Description

Read & Notice: A Guided Teaching Resource for Arthur’s First Sinterklaas

Read & Notice is a ready-to-use teaching resource designed to help educators get more from Arthur’s First Sinterklaas.

Rather than simply checking whether children understood the story, this resource invites them to slow down, notice, question, talk and connect. As you read the story together, carefully designed prompts help children explore:

Language & multilingualism
Notice the Dutch/Flemish words woven throughout the story and explore how children use and understand different languages.

Identity & belonging
Talk about what it feels like to be new, not understand what everyone else seems to know, and gradually find your place.

Culture & tradition
Use Sinterklaas as a starting point for exploring traditions — while making space for the traditions and experiences children bring from their own families.

Speaking & listening
Move beyond “What happened?” questions and encourage children to explain, wonder, compare, question and share their own experiences.

Critical thinking
Pause at key moments in Arthur’s story and invite children to look more closely at language, illustrations, assumptions and different perspectives.

More than a comprehension activity

Read & Notice is built around a simple approach:

READ → PAUSE → NOTICE → TALK → CONNECT

Each stage of Arthur’s journey becomes an opportunity to do more than understand the words on the page.

Children are encouraged to think:

• What does Arthur know?
• What doesn’t he know yet?
• How might that feel?
• What can we learn from each other?
• What languages and traditions are part of our classroom?

Ready to use. Easy to adapt. Meaningful to your learners.

Whether you teach a multilingual classroom, have newly arrived learners, or simply want to create more space for children’s languages and experiences, Read & Notice gives you a practical framework for making the most of the book.