Teacher's Guide for LADYBUG ^®

The following teacher's guide is designed to support students as they listen, read, dictate, and compose responses (drawing and emergent writing) to selections in the October 2005 issue of LADYBUG ^® magazine. Narrative selections in the issue are referred to as stories and differentiated from poems, songs, and informational articles. This helps children begin to notice structural changes in genres.

Lessons are designed with multiple formats for instruction and learning. These include whole class, small group, partners, individual, and center work.

Particular readings are used as a starting point for discussion of changes. Articles are used as content for read-alouds, shared reading, and listening activities. Language Experience, modeled writing, drawing, interactive writing, and independent writing are also incorporated into planned response formats, depending on children's developmental literacy level (Tompkins & Collom, 2004).

Throughout the guide skills in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary (word meaning), word recognition, listening, beginning reading, listening comprehension, and writing will be refined as children build concept knowledge and language skills. Activities will offer differentiated levels of responding to accommodate children's diverse needs, interests, and competencies. The readings may not follow the order of presentation in the issue; issue selections are sequenced in a way that matches the flow of the concept presentation.

Bear, D., M. Invernizzi, S. Templeton, and F. Johnston. 2000. Words Their Way. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill, Prentice Hall.

Fountas, I. and G. S. Pinnell. 1998. Word Matters. NH: Heinemann.

Kibby, M. March 18, 2004. Researched-Based Strategies for Teaching Meaning Vocabulary. Presentation for the Continuing Professional Education Series at the University of Buffalo.

Tompkins, G. and S. Collom. 2004. Sharing the Pen. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, Merrill Prentice Hall.

The Overall Plan

Title: Changes

Time: approximately 20-25 minutes each session. Independent Practice is completed later in the day.

Objective:

Following instruction and teacher modeling, students will demonstrate through oral responses, written work, and/or artistic productions that they've:

1. analyzed word similarities and differences as reflected in their ability to find and frame words.
2. become increasingly aware of word structures and/or print conventions as reflected in their "I noticed . . . " statements.
3. progressed in speech to print match as noted in their ability to track words and chorally read during shared reading.
4. increased their listening and speaking vocabulary as well as discourse skills.
5. grown in listening comprehension, particularly purposeful listening and aesthetic listening. This is reflected in their discussion responses.
6. acquired an understanding of story elements as reflected in their predictions, suggestions for the story element chart, and illustrations of the beginning, middle, and end of a story.
7. begun to manipulate onsets and rimes as reflected in their responses for making words.
8. created mental images with the author's words as reflected in the mind picture they describe.
9. built a small bank of sight words noted by their ability to identify them in print.

Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, and Synthesis

Materials:

• copies of the October issue of LADYBUG
• chart paper
• 6X9 pieces of drawing paper
• crayons and markers
• quilt or pictures of quilts
• letter boxes

Session 1

1. Introduce the concept of changes. Ask, "What does it mean when something changes?" Suggest to children that, once - long ago - they were babies. But now they are so grown up that they come to school to learn. Ask how they've changed since they were small. Record their answers on chart paper. Read these back tracking the print with your finger. Invite children to come up to find and frame something they noticed on the chart. This procedure was introduced with the September issue. They may find and frame words, letters, or punctuation.
2. Select a few high frequency, phonetically constructed words used in the charted statements. Write each word in letterboxes, emphasize the distinguishing features (Kibby, 2004) of the word. This includes the way it looks (letter sequences and patterns) as well as the way it sounds (phonemic elements or sounded parts and phonics or sound to letter relationships). Write these words on word cards that are later added to a Word Wall. Word Wall words can be used for word sort activities. A Word Wall is a section of the classroom that has been designated as a place to display new words. Typically, Word Walls are set-up with words cards arranged in alphabetical columns (Fountas and Pinnell, 1998). Note: Students won't necessarily grasp all the phonemic and phonetic information presented. They'll take what they can from each exposure. Over time, with continuous attention to casual, meaningful explanations of word structures, children will begin to soak in more and more information. Immerse and marinate them in word construction information in meaningful contexts.
3. Point out one word that doesn't have the letters to match the sounds we hear. Explain that they'll remember this word after they've seen it over and over in our writing. Write this word on a word card. Read all the new cards with the children.
4. Explain that in our October issue of Ladybug many of the stories and informational articles will tell us about changes. Some are changes that people make. Some are changes in the way people think about things.
5. Assign partners. Have children sit with their partner. Pass out copies of the October issue of Ladybug. Direct children through the issue, guiding them to examine and comment on illustrations. Read captions to them and invite their responses. Ask, "Can anyone think of changes that might be happening in the pictures we've looked at?"
6. Tell students that tomorrow we'll read about a change that Max and Kate made by the way they thought about something.

Session 2

1. Ask students if they have ever had the lights in their home go out during a storm. Ask how they felt. Scribe their responses on chart paper. Ask what they did. Scribe these responses on the chart.

   When The Lights Went Out How I Felt What I Did

   
   
2. Read over the charted responses while tracking the print word-by-word. Ask children to come up and point out something they noticed on the chart. Children are invited to come up and find and frame what they noticed.
3. Tell children that in today's story, "Max and Kate" by Brita Granstrom, the family changes a scary event into a fun time. Instead of thinking of a thunderstorm and the dark as scary, they thought about the situation as a time to have fun with shadow play.
4. Assign children a different partner. Say, "I'm giving everyone a different partner today so that you'll get to work with another friend." Have partners follow along in the text while you read-aloud the story. Read slightly slower than usual so they can keep up with tracking the print. But, maintain a fluent, smooth pace. It's tricky, but possible. A good model of fluent reading is very essential. Allow children to share comments and reactions after each page is read.
5. Later in the day, darken the room. Using the overhead projector, have children come up and project finger puppets on the wall.
6. Later in the day or on another day, reread the story as partners track the print. Have children find and frame what they noticed in the story. Select 1-3 words to analyze, using the procedure with letterboxes described in session 1.

Session 3

1. Ask children if they have a favorite thing to wear. Ask, "What happens when your favorite thing to wear gets too small or worn out?" Show children a quilt or pictures of quilts. Explain that people use small pieces of left over cloth or still good sections of cloth from old clothes or other things and put them together to make beautiful, warm quilts. Quilts change the bits and pieces of different kinds of cloth into something beautiful and useful.
2. Explain that in today's story, "Katie's Patchwork Quilt" by Lisa Edwards, Katie's favorite quilt got so worn, that her Grandma couldn't mend it anymore. Grandma changed the parts of the quilt that were still good into something new. What do you think that was?
3. Have children listen to find out how Grandma changed Katie's worn out quilt into something new. Ask them to also listen for any new or interesting words they think we should talk about. Tell them that they have a purpose for listening or a listening job. This is purposeful listening.
4. Read the story aloud, stopping at the end of each page to discuss the events and words they've identified for discussion.
5. After all pages are read, the teacher selects words for analysis. Use the letterbox procedure. Words analyzed are written on word cards. Word cards are added to the Word Wall.
6. Later in the day, children will illustrate an event in the beginning, middle or end of the story. The teacher will scribe a caption or label for the picture. Children can "write" their own caption or label. This writing will reflect their developmental stage of word and message construction. The writing is not expected to be conventional. Children's writing provides valuable insights on children's thinking and current competencies.

Session 4

1. Assign children a different partner. Have partners open up to page 8. Have them talk about the story with their partner (recalling and retelling).
2. Prepare a piece of chart paper with Somebody, Where, When, Wanted, But, So boxes. Children are asked to share their retelling for the beginning of the story (characters, setting, problem). Record their ideas in the appropriate boxes. Continue with the middle of the story (events) and the end of the story (resolution). Read over the story elements. Explain that stories are written with these parts. When we read or listen to a story, we expect it to each of these elements.
   
   

   Katie's Patchwork Quilt Somebody (characters) Where (setting) When (setting) Wanted (problem) But (events) So (resolution)

   
   
3. This chart and illustrations previously made are posted in the classroom. Later in the day children can read over the chart with a buddy.

Session 5

1. Use a consistent procedure for sharing poems. The first step is always to read for ENJOYment. Appreciate, appreciate, appreciate! Appreciate with children the poem's ideas, language, images, alliteration (repeating initial consonant sounds in words used), onomatopoeia (words that suggest the sound - like buzz), rhyming words, and/or the rhythm. This is aesthetic listening for children.
2. Write the poem, "Animals" by Bonnie Highsmith Taylor, on chart paper. Tell children that you want them to make a picture in their head as they listen to the words of the poem. You'll let them tell others about that mind picture after you finish reading. Read the poem aloud. Read it aloud again. Ask children to tell about their mind picture. Say, "There were so many different mind pictures in our class. All of them were wonderful. People see different things when they hear the words. That makes it so special."
3. Assign a new partner to each child. Tell them that they will follow the words in their copy of the magazine as you read the poem again. They'll also see Siri Webber Feeney's illustration. This is another mind picture. They should track the words and read along with you.
4. Say, "I noticed that some words rhyme. Did you? Can you help me find them?" Have children come up and circle rhyming pairs with different colors. Write kilt and quilt in letterboxes. Talk about the onset and rime part for each. Underline the /ilt/ part of each. Tell children that this part of the word sounds the same. This is the rime. Talk about how it sounds and how it is spelled. Talk about the onset part of each - /k/ and /qu/ - how it sounds and how it is spelled.
5. Ask, "What did you notice?" Have children point out what they noticed.
6. Ask if anyone noticed color words (if not already discussed). Have children find and frame the color words. Have children find and frame the word 'in' since it appears often. Discuss why it has a capital letter in the last line. Write the word 'in' on a word card and add the card to the Word Wall.
7. The poem chart is posted in the room. Children can reread it with a partner during free time. When several poem charts are completed, laminate and bind them into a Big Book. These can be placed in the classroom library and sent home on a rotating basis.
8. On another day, follow a similar procedure for the poem, "Pocket Song" by Erin Olson.

Session 6

1. Review what was explained previously about quilt making. People sew together small pieces of fabric (cloth) to make quilts. It can be new fabric. Show students some cut pieces of cloth. Sometimes, people take the good parts of clothes that are worn in many places or clothes children have outgrown and change these into quilts. Katie's Grandma changed pieces of her old quilt into pockets. That was just the opposite.
2. Have partners open up their copy of the magazine to page 13. Explain that Mommy bunny changes the children's clothes in the story, "Six-Inch Squares" by Vijaya Bodach. Have partners do a picture walk on page 13-15. Draw their attention to the picture labels. Have them touch and read each. Invite children's comments and predictions. Discuss these. Can anyone guess how Mommy bunny changed the children's clothes? Tell them we'll find out when we read.
3. Explain what a rebus story is. "Did you notice that there are pictures mixed in with the print on the page. This is called a rebus story. The author uses pictures to stand in for words. When we read the story, we'll say the name of the picture when we get to that place in the sentence.
4. Have the children track the print while you model reading page 13. Reread page 13 while they track the print and read along with you. Repeat this procedure on page 14 and 15.
5. Ask students how Mommy changed the bunny children's clothes into something very special.
6. Have children find and frame 'my' and 'me'. Print these on the board. Ask children to notice what is similar and what is different in these words. Explain that 'y' is acting like a vowel here. It's not making the sound it makes at the beginning of yellow. It's being a copycat. Tell children that when 'y' comes at the end of small words it usually sounds like 'i'. Write by, try, cry, dry, and fry under my. Write be, bee, see, she, and he under me. Read over the lists.
7. Write the words 'make' and 'take' on the board. Underline the rime 'ake' in both. Point out the onset in each (m, t). Ask children, "If I take the 'm' off of 'make' what letter could I add to make another word with the 'ake' part? Possibilities include rake, bake, cake, and wake. Write make and take on word cards. Add these cards to the Word Wall. Work with other words in a similar way, particularly words you choose or words children notice.

Session 7

1. Read aloud "A House is a House for Me" by Mary Ann Hoberman. Explain that when we become farfetching as Mary Ann Hoberman suggests, we can change a simple thing like a pen into a "house for ink". She also says that pockets are "houses for pennies".
2. Have children open up to "What's Inside the Pockets?" by Maia Ming Fong on page 16. Read the title aloud. Ask students, "What job do you think these workers have? Why?" Ask, "What's in their pocket?" Take a picture walk through pages 17-19. Invite students' comments and predictions. Explain that we can change the way we think about pockets. They can be houses for our pennies as Mary Ann Hoberman says. In this article, pockets are houses for workers' tools.
3. Have children turn back to page 16. They should track the print as you read aloud. Discuss each worker. Ask what else might this person have in his/her pocket.
4. Have pieces of 6X9 drawing paper ready with the question written on it. Children decide on a worker they want to illustrate. The teacher prints the name of this worker on the line. Children list what they've put in the worker's pocket. (These items will be written in a developmentally appropriate way.) An alternative method is for the teacher to scribe the names of tools drawn as children identify them. Have children read these names back with you after they're written.

Session 8:

1. Ask children if they've ever been to a circus. Can they describe what a circus is like? Discuss responses. Point out that one part of the circus is the performers who do all kinds of tricks such as walking on a wire or swinging on a trapeze.
2. Tell students that today they'll listen to the story, "When The Circus Comes To Town" by Andrea Vlahakis. Every October, the author's backyard changes into a circus because of the performers who show up.
3. Have partners open up to page 20. Take a picture walk through pages 20-23. Invite children to share their comments and predictions.
4. Read aloud the first four paragraphs, stopping at " . . . and gray wings?" Ask if they can guess who the performers are. What clues did they use - beyond the picture on page 21. What clues were given in the author's words? Discuss their responses. Read the last sentence of the fourth paragraph. "And they were named after their song: chick-a-dee-dee-dee." Talk about how these birds are named after their song.
5. Tell children that their job is to listen carefully while you read. When you stop at the end of a page, they'll have a chance to recall and retell what they learned about chick-a-dees.
6. Read to the end of page 20. Ask children to share what they learned. Record their statements on a chart. Read these over together.
   
   

   What I Learned About Chick-a-dees

   
   
7. Later in the day, children can read over the chart with a partner. The chart can be laminated and taken home on a rotating basis. Children can read it over with their parents. Send a note to parents explaining that children aren't expected to read the chart independently. It was created in the process of learning how to retell and organize their recall of information. Children will enjoy rereading it chorally (together). Parents can ask their child to find words (find and frame).

Session 9

1. On another day, reread the chart What I Learned About Chick-a-dees.
2. Read over the Finger Play, "Three Little Chickadees" by Karen Barnet, and model the hand movements. Have children do the hand movements while you read through the finger play again.

Session 10

Follow the process used in session 8. The teacher reads the story, "Pumpkin Eater" by Karen P. Lee, aloud. Children listen, recall, and retell. The teacher scribes their statements. Here the focus is on comparing. This involves making connections with their own world. It involves making inferences. The children reread the statements with the teacher and, later, with a buddy. The chart can be taken home to share with parents.

Halloween in Alaska - Halloween Here What's the Same What's Different

Overall Assessment: The teacher will

1. record observational notes on children's oral responses and their ability to work together with a partner or in groups.
2. evaluate children's illustrations for the accuracy of details represented.
3. monitor children's growing ability to find and frame words, notice print conventions, and track the print during shared reading (speech to print matching).
4. monitor children's transfer of new words to their speaking vocabulary.
5. monitor children's acquisition of sight vocabulary as noted in their ability to find and read words in print.
6. assess children's ability to express ideas clearly during discussions.
7. observe and make note of children's attentiveness, ability to follow directions, and listening comprehension.
8. observe children's ability to manipulate onsets and rimes, particularly creating a new word by changing the onset.
9. make connections between the situations in stories and their own experiences.
10. make mental images by integrating details given by the author and their interpretations.

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Updated: 11/21/08 12:45 pm
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