April Book Activity – Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
Story Summary
A peddler is walking up and down the streets selling caps. He balances many gray, brown, blue and red caps on his head. One day he is feeling tired and takes a nap under a tree. When he wakes up his caps are gone! Where could his caps be?
Recommended Ages: Preschool – 1st grade
Activity 1
- Before reading Caps for Sale, model taking a picture walk with the whole class. Start with showing the front of the book and pointing out the title and author. Then on the title page show the picture of the peddler and talk about what a peddler is.
- As you continue your picture walk through the book ask the students some questions such as: How would you describe the peddler’s caps? Where is the peddler going and what is he doing? What happened to his caps while he was sleeping? How will he get his caps back? What do you notice the monkeys doing?
- Now read the story to find out how the peddler will finally get his caps back!
Materials
- Caps for Sale, by Esphyr Slobodkina (found in this paperbacks set and in this children’s classics pack)
Activity 2
- Use the poem Monkey’s, Monkey’s for the next activity.
Monkey’s, Monkey’s,
in a tree.
Throw the red cap
down to me!
- Write the poem on sentence strips and place it in a pocket chart. Write more color words on sentence strip paper to exchange other color words in the poem. Place matching color paper caps in the pocket chart to the side of the poem for the students to manipulate with the color words in the poem.
Materials
- Bright White Sulphite Drawing Paper
- Crayola Classic Broad Tip Markers
- Pocket Chart
- White Sentence Strips
Activity 3
- Tell the children they will be doing an activity with the AP word family; like the word caps in the title Caps for Sale.
- Reread the story Caps for Sale. Tell the children to raise their hand every time they hear the word cap or caps.
- After reading, make a list of other AP words on chart paper. Then read the list together. Ask the children what part sounds the same with all the words.
Materials
Activity 4
- Reread Caps for Sale one more time, allowing the children to chime into the chanting parts they remember. (ex. “Caps! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!”)
- Next the children will be able to design their own caps using plain white caps and fabric markers.
- Once their caps are decorated have a few children volunteer to see how many caps can be piled on their heads before the caps topple over!
Materials
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Guest Blogger: Melinda Brown, Reading Recovery Teacher at East Lyme Public
Thank you for sharing your ideas. I have just embarked on a new learning journey teaching preschoolers to read. Your blog has provided me with many interesting activities that I can share with the children.