Teacher's Guide for ASK ® Let's Be FriendsNovember 2005
Teacher Guide prepared by Betty Lou Askin, a retired elementary school principal in Ontario. She continues to teach and be an administrator, part time, in the school system as the need arises. She also continues to write stories for young children.
Introduction: pre-reading activities
- Let the pupils suggest what they think what might be included in this issue of ASK ®.
- Ask the students to predict what the monkeys are doing.
- Encourage the students to guess what the monkeys might be saying to each other.
- View the Contents page.
- Ask the students to suggest to whom the dog is writing.
- Let them offer ideas about the content of the cat's letter.
- After reading the short contents of the letter to Miss Breen, ask the students to suggest a meaning for the message.
- Ask what they think will be the turtle's answer to the hippo.
Scoops The Power of Poop (pg. 2) Vocabulary: alternative, dung, digesters, methane gas, and turbines
- What does alternative energy mean?
- What does the zoo want to do with the dung?
- How do some farms make use of their manure?
- Why is elephant and rhino dung best for this idea of conservation?
Mysterious Footprints Found (pg. 2-3) Vocabulary: migration, fossilized
- How do you think that people came to North America?
- What was first believed about the arrival of people to N A?
- What was found in 2003?
- What is the new idea about people coming to North America?
Sponge-nosed Dolphins (pg. 3) Vocabulary: snouts, genes, inherit, tradition, offspring
- Why do some dolphins put sponges on their snouts?
- Why did the scientists study the genes of the dolphins?
- What did they discover?
- Why do they think that males do not put sponges on their snouts?
- Suggest reasons you think that some dolphins put sponges on their snouts.
Nestor's Dock (pg. 4-5) - Why does Lonna try to help the boys?
- Provide three good memories for Nestor and Phil.
- What decision do the two boys make?
- Why is the ending funny?
- What lesson can be learned from this cartoon?
Can We Be Friends? (pg. 6-13) Vocabulary: tsunami, cowered, biologist, primates
- Why were the hippopotamuses in the Indian Ocean?
- What is a tsunami?
- Where was Owen found?
- Who did Owen want as his friend?
- How does Owen and Mzee spend their days?
- Why do scientists not want to say that animals can be friends?
What is a Friend? (pg. 8-10) - How do animals show friendship?
- Why is it important for coyote pups to play with each other?
- How does Dr. da Waal describe friendship?
- How do you explain friendship?
- Give two reasons why grooming is good for chimpanzees.
Friends Forever (pg. 8-9) - Why might female elephants become friends?
- What happened between Jenny and Shirley?
- Did you ever have a best friend move away?
- If you did, how did it make you feel?
Someone You Can Count On (pg. 10) - Why is the vampire bat's diet so important?
- How do these bats help each other?
- Why do these bats only share blood with certain other bats?
- What is "a strong emotional bond"?
Who's Your Buddy? (pg. 11-12) - Do female sperm whales have best friends?
- Do giraffes have special mealtime buddies?
- Why do teenage white rhinos take a buddy with them on excursions?
Kiss and Make Up (pg. 12-13) - What might cause a fight between animals?
- Why do they make up after a fight?
- How do dolphins make friends again?
- How does a female chimp act as a referee?
- How do monkeys learn to get along together?
- How do you co-operate with your friends?
The Friendliest Animal (pg. 13) - What does it mean to be a friend?
- Why are humans the most successful animals on earth?
Whatson's Poetry Corner (pg. 14-15) - These poems could be read aloud as a choral reading.
- They might be recited in pairs reflecting two friends.
- Creative Writing:
- As a whole class you could model writing a poem about friendship.
- In groups or pairs the students might develop a friendship poem.
- The poems could be illustrated and placed on a bulletin board.
Pretend Friends (pg. 18-21) - How do you know that Dipper, Alicia, and Skateboard Boy are not real?
- What kind of imaginary friends does Ms. Taylor say that children invent?
- When are you more likely to invent an imaginary friend?
- Why are imaginary friends mostly good for you?
- Suggest one fun thing about having an imaginary friend.
- How can an imaginary friend help when you are afraid?
- Why might an imaginary friend help you with your real life?
- Who is the boss, you or your imaginary friend?
- Do imaginary friendships last forever?
- Why are imaginary friends and characters in a storybook alike?
- Creative Writing:
- Write a story about an imaginary friend. Illustrate your story.
- Choose one of the imaginary friends in this article and write a story for that character. Make drawings for your story.
Why Be Nice? (pg. 22-26) - Why do people share things?
- What does an anthropologist study?
- Long ago, what made humans different from animals?
- Why is it important for some people to hunt and gather food together?
The Hadza (pg. 23-27) - Who are the Hadza?
- What do they do with the large animals that they kill?
- What food do the women and children find?
- Why does a successful hunter share with others?
- What hunting equipment does a Hadza use?
- Why do the Hadza share food?
- What happens if a Hadza hunter does not share his food?
- How does a Hadza gain respect?
- Creative Writing:
- Students could answer the question - So is being selfish or being nice the better strategy?
- A chart might be given to the students. They would provide reasons for each column.
| Which Is Better? | | Being Selfish | Being Nice |
A Friend Indeed (pg. 27-31) - Why did Miss Breed have Japanese American friends?
- What happened to cause the US government to react to the Japanese Americans?
- Why were the Japanese Americans sent to special camps?
- How did Miss Breed stay connected with her friends?
- How did she provide help?
- Why was Miss Breed brave?
- How did she encourage her friends?
- How did Miss Breed help Katherine?
- Tell how the small library was organized.
- How was Miss Breed honored?
- What was the "lifeline of friendship"?
Ask Jimmy and the Bug (pg. 33) - Use your own words to explain how we get fire.
- How does water affect fire?
- Research ways of putting out gasoline, oil or grease fires.
- Do your parents keep a box of baking soda near the stove to help put out a grease fire?
Marvin and Friends (pg. 34) - Why did the animals plan a party?
- What mistake did they make?
- How does this cartoon show friendship?
Ask a Friend - Have fun completing these pages.
- Do you have a pen pal? If not, this might be something new to start.
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