Puffin on the Beach

An illustrated story with Widgit Symbols

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A beautifully illustrated printed book By David and Tharada Blakesley, supported by a cd of over 40 educational resources.

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The Book

Puffin on the Beach describes how Sam and Hollie's plan to spend an afternoon rock pooling takes an unexpected turn when Sam thinks he has found a Penguin. Hollie is not so sure, and their father realises that the bird is actually a Puffin. Clearly in need of help, the children rescue the Puffin and we discover how the bird is eventually returned to the ocean.

About the authors
Puffin on the Beach is the first of a series of 'Sam and Hollie' books by David Blakesley (author) and Tharada Blakesley (illustrator). Together they have worked on a number of books for parents/carers, teachers and children with autism and related conditions. They also founded 'Autism and Nature', an organisation dedicated to engaging children on the autistic spectrum with the countryside and nature.

A learning resource
This delightful story should appeal to children between the ages of 3 to 11 with special educational needs who have learning difficulties or problems with speech and language development. It may also interest older children who still require stories with simple language and a high visual content. It combines clear and delightful illustrations with simple text, supported by Widgit symbols over key words.

symbol sentence

The Sam and Hollie books represent the first series of illustrated children's story books which symbolise key words with Widgit symbols.

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Education Resource CD

A fantastic selection of 40 new and exciting symbol resources based on the book. They include cross curricular themed materials linked to the seaside and a sequence of literacy lessons can be used to teach objectives related to the story. These engaging resources inspire teaching and learning within primary education.

Resource CD

  • Open closeContents of Resource CD

    The Resource CD contains 40 activities linked to the book, seaside and birds.

    All resources are in PDF format.

    Literacy  
    Puffin on the Beach 
    - A4 Story
    The full story with illustrations and symbol content
    Write your story The illustrations without the symbols content
    Draw your own pictures The story without illustrations
    Sequence the pictures The illustrations in a 3x2 grid
    Sequence the Story
    - Full Version
    Symbol content per 2 lines
    Sequence the Story 
    -  Short  Version
    A short version of the story in 12 lines.
    Story Flashcards
    - in thee formats
    Flash cards of the main story vocabulary. In symbol & text, symbol only and text only
    Story Vocabulary List Small version of the flashcards to support writing
    Spelling Activity Write the word by the symbol
    Connect Draw a line to connect the word and symbols
    Story Comprehension
    - Questions
    12 comprehension questions on the story
    Story Comprehension
    - Multiple Choice
    8 multiple choice questions on the story

    Maths

     
    How many? Counting up to 9 activity
    Counting to 5            Counting and visual discrimination
    Sea Bird Tally Chart Tally chart activity for when visiting waterways and beaches
    Sea Bird Pictogram Pictogram activity for when visiting waterways and beaches
    Park Bird Tally Chart Tally chart activity for when visiting parks
    Park Bird Pictogram Pictogram activity for when visiting parks
    Garden Bird Tally Chart Tally chart activity for when in the garden
    Garden Bird Pictogram Pictogram activity for when in the garden
    Odd one out        Images for visual discrimination

    Science
     
    Summer and Winter Clothes Pick clothes to wear when its hot / cold
    Sort the Animal Features Cut and stick to sort the different animal features
    Sort the Animals              Cut and stick to classify the animals types
    Life cycles Sequencing activity for birds, frogs, butterflies and flowers


    resources

    Geography  
    Puffin Book A book about puffins
    Puffin Facts   14 fun facts about puffins
    Rockpool Safety Rules for staying safe when rockpooling
    Beach Safety Rules for staying safe on the beach
    Coasts Book   Information about coasts
    What's in a Rockpool? Tick or count what you can find in a rockpool.
    What do you find?           Draw a circle around the items you find on the beach / in the sea / on the pier
    Seaside Flashcards Key word vocabulary linked to the seaside

    PSHE and Citizenship
    Vet Interview             Find out what it is like to be a vet

    Games
     
    Puffin says Puffin action version of the 'Simon Says' game
    Dominos Topic related version of Domino cards
    Word Search Word search with words from the story
    Rockpool Bingo Bingo game for 10 players on a rockpool theme