1. Before you read

Read the title and discuss it. Encourage learners to talk about the type of dreams they have, who or what is in their dreams?

Ask learners to describe their dreams – write the words down on a board or piece of paper. Are dreams always happy? Why or why not? Chat about daydreams and how they are different to dreaming.

Look at the picture on the cover, what kind of dream does the little girl have? Discuss the colours, flowers and birds. What do they think birds mean in a dream?

2. Let’s read

Begin reading with the acknowledgments page, read the title and about the authors and illustrator. Read one page at a time and then stop to discuss it. Talk about the illustrations on each page.

Make the link between being at granny and grandpa and daydreaming. Why does the main character feel comfortable daydreaming while at her grandparents?

Discuss the symbolism of the birds and the grandparents. What characteristics does an eagle have? Who is the same as an eagle, why? Discuss the butterfly, the dove, the owl and the parrot.

Discuss all challenging vocabulary you come across while reading. Discuss the sound of the word, the shape and the groups of letters in it.

3. After you read

Ask learners to get together in small groups and list symbols from their own dreams, and who they feel these are linked to. They can then create a short mime to enact their dreams. They can make use of scarves, masks, ribbons, etc as props. These mimes can be performed before the class.

My dream … use this as a title for learners to talk about their dreams for the future. Children have wild imaginations and big dreams. Let them get wild and imagine what they would like to do one day. They can illustrate and write a few sentences about it.

4. Curriculum connections

In your Technology lesson, why not make a dream catcher? Dream catchers are meant to trap bad dreams and let the good dreams float down to the sleeper.

You will need:

• a bendable twig about 60cm long
• a few centimetres of thin wire
• some string or wool
• beads with large holes
• a few feathers

What to do:

1. Use the thin wire to tie the ends of a twig together to make a hoop.
2. Cut a few centimetres of string. Tie one end of the string to the twig hoop.
3. String a few beads onto the string and push the beads toward the tied end. Wrap the string around the other side of the hoop.
4. String a few more beads onto the string and then wrap the string around the far side of the hoop. Repeat until you are happy with the design.
5. Tie a short piece of string onto the hoop.
6. String a bead or two onto it and then tie a feather onto the end.
7. Repeat this a few times.
8. Hang the dream catcher near your bed.
9. Sweet dreams!

Reading tips for parents
Reading well is at the heart of all learning. Without the ability to read, children cannot succeed in school. Children begin to develop language skills in infancy. To understand the connection between children’s early experiences with spoken language and learning to read, think of language as a four-legged stool. The four legs are talking, listening, reading and writing. All four legs are important, as each helps to support and balance the other. Here are some tips to get you started:

• Talk to your child, have many conversations about all sorts of things
• Visit the library. Look for alphabet books and books of poems and rhymes
• Point out letters and simple, familiar words in books and signs