Story Star Bags

Student success centers 2

Welcome to the Story Star Bag page! If you have arrived here by QR code, read on for more resources. If you have arrived here on your own, speak to a children’s librarian to learn how to check out your very own Story Star Bag!

Story Star Bags are meant to be a fun, engaging, and easy start for you and your child as you work on early reading skills together. Each bag will contain 1 picture book, 1 decodable book, and a QR code that if scanned will bring up downloadable and printable practice activities. The decodable book and practice activities will allow your child to practice a specific phonics skill. The picture book provides an exciting and engaging way to continue reading together on the same theme.

No matter how you use the bag, focus on keeping it fun! That is what reading is all about. Reading is a skill that only improves with practice, and so we keep it fun so that we can keep on practicing.

List of all Story Star Bags

Having trouble finding your bag? No worries! View a complete A - Z listing of all our Story Star Bags!

Story Star Countdown Activities

Story Star Countdown Activities

For kindergarten, 1st and up.

Story Star Countdown will help students develop the earlier phonics skills necessary to launch into more complex books. These are typically K-1st skills, though it will vary by child. Focus less on what grade your child is in, and more on what skills you believe they should practice. Click below to access the activities for each section.

Learn More
Story Star Blastoff Activities

Story Star Blastoff Activities

For 2nd, 3rd and up.

Story Star Blastoff focuses on some later phonics skills now that students have a steady foundation. These are typically 2nd-3rd grade skills, though it will vary by child. Focus less on what grade your child is in, and more on what skills you believe they should practice. Click below to access the activities for each section.

Learn more

Interested in more bags?

Just search for "Story Star Bags" in our catalogue!

Story Star Bag FAQs

  • Decodable just means that a child should be able to read a book if they have the related phonics skills. Decodable books are written to build on phonics skills in the order most kids will learn them at school. Decodable books are great academically, but they can also be a little dry, which is why we try to pair them with excellent picture books.

  • Read read read! The more you read together, the more your child will want to continue reading on their own and practicing. Continue to read together even if your child is already reading independently, because it is always helpful! Whether on their own or together with you, try to let your child pick a book or topic interesting to them that will keep them motivated and trying. Picture books and graphic novels are great for both confident and developing readers alike.

    Choose the right book! Whether your child has already developed a love of reading or is still hesitant when it comes to picking books, there is an easy way for them to choose a just-right book on their own. It’s called the five-finger rule!

    Here’s how it works: Your child opens a book to the first full page. They read, holding up one finger for every word they don’t know or can’t pronounce. The number of fingers they hold up by the end of the page tells you whether it is a good fit.

    0-1 Fingers: Too easy.

    2-3 Fingers: Just right.

    4-5: Too hard, or better as a read aloud.

    Say the sounds! While it is important for your child to know the names of letters, they should be saying the sounds of the letters in words when solving them. If your child is using letter names instead, encourage them to say the sounds as they read.

    Does that make sense? Let’s try that again! When a child makes an error but does not notice, read back to them what they said to you. Let your child point out that something sounds off, then try any words they need to again.

    Smooth it out! If your child solves all the words but ends up reading the sentence choppily, let them smooth it out. Rereading a sentence smoothly allows them to read with confidence and feel the satisfaction of reading. It also helps them better understand what is happening in the book.

    Ask questions! As you read together, ask your child about details from the book, predictions, and their opinions. This type of discussion leads to deeper reading and understanding.

    Have fun! Reading is challenging and takes time. Let your child learn at their own pace, take turns and breaks, and celebrate all their reading success!

Resources

Want to learn more ways to help but overwhelmed with everything that is out there? Try these other resources to dive deeper!

  • To better understand some of the basic components of reading, try this resource from the National Center on Improving Literacy
  • For some quick tips on how to support and respond to your readers, try this guide.
  • To learn even more ways to support reading at home, by grade level, visit the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL).
  • For some fiction discussion questions ideas, try this resource. Make sure you ask these questions in your own kid-friendly way!
  • For some nonfiction discussion questions ideas, try this resource. Again, make sure you ask these questions in your own kid-friendly way!

Don't have a CCPL card? Apply online.