What’s in a story? Story Elements
Setting:
A story's setting can be best described as the location, time, or time period of the story. It’s the where and when of a story. Some stories have a simpler setting, such as one place or location in which the story is set. As your reader progresses in their reading ability, storylines become more complex. Settings and the time period can occur in different locations throughout the story.
The setting of the story is powerful because it has a direct impact on what the characters experience in the story.
Questions to ask while reading with your child:
- What is the weather like? (Is it sunny, hot, snowing, etc.)
- Is it dark or light when the story takes place?
- What year or season is it?
- What does the environment look like? (forest, house, farm)
Here are some great books that showcase settings.
Activity: Setting Match Up
Read (or listen to) the following passages. Use context clues to identify the setting of each passage. Match the labels to the correct passage.
Extend and Explore:
Write your own setting for the two remaining word cards you didn’t use. Be descriptive and use details about the sights and sounds of your story. Then draw an illustration to fit the story/setting.
Activity: Calling All Artists
Goldfish on Vacation is a true story that occurred during the summers of 1992 to 2005. Read the story aloud to your young reader. Have your young reader think about where the story takes place. After listening to the story, have your reader draw a picture of the setting of the story while maybe even enjoying goldfish crackers.
Explore and Extend:
*After creating the illustration, use craft sticks to make a frame. You can also glue the illustration onto a deli tray.
*Play I-Spy -“I spy with my little eye…” using the last two pages of Goldfish on Vacation. This is an excellent activity for your young reader to practice describing, listening, and searching.
*Discuss the setting of the story and how the story might be different if it had taken place in a rural area or in the autumn. How would the story be different?
Activity: Compare & Contrast
After listening to Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, compare and contrast the town of Chewandswallow with your hometown.
Compare & Contrast
Extend and Explore:
Where would you rather live; in your town or in the town of Chewandswallow? What is your reason for your choice?
I would rather live in _______________because ___________________________________
Understanding the setting of a story is a key aspect to reading comprehension. The setting impacts the characters and the story's mood. It also helps to connect story elements, such as the characters, problems, solutions, and conclusions.
Have fun and explore, with your reader, other pictures books, or novels. Remember to apply some of the fun techniques and questions shown above or create your own!
Have fun and keep reading.
Be sure to check out our story kit in the Early Reader Kits, available in the YS Department.
Youth Services Assistant Librarian Erin
Youth Services Assistant Librarian Karen
2023 Summer Reading Secret Code: DISCOVER IDEAS
Welcome to our series, all about getting to know our very special Youth Services staff members at the Barrington Area Library! Each month, we'll publish an interview with one of our lovely staff members. Up next we have Youth Services Assistant Librarian Jessi!
What is your favorite part of working at the Barrington Area Library?
My favorite part about working here is how friendly, welcoming and supportive everyone is! Walking into the library always puts a smile on my face, whether it is seeing children find a book they love or seeing their creativity through building with Legos or the light bright wall.
What are some of your favorite books and/or genres?
I love to read lots of different genres! My favorite ones are romance, contemporary fiction, thrillers, and literary fiction. I love reading new authors or trying a genre or type of book that is new to me. You never know what you might enjoy!
Do you have a hobby or knowledge of a certain topic that you like to incorporate into your work at the library?
I have a lot of knowledge about mental health care, so I try to incorporate ideas about mindfulness and self-care into my work. I enjoy creating programming or blog posts that talk about how to take care of our mental health and help us focus on being the best versions of ourselves!
What do you like to do when you’re not working at the library?
Is it too cliché to say read!? I read 130 books in 2022! I also enjoy working out and playing with my dog.
Is there a fun fact about yourself that you’d like to share?
A fun fact about me is I shaved my head to raise money for childhood cancer in 2016! I like to volunteer and help others and this was something I could do to make an impact so I figured why not?
Youth Services Specialist Stefanie Molinaro
Did somebody say new books? The new 2024 Illinois Reader's Choice Book Awards are here! Find the newly awarded books in the Youth Services Department. We have multiple copies of the Monarch, Bluestem, and Caudill Award Winners. These are all great options for summer reading!
Find Monarch Books in the catalog.
Find Bluestem Books in the catalog.
Find Caudill books in the catalog.
Happy Reading!
Youth Services Librarian Claire
Mental health is important all year round, but May is the month where we bring awareness to this important topic! Mental health is just like physical health – you need to do things to take care of your mind so that it works at its best. This will help you do all the things you want to do like coming to the library to play and read!
To learn more about mental health, check out our Wellness Wonders: Mental Health Awareness Month Books mobile display. The display includes Board Books, Picture Books, Juvenile Non-Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, and Teen Fiction books. The mobile display will be up all month long located in the YS department near the beginning of the non-fiction shelves.
Want to participate in mental health focused programming? Check out Little Kids, Big Feelings and Meditation Story Time or check out our Early Learning Mindfulness Kits.
Youth Services Assistant Librarian Jessica
If you can't make it to Baby Time this month, or if you just can't get enough and want to recreate it at home-we've got you covered! Here are all of the wonderful rhymes we'll be sharing in our May sessions.
All the Little Babies
All the little babies go bouncin’, bouncin’
All the little babies go bouncin’ now.
All the little babies go bouncin’, bouncin’
All the little babies go bouncin’ now.
All the little babies go swayin’, swayin’
All the little babies go swayin’ now.
All the little babies go swayin’, swayin’
All the little babies go swayin’ now.
All the little babies say hello, hello
All the little babies say hello now.
All the little babies say hello, hello
All the little babies say hello now.
Peas Porridge Hot
Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold,
Peas porridge in the pot, Nine days old.
Baa, Baa Black Sheep
Baa, baa black sheep, have you any wool?
Yes, sir, yes sir, three bags full.
One for my master, one for the dame,
And one for the little boy who lives down the lane.
There Was a Little Mouse
There was a little mouse,
Looking for his house.
Not here,
Not here,
But here, here here.
Dump Truck, Dump Truck
Dump truck, dump truck, bumpin down the road
Spilling gravel as you travel with your heavy load
Bumpity, bumpity, bump
Dump truck, dump truck, dump truck, DUMP!
Bouncing, Bouncing Baby on my Knee
Bouncing, bouncing baby on my knee
Bouncing, bouncing 1 2 3!
Clapping, clapping with baby on my knee
Clapping, clapping 1 2 3!
Hugging, hugging baby on my knee
Hugging, hugging 1 2 3!
My Little Hands
With my little hands I go clap, clap, clap
With my little feet I go tap, tap, tap
With my little arms I wave bye, bye, bye
With my little legs, I kick high, high, high,
With my little eyes, I say “Peek-a-boo!”
With my little lips I say “I love you!”
Youth Services Specialist Stefanie
Welcome to our series, all about getting to know our very special Youth Services staff members at the Barrington Area Library! Each month, we'll publish an interview with one of our lovely staff members. Up next we have Youth Services Specialist Venessa!
What is your favorite part of working at the Barrington Area Library?
There are so many positive aspects to being part of the Barrington Area Library. My favorite is the people and relationships that have been created during my time here. Whether it be getting to know my co-workers or engaging in meaningful interactions with our youngest community members or anything in between; the people are what makes Barrington Area Library so wonderful.
What are some of your favorite books and/or genres?
I don’t have a favorite book. I love picture books! I appreciate the illustrations in a book as much as I do the contents. I also enjoy reading self help books; I feel inspired when I read useful books about life that have the potential to be life changing.
Do you have a hobby or knowledge of a certain topic that you like to incorporate into your work at the library?
I love spending time outdoors in nature. I love that Barrington Area Library offers Story Time Nature Walk at Crabtree Nature Center. I really enjoy partnering with Crabtree to maximize our outdoor experiences together.
What do you like to do when you’re not working at the library?
When I am not working at the library I like to meditate and spend time with my family. I especially enjoy spending time outdoors. I love warm weather. I like to go for walks with my children and my dogs, attend sporting events, go camping and just relax by water.
Is there a fun fact about yourself that you’d like to share?
Fun Fact #1: I have two very big dogs! Mack and Marshal. Mack is a Saint Bernard and Marshal is a Mastiff/Shepherd mix. Together they weigh over 300lbs.
Fun Fact #2: I collect frogs.
Youth Services Specialist Stefanie
In our last literacy blog, Let’s Hear It For The Vowels, we introduced vowels a,e,i,o,u , sometimes y, and the sounds they make. Now it’s time to start talking about how vowels work as a team. That’s right, sometimes vowels team up, just like your favorite sports team. These teams work together to make a specific sound. Go team!
There are a lot of vowel teams out there. For our post today, we’re going to focus on beginning vowel teams.
Fast Tip: Keep in mind, vowels can be tricky because there are no set rules that apply to vowels all of the time. The "rules" are more generalizations.
But, with a little patience and practice, your emerging reader will be a pro in no time!
Your Vowel Team Starting Lineup
Let’s start learning about teamwork with vowels by introducing our starting lineup of vowel teams. These teams are the most common, and the most mighty!
Long A Team ….-ai, -ay, - a_e (long a words: paint, say, game)
Long E Team ….–ea, -ee, e_e (long e words: reach, tree, eve)
Long O Team….. -oa, -oe, o_e (long o words: boat, toe, cone)
Long U Team….-ue, -ew, u_e (long u words: glue, few, cube)
Fast Tip: The two vowels in a vowel team work together to make one vowel sound so they can’t be split up.
After your reader is successful with these vowel teams, you can expand your line-up by introducing other combinations.
The Tricky Teammate: Silent E
A common teammate in words is the silent e. Sometimes the vowel e can get a little sneaky and remain silent. This can happen when the e comes at the end of the word and there is a consonant between a vowel and the letter e.
For example, the word take is pronounced tāk because the e remains silent.
Vowel Consonant e (V_e) is when one vowel is followed by a consonant and the letter e.
Examples of vowel, consonant, and “silent e” are:
a_e game (silent e makes letter a say its name)
e_e eve (silent e makes letter e say its name)
I_e bike (silent e makes letter i say its name)
o_e cone (silent e makes letter 0 say its name)
u_e cute (silent 3 makes letter u say its name)
Ready to get to know more about your vowel teams? We have some great books in the library to add to your practice!
Teaching and Practicing Each Vowel Team
Lace up your tennis shoes and grab your gear, it’s time to practice with your vowel teams! Here are a few activities you can do anytime to introduce and reinforce vowel teams.
GAME PLAN for teaching each vowel team: (Teach one vowel team per week)
Select the vowel team you wish to introduce, and create word cards that focus on that one vowel team. List provided below for your convenience.
ai and ay are great vowel teams to start with because they are common and have a predictable pattern.
Read aloud the word cards (do not show words or word cards) to your young reader. Prompt your student by saying, “What common sound do you hear in these words: “rain, paint, train.” (Student identifies long a sound by hearing and has not yet seen the words or letters)
When your young reader is ready, have your young reader practice decoding word cards by highlighting the vowel team and saying aloud the corresponding sound. When your young reader highlights the vowel teams, it helps them remember the teams by emphasizing the letter patterns and their corresponding sound.
GAME PLAN for Practicing Vowel Teams
This Activity is sure to be a SLAM DUNK!
Use a cup, a small container, or even a trash can. Take turns saying the word and the vowel team, then crumble the paper and shoot for a point!
Extend and Explore
- 🏀 For a challenge, add another container and word cards from two different “teams.” When shooting, be sure to choose the correct “basketball hoop” that corresponds with your word card/vowel team.
- 🏀Vary the distance from where you take the shot.
- Shoot from the closest spot (slam dunk) for 1 point.
- Shoot from the medium spot for 2 points.
- Shoot from the farthest spot for 3 points.
Yaaaay Team!
Cheerleaders always say, “YAY,” when they clap and cheer. Listen for the Long A sound, underline the spelling patterns for Long A, and then sort/ or write them, on the corresponding pom pom.
Extend and Explore
Create another pom pom that allows the vowel, consonant, silent e (a_e) word pattern. Say the word, write the word on your pom pom, and underline the spelling pattern. How many words are on your silent e pom pom?
Tongue Twisters and Poems
You and your beginning reader can create and write a silly poem or tongue twister. Help your beginning reader recognize vowel teams by highlighting the repeated sounds in the poem or tongue twister.
Extend and Explore
Repeated readings by your young reader is a practice that aims to increase oral reading fluency. A fun way to practice is to have your reader use different voices as they read. For example, read the poem/tongue twister using a robot voice, a mouse voice, a princess voice, or a cowboy voice. Be silly, have fun, and watch your reader grow in fluency and confidence!
Practice Makes Perfect!
Understanding word structure can be challenging. Like in anything in life, the more practice and exposure to a concept, the easier it will become for your reader. Be sure review, and if you see your reader getting frustrated, feel free to go back and review single vowel sounds or letter recognition. The most important thing to remember is to have fun!
Be sure to check out our Beginning and Early Reader Kits, available in the YS Department.
Youth Services Assistant Librarian Erin
Youth Services Assistant Librarian Karen
If you can't make it to Baby Time this month, or if you just can't get enough and want to recreate it at home-we've got you covered! Here are all of the wonderful rhymes we'll be sharing in our April sessions.
All the Little Babies
All the little babies go bouncin’, bouncin’
All the little babies go bouncin’ now.
All the little babies go bouncin’, bouncin’
All the little babies go bouncin’ now.
All the little babies go swayin’, swayin’
All the little babies go swayin’ now.
All the little babies go swayin’, swayin’
All the little babies go swayin’ now.
All the little babies say hello, hello
All the little babies say hello now.
All the little babies say hello, hello
All the little babies say hello now.
To Market, To Market
To market, to market, to buy a fat hog,
Home again, home again, jiggity jog.
To market, to market to buy a fat pig.
Home again, home again,
Jiggity jig.
Little Miss Muffet
Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet
Eating her curds and whey
Along came a spider and sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away
Spots, Spots, Spots
Spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots
A leopard has lots of spots
What a lot of spots he got
A tiger's stripes are always nice
But a leopard has lots of spots
Spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots, spots
Toast in the Toaster
I’m toast in the toaster
And I’m getting very hot!
Tick, tock,
Tick, tock,
Up I pop!
Head and Shoulders Baby 1,2,3
Head and shoulders baby 1, 2, 3
Head and shoulders baby 1, 2, 3
Head and shoulders baby 1, 2, 3
Head and shoulders, head and shoulders
Head and shoulders baby 1, 2, 3!
Knees and toes baby 1, 2, 3
Knees and toes baby 1, 2, 3
Knees and toes baby 1, 2, 3
Knees and toes, knees and toes
Knees and toes baby 1, 2, 3!
Back and tummy baby 1,2,3
Back and tummy baby 1,2,3
Back and tummy baby 1,2,3
Back and tummy, back and tummy
Back and tummy baby 1,2,3!
Up, Up, Up
Up, up, up, in the sky like this
Down, down, down, for a great big kiss
Up like this,
Down for a kiss,
You’re my special baby.
Youth Services Specialist Stefanie
Welcome to our new series, all about getting to know our very special Youth Services staff members at the Barrington Area Library! Each month, we'll publish an interview with one of our lovely staff members. Up next we have Youth Services Librarian MaryJo!
What is your favorite part of working at the Barrington Area Library?
As a lifelong reader of children’s literature, I am ecstatic to be a part of the wonderful staff at Barrington Area Library as a Youth Service Librarian. I love talking about different books and finding the perfect book for everyone. I love being silly in story times, recommending my favorite books, and helping children find their new favorite series.
What are some of your favorite books and/or genres?
Fantasy, mystery, and adventure books are some of my favorite genres, but I am always up for new suggestions.
More specifically, my favorite book in our Youth Services collection is The Sign of the Cat by Lynne Jonell. I am a big fan of any books featuring dragons or cats. (Since I have a cat, and once had a dragon (a bearded dragon named Beast!)
Do you have a hobby or knowledge of a certain topic that you like to incorporate into your work at the library?
Something new I’ve been trying is learning how to garden. I love working with and learning from the Master Gardeners that come to the Teaching Garden, and applying that knowledge to programming for children. I also love learning about mindfulness, and incorporating that into our story times.
What do you like to do when you’re not working at the library?
I love crafting, spending time with my daughter, puzzles, baking, and of course, reading.
Is there a fun fact about yourself that you’d like to share?
Before working at the library, I used to work for the big mouse, Mickey Mouse, at Walt Disney World in EPCOT at Innoventions!
Youth Services Specialist Stefanie Molinaro
If you can't make it to Baby Time this month, or if you just can't get enough and want to recreate it at home-we've got you covered! Here are all of the wonderful rhymes we'll be sharing in our March sessions.
All the Little Babies
All the little babies go bouncin’, bouncin’
All the little babies go bouncin’ now.
All the little babies go bouncin’, bouncin’
All the little babies go bouncin’ now.
All the little babies go swayin’, swayin’
All the little babies go swayin’ now.
All the little babies go swayin’, swayin’
All the little babies go swayin’ now.
All the little babies say hello, hello
All the little babies say hello now.
All the little babies say hello, hello
All the little babies say hello now.
Jack and Jill
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water,
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.
The Queen of Hearts
The queen of hearts, she made some tarts,
All on a summer's day.
The knave of hearts, he stole some tarts,
And took them clean away.
Round and Round the Butter Dish
Round and round the butter dish
One, two, three
A little here
A little there
Tasty as can be!
Boing! Boing! Squeak!
Boing! Boing! Squeak!
A bouncing mouse is in my house
She's been here for a week.
She bounces in the kitchen,
She bounces in the den.
She bounces in the living room,
Look! There she goes again!
Boing! Boing! Squeak!
Boing! Boing! Squeak!
A bouncing mouse is in my house
She's been here for a week.
Jump! Jump! Kangaroo Brown!
Jump! Jump! Kangaroo Brown
Jump! Jump! Off to town
Jump! Jump! Up and down
Jump! Jump! Kangaroo Brown
Clap Your Hands Little Baby
Clap your hands little baby
Clap your hands little baby, dear
Clap your hands little baby
Clap them baby dear
Bend your knees little baby...
Pat your legs little baby...
Tap your feet little baby…
Rub your tummy little baby…
Give a hug little baby...
Youth Services Specialist Stefanie
Let’s hear it for the vowels!
Get to Know Short and Long Vowels
Recognizing letter sounds is a fundamental part of learning how to read. Now that your beginning reader is familiar with consonants, it’s time to introduce 5 (sometimes 6) letters that make it even easier to begin decoding words. Vowels – a, e, i,o, u, and sometimes y – are found in every word and can be tricky for new readers. However, a little daily practice at home can make vowel letters and sounds less intimidating.
Short vs. Long
Vowels are tricky because they can say different sounds, a long sound and short sound.
The long sound, like the i in light, is when the vowel says its name.
The short sound, like the a in cat, is when it has a specific sound.
When learning vowels and their pronunciation, you may see symbols above the vowels. These symbols tell the reader if the vowel is long or short.
- The long vowel sound symbol is a horizontal line above the vowel called a macron. They look like this: Ā or ā. For example; the pronunciation of light would look like this: līght.
- The short vowel sound symbol is a curved line above the vowel called a breve. They look like this: Ă or ă. For example; the pronunciation of cat would look like this: căt.
Fast tip: Many of the words that have a short vowel sound follow a pattern. This pattern is called CVC. Which means a consonant, a vowel, and another consonant.
For example: bed follows the CVC pattern. b ( consonant), e (vowel), and d (consonant).
Fast tip: The letter “y” is likely to make a long or short vowel sound when found at the end of a word.
For example:
In a one syllable word “Y” says “I” Example: cry, shy, try,
In a two syllable word “Y” says “E” Example: bunny, happy, city
Great reads that showcase vowels...
Activities to Try
Word Building
CVC words are an important tool for beginning readers, yet no hard hats or hammers will be necessary for this activity. The goal is to create words using consonant and vowel letters to become an expert word builder.
To begin:
1. Divide a plate or tray into thirds.
2. Create two labels similar to the ones shown below. ( VOWELS & CONSONANTS)
3. Create letter tiles using squares of paper, similar to what is shown below. Consonants are in black and vowels are in red. These can be created on a computer or they can be handwritten and cut out.
4. The bottom section will be used for the word you and your child build together.
Explore and Extend
Change it up: Give your child a word and then ask them to switch it to another word by changing one tile only. For example, if you made the word cat you can switch the first letter c to a b to make- bat.
Your beginning reader would select the one tile to change.
Word Ladders: Give 3 letter tiles to build a CVC word. Then switch the initial sound from “cat” to “bat” to “sat.”
Practice makes progress-make it a song!
Short vowel sounds, like consonant sounds, take a little practice. Try practicing short vowel sounds in familiar songs. You can sing these practice songs in the car, in the bathtub, or at the park.
Old MacDonald had a farm a-e-i-e-i-o.
And on that farm he had a cat.
With an {short a sound here} {short a sound here} here
And an {short a sound here} {short a sound here} there
Here an {short a sound here}
There a {short a sound here}
Everywhere a {short a sound here} {short a sound here}
Old MacDonald had a farm, a-e-i-e-i-o!
Example of a song using this trick
Old MacDonald had a farm a-e-i-e-i-o
And on that farm he had a hen
And on that farm he had a pig
And on that farm he had a dog
And on that farm he had a duck
Long vowels songs may include:
The song…..Row, Row, Row Your Boat.
Apples and Bananas. This song allows the singer to change the vowels to add more fun to the song.
For example: one of the lyrics replaces the short A with Long a. It would sound like: “I like to āte, āte, āte, āpples and bānānās.” The song continues to replace the vowels so kids can hear the sound those vowels make.
Letter Mark
Once the weather gets warmer, you can use sidewalk chalk to write all vowels on the sidewalk.
Give your child a bean bag or water squirter and call out a letter for them to toss the bean bag or spray, tagging the correct letter. This works for calling out sounds as well.
Explore and Extend
Don’t forget to mix up lowercase and uppercase letters to make it a little more exciting and a lot more educational.
For an extra challenge mix up the letters so they are not in alphabetical order.
What Comes Next?
Remember, practicing sounds and letter recognition will help develop your child’s curiosity for reading, as well as the skills they will use to decode words. We are cheering you on!
Be sure to check out our Beginning and Early Reader Kits, available in the YS Department.
Youth Services Assistant Librarian Erin
Youth Services Assistant Librarian Karen
We have a brand new kit circulating in Youth Services: Ukulele Kits! We currently have 4 kits circulating, and all of them contain a Soprano ukulele, a felt pick, a tuner, and a copy of The Kids' Guide to Learning the Ukulele by Emily Arrow. Visit Youth Services to learn more, or check out our catalog here to place a hold.
Be sure to check out our other activity kits! STEM Kits, Story Time To-Go Kits, Early Learning Kits, Beginning Reader Kits, and Board Games are all available in Youth Services!
Youth Services Specialist Stefanie