Reading with Eric Carle is a rich, literature‑based resource for Grades 1–3 that helps students explore the writing style, themes, and artistic techniques of one of the most beloved children’s authors. Through a wide selection of Eric Carle’s books, students engage in comprehension, word study, creative thinking, and individualized reading activities that strengthen their ability to infer, predict, analyze, and respond to text. The resource includes story summaries, teacher‑directed lessons, evaluation sheets, tracking pages, creative activities, and reproducible cards that support differentiated instruction and independent reading.

This unit encourages students to think deeply about characters, themes, and values while developing strong literacy skills. With activities that incorporate Bloom’s Taxonomy and Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences, students practice sequencing, drawing conclusions, identifying story elements, exploring vocabulary, and expressing ideas creatively. The flexible structure allows teachers to use the resource for whole‑class instruction, small‑group guided reading, or individualized author‑study programs.

Students will:

• become familiar with an author, his writings and style of writing
• identify and describe elements of stories
• make inferences while reading.
• make judgements about what they read based on evidence.
• make predictions while reading a narrative piece based on evidence.
• develop the ability to think and write creatively. 

Introduction includes:

• Learning Expectations and List of Resources
• Teacher Input Suggestions
  • To the Teacher
  • Setting Up
  • Planning Ahead
  • Bulletin Board Display Ideas
  • Introductions
  • Discussion Topics
• Teacher Information
  • List of Skills
  • Author Biography
• Summary of the Stories
• Teacher Evaluation Sheets
• Student Activity Tracking Sheets 

Reading Activities: 

Each story has one or two worksheets with these skills:

1. Comprehension
2. Word Study
3. Thinking About the Story 

• Book #1: Do you want to be my friend?
• Book #2: Draw me a star
• Book #3: From head to toe.
• Book #4: The Grouchy Lady Bug
• Book #5: Have you seen my cat?
• Book #6: Hello, Red Fox
• Book #7: The Honeybee and the Robber
• Book #8: A House for Hermit Crab
• Book #9: Little Cloud
• Book #10: The mixed-up Chameleon
• Book #11: Pancakes, Pancakes
• Book #12: Papa, please get the moon for me
• Book #13: Roosters’s Off to See the World
• Book #14: The secret Birthday Message
• Book #15: The Tiny Seed
• Book #16: Today is Monday
• Book #17: The Very Busy Spider
• Book #18: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
• Book #19: The Very Lonely Firefly
• Book #20 The Very Quiet Cricket
• Book #21: Walter the Baker      

• Creative Activities

These creative activities provide students with a wide range of hands‑on, imaginative responses to Eric Carle’s stories. Offered as both half‑page and full‑page activity cards, these reproducible projects support independent, partner, or small‑group work while strengthening comprehension, creativity, and cross‑curricular thinking. 

• Activity 1 – Accordion Books
• Activity 2 – Alphabet Book
• Activity 3 – Cartoon and Comic Strips
• Activity 4 – Life Cycle Chains
• Activity 5 – Charting a Story
• Activity 6 – Design a Stamp
• Activity 7 – Creating a Flag
• Activity 8 – Graphing
• Activity 9 – Journal Entry
• Activity 10 – Make a Checklist
• Activity 11 – Mapping
• Activity 12 – Creating a Postcard
• Activity 13 – Recipes and Menus
• Activity 14 – Passports
• Activity 15 – Placemats
• Activity 16 – Sentence Strip Books
• Activity 17 – Travel Guides
• Activity 18 – A Pamphlet
• Activity 19 – Story Writing    

Common Core Standards Met

Reading Literature (RL)

• RL.1.1, RL.2.1, RL.3.1 — Ask/answer questions using evidence
• RL.1.2, RL.2.2, RL.3.2 — Retell stories; determine central message
• RL.1.3, RL.2.3, RL.3.3 — Describe characters, setting, events
• RL.1.7, RL.2.7 — Use illustrations to understand text
• RL.3.5 — Identify text structure
• RL.3.6 — Distinguish narrator’s point of view

Reading Foundational Skills (RF)

• RF.1.3, RF.2.3 — Phonics and word analysis
• RF.1.4, RF.2.4, RF.3.4 — Fluency

Writing (W)

• W.1.3, W.2.3, W.3.3 — Narrative writing
• W.1.8, W.2.8, W.3.8 — Recall information

Speaking & Listening (SL)

• SL.1.1, SL.2.1, SL.3.1 — Collaborative discussions
• SL.1.2, SL.2.2 — Retell key details

Language (L)

• L.1.4, L.2.4, L.3.4 — Vocabulary acquisition
• L.1.5, L.2.5 — Word relationships (synonyms, antonyms, categories)

Common Core Alignment Chart

Canadian Provincial & Territorial Expectations

Language / Literacy (Grades 1–3)

• Reading comprehension of fiction and nonfiction
• Identifying story elements (characters, setting, problem, solution)
• Making predictions and inferences
• Sequencing events
• Responding to text in writing
• Exploring author’s purpose and style
• Vocabulary development
• Phonics and word study
• Creative writing and expression
• Oral communication and discussion
• Using evidence from text

Cross‑Curricular Expectations

• Visual arts connections (Eric Carle’s collage technique)
• Critical thinking (Bloom’s Taxonomy)
• Multiple intelligences (creative, linguistic, interpersonal, spatial)

Canadian Alignment Chart

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