• We are learning to write instructions about how to make a good boat base (a raft).
• We are learning to compare boat issues in a different text to make a good boat.
• We are learning to find information from the text to help us understand it better.
• We are learning to respond to a text.
• We are learning to make predictions about the text.
• We are learning to use what we already know to help us understand the text.
This picture book invites children to count along as various animals come to help a duck who’s stuck in the muck. The repetitive, rhyming text supports early literacy development by exposing children to rhymes and predictable sentence patterns (AC9EFLE04 – Foundation Year, English).
At the same time, the book reinforces key mathematical concepts by encouraging children to recognise numerals, match quantities, and practise sequencing numbers up to ten (AC9MFN01 – Foundation Year, Mathematics). With its engaging rhythm, vibrant illustrations, and opportunities for counting and number sequence, One Duck Stuck is an excellent resource for developing both early language and numeracy skills in an enjoyable and memorable way.
This charming story supports early maths and literacy development. As a hungry snake finds and counts ten mice one by one, children are invited to practise counting forward and backward, reinforcing the concept of matching quantities with numbers (AC9MFN01 – Foundation Year, Mathematics).
The story has clear features of a narrative, which create opportunities for children to share ideas about events, such as the problem and its resolution, and the characters in the text (AC9EFLE02 – Foundation Year, English). Children can also retell the story through drawing, role-playing, or sequencing events, building their comprehension and creative expression (AC9EFLE05 – Foundation Year, English).
With its simple text, bold illustrations, and engaging plot, Mouse Count is an ideal resource for integrating numeracy and literacy in early childhood learning.
• We are learning to name and identify the external features of a carrot plant.
Discover how a text’s literary features, reading skills, and the curriculum come together to form a complete Talk for Reading unit.
By the end of Year 2, students develop key reading skills that support comprehension and fluency. Explore these skills and how they help foster these abilities.
The story follows a young girl who struggles to express herself calmly, often shouting when she feels frustrated or unheard. Through her journey, she learns to recognise and understand her emotions (AC9HPFP03, AC9HP2P03 – Foundation to Year 2, Health and Physical Education) and works to develop positive strategies for expressing her thoughts and feelings in respectful ways (AC9HPFP02, AC9HP2P02 – Foundation to Year 2, Health and Physical Education).
The story also encourages children to explore characters’ perspectives and emotional responses, fostering empathy (AC9HP2P01 – Health and Physical Education, Years 1 and 2). It helps them define safe and unsafe environments, such as calm corners, through interactions with friends in a classroom, establishing help-seeking strategies in such situations (AC9HP2P05 – Health and Physical Education, Years 1 and 2).
With its poetic language and engaging illustrations, The Shouting Girl helps students understand how rhyme and rhythm create cohesion in a text. It also explores how words and images shape settings and characters, along with other literary features such as lists of three and similes.
Explore family diversity and inclusion in A Family is a Family is a Family, aligned with key Australian Curriculum areas for Health, HaSS, English, and Visual Arts.
Discover how A Family is a Family is a Family enriches early literacy through Talk For Reading, discussing family diversity and love in Foundation Year.
Plants Can’t Sit Still is a fascinating and poetic exploration of the many ways plants move, grow, and respond to their environment. Through engaging text and vivid illustrations, the book challenges the common perception that plants are motionless, showcasing how they creep, climb, curl, and reach toward the sun. It helps young readers observe and understand the external features of plants and how they help them survive (AC9SFU01 – Foundation Year, Science). The book also supports learning about how plants, like other living things, have basic needs, such as water, sunshine, and room to grow (AC9S1U01 – Year 1, Science). With its dynamic storytelling and rich scientific concepts, Plants Can’t Sit Still encourages curiosity about the natural world and inspires children to observe plants in action.
• We are learning to reflect on and evaluate the text.
• We are learning to summarise the key messages of the text.
Learn how to select quality texts for early year literacy. Explore engagement factors and literary elements to enhance your planning.
• We are learning to extend our connections to a similar text.