First the Egg

Every once in a while you come across a book that is fun to read aloud, but also fun to use as a basis for endless writing projects.  First the Egg  by Laura Vaccaro Seeger is that kind of book.  It's versatility reminds me of The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown.

First the Egg is such a simple book, 41 words in the entire book.  Seeger repeats first the ________ then the ___________ through out the entire book, starting of course with first the egg, then the chicken.  Kids will like listening to the book out loud because they can guess what might come next in the predictable text.  Seeger also briefly touches on some basics of the life cycle by including tadpoles, caterpillars and and seeds.

With such a simple text pattern this is a great author's craft to teach students to use in their own writing.  The easiest place to start would be in science when studying the life cycle , or even food chains.  A life cycle book could start first the joey, then the kangaroo.  First the baby then the child and on and on.  To use this text pattern for teaching or writing about the food chain simply start with the bottom of the food chain and work your way up.  First the grass, then the rabbit.  First the rabbit, then the hawk and on and on.

Science is not the only subject area that this text pattern could be used.  Social Studies is full of cause and effect.  Older students could use this text pattern to explain starts of wars or other conflicts throughout history.  It is great to have a book like this in your collection to use in a variety of ways across all ages, even my three-year old enjoyed having this one read aloud.

First the Egg is also a Caldecott Award and Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor book, just another reason to check it out!

Happy Reading!
Laura