Ph.D.
• Illustrations by Bob Reese
• DOMINIE PRESS / Pearson Learning Group
• GLE: Cause/Effect – why something happens (pre-kindergarten, kindergarten & Grades 1 & 2)
• Curriculum Extension Activities
• Have the children take turns pantomiming putting on various items of clothing.  Their classmates then guess what item of clothing it is: a hat, a belt, a shirt, a pair of pants, boots, gloves, etc.
• Use this story as an opportunity to talk about family members.  Have the children draw pictures of their family members and label them.  For example, “My sister’s name is Ann.”
• Ask the children to think about people who have helped them solve a problem  For example, a children might think, “Mom helped me tie my shoes.”  In teams of two, have the children act out the problem and the solution.

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Monster Stew

• Story by Janie Spaht Gill, Ph.D.
• Illustrations by Bob Reese
• DOMINIE PRESS / Pearson Learning Group
• GLE: Illustrations / Pictures (pre-kindergarten, kindergarten & Grades 1 & 2)
• Curriculum Extension Activities
• Form two columns on a chart, one for edible foods and the other for inedible foods.  Have the children cut pictures of food out of magazines and glue them in the appropriate column.  You can use this same activity for foods that we eat with our hands, and foods that we eat using utensils.
• Have the children brainstorm some of their favorite foods as you write them along the bottom of a chart.  Then have the children pick and draw the food they like best (from the ones listed).  They then glue their favorite foods in the appropriate column, forming a bar graph.  Discuss the results.
• Use the sentence pattern of the story as a basis for an alphabet oral language game.  Have the children sit in a circle.  Give each child a turn to name a type of food that could be added to a pot, in alphabetical order: “Add some apples.”  “Add some bananas,” etc.  They can also draw the food on a piece of paper and cut it out.  Then as each child takes a turn, they can actually drop the food into a pot in the center of the circle.

View video here.

My Pet Zoo

• Story by Janie Spaht Gill, Ph.D.
• Illustrations by Bob Reese
• DOMINIE PRESS / Pearson Learning Group
• GLE: Rhyming (pre-kindergarten, kindergarten & Grades 1 & 2)
• Curriculum Extension Activities
• Retell the story using drama.  The children could draw the animal faces on construction paper, cut them out, and then staple them to a strip of tag board.  The children could bring actual props from home to depict things that the animals used in the book, or they could draw them on sheets of construction.
• Make a class mural of a zoo.  Paint or draw the cages, trees, water, caves, etc.  The children can then draw the animals in the appropriate habitats.
• ask the children to draw and cut out their favorite animal in the story.  Under each drawing, have them write the name of the animal.  Arrange the animals on a chart, first from lightest to heaviest, then in alphabetical order.
• If possible, take the children on a field trip to a zoo.  If a visit to a zoo is out of the questions, show them a video featuring zoo animals, or have someone involved with animal care come and talk to the class.

View video here.

So-o-o- Long

• Story by Janie Spaht Gill, Ph.D.
• Illustrations by Bob Reese
• ARO Publishing
• GLE: The title tells you what the story is about (pre-kindergarten, kindergarten & Grades 1 & 2)
• Curriculum Extension Activities
• Have students think of things one can measure of different lengths.
• Make comparisons of things of various lengths.  For example, ask which is taller – a baby or a daddy?  Which is longer – a day or a month?  Which is shorter – a belt or a shoe string?
• Extend the story by having students name other long things such as Santa’s beard, etc.
• So-o-o- long has a double meaning.  Name other words that have double meanings such as a mean bully or “I mean what I say;” a light bulb or a light load.
• Give the children paper, glue and toothpicks to glue onto paper to make a cage.  When the toothpicks dry, have the children draw a zoo animal inside the cage.
• Talk to the children about why it is good to get enough sleep, and what you should do when you have a bad dream.  Have some of the children recall their last dream.  Discuss other healthy habits (eating properly, getting exercise, brushing teeth).
• Have children compile a list of things a child does to prepare for bed.  Have a child pantomime one of these actions (reading a book, brushing their teeth, taking a bath, washing their hair, putting on their pajamas, kissing their parents, turning out the light, etc.).

View video here.

Whose Foot Is This?

• Story by Janie Spaht Gill, Ph.D.
• Illustrations by Bob Reese
• ARO Publishing
• GLE: Prediction (pre-kindergarten, kindergarten & Grades 1 & 2)
• Curriculum Extension Activities
• Trace the hands and feet of a child on art paper.  Have the child color inside the hand or foot.  This makes a great gift.
• For this activity, the child needs a bound book or tablet of blank paper.  The child draws a picture of his/her foot on each of six different pages.  The child then turns each foot into an object or an animal (except for the last page).  For example, the foot could become a peanut, a key hole, a ghost, a horse’s head, etc.  Next, write at the bottom of each page what the child has drawn.  For example, the first page could read, “First, I drew a peanut.”  The text of the second page could read, “The, I drew a keyhole,” etc.  On the last page the text could read, “Then I drew my own foot.”
• Have each child take off one shoe.  Compare different shoe sizes and put them in order from the smallest to largest, or arrange them according to color, such as lightest to darkest.
• Name different things people wear on their feet such as sandals, boots, high heels, slippers etc.
• Show a foot long ruler and yard stick.  Take about the number of inches inside each.  Measure various objects.  Talk about why the size of the child’s foot is not the same as a foot or a ruler.  Also, talk about why the yard on a yard stick is smaller than the child’s front yard at home.
• Have a guessing game in which a child draws an animal (or a foot) on the board, feature by feature, or part by part, and the class guesses what the animal (or foot) it is before it’s completed.
• Pass out animal crackers as the class pantomimes various animals for the children to guess which animal is being imitated.

View video here.

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Dr. Janie Spaht Gill is a teacher, writer, performance artist, and now an LPB personality named “J J” – as in the Storytelling with J J & Friends series. ARO Publishing recently released six, 20-word books by Janie, all for pre-school children. The books are based upon the exploits of monkeys at the zoo in a series is entitled, “Monkey Tales.” Her next effort will center on the development of 10 and 15 word books for preschool children, as well as developing three chapter books at the 1st and 2nd grade levels.

Dr. Gill has taught for over 30 years, in every grade level from kindergarten to college level. She holds a Ph.D. from Louisiana State University in reading and creative writing. Currently “J J” is a teacher of gifted students in Lafayette Parish. Her writing career began while completing her Ph.D., when she made a presentation at a conference in Toronto. Canada. There she met a publisher who expressed an interest in her work. The publisher contacted her later and she agreed to submit six books at the 1st and 2hd grade levels. This eventually led her to write 54 books over the next several years.

Her 54 books were later bought by Dominie Press and retitled, “The Dominie Readers.” Subsequently her books received the “Teacher’s Choice Award” in the “Best Supplementary Reading Materials” category. Dominie Press published the books internationally in both English and Spanish. With the publisher’s assistance, Dr. Gill has traveled across the nation to make presentations. Recently Pearson Learning Group bought Dominie Readers and continues to publish Dr. Gill’s books.

Dr. Gill – our “J J,” continues to provide readings and appearances at schools and conferences. As you’ve seen in the “Storytelling with J J & Friends” episodes, J J dramatizes her readings and stories in costume, utilizing children whenever possible. If you’d like to contact her to arrange an appearance, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Dr. Gill is a Baton Rouge native, and currently resides in Lafayette, Louisiana with her husband Richard. Her fresh, humorous topics are inspired by the things her students say in the classroom. Gill was voted the 2000 Louisiana Elementary Teacher of the Year for her outstanding work in primary education.

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