Grade: Elementary

#706. Pattern Books

Reading/Writing, level: Elementary
Posted Mon Nov 16 11:48:29 PST 1998 by Raymond Bennett (rabennett@wasd.iu5.org).
Wattsburg Area Elementary Center, Erie, PA USA
Materials Required: Pattern Book, paper, markers
Activity Time: It can be as short as 45 minutes
Concepts Taught: Finding patterns in literature, Creating books based upon the pattern book being used.

Procedure for making Pattern Books

A. Read and share a book. While doing this, have kids look for a pattern.

B. Have kids share their thoughts on the pattern. Give examples.

C. In small cooperative groups, or as individuals determine a topic for a pattern story.

D. Write out a rough draft of the story with sample pictures (draft quality).

E. On final paper, draw pictures and write out stories. Computers work well for final drafts.

F. If available, laminate and bind. This step is nice, but not a necessary part. Many quality books have been bond with string, staples, and other objects.

G. Final Step- Share the books with others. Nothing instills confidence, pride, or self-worth, more than sharing something you've worked hard to produce. Don't skip this part.

*** It is important to give the author of the pattern book credit. I like to have the kids state on the front of their books, This book is adapted from the book, Fortunately by Remy Charlip.

Suggested Pattern Books

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
Ask Mister Bear by Majorie Flack
Bears by Ruth Krauss
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Bill Martin Jr.
Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr.
Chicken Soup with Maurice Sendak
A Dark, Dark Tale by Ruth Brown
Do You Want to Be My Friend? by Eric Carle
The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins
Fortunately by Remy Charlip
The Gingerbread Boy by Paul Galdone
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Hattie and the Fox by Mem Fox
Henny Penny by Paul Galdone
The House That Jack Built by Rodney Peppe
If It Weren't for You by Charlotte Zolotow
I Was Walking Down the Road by Sarah Barchas
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
I Will Not Go to Market Today by Harry Allard
The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown
Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? by Nancy Carlsrom
Jump, Frog, Jump by Robert Kalan
King Bidgood's in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams
Old Mother Hubbard by Colin and Jacqui Hawkins
One Monday Morning by Uri Schulevitz
Over in The Meadow by Olive Wadsworth
The Napping House by Audrey Wood
Rain Makes Applesauce by Julian Scheer
The Rose in My Garden by Arnold Lobel
Round as a Pancake by Joan Sullivan
Someday by Charlotte Zolotow
The Teeny Tiny Woman by Barbara Seuling
Three Blind Mice by John Ivimey
The Three Little Pigs by Paul Galdone
This Old Man: The Counting Song by Robin Koontz
Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
What Do You Do, Dear by Sesyle Joslin
The Wheels on the Bus by Mary Ann Kovalski
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
Where's Spot? by Eric Hill
Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears by Verna Aardema


There are many other Pattern Books available. Don't be afraid to use poems. Two poem books I can recommend offhand are: If I Were in Charge of the World, by Judith Viorst; and Grasshopper Gumbo, by Jack Prelutsky.