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  Oxford Level 1

Seasons
Author: Teresa Heapy
Teacher’s Notes author: Teresa Heapy
Text types: explanation; recount
Curriculum link: Understanding the world

Synopsis
This wordless book explores the plants, trees and animals in a garden as it changes through
spring, summer, autumn and winter. It also looks at the life cycles of some of the plants and
animals that live in the garden.

Extended version
This longer version of the book gives extra details and information to support children with
comprehension.

• On p4, it’s spring and the garden is bursting with life. There are brightly coloured tulips and there
is blossom on the apple tree. A blackbird is nesting in the tree. In the pond, there is frogspawn.
The diagram on p5 shows how this frogspawn will develop – first into a tadpole, then a froglet,
then a frog – over the next few months.
• On p6, it’s summer and in the bright sunshine there are sunflowers and other plants flowering in
the garden. The blackbird is feeding its chicks. On p7, we see the blackbird’s progress from making
a nest, to laying eggs, to nesting and to feeding its chicks.
• On p8, it’s autumn and in the rain, leaves are blowing over the garden. The flowers are fading
and the apple tree is bearing (and dropping) its fruit. On p9, we see the apple tree’s progress over
the year – from blossom, to developing apples, to ripe apples and brown leaves ready to fall, and
then to bare branches.
• Finally, on p10, it’s winter and there are bare seed heads in the garden. In the snow, the blackbird
eats a berry from a cotoneaster bush. On p11, we see the bush’s progress over the year – from
leaves, to blossom, to berries.
• The final page shows the blackbird’s nest in the tree and summarizes how the nest and the tree
change through the seasons.

Group/Guided reading
Introducing the book
• Wordless books allow children to explore how books work. Children will enjoy talking about
the book and discussing what is happening in the pictures, and this will help prepare them for
their first steps as readers. The pictures provide lots of opportunities for discussion. Respond to
children’s ideas by repeating them back and adding to them, using new words to increase their
vocabularies.
• Read the title to the children and ask: What season is shown on the cover? What season are we
in at the moment?

© Oxford University Press 2016. No sharing, copying or adaptation of materials permitted except by subscribers to Oxford Owl.
• Turn to the Contents page and read the names of the seasons. Talk to the children about the four
seasons. Ask: Which is your favourite season? Encourage them to say why.
• (Predicting) Ask the children what they might expect to see on the page about autumn. Turn to
pp8–9 and see if they were right.
• (Questioning) Encourage the children to ask a question about the seasons. You could model this
for them by thinking aloud, e.g. say: I wonder what happens to trees in the winter.

During reading
• Ask the children to turn the pages of the book and describe what they see in the pictures.
• On p4, ask the children to say what they can see in the springtime picture. Ask: Can you think of
some words to describe the garden?
• Looking at pp4–5, say: I wonder if we can find any frogspawn in the pond. Help the children to
find the frogspawn and talk together about the frog’s life cycle on p5.
• (Questioning) Look at p6. Say: I wonder what the blackbird is doing. Encourage the children to
ask questions about the blackbird, including the life cycle on p7.
• On p8, talk together about the leaves and what is happening to them (they are turning brown,
blowing about, falling down, and some have been swept into a pile by the shed).
• (Summarizing) Turn to p10. Ask the children to look at the colours in the winter picture and to
compare them to the colours on the other pages. Ask: How have the colours of the
garden changed?

Returning to the book

• (Summarizing) Using the pictures on p12 to prompt them, challenge the children to describe to
you what is happening in each seasonal scene. Remind them to look back through the book if
they need to.

Independent reading
• Introduce the book as in the Group/Guided reading section above.
• Encourage the children to look through the book as independently as possible, looking carefully
at the pictures. Remember to give them lots of encouragement and praise.

Speaking and listening

• Talk through the different times of year with the children and encourage them to recall some of
the things they have seen in each scene.
• Talk about how the changing weather in each scene would make the children feel if they were in
the garden.
• Ask the children to describe the winter scene to a partner and say how the wildlife and plants
have changed from how they looked in the springtime.

Writing activity
• Write down the names of the seasons for the children and, depending on the phonic knowledge
the children have gained so far, ask: What is the initial sound of each word?
• If appropriate, ask the children to practise writing the initial sounds of each word.

© Oxford University Press 2016. No sharing, copying or adaptation of materials permitted except by subscribers to Oxford Owl.
Cross-curricular activity
Understanding the world
• Look out of the classroom window and talk about the clues that tell you what the season is now
(e.g. the weather, plants, trees and wildlife).
• Explain to the children that you would like them to draw a picture which shows this season,
including some of the things you have discussed.

© Oxford University Press 2016. No sharing, copying or adaptation of materials permitted except by subscribers to Oxford Owl.
Seasons
Curriculum links and assessment
Links to Oxford Reading Criterion Scale
• Shows curiosity about books and chooses to look at books independently. (READ) (Pre-reading Standard, 3)
• Is beginning to distinguish between sounds in words, particularly initial letter sounds. (READ)
(Pre-reading Standard, 4)
• Can gain simple meaning from texts using illustrations, when not yet able to read the text itself. (D)
(Pre-reading Standard, 7)
• Can retell an event in a story or information from a non-fiction text (may only be brief). (R)
(Pre-reading Standard, 14)

Letters and Sounds: Phase 1

inFact Level 1 books are wordless, which allows children to learn how books work, including the order and direction
in which they are read. They each explain a non-fiction topic through detailed and engaging pictures, providing lots
of opportunities for talk.

ENGLAND The National Curriculum in England: Nursery

EYFS Early Learning Goals Book-related assessment pointers

ELG 03 Children use past, present and future forms Check the children can summarize what happens in the
Speaking accurately when talking about events that garden over the course of the book and use the correct
have happened or are to happen in the future. tense to do so.
(ELG03.2)

ELG 01 Children listen attentively in a range of Check the children listen to others’ ideas as well as share
Listening and situations. (ELG01.1) their own.
attention

ELG 02 Children answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions Check the children are able to answer questions you
Understanding about their experiences and in response to pose about the different seasons.
stories or events. (ELG02.2)

ELG 09 Children demonstrate understanding when Check the children make links from seasons in the book
Reading talking with others about what they have to the current season outside their window.
read. (ELG09.3)

ELG 10 Children use their phonic knowledge to write Check the children identify the correct initial sounds of
Writing words in ways which match their spoken most words.
sounds. They also write some irregular
common words. (ELG10.1)

SCOTLAND Curriculum for Excellence: Literacy experiences and outcomes, Early Level
Experiences and outcomes Book-related assessment pointers

Listening and I enjoy exploring events and characters in stories Check the children explain their ideas clearly and
talking and other texts, sharing my thoughts in different suggest how they would feel in each season.
ways. (LIT 0-01c)

As I listen and talk in different situations, I am Check the children listen to others’ ideas as well as
learning to take turns and am developing my share their own.
awareness of when to talk and when to listen.
(LIT 0-02a / ENG 0-03a)

To help me understand stories and other texts, I Check the children are able to ask and answer
ask questions and link what I am learning with questions about the different seasons.
what I already know. (LIT 0-07a / LIT 0-16a /
ENG 0-17a)

Reading To help me understand stories and other texts, I
ask questions and link what I am learning with
what I already know.
(LIT 0-07a / LIT 0-16a / ENG 0-17a)
Check the children accurately describe what they see
in each scene.
Check the children link what they see in each season
with their existing knowledge.

Writing I explore sounds, letters and words, discovering Check the children identify the correct initial sounds of
how they work together, and I can use what I most words.
learn to help me as I read or write.
(ENG 0-12a / LIT 0-13a / LIT 0-21a)

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 WALES Curriculum for Wales: Foundation Phase Framework, Nursery
Framework objectives Book-related assessment pointers

Oracy talk about, in simple terms, drawings, models Check the children explain their ideas clearly and
and actions (YN_OracSpea.2) suggest how they would feel in the different seasons.

listen and respond with growing attention and Check the children listen to others’ ideas as well as share
concentration (YN_OracList.1) their own.

answer simple ‘Who?’, ’What?’ and Check the children are able to answer questions you
open-ended questions relating to own pose about the different seasons.
experiences, stories or events (YN_OracList.8)

Reading make meaning from pictures in books, adding Check the children accurately describe what they see in
detail to their explanations (YN_ReadStrat.8) each seasonal scene.

Writing attribute meaning to marks, drawings and art Check the children identify the correct initial sounds of
work, e.g. adult annotation (YN_WritMean.2) most words.

NORTHERN IRELAND Levels of Progression in Communication across the curriculum: Level 1

Levels of Progression Book-related assessment pointers

Talking and use vocabulary from within their experience to Check the children explain their ideas clearly and
listening describe thoughts and feelings (L1_com_talk.3) suggest how they would feel in each season.

listen for information (L1_com_talk.1i) Check the children listen to others’ ideas as well as
share their own.

ask and answer questions for specific Check the children are able to ask and answer
information (L1_com_talk.2) questions about the different seasons.

Reading show understanding of the meaning carried by Check the children accurately describe what they see
print, pictures and images (L1_com_read.1) in each scene.

Writing write words using sound-symbol correspondence Check the children identify the correct initial sound of
(L1_com_writ.4i) most words.

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