I like to feature authors during March is Reading Month.  One of my favorite book series is the Berenstain Bears, by Jan and Stan Berenstain. The photo is courtesy of Amazon.com

This was my son Jason’s favorite “read to me” book before he went to bed.

Stan and Jan Berenstain wrote this successful children’s series together.  It started with their first book The Big Honey Hunt in 1962.  Previously, they had been successful cartoonists for magazines and adult humor books.  Since then, they have produced more that 300 Berenstain Bear books, with 260 million copies sold.

Their son Mike was their inspiration and joined the writing team in the late 1980’s.  He and his mother continue to write new stories, since his father’s death at the age of 82, in 2005.

I’ll sometimes follow up a story with one of their life-skill building videos.  They are very short, usually less than 10-minutes, and teach a valuable lesson.  My favorite is Messy Room. Click on the link to view this on U-Tube.

My favorite Berenstain Bear book to read to my Y5’s is Inside Outside Upside Down.

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The simple gist of the story is that Brother Bear gets into a box. Papa Bear turns the box upside down, takes it outside, and it accidentally gets put on a truck.

Why I Love it:

The rhyming text, and repetitive verse make it a perfect easy reader.

Since teaching spatial directions is one of my report card standards this is the perfect book for explaining those concepts.

How I Teach Spatial Directions:

• I pause at the repetitive verse and have my students repeat the phrase with me, as I point to the individual words.
• I make the book even more fun because I made a large box similar to the one in the book. 
  
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• Since eyes peek out of the box, I cut out two white circles and glued huge wiggle eyes on top and then glued them to the box. I also glued the repetitive words, inside, outside, and upside down on the box.  I put contact paper over them for extra protection.  After I finish the story the child shows the side of the box that says: The End!
  

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• I choose a student to manipulate the box while I read the story.
  
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• After the story I review all the spatial direction words with my students and call on quiet students to manipulate the box.  i.e., the box is beside the student, the box is above the student, the box is between two students etc.
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• Even my ESL students have spatial directions pretty down pat by the time we end this activity.
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• I add spatial direction words to our word wall, make flashcards for them, and have my students make Itty Bitty books from the flashcard skill sheet. Click on the link to view/print a copy of the spatial direction word cards.
  
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• They trace the words, cut out the cards, and I staple their booklets.  They really enjoy sharing them with their families.
• We then think of the spatial direction word that we like best and graph the results.  Click on the link to view/print a spatial direction graph.
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• I also Xerox off their school picture on the photo setting of the copier.  I cut 7 ovals of their picture so that they can glue it beside, above, under, inside... the boxes on the pages of their  Where Am I? booklet. 
  
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• They also get practice tracing and writing the words and increase their fine motor skills cutting and gluing them to the correct pages.  This is one of their parents' favorite keepsake booklets that they make. 
  
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• I make the rounds of several food and appliance stores and ask them for boxes.  During Free Play Center time my students have fun playing with the boxes.
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• Later, I have them manipulate blocks and go through the various spatial directions using the blocks.  We'll do this at their tables.
  
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• For a gross motor movement, I'll have them choose a puppet or stuffed animal, bring it to the circle and I'll tell them to put the puppet/animal on, above, beside them.  To extend this, and get the wiggles out, I'll put on some zippy music and we'll march around.  As they march, I'll say "On!" and they'll put their puppet/animal on whatever body part I put mine on. We'll continue to march and I'll say: "Beside-left, beside-right,  above." etc. 
  


• It also gives me a chance to reinforce the names of the various parts of their body, which is also a report card standard.
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• It’s a fun day for my students, and one of their favorite books in their book basket.  It’s especially rewarding when they come to me and say: “Mrs. Henderson.  Mrs. Henderson.  Listen to me.  I can read this page!”

Where's Blue?

• The other thing that I do to get spatial directions in their head is to “hide” something in plain sight.
• Each morning this is one of their jobs.  It teaches responsibility and gives them something to do that keeps them quiet and focused.
• The first child to discover where the object is, raises their hand and gets to tell the class (using spatial direction words) where it is.
• In September this is Blue from Blue’s Clues, in October it’s a pumpkin.  I skip November because everyone has the concept nailed by then.  I revisit it again in December with Elf on a Shelf as a behavior modification tool. I also do it again in March with a Leprechaun for the same reason and also as a refresher.

Laundry Line Of Learning:

• Another way my students learn their spatial directions is with my Laundry Line of Learning; it has numbers that change with the various months/seasons.
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• i.e., I’ll have numbered school children for September (pictured), numbered snowmen for January, shamrocks for March etc. hanging from a clothesline. The clothesline is just below my number train in the photo.
  
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• Leo the Lion has his thumbs up or down if he’s messed up the numbers. His arms are bendable.  He is sitting on the chalk sill next to the hot pick rectangle.
  
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• My students use their spatial direction words to tell me where the numbers should go so that I can fix the line i.e., before, after, left, right, as well as ordinal placement: first, second, third etc. 

Manipulatives:

• I have a flannel board with Monthly Manipulatives where my students can place a Velcro apple (September) or an October pumpkin in the various positions. i.e, the smaller apples have the spatial direction words on them like "beside". I'll pass out the little apples and the children will put the word-apple where it goes.  The big themed piece (in this case the apple) is in the middle of the flannel board.  The child with the small "beside" apple will put it beside the big apple.
  
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•  If I'm working on left and right, I'll tell them to put it beside the apple on the left or right.  The child with the "above" word-apple will place it above the big apple and so on.  I do this board during story time.  It only takes a minute and the children enjoy placing the seasonal manipulatives on the board. 
  
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• It's another fun way for them to get these word-wall words into their heads so that they can read the matching booklets.  I also have color and number words on the apples, pumpkins, mittens etc.  This also helps them read the matching color and number booklets.  Click on the link above to check out this fun program that helps my Y5's become readers. 
  

Spatial Direction Booklets:

• Finally, every week they have at least one, sometimes two spatial direction booklets that they trace, cut and glue together.
• After everyone has completed their booklet, we read it as a whole group.  This reinforces concepts of print and helps get the spatial direction words in their head.
• My students’ self-esteem is also built because they can actually take these little booklets home and read them to their families!
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• I have lots of spatial direction booklets available for only .29cents. I designed them for each of my themes.
• My students really enjoy making them.  They reinforce reading skills, but also help with writing, listening and following directions; plus it helps increase their finger dexterity, increasing muscle control as they improve their cutting skills.
• My students are familiar with the directions, so I simply pass a booklet out during our reading block and they “get down to business”.
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• Because this is an independent activity, I’m free to do assessments, or work one-on-one with a struggling student.
• March spatial direction booklets are:  Go Fly A Kite,  Lucky Me!  I Found A Four-Leaf Clover,  There’s a Pot Of Gold At The End Of The Rainbow,  Where Is The Pot Of Gold, and  Where’s The Lion?
  
• Become a Gold Subscription member and download over 100 booklets and anything else at no additional charge.  Every week I add new things including at least one easy reader!
  

This Berenstain Bear book can be read to even a very young child.  My children enjoyed it as young as one.  So if you have little ones at home, snuggle up on the couch, and grab a big old empty box from the basement.  You’ll have some great quality time with your kids!

I remember one Christmas my daughter Kelli’s favorite thing that year was not playing with her new toys, instead, with a bow stuck to her little blond head, she crawled inside a box, rolled upside down, squealed… “Mama Mama!” and had the time of her life, much like the ending of Jan and Stan’s book: “Mama Mama I went to town, inside, outside, upside down!”

Happy Reading,

whether you're inside, outside, or even, upside down!

Click on the link to view/print a spatial direction certificate.