Harry and the Terrible Whatzit by Dick Gackenbach

Early Literacy Aside--Explain: Today we are going to focus on vocabulary, one of the early literacy skills. Vocabulary is knowing the meanings of words, of things, concepts, feelings and ideas.Book Introduction: Talk about the word cellar. What is a cellar? Explain the word. Read the book Harry and the Terrible Whatzit by Dick Gackenbach. Early Literacy Aside--Example:  Go ahead and use words that are unfamiliar to your child. Don't replace words in books that they may not understand, but explain them. This will build their vocabulary. Early Literacy Aside--Empower: Don't forget when reading to your children at home, don't replace words, but explain them. This helps build their vocabulary and will make it easier for your children to later understand what they read. Submitted by Janet Boucher, Blue Ridge (VA) Regional Library