Alphabet Recognition Checklist
Name:
Assessor:
Date:
Age: Years: Months:
Date:
Age: Years: Months:
Letter name Letter sound Sample word
Letter name Letter sound Sample word
b
b
s
s
f
f
e
e
y
y
c
c
q
q
l
l
w
w
o
o
d
d
z
z
t
t
h
h
a
a
j
j
v
v
m
m
r
r
u
u
g
g
x
x
i
i
k
k
p
p
n
n
Score /26
Score /26 This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school or school system.
Concepts about Print Checklist
Use a Dragonflies Emergent student title for this assessment. Ask the student to point to each
item of the book as you name it from the checklist. Place a tick next to each concept that the
student knows and add any notes.
Name:
Assessor:
Date:
Age: Years: Months:
Book used:
Concept about print
Ask the student to find the:
front cover of the book
( ) Notes
back cover of the book
title of the book
title page
author and illustrator/photographer names
Ask the student to point to:
a word
the first word on a page
the last word on a page
an upper-case letter
a lower-case letter
the first letter in a word
the last letter in a word
a full stop
a question mark
an exclamation mark
Ask the student to read a page of text.
Note the following behaviours:
reads left to right
uses picture clues to work out unknown words
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school or school system.
Professional Reading
Contents
Characteristics of the Emergent Reader ................................................1
Features of Dragonflies Literacy Emergent Books .............................. 3
Emergent Readers and the Classroom Literacy Session ..................... 4
Supporting Oral Language
Language Experience
Shared Reading
Guided Reading
Independent Reading
Phonemic Awareness and Phonics
High-frequency Words
Content Words
Independent Activities ........................................................................... 10
Reading Activities
Alphabet Activities
Word Activities
Writing Activities
Links to Writing .........................................................................................12
Assessment ................................................................................................13
Selecting Texts ..........................................................................................13
Using the Teachers’ Notes for Individual Titles ..................................14
References ..................................................................................................17
Acknowledgments ....................................................................................18
Dragonflies – Professional Reading
Characteristics of the
Emergent Reader
Dragonflies emergent books are designed to meet the particular needs of the emergent
reader and writer. Although there will be a wide range of literacy development among the
children in any year 1 class, there are some general characteristics of readers at this level.
Attitudes
• Is curious about language
• Is persistent – will “read” to the end of a book; will sit and listen to a
complete story
• Expects a text to make sense
• Expects books and stories to amuse, delight, comfort, and excite
• Enjoys hearing and using new language
• Shows pleasure in the rhythm and rhyme of language
• Enjoys playing at reading and writing
• Is willing to work at reading and writing
• Wants to read and sees himself or herself as a reader
• Likes listening to stories, rhymes, and poems
• Enjoys rereading books or listening to stories over and over again
Understandings
• Knows that language can be recorded and revisited
• Understands that the text, as well as the illustrations, carries the story
• Is aware that print in books and in his or her own writing holds meaning
• Is developing some concepts about print, such as:
–
the concepts of letter, word, sentence, and line
–
directionality and return sweep
–
–
–
the one-to-one match of spoken word to written word
the functions of some punctuation features, such as the full stop, capital letter,
comma, and exclamation mark
the convention that sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a
full stop.
• Is aware of some book conventions
• Recognises book language and sometimes uses this in speech, retellings,
writing, or play
• Is aware that there is a difference between fiction and non-fiction texts
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Skills and Behaviours
• Finger points to locate specific words
• Identifies some letters
• Identifies some words
• Begins to realise that words are always spelt the same
• Can hear some sounds in words (is developing phonemic awareness)
• Recognises and reads familiar signs, symbols, and labels
• Uses pictures to predict text
• Interprets pictures
• Retells a known story in sequence
• Develops a memory for text (oral or written)
• “Plays” at reading and writing
• Explores new books and returns to favourites
• Chooses to read independently at times
• Enjoys publishing and sharing work with others
• Handles books confidently
Teachers should not wait for these characteristics to develop before starting instructional
reading and writing. A rich, balanced language programme with a focus on daily shared
and/or guided reading is vital for all children at the emergent level. McNaughton (1999)
advocates “focused and intensive teaching of literacy” right from the start of school. An
achievement gap that is allowed to develop during the first year of school becomes much
harder to close over time.
Features of Dragonflies
Literacy Emergent Books
The twenty Dragonflies emergent level books have the following features:
• simple text structures, often with a repetitive element
• high-frequency words in literary settings
• language features such as rhythm and rhyme to foster phonological awareness and a
familiarity with the alphabet
• a close match between illustrations and text
• clear text with good spacing between words
• a small amount of text per page, often just one line
• a limited number of characters and plot incidents
• storylines that children can relate to their own experiences
• high-interest topics that engage the reader
• good models for writing
• consistency in sentence patterns.
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Emergent Readers and the
Classroom Literacy Session
Your classroom literacy session needs to have a thoughtful balance of teaching
approaches and activities. The session is designed to capture learners’ interest, foster
the development of new skills, and encourage positive attitudes to literacy learning.
Whatever the approach used, the primary focus of any reading lesson at any level will be
on getting meaning from the text.
Pressley (1998) found that effective teachers of year one children were adept at making
links between literacy areas. He observed that “lessons were filled with reminders for the
children about how the activities related to their writing and reading. Furthermore, the
children were given plenty of opportunity to use these skills, and teachers were active in
providing scaffolding when it was needed.”
A typical year-one literacy session will include a variety of approaches and activities, such
as the following:
Supporting Oral Language
When learning to read, the children will be making links to their personal experiences
and drawing on their knowledge of language. Children who struggle to understand or to
express themselves orally in English will need many oral language enrichment activities
to support them in their instructional reading and writing. The following is a list of
classroom activities for developing and supporting the children’s oral language.
• Create many opportunities for conversation during the school day.
• Generate purposeful discussion, encouraging a high level of participation and
extending the children’s oral responses through the skilful use of prompts.
• Organise many opportunities for paired or group work, thus creating further
opportunities for meaningful talk. Barrier games are useful paired activities. In barrier
games, the children work together with a barrier such as an upright book between
them. One child gives instructions to the other for an activity such as drawing a picture
or making a simple construction using blocks. The activity encourages precision with
language because there are no visual clues to rely on.
• Create shared reading texts from planned language experiences.
• Pair children with buddies from the senior school to read and talk about books on a
regular basis.
• Read aloud to the children.
• Read books, poems, chants, and songs together. A child who can recite a text is
increasing his or her awareness of the sounds in words, developing an appreciation
of rhythmic poetic language, taking pride in his or her achievement, and becoming
familiar with the structure of written English.
• Encourage the children to retell or dramatise stories.
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Language Experience
Language experience involves using the children’s experiences as a basis for developing
oral and written language. Language experience activities are often linked to current or
upcoming topics or themes or may arise from normal classroom activities, shared reading
experiences, or the events in the children’s lives. They are especially valuable in providing
language support for new learners of English. Language experience activities can provide
background knowledge and exposure to new vocabulary or language patterns that the
children can, in turn, bring to their reading.
Language experience activities also provide a wonderful opportunity to involve parents or
caregivers in the classroom programme. Adult helpers work with small groups of children
during the activities, encouraging talk and offering assistance as necessary. Pieces of
writing created as a result of these activities are often much-loved sources of reading
material that can be used both in the classroom and as take-home readers. Children love
to read and reread material in which they are the main characters!
Shared Reading
In shared reading, the teacher leads a reading of a text, modelling the strategies that the
children need to be successful readers. The children follow the text with their eyes and
are encouraged to join in as they feel confident. Shared reading offers a high degree of
support for the reader and should always be an enjoyable experience. It encourages a
positive attitude to books and reading and provides a “risk-free” opportunity for children
to think of themselves as successful readers.
At the emergent level, shared reading is particularly effective for introducing or
reinforcing concepts about print, one-to-one word matching, new vocabulary, and
letter–sound relationships. The teacher may focus on challenges in the text as specific
teaching points and may mask words or copy parts of the text on a whiteboard to
demonstrate a point.
Shared reading may be a class or group experience. The teacher may hold and therefore
control the text, or the children may have their own copies. An enlarged text may be
easier to manage at the emergent level. A class reading of a shared text is an effective
introduction to the daily literacy session.
Guided Reading
In guided reading, the teacher works with a small group of children, supporting them in
reading a text themselves. The children take a much greater level of responsibility for the
reading than they do in shared reading.
Guided reading is taken in small groups (ideally, no more than six children) with each
child having a copy of the book. The texts for guided reading sessions are selected
according to the needs of the group. Guided reading sessions at the emergent level
should be short, focused lessons of ten to fifteen minutes only.
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While guided reading should be an enjoyable experience, it is also hard work! The teacher
sets a particular purpose for the lesson and provides a degree of scaffolding to assist the
children in achieving the set objective. The children are expected to read individually and
apply their developing knowledge of reading strategies to the text. Having a small group
allows the teacher to monitor closely and to provide feedback. The teacher should identify
difficulties that arise and focus on them as group teaching points or note them for a
subsequent lesson.
Although the ultimate aim of all reading instruction is fluent, silent reading of texts, at
the emergent level, children are more likely to read out loud. This does not mean round
robin (taking turns) or choral reading (reading together as a group). All the children in
the group read quietly to themselves at the same time, with the teacher focusing in on
individual reading performances and offering scaffolding or feedback as required.
Emergent readers may sometimes appear to be more fluent or accurate than they
actually are because they memorise whole texts of books. Finger pointing and verbalising
are helpful during guided reading sessions at the emergent level because they help the
teacher to monitor the children’s tracking of print and also help to reinforce important
concepts for beginning readers, such as locating the first word on a page or the first letter
of a word. However, as children progress in their reading, finger pointing becomes less
helpful because it slows the development of reading fluency.
The reading of the text should be followed by discussion in order to check the children’s
comprehension, draw out their responses to the text, and check whether the objective for
the lesson has been met. The children can discuss whether their initial predictions were
correct and whether they agreed with the actions of the characters, and they can share
links to their own experience.
Often the text will be read again (revisited) within the same lesson. The richness of
Dragonflies books means that you can revisit them many times, with a different focus
each time, without losing the interest of the children.
Although shared reading and guided reading are distinct approaches with their own
characteristics, teachers may sometimes use a mixture of approaches in the same lesson.
This may happen when the teacher realises that a text is less or more challenging for
a group than expected. Small-group sessions with beginning emergent readers or
readers who are proving hard to start may often be a mixture of shared and guided
reading approaches.
Suggested levels for guided reading of Dragonflies texts are indicated by the word
“Guided” on the colour band on the back of each book. The placement of “Guided”
indicates whether a book may be more appropriate for guided reading at that level.
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Independent Reading
Independent reading is characterised at the emergent level by the rereading of familiar
texts – material that the children can read with at least 95 percent accuracy. Many
teachers place books in browsing boxes to be freely accessed. The children will enjoy
choosing independent texts to read, and in many cases, to take home over and over
again. The aim is to encourage the enjoyment of favourite books and to develop fluency.
It is helpful for the children to take home reading material each day to share with family
and friends. This material may be a reading book, a poem the class has shared,
a piece of the child’s own writing, or a library book to be read to the child.
Suggested levels for independent reading of Dragonflies texts are indicated by the
word “Independent” on the colour band on the back of each book. The placement of
“Independent” indicates whether a book may be more appropriate for independent
reading at that level.
Phonemic Awareness and Phonics
Phonemic awareness is crucial for early reading success. At the emergent level, the
children will be learning to hear the sounds of spoken language and to differentiate
between them. They will also be learning letter names and learning to match sounds to
letters. The children will also be starting to notice some of the complexities of English,
such as the hard and soft sounds of both “c” and “g” and the many different sounds
of vowels. Children whose first language is not English may also have to contend with
confusions between the sound systems of English and those of their first language.
A note on terms: Phonemic awareness means the ability to hear and differentiate the
individual sounds within words. A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a word.
The relationship between spoken sounds and the letters that represent them is called
phonics. Phonological awareness is a more inclusive term and refers to an understanding
of the sounds in spoken language. A rime is the cluster of letters that comes after the
initial sound (the onset) of a one-syllable word. (In the word “make”, “m” is the onset and
“ake” is the rime.)
For the children at the emergent level, the initial letters of the words they are reading
will be a major source of information in their attempts to decode print. Teachers should
use their knowledge of the children to help them make links between what they know
already and what they are trying to work out – to scaffold the children’s new learning.
This should be done in a planned and systematic way. A whiteboard or easel is useful to
draw attention to the visual features of words, such as initial letters, word endings, or the
repetition of a rime. The handwriting lesson, with its intensive focus on particular letters,
is an excellent opportunity to reinforce phonics skills.
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Phonics teaching may be explicit, for example, helping a child to sound out a word when
writing, or implicit, for example, when a child begins to draw inferences about particular
letter–sound relationships. Some phonic activities may be within text, for example,
during a guided reading lesson when a teacher draws attention to a particular onset or
rime, or outside text, for example, during a handwriting lesson. The role of the teacher is
to help the children to draw on their developing phonic knowledge and to scaffold them
in their ability to use graphophonic information independently when reading
and writing.
Alongside ongoing alphabet activities, some year 1 classrooms focus on a “letter of the
week”, noting its upper-case and lower-case forms. The chosen letter may be the first letter
of a new class member’s name, a letter studied in a recent shared book, or one inspired by
a current topic or theme. Early in the week, the children and the teacher brainstorm words
starting with this letter and make a class chart to record this information. Items starting
with the appropriate letter are displayed on the alphabet table.
The children should be encouraged to listen for distinctions in sound between similar
words. Short vowel sounds are problematic for many children, and teachers need to
encourage the children to differentiate between them right from the start. At the
emergent level, teachers can do this with the children by:
• making lists of rhyming words by substituting initial or final consonants
• listening for similarities in sounds when reading rhyming text
• playing listening games where the children have to identify the non-rhyming word
in a set of three or four words.
When focusing on sounds, teachers need to be especially aware of the children with
particular learning needs. Even with hearing aids, hearing-impaired children may find
some sounds difficult to hear. Teachers should be aware of such needs and ensure that
they have appropriate support from specialists.
Many five-year-olds have difficulty making some sounds accurately. For example, they
may say “f ” for the initial sound “th” (Fursday/Thursday), “d” for the medial sound “th”
(mudder/mother), or “w” for “r” (wun/run). This is a normal developmental stage, but it
may affect children’s learning, particularly their ability to encode sounds when writing.
Teachers have an important role as models of correct language usage and enunciation.
High-frequency Words
The words that children see frequently in reading material and will learn to instantly
recognise are commonly known as sight words or high-frequency words. A major focus
of teaching reading at the emergent and early levels is to help the children to build up
a store of high-frequency words so that they can use them to scaffold their reading of
increasingly challenging material.
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Building a store of high-frequency words for each child is an important part of the
literacy programme and should be reinforced at every opportunity. The phonetic analysis
of words that children need to do when encoding words in writing will assist the children
in the acquisition of many high-frequency words. The quick recognition of irregularly
spelt words, such as “said”, “the”, “was”, and “come” can be encouraged by drawing
attention to these words during shared and guided reading and through teacher-directed
or independent word games and activities.
Acquiring high-frequency vocabulary needs to be part of purposeful context-related
activities during a class literacy session.
A high-frequency word list for the emergent books is included in the assessment section.
Content Words
At the emergent level, there will usually be only one or two content or interest words per
page within a framework of high-frequency words. As the children’s alphabet knowledge
develops, the initial letters, along with the illustrations and context, will become vital
sources of information when decoding the interest words. The children will learn to focus
more on the visual features of words and less on the illustrations as they move through
the reading levels.
The children will learn to recognise content words that have a particular meaning or
association for them, such as names. A lively literacy programme should expose the
children to rich uses of language and encourage the extension of their vocabulary and
language structures. The children should not, however, be expected to be able to write or
recognise in print all the words that they can say.
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Independent Activities
While the teacher is working with groups of children, the rest of the class need to be
profitably occupied with other literacy activities. These activities should complement the
skills and strategies being taught in the literacy programme.
To ensure that the children are engaged in meaningful activities while working
independently, the teacher could:
• introduce appropriate games, activities, and resources carefully, ensuring that the
children are aware of how to use these independently;
• change activities regularly so that the children are “captured” by a new activity;
• take care to ensure that the children sit next to one another rather than facing one
another when playing card or other letter and word games so that they are always
looking at letters or words the right way. There are many letters of the alphabet, such
as b/d, u/n, or w/m, and words, such as on/no or at/ to, that are easily confused by
beginning readers. Present the children with correct models
whenever possible.
• ensure that appropriate participation in and completion of independent activities are
valued and rewarded;
• manage the class so that the children are able to mix with readers from different
groups when working independently;
• take some time during the literacy session to monitor the children’s use of activities
and note evidence of the children’s progress or learning needs.
The following is a list of independent activities relevant to the year 1 classroom.
Reading Activities
Have special reading “pointers” available for the children to use to point to text as they
read it. This encourages emergent readers to develop and reinforce one-to-one wordmatching skills and other concepts about print. Independent reading may be a solo
activity or may be shared with a friend in a buddy-reading situation. At the emergent
level, independent reading is likely to involve reading aloud.
Independent reading materials will include:
• books from the library corner
• work on the classroom walls
• books and captions that have been created as part of the classroom literacy
programme
• children’s published writing, especially in booklet form
• material from “browsing boxes”
• poetry cards
• song charts
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• pieces of shared writing, such as language experience books and news board stories
• charts or captions on topic and learning centre tables
• texts of stories or songs recorded on tape
• overhead projector texts
• computer texts, such as the school website or a CD-ROM
• puppets to use while retelling stories
• materials to use for illustrating text
• equipment for making tapes.
Alphabet Activities
Ensure that the children have access to a variety of alphabet puzzles and games to
reinforce their alphabet knowledge.
• Introduce commercial or handmade alphabet games, such as Snap, Bingo, Dominoes,
or Memory. (These games can also be adapted to include
high-frequency words.)
• Encourage the use of activities at the alphabet table.
• Use magnetic letters, play dough, or chalk to explore and practise letter formations.
• Make handwriting cards to give the children the opportunity to practise letter
formation using a variety of writing implements.
• Use commercial software that supports alphabet learning.
• Have a variety of alphabet books available.
Word Activities
• Encourage the children to experiment with building and creating words using a variety
of media, such as magnetic letters, play dough, the whiteboard (or blackboard), chalk,
or a wet paintbrush to write words on the ground outside the classroom.
• Introduce a variety of word games using high-frequency words and familiar
vocabulary, such as the children’s names.
• Use a newspaper or magazine to select letters and create words.
• Ask the children to cut out and paste words from the newspaper that they can read.
Writing Activities
• Set up a writing table with “special” writing paper, such as oddments of coloured
card or old envelopes, and writing implements, such as coloured pencils, felt pens, or
crayons, for independent writing.
• Allow the children access to whiteboards or blackboards.
• Use magnetic letters to create words or stories.
• Encourage individual children to work with a friend or a classroom helper to create
or publish a written text, to create a slide show, or to add captions to a photograph
montage created with a digital camera.
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Links to Writing
Children’s literacy skills are strengthened when there are clear links between reading and
writing. Look for opportunities to point out these links to the children and to encourage
them to make these links for themselves. For example, as the children move through
the reading levels, becoming familiar with different writing styles, developing their
phonological awareness, and acquiring an ever-increasing store of high-frequency words
and content words, they are more likely to try new things in their writing, drawing on
their reading as a prime source of inspiration. You can draw on text features encountered
during shared or guided reading and apply them to class shared writing by:
• encouraging the use of adjectives or incorporating poetic phrases;
• helping the children to discover that they can use their knowledge of the word “and” to
generate other words, such as “hand”, “band”, or “sand”.
Have models of writing on display to show the different types of genre and possible
publishing formats so that the children can refer to them when required. Limit
the display to those that have been or are about to be modelled and used in class to
ensure explicit links between reading and writing. For example, poems, wall stories,
instructions, recipes, captions, and recounts that have been created by the class as a
result of language experience will support both the independent reading programme
and the children’s writing.
Reading progress and writing progress do not always follow a parallel path. Some
children may make much faster progress in reading than they do in writing. These
children may have more difficulty in making the links between the two. For these
children, you need to make all links explicit and be consistently alert to or praise any
links they may point out. Teacher feedback is the most significant teaching tool. It must
be specific and deal with what each child can do and their next learning step. Language
experience, shared reading, and focused, daily modelling at writing time are other key
tools for teaching these children.
Children at the emergent levels will be learning to proofread and edit, even at a very
elementary level. In some cases, this might be as simple as checking that there is a
full stop at the end of each sentence or checking that they have used the best words
to express what they wanted to say. However, the expectation that children will take
responsibility for checking their writing is equivalent to the expectation that the children
will self-monitor their reading, and in many cases the strategies will be similar and
will reinforce one another. These strategies should be modelled by the teacher and be
frequently reinforced.
The use of a computer for writing, particularly for a pair or a small group of children to
use together, can provide extra support and motivation for those children who find the
physical demands of writing difficult. The conversation of children working together
or with a classroom helper on a writing task is valuable in extending their ideas and
clarifying their strategies.
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Assessment
Teachers need to be very clear about the needs and abilities of the children in their class.
Accurate assessment will guide you in planning and grouping so that your instruction
is timely and relevant. Assessment should be specific and lead on to new learning. It
is helpful if the children share in the assessment of their learning and are involved in
setting new goals.
Assessment for the children reading at the emergent levels includes the following:
• Observing. This may be general or specific. You will be continually observing the
behaviours of your students and noting evidence of particular abilities or learning
needs. Your observation during small group activities, such as guided reading or
writing, will be more specific, often with a particular purpose in mind. For example,
is the child rereading without a prompt, or (in writing) is the child saying the words
slowly and recording the letters in order? The combination of general day-to-day
observation and specific, focused monitoring builds a picture of the learner.
• Monitoring the children’s phonological knowledge. This includes using simple spelling
tests.
• Regularly carrying out and analysing running records.
• Monitoring the children’s comprehension through discussion about a text or by asking
for a retelling.
• Analysing children’s written work.
• Writing conferences. Often a conference involves you and the child discussing a
monitoring sheet with headings such as “I am learning to” and “I can”. Through this
discussion, you share the responsibility for assessment with the child. Together you
develop a checklist so that the child can begin to set his or her own learning goals.
Selecting Texts
The texts used during the daily literacy session will be selected for various reasons,
depending on the learning needs of the children. Dragonflies texts are intended to be
used for shared, guided, and independent reading. You will decide which texts to use on
the basis of several factors that relate to the specific learning needs of the children. These
may include:
• the book’s particular interest to the children
• the experiences the children bring to the text
• the supports and challenges that the book has for a particular group
• the children’s enjoyment of the book
• the text’s links to a current topic
• the text as an example of a genre
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• the text’s use of particular high-frequency words
• the text’s use of particular word endings
• the text’s use of specific types of words, such as irregular verbs or adjectives
• the text’s use of specific punctuation features
• the text’s use of rhyme.
As the children move through the early colour levels, they will be able to cope with a
greater degree of challenge in the presentation and language of texts, such as variable
placement of text, less picture support, less repetition, and less predictability. This is a
key stage for the children to develop and refine their reading strategies and to practise
applying their developing phonological knowledge to texts.
Using the information you gain from your ongoing assessment and monitoring of the
children, you will decide which books and approaches to use. You may use the same book
in different ways, depending on the needs of the children. For example, a first reading
could focus on supporting the children in decoding unknown words. On a subsequent
reading, when the children are reasonably familiar with the text and have discussed the
feelings of the characters, the lesson could focus on a study of the dialogue, exploring
how the author makes it sound natural and interesting. This could involve a close look at
features such as punctuation, the use of italics, bold print, or contractions.
Using the Teachers’ Notes
for Individual Titles
The teachers’ notes for individual titles include an overview, suggested purposes, and
a list of the features of each emergent book. They also provide suggestions for the use
of the books in instructional settings under the headings: Setting the scene, The first
reading, Ideas for revisiting the text, and Suggestions for further activities.
Teachers should choose the ideas and suggestions that are most appropriate to the needs
of the children.
Children who appear to struggle with literacy, for example, those who may have difficulty
expressing themselves orally, need intensive, focused literacy instruction. These notes
give guidance in how to provide additional practice in building reading skills for these
children.
The suggestions included in the notes are applicable to both guided and shared reading,
apart from the direction under The first reading to “Listen as the children read the text.”
This applies to a guided reading session only. The equivalent direction for a shared
reading session would be “Reading the text with the children.”
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Overview and suggested purposes
This gives a brief summary of the main themes in the text and the suggested purposes
such as the comprehension strategies that are focused on. Links to other curriculum
areas are listed at the end of this section. You could use the information in these sections
to help you to choose an appropriate text and to set a purpose for the reading. Teachers
should familiarise themselves with the books before using them with a group.
Text features
This section lists features of the text. Teachers will need to use their professional
judgment and their knowledge of the children in their class to identify which features
are likely to be supports and which will be challenges. A support for one learner may be
a challenge for another. Teachers should choose just one or two text features to focus on
in any one lesson. You can return to each book a number of times, focusing on a different
text feature each time.
Setting the scene
This section suggests some of the ways that the text could be introduced to set an
authentic purpose for the reading. Generally, several options have been provided.
Teachers should select an appropriate introduction, dependent on their knowledge of the
children. At this point, the teacher should be aiming to provide a clear overview of the text
to ensure successful reading. With some children, the teacher will be able to achieve this
by using open-ended questions; with other children, a much more direct approach may
need to be used. If the children are already familiar with the text through shared reading,
the introduction will be shorter. This initial discussion is also an opportunity to introduce
any words or concepts that may be unfamiliar to the children and to build up a feeling of
expectancy and excitement about the reading.
The first reading
This section gives a possible model of the first reading of the text. The purpose of
the discussion points and questions is to draw attention to text features and also to
encourage the children to think more deeply about the text.
The first reading may take place in a shared or guided context. It may actually involve two
readings: one with a high level of teacher support (shared reading) and another with the
children taking the lead (guided reading).
The first reading needs to be relatively fluent and draw out the meaning of the text. At
the emergent level, the teacher may provide scaffolding by providing a greater level of
support on the first one or two pages to “set the pattern” of the text and then hand the
responsibility for the reading over to the children. Although some text features, such as
the illustrations, the use of high-frequency words, and the initial letters, will be crucial
Dragonflies – Professional Reading
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in managing the first reading, a specific focus on new text features may be better left to
a second reading (within the same lesson) when the children are more secure about the
storyline and the structure of the text. The teacher should monitor the children closely
within the lesson and modify the approach according to their performance.
Ideas for revisiting the text
Revisiting the text offers an opportunity to savour the story, to share and discuss
responses to the reading, and to focus on particular text features. It is a good time to
teach word-level strategies. When focusing on a specific initial letter, the children can be
asked to find another word that starts the same way. A whiteboard or easel can be used
to list words or to focus on text features. When identifying high-frequency words, the
teacher can write the featured word on the whiteboard and say “Can you find this word?
Do you know what it is? Let’s read the sentence together.” Unfamiliar words are better
taught in context than in isolation.
It’s important that teachers choose no more than two text features per lesson to avoid
confusing the children and losing the focus on meaning and enjoyment. The children
themselves will often notice and comment on new aspects. Teachers should always be on
the alert for such “teachable moments”!
Revisiting will usually happen straight after the first reading but may also happen in
subsequent lessons using the same text. The high-interest topics and strong storylines
of Dragonflies books mean that they can be returned to many times without losing the
children’s interest.
Suggestions for further activities
This section lists some possible follow-up activities that could be incorporated into the
wider classroom literacy programme. The best follow-up activity to reading is more
reading. The children should have access to many texts that they can read successfully.
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References
Gaynor, B., Thompson, L., Thornley, C., and Mcllwrick, R. (1997). Guided
Reading Teachers’ Resource Book. Wellington: Learning Media.
McNaughton, S. (1999). “A Reading of the Literacy Task Force Report (1999)”.
Teachers and Curriculum, vol. 3, pp. 5–9.
Ministry of Education (1994). English in the New Zealand Curriculum. Wellington:
Learning Media.
Ministry of Education (1996). Exploring Language. Wellington: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education (1996). Exploring Language: Oral Language. Wellington:
Learning Media. (video)
Ministry of Education (1999). Feed the Mind pamphlet How Can We Help Our
Children to Read the Books They Bring Home from School? Wellington: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education (2000). Literacy Leadership in New Zealand Schools. Wellington:
Learning Media.
Ministry of Education (1997). Reading and Beyond: Discovering Language through
Ready to Read. Wellington: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education (1999). Report of the Literacy Taskforce. Wellington: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education (2000). Using Running Records: A Resource for New Zealand
Classroom Teachers. Wellington: Learning Media.
Pressley, M. (1998). Reading Instruction That Works: The Case for Balanced
Teaching. New York: Guilford Press.
Timperley, H., Robinson, V., and Bullard, T. (1999). Strengthening Education in Mangere and
Otara Evaluation: First Evaluation Report. Wellington: Ministry of Education.
Reading in Junior Classes (Ministry of Education, 1985) will be replaced in 2001 by
Literacy in Junior Classes (working title), which was still under development when this
teacher support material was published.
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Acknowledgments
Learning Media would like to thank Philippa Buckley-Foster for writing this support
material. Thanks also to the literacy consultants and teachers who were involved in the
development and trial process. Special thanks to Janice Jones, Chris Ryan, and
Lorna Webb.
Dragonflies – Professional Reading
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Dragonflies – Professional Reading
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Emergent Writing Checklist
Name:
Assessor:
Age: Years: Months:
Comment
Date
The student who is ready to write:
is aware that the print carries a message
draws pictures and scribbles to express ideas
explains own pictures and symbols orally
writes random strings of letters
assigns meaning to own symbols
states a purpose for writing
can dictate to an adult
shows some awareness of directionality
experiments with letter forms and upper-case and lower-case letters
uses known letters or approximations
can write own name
copies print from his/her environment
The student who is experimenting with writing:
attempts familiar writing forms such as lists, stories, messages
can read back own writing
understands the correspondence between spoken and written words
attempts simple sentence forms
can follow a writing pattern, such as
“I like …”
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school or school system.
Emergent Writing Checklist
Name:
Assessor:
Age: Years: Months:
Comment
Date
The student:
separates words or letter groups by spaces
uses some capitalisation
can distinguish between letters and numerals
forms recognisable letters
uses print to convey meaning
uses obvious or familiar sounds correctly
can use print from their environment, such as word charts
understands that stories, speech, and messages can be expressed in writing
can talk about some features of own writing
can make corrections when directed by the teacher
The early writer:
uses basic sentences with variations
understands and can explain some purposes for writing
attempts to spell unfamiliar words
uses simple punctuation correctly
joins simple sentences
retells a familiar story in sequence
makes some corrections to surface and meaning features independently
begins to use consistent subject/
verb agreement
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school or school system.
Emergent High-frequency Words
a
like
am
look
and
me
are
my
at
on
but
out
can
said
come
she
do
the
for
they
go
this
going
to
good
up
he
was
I
we
in
went
is
with
it
you
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school or school system.
Professional Reading
Contents
Characteristics of the Emergent Reader ............................................... 2
Features of Dragonflies Literacy Emergent Books .............................. 3
Emergent Readers and the Classroom Literacy Session ..................... 4
Supporting Oral Language
Language Experience
Shared Reading
Guided Reading
Independent Reading
Phonemic Awareness and Phonics
High-frequency Words
Content Words
Independent Activities .............................................................................9
Reading Activities
Alphabet Activities
Word Activities
Writing Activities
Links to Writing .........................................................................................12
Assessment ................................................................................................13
Selecting Texts ..........................................................................................13
Using the Lesson Plans for Individual Titles ........................................14
References ..................................................................................................17
Acknowledgments ....................................................................................18
Dragonflies – Professional Reading
Characteristics of the
Emergent Reader
Dragonflies emergent books are designed to meet the particular needs of the emergent
reader and writer. Although there will be a wide range of literacy development among the
children in any year 1 class, there are some general characteristics of readers at this level.
Attitudes
• Is curious about language
• Is persistent – will “read” to the end of a book; will sit and listen to a
complete story
• Expects to be able to get meaning from a text
• Expects books and stories to amuse, delight, comfort, and excite
• Enjoys hearing and using new language
• Shows pleasure in the rhythm and rhyme of language
• Enjoys playing at reading and writing
• Is willing to work at reading and writing
• Wants to read and sees himself or herself as a reader
• Likes listening to stories, rhymes, and poems
• Enjoys rereading books or listening to stories over and over again
Understandings
• Knows that language can be recorded and revisited
• Understands that the text, as well as the illustrations, carries the story
• Is aware that print in books and in his or her own writing holds meaning
• Is developing some concepts about print, such as:
–
the concepts of letter, word, sentence, and line
–
directionality and return sweep
–
–
–
the one-to-one match of spoken word to written word
the functions of some punctuation features, such as the full stop, capital letter,
comma, and exclamation mark
the convention that sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a
full stop.
• Is aware of some book conventions
• Recognises book language and sometimes uses this in speech, retellings,
writing, or play
• Is aware that there is a difference between fiction and non-fiction texts
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Skills and Behaviours
• Finger points to locate specific words
• Identifies some letters
• Identifies some words
• Begins to realise that words are always spelt the same
• Can hear some sounds in words (is developing phonemic awareness)
• Recognises and reads familiar signs, symbols, and labels
• Uses pictures to predict text
• Interprets pictures
• Retells a known story in sequence
• Develops a memory for text (oral or written)
• “Plays” at reading and writing
• Explores new books and returns to favourites
• Chooses to read independently at times
• Enjoys publishing and sharing work with others
• Handles books confidently
Teachers should not wait for these characteristics to develop before starting instructional
reading and writing. A rich, balanced language programme with a focus on daily shared
and/or guided reading is vital for all children at the emergent level. McNaughton (1999)
advocates “focused and intensive teaching of literacy” right from the start of school. An
achievement gap that is allowed to develop during the first year of school becomes much
harder to close over time.
Features of Dragonflies
Literacy Emergent Books
The twenty Dragonflies emergent level books have the following features:
• simple text structures, often with a repetitive element
• high-frequency words in literary settings
• language features such as rhythm and rhyme to foster phonological awareness and a
familiarity with the alphabet
• a close match between illustrations and text
• clear text with good spacing between words
• a small amount of text per page, often just one line
• a limited number of characters and plot incidents
• storylines that children can relate to their own experiences
• high-interest topics that engage the reader
• good models for writing
• consistency in sentence patterns.
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Emergent Readers and the
Classroom Literacy Session
Your classroom literacy session needs to have a thoughtful balance of teaching
approaches and activities. The session is designed to capture learners’ interest, foster
the development of new skills, and encourage positive attitudes to literacy learning.
Whatever the approach used, the primary focus of any reading lesson at any level will be
on getting meaning from the text.
Pressley (1998) found that effective teachers of year one children were adept at making
links between literacy areas. He observed that “lessons were filled with reminders for the
children about how the activities related to their writing and reading. Furthermore, the
children were given plenty of opportunity to use these skills, and teachers were active in
providing scaffolding when it was needed.”
A typical year-one literacy session will include a variety of approaches and activities, such
as the following:
Supporting Oral Language
When learning to read, the children will be making links to their personal experiences
and drawing on their knowledge of language. Children who struggle to understand or to
express themselves orally in English will need many oral language enrichment activities
to support them in their instructional reading and writing. The following is a list of
classroom activities for developing and supporting the children’s oral language.
• Create many opportunities for conversation during the school day.
• Generate purposeful discussion, encouraging a high level of participation and
extending the children’s oral responses through the skilful use of prompts.
• Organise many opportunities for paired or group work, thus creating further
opportunities for meaningful talk. Barrier games are useful paired activities. In barrier
games, the children work together with a barrier such as an upright book between
them. One child gives instructions to the other for an activity such as drawing a picture
or making a simple construction using blocks. The activity encourages precision with
language because there are no visual clues to rely on.
• Create shared reading texts from planned language experiences.
• Pair children with buddies from the senior school to read and talk about books on a
regular basis.
• Read aloud to the children.
• Read books, poems, chants, and songs together. A child who can recite a text is
increasing his or her awareness of the sounds in words, developing an appreciation
of rhythmic poetic language, taking pride in his or her achievement, and becoming
familiar with the structure of written English.
• Encourage the children to retell or dramatise stories.
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Language Experience
Language experience involves using the children’s experiences as a basis for developing
oral and written language. Language experience activities are often linked to current or
upcoming topics or themes or may arise from normal classroom activities, shared reading
experiences, or the events in the children’s lives. They are especially valuable in providing
language support for new learners of English. Language experience activities can provide
background knowledge and exposure to new vocabulary or language patterns that the
children can, in turn, bring to their reading.
Language experience activities also provide a wonderful opportunity to involve parents or
caregivers in the classroom programme. Adult helpers work with small groups of children
during the activities, encouraging talk and offering assistance as necessary. Pieces of
writing created as a result of these activities are often much-loved sources of reading
material that can be used both in the classroom and as take-home readers. Children love
to read and reread material in which they are the main characters!
Shared Reading
In shared reading, the teacher leads a reading of a text, modelling the strategies that the
children need to be successful readers. The children follow the text with their eyes and
are encouraged to join in as they feel confident. Shared reading offers a high degree of
support for the reader and should always be an enjoyable experience. It encourages a
positive attitude to books and reading and provides a “risk-free” opportunity for children
to think of themselves as successful readers.
At the emergent level, shared reading is particularly effective for introducing or
reinforcing concepts about print, one-to-one word matching, new vocabulary, and
letter–sound relationships. The teacher may focus on challenges in the text as specific
teaching points and may mask words or copy parts of the text on a whiteboard to
demonstrate a point.
Shared reading may be a class or group experience. The teacher may hold and therefore
control the text, or the children may have their own copies. An enlarged text may be
easier to manage at the emergent level. A class reading of a shared text is an effective
introduction to the daily literacy session.
Guided Reading
In guided reading, the teacher works with a small group of children, supporting them in
reading a text themselves. The children take a much greater level of responsibility for the
reading than they do in shared reading.
Guided reading is taken in small groups (ideally, no more than six children) with each
child having a copy of the book. The texts for guided reading sessions are selected
according to the needs of the group. Guided reading sessions at the emergent level
should be short, focused lessons of ten to fifteen minutes only.
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While guided reading should be an enjoyable experience, it is also hard work! The teacher
sets a particular purpose for the lesson and provides a degree of scaffolding to assist the
children in achieving the set objective. The children are expected to read individually and
apply their developing knowledge of reading strategies to the text. Having a small group
allows the teacher to monitor closely and to provide feedback. The teacher should identify
difficulties that arise and focus on them as group teaching points or note them for a
subsequent lesson.
Although the ultimate aim of all reading instruction is fluent, silent reading of texts, at
the emergent level, children are more likely to read out loud. This does not mean round
robin (taking turns) or choral reading (reading together as a group). All the children in
the group read quietly to themselves at the same time, with the teacher focusing in on
individual reading performances and offering scaffolding or feedback as required.
Emergent readers may sometimes appear to be more fluent or accurate than they
actually are because they memorise whole texts of books. Finger pointing and verbalising
are helpful during guided reading sessions at the emergent level because they help the
teacher to monitor the children’s tracking of print and also help to reinforce important
concepts for beginning readers, such as locating the first word on a page or the first letter
of a word. However, as children progress in their reading, finger pointing becomes less
helpful because it slows the development of reading fluency.
The reading of the text should be followed by discussion in order to check the children’s
comprehension, draw out their responses to the text, and check whether the objective for
the lesson has been met. The children can discuss whether their initial predictions were
correct and whether they agreed with the actions of the characters, and they can share
links to their own experience.
Often the text will be read again (revisited) within the same lesson. The richness of
Dragonflies books means that you can revisit them many times, with a different focus
each time, without losing the interest of the children.
Although shared reading and guided reading are distinct approaches with their own
characteristics, teachers may sometimes use a mixture of approaches in the same lesson.
This may happen when the teacher realises that a text is less or more challenging for
a group than expected. Small-group sessions with beginning emergent readers or
readers who are proving hard to start may often be a mixture of shared and guided
reading approaches.
Suggested levels for guided reading of Dragonflies texts are indicated by the word
“Guided” on the colour band on the back of each book. The placement of “Guided”
indicates whether a book may be more appropriate for guided reading at that level.
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Independent Reading
Independent reading is characterised at the emergent level by the rereading of familiar
texts – material that the children can read with at least 95 percent accuracy. Many
teachers place books in browsing boxes to be freely accessed. The children will enjoy
choosing independent texts to read, and in many cases, to take home over and over
again. The aim is to encourage the enjoyment of favourite books and to develop fluency.
It is helpful for the children to take home reading material each day to share with family
and friends. This material may be a reading book, a poem the class has shared,
a piece of the child’s own writing, or a library book to be read to the child.
Suggested levels for independent reading of Dragonflies texts are indicated by the
word “Independent” on the colour band on the back of each book. The placement of
“Independent” indicates whether a book may be more appropriate for independent
reading at that level.
Phonemic Awareness and Phonics
Phonemic awareness is crucial for early reading success. At the emergent level, the
children will be learning to hear the sounds of spoken language and to differentiate
between them. They will also be learning letter names and learning to match sounds to
letters. The children will also be starting to notice some of the complexities of English,
such as the hard and soft sounds of both “c” and “g” and the many different sounds
of vowels. Children whose first language is not English may also have to contend with
confusions between the sound systems of English and those of their first language.
A note on terms: Phonemic awareness means the ability to hear and differentiate the
individual sounds within words. A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a word.
The relationship between spoken sounds and the letters that represent them is called
phonics. Phonological awareness is a more inclusive term and refers to an understanding
of the sounds in spoken language. A rime is the cluster of letters that comes after the
initial sound (the onset) of a one-syllable word. (In the word “make”, “m” is the onset and
“ake” is the rime.)
For the children at the emergent level, the initial letters of the words they are reading
will be a major source of information in their attempts to decode print. Teachers should
use their knowledge of the children to help them make links between what they know
already and what they are trying to work out – to scaffold the children’s new learning.
This should be done in a planned and systematic way. A whiteboard or easel is useful to
draw attention to the visual features of words, such as initial letters, word endings, or the
repetition of a rime. The handwriting lesson, with its intensive focus on particular letters,
is an excellent opportunity to reinforce phonics skills.
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Phonics teaching may be explicit, for example, helping a child to sound out a word when
writing, or implicit, for example, when a child begins to draw inferences about particular
letter–sound relationships. Some phonic activities may be within text, for example,
during a guided reading lesson when a teacher draws attention to a particular onset or
rime, or outside text, for example, during a handwriting lesson. The role of the teacher is
to help the children to draw on their developing phonic knowledge and to scaffold them
in their ability to use graphophonic information independently when reading
and writing.
Alongside ongoing alphabet activities, some year 1 classrooms focus on a “letter of the
week”, noting its upper-case and lower-case forms. The chosen letter may be the first letter
of a new class member’s name, a letter studied in a recent shared book, or one inspired by
a current topic or theme. Early in the week, the children and the teacher brainstorm words
starting with this letter and make a class chart to record this information. Items starting
with the appropriate letter are displayed on the alphabet table.
The children should be encouraged to listen for distinctions in sound between similar
words. Short vowel sounds are problematic for many children, and teachers need to
encourage the children to differentiate between them right from the start. At the
emergent level, teachers can do this with the children by:
• making lists of rhyming words by substituting initial or final consonants
• listening for similarities in sounds when reading rhyming text
• playing listening games where the children have to identify the non-rhyming word
in a set of three or four words.
When focusing on sounds, teachers need to be especially aware of the children with
particular learning needs. Even with hearing aids, hearing-impaired children may find
some sounds difficult to hear. Teachers should be aware of such needs and ensure that
they have appropriate support from specialists.
Many five-year-olds have difficulty making some sounds accurately. For example, they
may say “f ” for the initial sound “th” (Fursday/Thursday), “d” for the medial sound “th”
(mudder/mother), or “w” for “r” (wun/run). This is a normal developmental stage, but it
may affect children’s learning, particularly their ability to encode sounds when writing.
Teachers have an important role as models of correct language usage and enunciation.
High-frequency Words
The words that children see frequently in reading material and will learn to instantly
recognise are commonly known as sight words or high-frequency words. A major focus
of teaching reading at the emergent and early levels is to help the children to build up
a store of high-frequency words so that they can use them to scaffold their reading of
increasingly challenging material.
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Building a store of high-frequency words for each child is an important part of the
literacy programme and should be reinforced at every opportunity. The phonetic analysis
of words that children need to do when encoding words in writing will assist the children
in the acquisition of many high-frequency words. The quick recognition of irregularly
spelt words, such as “said”, “the”, “was”, and “come” can be encouraged by drawing
attention to these words during shared and guided reading and through teacher-directed
or independent word games and activities.
Acquiring high-frequency vocabulary needs to be part of purposeful context-related
activities during a class literacy session.
A high-frequency word list for the emergent books is included in the assessment section.
Content Words
At the emergent level, there will usually be only one or two content or interest words per
page within a framework of high-frequency words. As the children’s alphabet knowledge
develops, the initial letters, along with the illustrations and context, will become vital
sources of information when decoding the interest words. The children will learn to focus
more on the visual features of words and less on the illustrations as they move through
the reading levels.
The children will learn to recognise content words that have a particular meaning or
association for them, such as names. A lively literacy programme should expose the
children to rich uses of language and encourage the extension of their vocabulary and
language structures. The children should not, however, be expected to be able to write or
recognise in print all the words that they can say.
Independent Activities
While the teacher is working with groups of children, the rest of the class need to be
profitably occupied with other literacy activities. These activities should complement the
skills and strategies being taught in the literacy programme.
To ensure that the children are engaged in meaningful activities while working
independently, the teacher could:
• introduce appropriate games, activities, and resources carefully, ensuring that the
children are aware of how to use these independently;
• change activities regularly so that the children are “captured” by a new activity;
• take care to ensure that the children sit next to one another rather than facing one
another when playing card or other letter and word games so that they are always
looking at letters or words the right way. There are many letters of the alphabet, such
as b/d, u/n, or w/m, and words, such as on/no or at/ to, that are easily confused by
beginning readers. Present the children with correct models whenever possible.
Dragonflies – Professional Reading
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• ensure that appropriate participation in and completion of independent activities are
valued and rewarded;
• manage the class so that the children are able to mix with readers from different
groups when working independently;
• take some time during the literacy session to monitor the children’s use of activities
and note evidence of the children’s progress or learning needs.
The following is a list of independent activities relevant to the year 1 classroom.
Reading Activities
Have special reading “pointers” available for the children to use to point to text as they
read it. This encourages emergent readers to develop and reinforce one-to-one wordmatching skills and other concepts about print. Independent reading may be a solo
activity or may be shared with a friend in a buddy-reading situation. At the emergent
level, independent reading is likely to involve reading aloud.
Independent reading materials will include:
• books from the library corner
• work on the classroom walls
• books and captions that have been created as part of the classroom literacy
programme
• children’s published writing, especially in booklet form
• material from “browsing boxes”
• poetry cards
• song charts
• pieces of shared writing, such as language experience books and news board stories
• charts or captions on topic and learning centre tables
• texts of stories or songs recorded on tape
• overhead projector texts
• computer texts, such as the school website or a CD-ROM
• puppets to use while retelling stories
• materials to use for illustrating text
• equipment for making tapes.
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Alphabet Activities
Ensure that the children have access to a variety of alphabet puzzles and games to
reinforce their alphabet knowledge.
• Introduce commercial or handmade alphabet games, such as Snap, Bingo, Dominoes,
or Memory. (These games can also be adapted to include
high-frequency words.)
• Encourage the use of activities at the alphabet table.
• Use magnetic letters, play dough, or chalk to explore and practise letter formations.
• Make handwriting cards to give the children the opportunity to practise letter
formation using a variety of writing implements.
• Use commercial software that supports alphabet learning.
• Have a variety of alphabet books available.
Word Activities
• Encourage the children to experiment with building and creating words using a variety
of media, such as magnetic letters, play dough, the whiteboard (or blackboard), chalk,
or a wet paintbrush to write words on the ground outside the classroom.
• Introduce a variety of word games using high-frequency words and familiar
vocabulary, such as the children’s names.
• Use a newspaper or magazine to select letters and create words.
• Ask the children to cut out and paste words from the newspaper that they can read.
Writing Activities
• Set up a writing table with “special” writing paper, such as oddments of coloured
card or old envelopes, and writing implements, such as coloured pencils, felt pens, or
crayons, for independent writing.
• Allow the children access to whiteboards or blackboards.
• Use magnetic letters to create words or stories.
• Encourage individual children to work with a friend or a classroom helper to create
or publish a written text, to create a slide show, or to add captions to a photograph
montage created with a digital camera.
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Links to Writing
Children’s literacy skills are strengthened when there are clear links between reading and
writing. Look for opportunities to point out these links to the children and to encourage
them to make these links for themselves. For example, as the children move through
the reading levels, becoming familiar with different writing styles, developing their
phonological awareness, and acquiring an ever-increasing store of high-frequency words
and content words, they are more likely to try new things in their writing, drawing on
their reading as a prime source of inspiration. You can draw on text features encountered
during shared or guided reading and apply them to class shared writing by:
• encouraging the use of adjectives or incorporating poetic phrases;
• helping the children to discover that they can use their knowledge of the word “and” to
generate other words, such as “hand”, “band”, or “sand”.
Have models of writing on display to show the different types of genre and possible
publishing formats so that the children can refer to them when required. Limit
the display to those that have been or are about to be modelled and used in class to
ensure explicit links between reading and writing. For example, poems, wall stories,
instructions, recipes, captions, and recounts that have been created by the class as a
result of language experience will support both the independent reading programme
and the children’s writing.
Reading progress and writing progress do not always follow a parallel path. Some
children may make much faster progress in reading than they do in writing. These
children may have more difficulty in making the links between the two. For these
children, you need to make all links explicit and be consistently alert to or praise any
links they may point out. Teacher feedback is the most significant teaching tool. It must
be specific and deal with what each child can do and their next learning step. Language
experience, shared reading, and focused, daily modelling at writing time are other key
tools for teaching these children.
Children at the emergent levels will be learning to proofread and edit, even at a very
elementary level. In some cases, this might be as simple as checking that there is a
full stop at the end of each sentence or checking that they have used the best words
to express what they wanted to say. However, the expectation that children will take
responsibility for checking their writing is equivalent to the expectation that the children
will self-monitor their reading, and in many cases the strategies will be similar and
will reinforce one another. These strategies should be modelled by the teacher and be
frequently reinforced.
The use of a computer for writing, particularly for a pair or a small group of children to
use together, can provide extra support and motivation for those children who find the
physical demands of writing difficult. The conversation of children working together
or with a classroom helper on a writing task is valuable in extending their ideas and
clarifying their strategies.
Dragonflies – Professional Reading
Page 12
Assessment
Teachers need to be very clear about the needs and abilities of the children in their class.
Accurate assessment will guide you in planning and grouping so that your instruction
is timely and relevant. Assessment should be specific and lead on to new learning. It
is helpful if the children share in the assessment of their learning and are involved in
setting new goals.
Assessment for the children reading at the emergent levels includes the following:
• Observing. This may be general or specific. You will be continually observing the
behaviours of your students and noting evidence of particular abilities or learning
needs. Your observation during small group activities, such as guided reading or
writing, will be more specific, often with a particular purpose in mind. For example,
is the child rereading without a prompt, or (in writing) is the child saying the words
slowly and recording the letters in order? The combination of general day-to-day
observation and specific, focused monitoring builds a picture of the learner.
• Monitoring the children’s phonological knowledge. This includes using simple spelling
tests.
• Regularly carrying out and analysing running records.
• Monitoring the children’s comprehension through discussion about a text or by asking
for a retelling.
• Analysing children’s written work.
• Writing conferences. Often a conference involves you and the child discussing a
monitoring sheet with headings such as “I am learning to” and “I can”. Through this
discussion, you share the responsibility for assessment with the child. Together you
develop a checklist so that the child can begin to set his or her own learning goals.
Selecting Texts
The texts used during the daily literacy session will be selected for various reasons,
depending on the learning needs of the children. Dragonflies texts are intended to be
used for shared, guided, and independent reading. You will decide which texts to use on
the basis of several factors that relate to the specific learning needs of the children. These
may include:
• the book’s particular interest to the children
• the experiences the children bring to the text
• the supports and challenges that the book has for a particular group
• the children’s enjoyment of the book
• the text’s links to a current topic
• the text as an example of a genre
Dragonflies – Professional Reading
Page 13
• the text’s use of particular high-frequency words
• the text’s use of particular word endings
• the text’s use of specific types of words, such as irregular verbs or adjectives
• the text’s use of specific punctuation features
• the text’s use of rhyme.
As the children move through the early colour levels, they will be able to cope with a
greater degree of challenge in the presentation and language of texts, such as variable
placement of text, less picture support, less repetition, and less predictability. This is a
key stage for the children to develop and refine their reading strategies and to practise
applying their developing phonological knowledge to texts.
Using the information you gain from your ongoing assessment and monitoring of the
children, you will decide which books and approaches to use. You may use the same book
in different ways, depending on the needs of the children. For example, a first reading
could focus on supporting the children in decoding unknown words. On a subsequent
reading, when the children are reasonably familiar with the text and have discussed the
feelings of the characters, the lesson could focus on a study of the dialogue, exploring
how the author makes it sound natural and interesting. This could involve a close look at
features such as punctuation, the use of italics, bold print, or contractions.
Using the Lesson Plans
for Individual Titles
The lesson plans for individual titles include an overview, suggested purposes, and a list
of the features of each emergent book. They also provide suggestions for the use of the
books in instructional settings under the headings: Setting the scene, The first reading,
Ideas for revisiting the text, and Suggestions for further activities.
Teachers should choose the ideas and suggestions that are most appropriate to the needs
of the children.
Children who appear to struggle with literacy, for example, those who may have difficulty
expressing themselves orally, need intensive, focused literacy instruction. These lesson
plans give guidance in how to provide additional practice in building reading skills for
these children.
The suggestions included in the lesson plans are applicable to both guided and shared
reading, apart from the direction under The first reading to “Listen as the children read
the text.” This applies to a guided reading session only. The equivalent direction for a
shared reading session would be “Reading the text with the children.”
Dragonflies – Professional Reading
Page 14
Overview and suggested purposes
This gives a brief summary of the main themes in the text and the suggested purposes
such as the comprehension strategies that are focused on. Links to other curriculum
areas are listed at the end of this section. You could use the information in these sections
to help you to choose an appropriate text and to set a purpose for the reading. Teachers
should familiarise themselves with the books before using them with a group.
Text features
This section lists features of the text. Teachers will need to use their professional
judgment and their knowledge of the children in their class to identify which features
are likely to be supports and which will be challenges. A support for one learner may be
a challenge for another. Teachers should choose just one or two text features to focus on
in any one lesson. You can return to each book a number of times, focusing on a different
text feature each time.
Setting the scene
This section suggests some of the ways that the text could be introduced to set an
authentic purpose for the reading. Generally, several options have been provided.
Teachers should select an appropriate introduction, dependent on their knowledge of the
children. At this point, the teacher should be aiming to provide a clear overview of the text
to ensure successful reading. With some children, the teacher will be able to achieve this
by using open-ended questions; with other children, a much more direct approach may
need to be used. If the children are already familiar with the text through shared reading,
the introduction will be shorter. This initial discussion is also an opportunity to introduce
any words or concepts that may be unfamiliar to the children and to build up a feeling of
expectancy and excitement about the reading.
The first reading
This section gives a possible model of the first reading of the text. The purpose of
the discussion points and questions is to draw attention to text features and also to
encourage the children to think more deeply about the text.
The first reading may take place in a shared or guided context. It may actually involve two
readings: one with a high level of teacher support (shared reading) and another with the
children taking the lead (guided reading).
The first reading needs to be relatively fluent and draw out the meaning of the text. At
the emergent level, the teacher may provide scaffolding by providing a greater level of
support on the first one or two pages to “set the pattern” of the text and then hand the
responsibility for the reading over to the children. Although some text features, such as
the illustrations, the use of high-frequency words, and the initial letters, will be crucial
Dragonflies – Professional Reading
Page 15
in managing the first reading, a specific focus on new text features may be better left to
a second reading (within the same lesson) when the children are more secure about the
storyline and the structure of the text. The teacher should monitor the children closely
within the lesson and modify the approach according to their performance.
Ideas for revisiting the text
Revisiting the text offers an opportunity to savour the story, to share and discuss
responses to the reading, and to focus on particular text features. It is a good time to
teach word-level strategies. When focusing on a specific initial letter, the children can be
asked to find another word that starts the same way. A whiteboard or easel can be used
to list words or to focus on text features. When identifying high-frequency words, the
teacher can write the featured word on the whiteboard and say “Can you find this word?
Do you know what it is? Let’s read the sentence together.” Unfamiliar words are better
taught in context than in isolation.
It’s important that teachers choose no more than two text features per lesson to avoid
confusing the children and losing the focus on meaning and enjoyment. The children
themselves will often notice and comment on new aspects. Teachers should always be on
the alert for such “teachable moments”!
Revisiting will usually happen straight after the first reading but may also happen in
subsequent lessons using the same text. The high-interest topics and strong storylines
of Dragonflies books mean that they can be returned to many times without losing the
children’s interest.
Suggestions for further activities
This section lists some possible follow-up activities that could be incorporated into the
wider classroom literacy programme. The best follow-up activity to reading is more
reading. The children should have access to many texts that they can read successfully.
Dragonflies – Professional Reading
Page 16
References
Gaynor, B., Thompson, L., Thornley, C., and Mcllwrick, R. (1997). Guided
Reading Teachers’ Resource Book. Wellington: Learning Media.
McNaughton, S. (1999). “A Reading of the Literacy Task Force Report (1999)”.
Teachers and Curriculum, vol. 3, pp. 5–9.
Ministry of Education (1996). Exploring Language. Wellington: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education (1996). Exploring Language: Oral Language. Wellington:
Learning Media. (video)
Ministry of Education (1999). Feed the Mind pamphlet How Can We Help Our
Children to Read the Books They Bring Home from School? Wellington: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education (1997). Reading and Beyond: Discovering Language through
Ready to Read. Wellington: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education (1999). Report of the Literacy Taskforce. Wellington: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education (2000). Using Running Records: A Resource for New Zealand
Classroom Teachers. Wellington: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education (2002). Families Learning Together. Wellington: Ministry of
Education Migrant and Refugee Education ESOL Team.
Ministry of Education (2002). Guided Reading Years 1—4. Wellington: Learning Media.
Ministry of Education (2003). Effective Literacy Practice in Years 1—4. Wellington:
Learning Media.
Pressley, M. (1998). Reading Instruction That Works: The Case for Balanced
Teaching. New York: Guilford Press.
Dragonflies – Professional Reading
Page 17
Acknowledgments
Learning Media would like to thank Philippa Buckley-Foster for writing this support
material. Thanks also to the literacy consultants and teachers who were involved in the
development and trial process. Special thanks to Janice Jones, Chris Ryan, and
Lorna Webb.
Dragonflies – Professional Reading
Page 18
Fluent
Early
Emergent
Level Chart
Colour
Reading Recovery
Level
United Kingdom
Book Band
Reading Age
Australian
Year Level
magenta
1, 2
1
5–5.5 years
Kindy/Prep
red
3, 4, 5
2
5–5.5 years
Kindy/Prep
yellow
6, 7, 8
2­–3
5.5–6 years
Kindy/Prep
blue
9, 10, 11
4
5.5–6 years
Kindy/Prep
green
12, 13, 14
5
6–6.5 years
Year 1
orange
15, 16
6
6–6.5 years
Year 1
turquoise
17, 18
7
6.5–7 years
Year 2
purple
19, 20
8
7–7.5 years
Year 2
gold
21, 22
9
7.5–8 years
Year 2
Overview Chart
Title
Lunch Boxes
Level: Emergent
My Best Bear
Level: Emergent
Going to
the River
Level: Emergent
Off Goes
the Hose!
Level: Emergent
Author
Feana Tu‘akoi
Word
Summary
Themes
Count
38
A group of children stack Personal interests
their coloured lunch
boxes as high as they can.
Inevitably, the stack falls!
Comprehension/
High-frequency Words Content Words
Skills Focus
Using prior knowledge, a, is, look, out
box, lunch
predicting using
illustrations
Dot Meharry
36
A boy shows the reader
his collection of bears,
then snuggles into bed
with his “best” bear.
Family, friends, and
people around;
interpersonal
communications;
personal interests
Connecting with
real-life experiences,
using illustrations to
understand text
but, is, my, this
Feana Tu‘akoi
39
This narrative text
features some African
animals going to the
river. The climax occurs
when Lion appears and
the other animals beat a
hasty retreat!
Nature
Making and
going, is, the, to
confirming predictions,
summarising the
main ideas
buffalo,
elephant, hippo,
lion, monkey,
river, zebra
Joy Cowley
31
This poetic text features
a child playing with a
hose while Grandma is
hanging out the washing.
When the water gets on
Grandma, she cheerfully
but quickly turns off
the hose.
Family, friends, and
people around;
personal interests;
interpersonal
communications
Making connections
with real-life
experiences, using
illustrations to make
predictions
clothes, garden,
hose, line, tree,
water, window
me, on, the
bear, best, big,
blue, little, new,
old, red
Title
Bubbles
Level: Emergent
Look at Me
Level: Emergent
The Picnic
Level: Emergent
Too Big!
Level: Emergent
Author
Dot Meharry
Word
Summary
Count
39
This book describes the
wind’s effect on bubbles
blown by a child.
Themes
Personal interests;
neighbourhood
and personal
environments;
nature
Comprehension/
High-frequency Words Content Words
Skills Focus
Using prior knowledge, my, on, the, they,
birds, bubbles,
making and
to, up
cat, dog,
confirming predictions
hedgehog, wind
Miriam
Macdonald
43
A pig dresses himself
and then discovers
that his colourful outfit
has turned him into a
rainbow!
Daily routines
Using illustrations
to understand text,
making connections
with real-life
experiences
a, am, at, I, look, me,
my, on
blue, boots,
green hat,
jersey, orange,
pants, purple,
rainbow, red,
scarf, socks,
yellow
Margaret
Schroder
33
Family, friends, and
people around;
personal interests;
food
Using prior
knowledge, making
and confirming
predictions, using
illustrations to
understand text
in, the, we
apples, chips,
cookies, juice,
lemonade,
Mum, picnics,
sandwiches
Materoa
Tangaere
51
This story describes how
Mum and two children
prepare for a picnic. A
closer reading of the story
reveals that the children
and Mum have quite
different ideas about the
best kinds of food to pack!
Using illustrations
to understand text,
making connections
with real-life
experiences
am, but, for, I, my
big, bike, chair,
hug, jeans,
shoes, swing,
T-shirt
This story, told by a young Family, friends, and
boy, highlights a situation people around
that children can easily
relate to – growing too
big for clothes and toys.
He finds comfort in a hug
from Mum.
Title
Author
In the Garden Jane Buxton
Level: Emergent
Happy
Birthday
Level: Emergent
Where Is
Sam?
Level: Emergent
Car Shopping
Level: Emergent
Robyn Reid
Word
Summary
Themes
Count
42
This narrative text,
Nature; food
written in the first person,
captures a young girl’s
delight as she picks
produce from the garden
and puts it into a variety
of containers. The climax
to the story is predictable
– and delicious!
44
A young girl is turning
six and everyone in the
family has their own
special way of saying
“happy birthday”. When
she gets to school, her
class sing to her.
Julie Ellis
34
Dot Meharry
68
Family, friends, and
people around;
festivals, holidays,
and celebrations
Comprehension/
High-frequency Words Content Words
Skills Focus
Using prior knowledge, I, in, my, the
apples, bag,
making connections
basket, beans,
with real-life
box, bucket,
experiences, making
flowers,
and confirming
jar, mouth,
predictions
potatoes,
strawberries,
tomatoes
Using prior
knowledge, making
connections with
real-life experiences,
using illustrations to
understand text
a, it, my, on, said,
with
baby, birthday,
card, class, Dad,
dog, flower,
Grandma, hug,
lick, Mum,
phone, smile,
song
Follow Sam through
Daily routines;
the house, finding item
hygiene and health
after item of discarded
clothing, until the answer
to the question posed in
the title is revealed.
Predicting using
illustrations, making
connections with reallife experiences
are, he, is, this
pants, shoes,
socks, T-shirt
A family visits a car yard
and looks at a variety of
cars before deciding on
one to buy.
Using illustrations
a, at, I, it, like, said, we blue, car, green,
to understand
red, van, white,
text, making and
yellow
confirming predictions,
summarising the
main ideas
Family, friends,
and people
around; travel and
transport
Title
Going
Swimming
Level: Emergent
What’s in
the Tin?
Level: Emergent
Training Ruby
Level: Emergent
Time for Bed
Level: Emergent
Author
Dot Meharry
Word
Summary
Themes
Count
61
On a hot day, a family
Family, friends, and
goes swimming. They
people around;
visit a variety of places
personal interests
before they decide on one
that suits them all.
Comprehension/
Skills Focus
Making connections
with real-life
experiences, making
and confirming
predictions
High-frequency Words
can, go, like, said,
we, went
Content Words
beach, cool,
Dad, hot, Mum,
pool, river,
swim, van
Jane Buxton
55
One after another,
Food; family,
family members help
friends, and people
themselves to a chocolate around
brownie from the tin.
When Dad arrives home
and opens the tin, only
crumbs are left.
Using illustrations
and, in, the
to make predictions,
noting details
in illustrations,
summarising the main
ideas
brownie,
chocolate,
crumbs, Dad,
dog, Mum, tin
Jane Buxton
61
A boy proudly
Pets; interpersonal
demonstrates how well
communications
trained his dog is, until
finally, temptation proves
too strong and the dog
steals some sausages.
Making connections
with real-life
experiences, using
illustrations to
understand the text
ate, eat, girl,
jump, jumped,
Ruby, sat, sit,
stay, stayed,
walk, walked
Fran Hunia
84
In this humorous text,
Daily routines
Jake’s family remind him
that it’s time for bed, but
Jake doesn’t hear because
he is preoccupied with
other activities.
Using prior knowledge, a, but, for, he, said,
identifying main ideas, was
drawing conclusions
and, come, good,
I, said
bed, bike, book,
brother, Dad,
Gran, Grandad,
Mum, picture,
sister, teeth,
time, tree
Title
Keep Trying
Level: Emergent
Walking
the Dog
Level: Emergent
The Gardener
Level: Emergent
Miss Pool
Is Cool
Level: Emergent
Author
Jane Buxton
Word
Summary
Count
96
Dad supports his son in
learning a number of
skills, and then the child
returns the favour by
helping Dad learn to skip.
Themes
Personal interests
Comprehension/
Skills Focus
Identifying the main
ideas, using prior
knowledge, making
connections with reallife experiences
High-frequency Words
Content Words
and, can, do, I, it,
said, you
catch, climb,
could, Dad,
ride, skate, skip,
swim
and, the, we
after, along,
bridge, ducks,
fence, flowers,
home, into,
over, park, road,
round, through,
tree, under
Jane Buxton
56
This is a fun text about
taking a dog for a walk in
the park.
Pets;
neighbourhood
and personal
environments
Noting details in
illustrations, making
connections with
real-life experiences,
using illustrations to
understand the text
Dot Meharry
55
This humorous narrative
portrays a gardener’s
delight in expressing his
creativity.
Nature
Making and
a, and, are, he, is, my,
confirming predictions, said, the
drawing conclusions
Joy Cowley
101
The adventurous and
good-humoured Miss
Pool takes her class on a
trip to the fire station.
Schools and
communities;
safety
Using prior knowledge, a, and, are at, on, said, children, coats,
drawing conclusions
she, the, to, was, we, cool, engine,
you
fighters, fire,
helmets, hose,
ladder, station,
tap
bird, clippers,
elephant, frog,
gardener, horse,
small, tree
Emergent Skills and Behaviours Checklist
Name:
Age: Years: Months:
Assessor:
Comment
Date
The student:
“plays” at reading and writing
handles books confidently
interprets pictures
uses pictures to predict text
retells a known story in sequence
develops a memory for text
finger points to locate specific words
focuses on word after word in sequence
identifies some words
begins to realise that words are always spelt the same
can hear the sequence of sounds in words
self-monitors to gain and maintain meaning
explores new books and returns to favourites
chooses to read independently at times
recognises and reads familiar signs, symbols, and labels
chooses work to be published and shared with others
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school or school system.
I will need:
Name
My Best Bear
This is my red bear.
T
is my blue bear.
T
is my big bear.
T
is my little bear.
T
is my old bear.
T
is my new bear.
My Best Bear
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Dot Meharry 2000
Illustrations copyright © Crown 2000
pencil
felt pens
My own bear
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
I will need:
Name
My Best Bear
felt pens
pencil
This is my red bear.
This is my little bear.
This is my new bear.
This is my best bear.
My Best Bear
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Dot Meharry 2000
Illustrations copyright © Crown 2000
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
My Best Bear
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(36 words)
M
SC
M
This is my red bear.
This is my old bear.
This is my blue bear.
This is my new bear.
This is my big bear.
But this is my best bear!
SC
Total
This is my little bear.
Accuracy Rate:
Self-correction Rate:
Percentage
Miscues
100
99
98
0
97
96
1
95
94
93
2
92
91
90
89
3
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
My Best Bear
This is my red bear
blue big little old new
But best this ! . My Best Bear
by Dot Meharry
illustrated by Christine Ross
Overview
A boy shows the reader his collection of bears, then snuggles into bed with his “best” bear.
Suggested purposes
This book supports the comprehension strategies of connecting with real-life experiences,
using illustrations to understand text, forming and testing hypotheses, and inferring.
It provides opportunities for practising one-to-one word matching, directionality, and
recognising high-frequency words. The illustrations provide opportunities for developing
students’ oral language.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
• the high-frequency words – but, is, my, this
• the repeated initial consonant -b – bear, best, big, blue, but
• the upper-case and lower-case forms of initial letters – bear, Bear, best, Best; my, My;
this, This
• the digraph -th – this
• the high proportion of single-syllable words (which supports one-to-one matching)
• the opposites – big and little, old and new
• the adjectives used to describe the bears
• the title as a support for reading the last page
• the exclamation mark for emphasis on page 8
• the child’s evaluation of the bears suggested by the word “best”
• the extra information provided in the illustrations
Setting the scene
Bring a teddy bear or a collection of bears to school. Encourage the students to help you
describe each bear, using the structure of the text. This is my soft bear. This is my little bear.
Which bear do you like best? Do you have a favourite soft toy? Why do you like it best?
The first reading
Discuss the bears in the cover illustration. Which bear do you like best? Which bear does the boy
like best? Why do you think that?
Encourage the students to attempt the title, providing support as necessary. Read the names
of the author and the illustrator.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Help the students to make connections
between the preview question and their own experiences.
Title page – Listen to the students read the title again.
Page 2 – Draw out the idea that the boy is showing his bear to the reader. Prepare the students
for the sentence structure of the text by asking: What kind of bear is this? What is the boy
telling us about the bear?
Remind the students of the strategies you want them to focus on during the reading. Listen to
them read the text, supporting them as necessary. Observe their one-to-one word matching
and their strategies to work out the adjective on each page.
Page 5 – Note the “enlarged” hands that emphasise the small size of the bear. If the students
read “small” for “little”, point out the initial consonant and prompt them to cross-check. Could
that word be “small”? Why not?
Pages 6 and 7 – The concepts of old and new may be challenging for some students. Discuss
the pictures in detail. Talk about the worn state of the old bear as opposed to the pristine new
bear that still has its shop tag. What can you tell me about these bears? How are they different?
As the students read page 6, help them to cross-check the illustration with the initial letter of
“old”. How do you know that word is “old”?
Page 8 – Observe which students notice the change in the text pattern. This is the end of the
story. Which bear do you think he will finish with? If necessary, refer to the discussion about the
cover illustration. Discuss the use of the exclamation mark. How does the author want you to
read this page? Practise reading the sentence together expressively.
Review the students’ earlier predictions about the boy’s “best” bear. Encourage them to infer,
making connections to their own experiences and using information from the illustration.
Why do you think the boy likes this one best?
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen to the students reread the text, observing their one-to-one word matching and how
they manage the change in the text pattern on the last page.
• Locate some of the high-frequency words. Find “is” on page 2. Can you find “is” on the next
page too? Tell me the letters in the word. Now find “my”? How do you know that says “my”?
• Find all of the words in the text that start with “B” or “b”. Together, list more words that
start this way.
• Ask the students to listen to and practise articulating the sound of the digraph “th” in “this”.
“Th” can be a difficult sound for young children to articulate. Put your tongue out as you
say it. Draw out the similarity in the sound of the word “the”.
• Discuss the two sets of opposites – “big” and “little”, “old” and “new”. Extend the students’
thinking by asking them to complete others, for example, “off and …”, “open and …”.
• Talk about other adjectives that could be used to describe the bears, for example, “furry”,
“cuddly”, and “soft”.
• Extend the students’ use of descriptive language by discussing one or two illustrations
in greater detail. Model the use of new vocabulary as needed. You could talk about the
illustrator’s use of pattern, for example, the striped chair, the starry pyjamas, or the big
bear’s checked trousers and zigzag cardigan, or focus on a particular picture. Does your
bedroom look like this? How is it different? What is the boy thinking on page 4? Which
illustration do you like best? Why?
• Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with
the students.
–2–
Suggestions for further activities
• Make a teddy bear mural and add a caption for each bear, using the text as a model, and
adding other adjectives.
• Have a teddy bears’ picnic. Each child could bring a “best” bear or soft toy to school (with the
promise that it would be looked after carefully!).
• Make an “opposites” book.
• Read other books or poems about bears.
• BLM word activity: practise writing high-frequency words
The students can practise writing the high-frequency word “this”. They can then draw a
picture of their own best bear in the space provided.
• BLM comprehension activity: draw pictures to match captions
The students can read each sentence and illustrate the appropriate bear in each box.
–3–
Name
I will need:
Bubbles
glue
scissors
pencil
b
B
bird
Blew
blew
Bubble
bubble
Bird
Bubbles
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Dot Meharry 2000
Illustrations copyright © Fraser Williamson 2000
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name
I will need:
Bubbles
glue
scissors
pencil
They went over the dog.
They went up, up, up.
They went over the cat.
They went down, down, down.
Bubbles
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Dot Meharry 2000
Illustrations copyright © Fraser Williamson 2000
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
Bubbles
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(39 words)
M
SC
M
The wind blew my bubbles.
They went over the birds.
They went up, up, up.
They went down, down, down.
They went over the cat.
They went on to the hedgehog.
They went over the dog.
Pop, pop, pop!
SC
Total
Accuracy Rate:
Self-correction Rate:
Percentage
Miscues
100
99
98
0
97
96
1
95
94
93
2
92
3
91
90
89
4
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Bubbles
The wind blew my
bubbles They went up
up up the over cat
dog birds down on to
hedgehog Pop pop pop
down down ! . , ,
Bubbles
by Dot Meharry
illustrated by Fraser Williamson
Overview
This book describes the effect of the wind on bubbles blown by a child. Zany illustrations
emphasise the humour in the story and encourage discussion.
Suggested purposes
This book supports the comprehension strategies of using prior knowledge, making and
confirming predictions, inferring, and evaluating. It provides opportunities for recognising
high-frequency words and for practising directionality and one-to-one word matching. The
repetition and close picture-text match provides support for new readers.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the high-frequency words – my, on, the, they, to, up
the repeated initial consonant -b – birds, blew, bubbles; -d – dog, down
the upper-case and lower-case forms of t, b, p
the “o” sound in over
the use of repetition for effect
the irregular verb – blew
the use of onomatopoeia – pop!
the use of an exclamation mark for emphasis
the humorous ending
the unusual style of the illustrations
Setting the scene
Go outside and blow bubbles! A reliable recipe for bubble mixture is: 8 tablespoons of
dishwashing liquid, 1 litre of water, and 1–2 teaspoons of glycerine. As the students blow
bubbles, use the language of the text. Look, the wind blew the bubbles up! They’re going over
the tree …
Encourage the students to make further connections with the text by talking about other
experiences of blowing bubbles.
The first reading
Discuss the cover. What is the boy doing? Focus on the title. What do you think the book is
called? What makes you think that? Draw the students’ attention to both forms of the letter
“b” in “Bubbles” and review the “b” sound. Read the title together. Read the names of the
author and illustrator.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Lead a discussion to build or expand the
students’ background knowledge.
Title page – Have the students read the title again.
Pages 2 and 3 – I wonder what sort of day it is … Does the illustration tell us? Where are the
bubbles going? Encourage the students to read the text, prompting them if necessary. If they
say “blows” or “blowed” for “blew“, tell them the correct word and direct them to reread the
sentence using the correct structure.
Remind the students of the strategies you want them to focus on during the reading, then
listen to them read the text themselves. Note whether the students know where to start on
each page and whether they point to each word as they read.
Page 4 – If the students hesitate with the word “over”, draw their attention to the initial letter.
What letter is this? Where are the bubbles going? Encourage them to track the print with their
finger. That’s right, the bubbles are going o…
Page 6 – If the students say “bird” for “birds”, direct them to look at the end of the word and
cross-check. Draw out the idea that the bubbles are really high if they are over the birds.
Page 7 – What do you think will happen next?
Page 8 – Support the students to read this page expressively. Note the exclamation mark.
How does the writer want you to say the last line? Encourage the students to infer and evaluate.
Why did the bubbles pop? Could this story be true?
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen to the students reread the text, observing their directionality and one-to-one word
matching. Prompt them if necessary. Read that to me again. Show me how you put your
finger under each word. Where will you start on this page?
• Practise reading the text expressively. Discuss the features that support expressive reading
(the use of repetition and onomatopoeia and the exclamation mark).
• Reread page 2. What did the wind do? Encourage the students to talk about their bubble
blowing experiences and model the use of “blew”. Remember when we blew our bubbles …
• Locate some high-frequency words. Find “the” on page 4. Can you find it on the next page?
Tell me the letters in the word. Can you write it on the board?
• Ask the students to use their word and letter knowledge to locate some of the content
words. Can you find the word “dog”? How did you know that word was “hedgehog”? Talk
about the initial letters, word length, or similarities to other known words.
• Find the words that start with “b” (or “B”) and list other words that start this way. You could
also do this activity with words that start with “d” but not in the same lesson because these
letters are easily confused by beginning readers.
• Locate “The” and “the” or “Bubbles” and “bubbles” in the text. Talk about why words
sometimes need capital letters. Discuss the visual features of “T” and “t” or “B” and “b”.
• Using the word and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with
the students.
• Encourage the students to share their responses to the illustrations. Which is your favourite
illustration? Why?
–2–
Suggestions for further activities
• Innovate on the text, drawing on the students’ bubble-blowing experiences. For example,
“The wind blew my bubbles up, up, up, over the tree, over the classroom …” Make a mural of
the story, adding the positional vocabulary of the text.
• Make bubble prints. Add dye to bubble mix in an ice-cream container, blow into the mixture
with a straw until the bubbles rise over the top, then press paper over the top to get an
impression of the bubbles as they pop. When it is dry, incorporate the “bubble paper” into
the mural or wall story.
• BLM word activity: hear individual sounds in words
The students can look at the letters “b” and “B” and sound them out. They can then cut out
the words from the bottom of the page and paste them in the appropriate box next to each
object.
• BLM comprehension activity: cut and paste sentences to match pictures
The students can cut out the sentences from the bottom of the page and match the
sentence to the appropriate illustration.
–3–
I will need:
Name
pencil
felt pens
Car Shopping
ed
We looked at a white car.
We look
at a blue car.
We look
at a yellow car.
We look
at a green car.
We l
at a red car.
We l
at a van.
Draw the van.
Car Shopping
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Dot Meharry 1999
Illustrations on pages 7 and 8 copyright © Learning Media Limited 2006
All other illustrations copyright © Crown 1996
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name
I will need:
pencil
felt pens
Car Shopping
A white car
A blue car
A yellow car
A green car
A red car
A van
Car Shopping
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Dot Meharry 1999
Illustrations on pages 7 and 8 copyright © Learning Media Limited 2006
All other illustrations copyright © Crown 1996
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
Car Shopping
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(68 words)
M
SC
M
We looked at a white car.
We looked at a red car.
“Too little,” said Mum.
“Too fast,” said Mum.
We looked at a blue car.
We looked at a van.
“Too big,” said Dad.
“I like it!” said Dad.
We looked at a yellow car.
“I like it!” said Mum.
“Too old,” said Mum.
“We’ll buy it!”
SC
Total
We looked at a green car.
Accuracy Rate:
“Too new,” said Dad.
Self-correction Rate:
Percentage
Miscues
100
99
0
98
1
97
96
2
95
3
94
93
4
92
5
91
6
90
89
7
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Car Shopping
We looked at a white
car Too little said Mum
blue big Dad yellow
old green new red fast
van I like it We’ll buy
said “ ” “ ” ! ! . . . , Car Shopping
by Dot Meharry
illustrated by Jennifer Cooper
Overview
A family visits a car yard and looks at a variety of cars before deciding on one to buy.
Humorous touches pepper the lively illustrations.
Suggested purposes
This book supports the comprehension strategies of using illustrations to understand
text, making and confirming predictions, and summarising the main ideas. The repetitive
text offers strong support for the reader. This book is particularly useful for observing the
students’ attention to word endings and their use of initial sounds to decode content words.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the high-frequency words – a, at, I, it, like, said, we
the repeated initial consonants – c, l, w
the initial consonant blends – bl, gr
the digraph -sh – shopping
the contraction – we’ll
the adverb – too
the -ed ending – looked
the opposites – little and big, old and new
the colour words
the use of direct speech
the exclamation marks on pages 7 and 8
the feelings of the family members shown in the illustrations
the text in the illustrations
Setting the scene
Show the students some pictures of cars and vans. Which car do you like? Why do you like it?
Introduce some of the content words from the text into the discussion, especially if there are
students for whom English is a second language.
Tell the students that they are going to read a book about a family buying a car. Talk about the
features a family car might have. Have another look at the pictures of cars. Would any of these
be good family cars? What do you know about different kinds of cars?
The first reading
Discuss the cover illustration. What do you think this story is about?
Read the title with the group. Do you think the family will buy this car? Discuss the expressions
of the various family members. Read the names of the author and the illustrator.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Help the students to make connections with
the preview question and their own experiences.
Look at the title page. Will they buy this one? Why/why not?
Page 2 – Before the students start to read, discuss the colour of the car. The colours may be a
support for some students but a challenge for others.
Ask the students to read the page aloud. Listen for their enunciation of “ed” in “looked”. If
necessary, write “look” and “looked” on the board. How are these words different? Which one is
in the story?
If the students say “small” for “little”, encourage them to use the initial consonant to
cross-check.
Page 3 – Note the pattern of Mum and Dad speaking alternately. Draw out the idea that the
words on pages 2, 3 and 4, 5 are opposites. Again, this may be a challenge for some students.
Page 4 – Note the humorous detail in the illustration that supports Mum’s opinion that the car
is “Too old”.
Page 5 – Discuss why the “too new” car could be a problem. They will be highly amused at what
the dog is about to do!
Page 7 – There is no colour word, and the word “van” is introduced. Note those students who
cope easily with these changes. What do the family think about this one? What will they do?
Page 8 – Draw the students’ attention to the exclamation mark. How does the author want you
to read this page? Which car would you have chosen? Why?
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen to the students reread the text, observing their attempts to self-monitor, cross-check,
and read expressively.
• Locate some of the high-frequency words. How many times can you find the word “said”?
Find “at” on page 2. Can you find it on the next page? Can you write the word without looking
at the book?
• Locate words that start with “c”, “l”, or “w”. List other words that start with the same letters.
• Find the word “blue”. Can you think of any other words that start with “bl”? Make a list. Do
the same for “sh” or “gr”.
• Find the word “looked”. Using the board or magnetic letters, add different endings to “look”
or think of other words that “ed” can be added to.
• Examine the contraction “we’ll”. “We’ll” is a quick way of saying two separate words. Can
you work out what they are? Write “we will” on the board, and show the students how the
apostrophe replaces the “wi”.
• Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with
the students.
• Dramatise the text. Ask two students to be Mum and Dad and have them say their parts
while everyone else reads the rest of the text together. Emphasise expressive reading,
fluency, and fun!
–2–
Suggestions for further activities
• Ask the students to retell the story in their own words.
• Make an enlarged photocopy of a page from the book and attach thought bubbles to each
family member.
• Make an illustrated chart of opposites. Start with the ones from the text.
• Innovate on the text, for example, “We looked at a purple car.”
• Make a mural of cars in a car yard and add descriptive labels.
• BLM word activity: practise writing word endings
The students can write the “ed” word ending in the spaces. The last two sentences require
them to write the whole word “looked”. They can then draw a picture of the van that they
bought.
• BLM comprehension activity: drawing pictures to match captions
The students can draw the appropriate cars in the boxes. They need to focus on using the
correct colour for each car.
–3–
Name:
Going Swimming
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(61 words)
M
SC
M
“It’s hot,” said Mum.
“Too hot,” said Dad.
“Let’s go for a swim.”
We went to the river.
“We can go in the van,” said Dad.
“It’s cool here,” said Mum.
We went to the swimming pool.
“I like it here,” said Dad.
“Too noisy,” said Mum.
“I like it here,” said Mum.
We went to the beach.
“We’ll swim here!”
SC
Total
Accuracy Rate:
Self-correction Rate:
Percentage
100
Miscues
99
0
98
97
1
96
2
95
94
93
3
4
92
5
91
90
89
6
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Going Swimming
It’s hot said Mum Let’s
go for a swim We can
go in the van Dad “ ”
went to swimming pool
noisy beach river cool
here I like it Too We’ll
said I like it here “ ” ,
. . !
I will need:
Name
Going Swimming
throw
kick
fly
pencil
swimming
ing
run
play
Write the words
swimming
Going Swimming
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Dot Meharry 2006
Illustrations copyright © Learning Media Limited 2006
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
I will need:
Name
Going Swimming
pencil
felt pens
Where did the family go swimming?
We went to
“Too
.
,” said
.
We went to
“Too
.
,” said
.
We went to
.
“It’s cool here,” said
.
Going Swimming
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Dot Meharry 2006
Illustrations copyright © Learning Media Limited 2006
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Going Swimming
by Dot Meharry
illustrated by Jennifer Cooper
Overview
On a hot day, a family goes swimming, but they visit a variety of places before they decide
on one that suits them all.
Suggested purposes
This book supports the comprehension skills of making connections with real-life
experiences and making and confirming predictions. A repetitive text structure provides
support, allowing the students an understanding of speech and expressive phrases.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the high-frequency words – can, go, like, said, we, went
the repeated initial consonants – w, m, d
the contraction – we’ll
the adverb – too
the opposites – hot, cool
the use of direct speech
the family members’ feelings expressed clearly through the illustrations
the relationship between the text and illustrations (finding cues for unfamiliar words)
Setting the scene
Ask the students to look at the cover illustration and predict what the story might be about.
What do you think this family are doing? What are they carrying? Where could they be going?
Focus on the title. Encourage the students to make the link between the equipment and the
word “swimming”. Brainstorm where the students like to go swimming and list the places on
the board. Ask the students to predict where this family will go swimming.
Read the names of the author and illustrator.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Help the students to make connections with
the preview question and their own experiences.
The first reading
Title page – Read the title together. Why do you think the children want to go swimming? Why
do you go swimming? Discuss the different reasons, such as for fun, sport, lessons, or to cool
down. Look at the faces of the family. Does it look as though they enjoy going swimming? Do you
like going swimming? Why/why not?
Page 2 – Cover the text, then discuss the illustrations. How are the characters feeling? How does
the illustrator show us that they might want to go for a swim?
Read the page together. Some students my need help with “swim”. Write it on the board.
Examine “swimming” in the title and identify the differences between the two words.
Look at “let’s”. Write the expanded form and discuss the use of the word here.
Page 3 – Why do you think the family might be taking the van? What do you take when you go
swimming?
Page 4 – Look at “too”. Ask the students if they notice anything different about the way it looks
and the way it sounds. Introduce the difference. Some students may find this challenging.
Ask the students to examine the illustration. Do the family look happy at the swimming pool?
Why might it be too noisy?
Page 5 – Ask the students to look carefully at the illustration. Where have they gone to swim? Do
you think the family will go swimming here? Do you think they like the beach? What don’t they
like about the beach?
Read the text together. Who doesn’t like it at the beach? Encourage the students to identify that
on the previous page Mum wasn’t happy and this time it’s Dad. Discuss how the whole family
will need to agree on where they will swim. Where else could they go swimming? What will it
have to be like? (quiet, shady, relaxing).
Page 6 – Discuss where the family has gone. Look at the illustration. Do you think they might
stay? Why? Look at “cool”. Identify the two meanings of the word and discuss how they are
used. What do you think Mum might mean?
Page 7 – What is good about this place for swimming? Discuss the repetition to show that both
Mum and Dad are happy.
Page 8 – Write “we’ll” and “we will” on the board. Discuss the contraction. Can they think of
other examples?
Look at the exclamation mark. Why is there an exclamation mark here? How should we read this
sentence? Ask the students to practise reading this with expression in pairs.
Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with
the students.
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Ask the students to reread the text and observe their expression and use of reading
strategies.
• Revisit the words “swim” and “swimming”. Ask the students to think of other words that
end in “ing”.
• Have them find “we”, “went”, and “said” in the text. Ask them to write the words without
looking at the text.
• Ask the students to write sentences with these words, following the same structure as the
book. For example: “We went to the shops,” said Sarah. “We went to the airport,” said Mark.
As an extension, the students can replicate the text and the illustrations to include their
own experiences.
–2–
Suggestions for further activities
• Discuss water safety. What do we have to be careful of? What are the rules around water at
your house? Look at the illustrations of the pool and the beach. Ask the students to identify
if they are safe areas and what they would change to make them better. Write up a list of
rules, symbols, or illustrations for each location.
• Discuss safety in the sun. Look at the illustrations and identify what precautions the people
would need to take in the sun. Make a poster as a group or in pairs showing what the
students use to keep safe, for example, sunscreen, hat, shade, water to drink.
• Make speech bubbles for the other members of the family.
• Dramatise the text. Choose pages for the students to act out, focusing on expression and
the correct use of speech.
• BLM word activity: practise writing word endings
The students can add the word ending “ing” to the end of each verb. They can write the new
word in the spaces at the bottom of the page.
• BLM comprehension activity: record the main points from the story
The students can identify the three places that the family went swimming. They can write
them in the spaces provided. They can then draw a picture of the place in each box.
–3–
I will need:
Name
Going to the River
pencil
felt pens
hippo
elephant
monkey
buffalo
zebra
lion
Going to the River
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Feana Tu‘akoi 2000
Illustrations copyright © Kirsty Lillico 2000
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
I will need:
Name
Going to the River
pencil
H
lephant
B
ebra
L
onkey
Z
ippo
E
uffalo
M
ion
Going to the River
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Feana Tu‘akoi 2000
Illustrations copyright © Kirsty Lillico 2000
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
Going to the River
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(39 words)
M
SC
M
Elephant is going to the river.
Buffalo is going to the river.
Zebra is going to the river.
Lion is going to the river.
Monkey is going to the river.
Run! Run! Run!
SC
Total
Hippo is going to the river.
Accuracy Rate:
Self-correction Rate:
Percentage
Miscues
100
99
98
0
97
96
1
95
94
93
2
92
3
91
90
89
4
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Going to the River
Elephant is going to
the river Zebra Monkey
Hippo Buffalo Lion Run
Run Run ! ! ! . Going to the River
by Feana Tu‘akoi
illustrated by Kirsty Lillico
Overview
This narrative text features some African animals going to the river. The climax of the story
occurs when Lion appears and the other animals beat a hasty retreat!
Suggested purposes
This book supports the comprehension strategies of making and confirming predictions,
summarising the main ideas, making connections (with the students’ knowledge of African
animals), and forming hypotheses. It provides opportunities to practise one-to-one word
matching and to reinforce high-frequency words and knowledge of upper-case letters. The
varying lengths of the animal names help to reinforce the concept of a word.
Text features
(Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
the high-frequency words – going, is, the, to
•
the use of a variety of upper-case letters
•
the upper-case and lower-case forms of initial letters – Going, going; River, river
•
the -ing ending – going
•
the -un rime in run
•
the animal names
•
the repetitive sentence structure
•
the opportunities for prediction on page 7
•
the change in structure on page 8
•
the use of the exclamation mark for emphasis on page 8
•
the strong support for the text provided by the illustrations
Setting the scene
Use the cover to initiate a discussion about animals. Ask the students to identify the animals
that they can see. The students may not know “Buffalo”. Tell them that they can find out
the name of this animal when they read the story. Establish that the animals are all from
Africa. What other African animals do you know? Note that the lion is not shown in the cover
illustration. Remind the students of other books they have read that feature African animals.
Draw the students’ attention to the fact that the animals are all going in the same direction.
Ask them to read the title, providing prompts if necessary. Direct them to the initial letter for
“River”. I wonder where the animals are going. What do you think they are looking for? Where
would they go to find it? Prompt them to cross-check. If the word was “River”, what other letters
would you expect to see? Read the names of the author and illustrator.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Discuss the students’ predictions.
The first reading
Title page – Listen to the students read the title again.
Remind them of the strategies you want them to focus on during the reading. You may need
to model running your finger along the whole length of some of the longer animal names.
Listen to the students read, supporting them as necessary. Observe their one-to-one word
matching.
Pages 2 to 5 – If necessary, ask questions to establish the pattern of the text. What is this
animal? Where is it going? If they read, “The Elephant is …”, prompt them to cross-check. Read
that page again, pointing to each word. Is there the right number of words? Does that word look
like “The”? What letter does it start with?
Page 6 – Which animal is this? Listen to the students’ ideas and encourage them to cross-check
with the initial consonant “B”. Could that word be “cow”? Why not? You could write “Buffalo” on
the board and help the students to sound it out in chunks (Buff-a-lo).
Page 7 – Encourage the students to predict the ending. Who is this? What will the other animals
do? Why? Note that the lion’s fearsome claws are prominent!
Page 8 – Discuss the exclamation marks. Practise rereading this page expressively!
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen to the students reread the text, observing their attempts to maintain accurate oneto-one word matching, to use grapho-phonic information especially initial letters, and to
read expressively.
• Ask the students to locate some of the high-frequency words. Find the word “to” on page 2.
Can you find “to” on the next page? Tell me the letters in the word. Ask the students to write
the words themselves.
• Focus on some of the upper-case letters. Think of other names that start the same way. Yes,
“E” for Elephant and “E” for Ellen!
• On the board, compare the upper-case and lower-case initial letters in “going” and “Going”
or “river” and “River”. Locate these words in the text and discuss why words sometimes need
capital letters. Discuss the visual features of “g” and “G” or “r” and “R”.
• Find “going” in the text and write it on the board. Rub out, then restore the “ing” ending and
talk about the difference it makes. Do the same with one or two other regular verbs, such as
“look” and “play”. Practise using the words in oral sentences.
• Locate “Run!” and create a list of rhyming words by substituting initial consonants. Chant
the list together.
• Encourage the students to share their responses to the illustrations. Note that they are
paintings and that the use of “hot” colours emphasises the dry environment.
• Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with
the students.
Suggestions for further activities
• Ask the students to retell the story in their own words.
• Innovate on the text, substituting other wild animals or change the setting to a farm with a
dog at the end to provide the climax. Make it into a big book or wall story, illustrated by
the students.
• Rewrite the story in a different setting, using the same sentence structure, for example,
“Samuel is going to the party.”
• Dramatise the story using simple masks or animal puppets.
• Make a mural of the animals drinking at the river and add captions.
–2–
• BLM word activity: writing upper- and lower-case letters to complete words
The students can write the appropriate upper-case letter in the space provided to match
each picture.
• BLM comprehension activity: matching words with pictures
Using their knowledge of African animals, the students can draw a line from each African
animal to its name.
–3–
I will need:
Name
Happy Birthday
pencil
felt pens
Mum said it with a hug.
Dad said it with a smile.
Ben said it with a card.
Grandma said it on the phone.
Baby said it with a flower.
My dog said it with a lick.
Happy Birthday
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Robyn Reid 2001
Illustrations copyright © Jennifer Cooper 2001
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
I will need:
Name
Happy Birthday
B
glue
scissors
pencil
M
G
B
D
Mum
Dad
Happy Birthday
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Robyn Reid 2001
Illustrations copyright © Jennifer Cooper 2001
Baby
Gr
andma
Ben
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
Happy Birthday
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(50 words)
M
SC
M
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday!
Mum said it with a hug.
Grandma said it on the phone.
Happy birthday!
Baby said it with a flower.
Dad said it with a smile.
My dog said it with a lick.
Ben said it with a card.
My class said it with a song.
SC
Total
Accuracy Rate:
Self-correction Rate:
Percentage
Miscues
100
99
0
98
97
1
96
2
95
94
93
3
92
4
91
90
89
5
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Happy Birthday
Mum said it with a
hug Dad smile Ben
card Grandma on the
phone Baby flower My
dog lick class song . Happy Birthday
by Robyn Reid
illustrated by Jennifer Cooper
Overview
A young girl is turning six, and everyone has a special way of saying “happy birthday”. The
joy and excitement of birthdays are captured in this cheerful text that the students will find
easy to relate to.
Suggested purposes
This book supports the comprehension strategies of using prior knowledge, making
connections with real-life experiences, and using illustrations to understand text. The
use of high-frequency words, repetition, and a close picture–text match are supports for
the reader, but there are also subtle text changes that require the students to pay close
attention to print. The content words on each page provide opportunities for the students
to practise their decoding skills.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the high-frequency words – a, it, my, on, said, with
the repeated initial letters – b, s, h
the digraphs -ph – phone; -th – with, birthday
the initial consonant blends – cl, fl, sm
the compound word – birthday
the repetitive text structure
the use of speech bubbles
the names of the family members
the split picture on page 5
the extra information provided in the illustrations (the girl’s age on the cover,
and page 4)
• the warm family relationships portrayed in the illustrations
Setting the scene
Discuss birthdays. How old will you be on your next birthday? What do people do to help
you celebrate your birthday? Responses might include giving presents, singing, or making
a birthday cake. If necessary, suggest some ideas that don’t involve buying things. Do you
remember what happened at kindergarten when you had a birthday? Did the children sing to
you?
The first reading
Look closely at the cover illustration. What is the girl holding? How old is she? How do you
know? Encourage the students to attempt the title. Read the names of the author and the
illustrator.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Help the students to make connections with
the preview question and their own experiences.
Title page – Listen to the students read the title again.
Page 2 – You may need to ask targeted questions to establish the pattern of the text. What is
Mum saying? What is Mum doing? Did she just say “happy birthday”? How did she say it? Read
the page and tell me. If the students say “cuddle” for “hug”, encourage them to cross-check
using the initial consonant.
Page 3 – What is Dad saying? Look at Dad’s face. What is he doing? How did he say “happy
birthday”? Listen to the students read pages 3 to 7, offering support as necessary.
Page 5 – Observe which students notice the change in text structure to “on the phone”.
Page 8 – Where is the girl now? How will her class say “happy birthday”? Listen to the students
read page 8. You could then sing happy birthday together.
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen to the students reread the text. Observe their attempts to self-monitor, cross-check,
and read expressively.
• For the students who need more work with initial letters, locate words in the text that begin
with “b”, “s”, or “h”. Make a list of other words that begin with the same letter.
• Find “phone” in the text. Write it on the board. What sound do these letters make in this
word? Talk about other “ph” words, such as “Philip” and “photo”.
• Find “smile” in the text. What other words begin with “sm”? Make a list together. Do the
same for “fl” or “cl”.
• Locate “with” in the text. Focus on the “th” ending. What sound does this word end with?
Show the students other examples of words with the same ending, for example, “teeth”,
“bath”, “mouth”, or “cloth”. Can you hear this sound in the word “birthday”?
• Locate the compound word “birthday” and show the students how it is two words joined
together. Think of other words that have “day” at the end of them, for example, “today”,
“yesterday”, and “Sunday”.
• Focus on page 4 – What do you think it says inside the card?
• Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with the
students.
• Look closely at the illustrations on pages 2 to 5 and talk about the family relationships. For
example, What is Dad doing on page 2? Who is Ben? What is Mum doing while the girl is
talking on the phone?
Suggestions for further activities
• Make birthday cards for a family or class member who is having a birthday. Say and write
“happy birthday” in other languages.
• Explore different ways of sending birthday messages, such as by fax, email, on a banner, or a
message on a cake.
• Innovate on the text structure. For example, you could make a class or group thank-you
book – “Mike said it with a smile.” “Jun said it with a picture.”
• Draw pictures of birthday celebrations and add speech bubbles.
• Make a birthday cake from play dough. Wrap “presents” and write gift tags for the presents.
• BLM word activity: recognise the relationships between letters and their sounds
The students can match the names of the characters in the boxes with their initial sounds.
They can cut out the character boxes and stick them on to the letter box.
• BLM comprehension activity: drawing pictures to match captions
The students can draw the appropriate illustrations in the boxes.
–2–
Name
In the Garden
I will need:
pencil
flowers
mouth
apples
basket
potatoes
bucket
tomatoes
jar
beans
box
strawberries
bag
In the Garden
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Jane Buxton 2000
Illustrations copyright © Phillip Small 2000
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
I will need:
Name
pencil
felt pens
In the Garden
the
in
I put
the
.
I put
the
.
I put
the
.
I put
the
.
I put
the
.
I put
my
.
Draw your favourite fruit and vegetables.
In the Garden
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Jane Buxton 2000
Illustrations copyright © Phillip Small 2000
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
In the Garden
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(42 words)
M
SC
M
I put the flowers in the jar.
I put the beans in the basket.
I put the apples in the bag.
I put the strawberries …
I put the potatoes in the box.
in my mouth.
SC
Total
I put the tomatoes in the bucket.
Accuracy Rate:
Self-correction Rate:
Percentage
Miscues
100
99
98
0
97
96
1
95
94
93
2
92
3
91
90
89
4
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
In the Garden
I put the flowers in
the jar apples bag . …
potatoes box tomatoes
bucket beans basket
strawberries my mouth In the Garden
by Jane Buxton
illustrated by Phillip Small
Overview
This narrative text, written in the first person, captures a young girl’s delight as she picks
produce from the garden and puts it into a variety of containers. The climax to the story is
predictable – and delicious!
Suggested purposes
This book supports the comprehension strategies of using prior knowledge, making
connections using real-life experiences, making and confirming predictions, and inferring.
It builds on the sentence structure in the Dragonflies emergent title The Picnic and provides
opportunities for practising one-to-one word matching, recognising high-frequency words,
and cross-checking the print with the illustration.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the high-frequency words – I, in, my, the
the plural nouns – apples, beans, flowers, potatoes, strawberries, tomatoes
the repeated initial consonant “b” – bag, basket, beans, box, bucket
the initial consonant blends – -fl, -str
the first-person narration
the use of the ellipsis for anticipation
the repetitive sentence structure, with a change on pages 7 and 8
the two word changes per page
the visual sub-plot – the bee, butterfly, and dog appear on most pages
Introducing the text
Bring some fruit and vegetables into the classroom to generate discussion. Which is your
favourite fruit or vegetable? Where does it grow? How do you pick them? What else grows in
your garden or the school garden?
If strawberries are in season, bring enough for each student in the group, but save them as a
surprise for the end of the story!
Encourage the students to share their experiences of shopping for fruit and vegetables.
The first reading
Discuss the cover illustration. Establish that the girl is in the garden and read the title with the
group. What is she picking? Discuss suggestions, but don’t confirm them. Let’s find out when
we read the story. Read the names of the author and illustrator.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Lead a discussion to build or expand the
students’ background knowledge.
Title page – Listen to the students read the title again.
Remind the students of the strategies you want them to focus on during the reading. Listen to
them read the text themselves, supporting them as necessary. Observe how they manage the
text changes on each page.
Page 2 – Show me the first word. Listen to the students read the text. Who is telling the story?
Where is she putting the flowers? They may say “vase” or “glass” for “jar”. Use the opportunity to
encourage cross-checking using the initial consonant. Could that word be “vase”? How do you
know? How does the word start? Look at the picture. What else could it be?
Page 5 – Encourage the students to confirm their predictions about the produce shown on the
front cover.
Page 7 – What is different on this page? What do the three dots mean? Encourage the students
to predict the end of the sentence. Where will she put the strawberries? Where would you put
the strawberries?
Page 8 – Observe how the students manage the text change from “the” to “my”. Give each
student a strawberry!
Encourage the students to infer. Is she allowed to eat the strawberries? What will her mum and
dad say? What will the family do with the fruit and vegetables that she has collected?
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen to the students reread the text, observing their one-to-one word matching, their
cross-checking of the print with the illustration, and whether they attend to the ellipsis on
page 7.
• Explore the illustrations and encourage the students to relate them to their own
experiences. Include the names of other commonly grown fruit or vegetables.
• Explore the visual sub-plot. Talk about what the bee, the butterfly, and the dog are doing on
each page.
• Locate some of the high-frequency words. Find “the” on page 2. Can you find “the” on the
next page? Tell me the letters in the word.
• Find all the words in the text that start with “b”. Ask the students to suggest more words
that start this way.
• List the produce that was collected from the garden and read the list together. What’s the
same about the end of these words? Read the list again, prompting the students to listen
carefully to the end sound of each word. Explain that the “s” shows that there is more than
one item. Practise saying the words with and without the plural ending.
• Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with
the students.
Suggestions for further activities
• Make a wall story, innovating on the text, for example, “Brianna put the lemons in
the basin.”
• Make a fold-out story using the ellipsis, for example, “I put the ice cream … in my mouth.”
• Look at different kinds of containers and write captions, for example, “We put the pencils in
the jar.” “I put the crayons in the box.”
• Plant some bean seeds for the students to take home when the seeds have germinated, or
grow some cress and use it to make sandwiches. Record the process in a shared book or
slide show.
–2–
• Have the Dragonflies emergent title The Picnic available for independent reading.
• BLM word activity: practise writing high-frequency words
The students can write the appropriate words in the spaces provided. They can then draw a
picture of their favourite fruit and vegetable.
• BLM comprehension activity: match words with pictures
The students can recall where the fruit and vegetables were placed in the story. They can
then draw a line to match the item to its container.
–3–
Name
I will need:
pencil
Keep Trying
sw + im
sk + ate
sk +
skip
cl + imb
c + ould
+ atch
Keep Trying
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Jane Buxton 2000
Illustrations copyright © Trevor Pye 2000
catch
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
I will need:
Name
pencil
Keep Trying
can’t
could
can
“I
ride,” I said.
“Keep trying,” said Dad.
“You
do it!”
And I
“I
!
swim,” I said.
“Keep trying,” said Dad.
“You
do it!”
And I
“I
!
skate,” I said.
“Keep trying,” said Dad.
“You
And I
Keep Trying
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Jane Buxton 2000
Illustrations copyright © Trevor Pye 2000
do it!”
!
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
Keep Trying
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(96 words)
M
SC
M
“I can’t ride,” I said.
“You can do it!”
“Keep trying,” said Dad.
And I could!
“You can do it!”
“I can’t climb,” I said.
And I could!
“Keep trying,” said Dad.
“I can’t swim,” I said.
“You can do it!”
“Keep trying,” said Dad.
And I could!
“You can do it!”
“I can’t skip,” said Dad.
And I could!
“Keep trying,” I said.
“I can’t skate,” I said.
“You can do it!”
“Keep trying,” said Dad.
And he could!
Total
“You can do it!”
And I could!
Accuracy Rate:
“I can’t catch,” I said.
Self-correction Rate:
“Keep trying,” said Dad.
Percentage
Miscues
SC
100
99
0
1
98
97
2
3
96
4
95
5
94
93
6
92
7
91
8
90
9
89
10
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Keep Trying
I can’t ride said Keep
trying Dad You can do
it could swim skate “ ”
catch climb skip he I
And “”“” , , . ! . ! Keep Trying
by Jane Buxton
illustrated by Trevor Pye
Overview
This text is about achieving success through encouragement and practice. Dad supports his
son by encouraging him to “keep trying”, then the child returns the favour by helping Dad
learn to skip.
Suggested purposes
This book supports the comprehension strategies of identifying the main ideas, using prior
knowledge, and making connections with real-life experiences. It provides opportunities
to practise cross-checking and to focus on irregular verbs. The repetitive structure provides
support for less confident readers.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the high-frequency words – and, can, do, I, it, said, you
the initial consonant blends – cl, sk, sw, tr
the contraction – can’t
the irregular verb – could
the repetition in the text
the use of direct speech
the use of exclamation marks
the passage of time between the events of the left and the right pages
the safety equipment featured in the illustrations
the relationship between the boy and his father
Setting the scene
Ask the students to recall learning a new skill. Draw out the idea that it takes time. Use the
example of a young child learning to walk. Encourage the students to share their observations
of younger children. Try to emphasise skills and activities that don’t involve formal lessons.
When you were learning to ride a bike or catch a ball, how did you feel? Did anyone help you?
How did you feel when you managed it?
The first reading
Look at the cover illustration. What is the boy trying to do? How is he feeling? The expression
on his face, the position of his body, and the “wobble” lines suggest that he is having trouble.
What should he do to get better at skating? Can you read the title? Read the names of the
author and the illustrator.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Discuss the students’ predictions.
Title page – Note that Dad is poised to help the boy but is letting him have a go.
Listen as the students read the text independently, offering help as necessary. The introductory
discussion and the framework of high-frequency words should provide strong support.
Page 3 – Note the change in tense between the left and right pages that signals the passing of
time. Some students may have difficulty with the syntax, preferring to say “And I can” rather
than “And I could”. Orient them by asking, Do you think he could?
As the students read, draw their attention to the initial consonant blends of the new verbs on
each page. Note their responses to the change in the text structure on page 12.
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen to the students reread the text, observing their use of appropriate phrasing
and expression.
• The extensive use of high-frequency words offers an opportunity to monitor the students’
word knowledge. Ask them to locate specific high-frequency words. Can you read me a
sentence that includes the word “you”?
• Focus on any of the initial consonants or blends that the students may be unsure of. Locate
the words in context and make a list of other words that start the same way.
• Focus on the word “trying”. Locate the other verbs and add “ing”. Note that some, such as
“skate”, will need to lose the final “e” and that “swim” will need an extra “m”.
• Discuss the contraction “can’t”. Write “cannot” on the board and show how the apostrophe
replaces “no”. Explore the idea that “can” and “can’t” are opposites. List other pairs of
contractions that are opposites.
• Focus on the word family “could”, “would”, and “should”.
• Look at the speech marks. Choose a left-hand page. What did Dad say? What did the boy
say? To illustrate how the words inside the speech marks are spoken, read the text again,
breaking it into parts with a reader, Dad’s voice, and the child’s voice.
• Discuss the use of exclamation marks for emphasis.
• Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with
the students.
Suggestions for further activities
• Give each student a piece of paper divided in two and ask them to draw a picture of
themselves as they were learning a new skill and a picture after they had learnt it. Ask them
to add captions under each picture.
• As a group, develop a timeline from being a baby to being five years old. Include some of the
things that the students learnt over that time.
• Ask the students to interview some adults. What did you find hard to learn to do?
• BLM word activity: practise using initial consonant blends
The students can join the consonant blends with the rime to make words from the story
that begin with “s” or “c”.
• BLM comprehension activity: read and complete sentences
The students can write “can”, “can’t”, or “could” in the blank spaces to complete the
sentences. (It will be important to discuss this activity before the students attempt it.) The
students can then read the sentences to a partner.
––
I will need:
Name
pencil
Look at Me
me
on
at
am
at
I
look
me
I
Look at Me
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Miriam Macdonald 1998
Illustrations copyright © Crown 1998
my
my
am
on
look
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
I will need:
Name
Look at Me
glue
scissors
pencil
boots
socks
hat
scarf
pants
jersey
Look at Me
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Miriam Macdonald 1998
Illustrations copyright © Crown 1998
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
Look at Me
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(43 words)
M
SC
M
I put on my green pants.
I put on my purple boots.
I put on my yellow jersey.
I put on my orange scarf.
I put on my blue socks.
Look at me.
I put on my red hat.
I am a rainbow!
SC
Total
Accuracy Rate:
Self-correction Rate:
Percentage
Miscues
100
99
98
0
97
96
1
95
94
93
2
92
3
91
90
89
4
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Look at Me
I put on my green . !
pants yellow jersey blue
socks red hat orange
scarf purple boots Look
at me am a rainbow Look at Me
by Miriam Macdonald
illustrated by Ali Teo
Overview
A pig dresses himself and then discovers that his colourful outfit has turned him into
a rainbow! Visual sub-plots provide extra opportunities to stimulate the students’ oral
language.
Suggested purposes
This book supports the comprehension strategies of using illustrations to understand text,
making connections with real-life experiences, forming hypotheses, and inferring. The high
proportion of single-syllable words supports the development of one-to-one word matching.
It also provides opportunities for students to practise cross-checking and recognition of
high-frequency words.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the high-frequency words – a, am, at, I, look, me, my, on
the variety of initial consonants
the one-line captions on pages 2 to 7
the two text changes per page
the change in the text on page 8 which repeats the title of the book
the colour names
the visual sub-plots
the joyful ending
the exclamation mark for emphasis on page 8
Setting the scene
Have a discussion about getting ready in the morning, planning your prompts and questions
so they scaffold the vocabulary and sentence structures in the text. Think about what happens
in the morning when you first wake up. What clothes do you like to put on? Talk about the
names for various garments and introduce the idea of putting them on in a particular
sequence to help the students predict the order in which the pig will get dressed. Be aware
that for students from some cultures, particular styles or items of clothing may have
special significance.
The first reading
Discuss the cover illustration. Who do you think this story is about? How is the pig feeling?
Ask the students to read the title, offering support if necessary. Why do you think the pig wants
us to look at him?
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Help the students to make connections
between the preview question and their own experiences.
Compare the title page illustration with the cover. Why is the pig in his underwear? Draw out
the idea that the cover shows the end of the story and the title page shows the beginning.
Remind the students of the strategies you’d like them to focus on. For the first reading, focus
on the main character. Save any discussion about the antics of the pigs and mice in the visual
sub-plots for subsequent readings.
Page 2 – You may need to spend some time on this page, supporting the students’ use of
the focus strategy and establishing the pattern of the text. What is the pig telling us? Listen
carefully as the students read the text, observing their use of the visual (print) information
and encouraging them to cross-check if necessary. For example, if some students say “I put my
green pants on”, direct them to read the sentence again, pointing to each word and looking
carefully. Is that word “my”? Why not? What does it start with? Start again from the beginning
of the sentence. Similarly, if they read “trousers” or “jeans” for “pants”: Look at the word again.
Could it be “jeans”? How do you know? What letter will help you to work out what it says? What
sound does it make? Reread the sentence.
Pages 3 to 7 – Listen to the students read the text themselves, supporting them as necessary.
Observe their one-to-one word matching, word-level strategies, and any instances of crosschecking. At the end of pages 3 and 5, encourage the students to predict what the pig will put
on next.
Page 8 – Savour the triumphant ending. What is he saying? Refer the students to the cover if
necessary to support them in recognising “Look at me.” Draw the students’ attention to the
exclamation mark. How does the author want us to say that? Is the pig really a rainbow? Why do
you think he says that?
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen to the students reread the text, observing their attempts to maintain accurate one-toone word matching, their use of the visual information, and how they manage the change
in the text pattern and the return sweep on the last page.
• Locate some of the high-frequency words. Find “on” on page 2. Can you find “on” on the next
page? Tell me the letters in the word. Now find “my”? How do you know that says “my”?
• Ask the students to use their word and letter knowledge to locate some of the content
words. Can you find “socks”? How did you know that word was “pants”? Talk about the initial
letters, the word length, or similarities to other known words.
• Focus on the colour words. How will you find “green”? What will you look for? Note that the
students could choose between different sources of information, for example, using the
initial consonant or consonant blend or rereading and using the pattern of the text. Discuss
the students’ use of strategies and explore the features of the colour words.
• Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with the
students.
• Follow one of the visual sub-plots together. Encourage the students to describe what they
can see. Note that the pigs are following a predictable morning routine. The mice, on the
other hand, are mischievous and comical and will take careful spotting on some pages!
• Explore and discuss the quirky characteristics of the pigs’ house. Use your discretion as to
how much to point out and how much you let the students discover. Leave some details for
the students to find during subsequent readings.
–2–
Suggestions for further activities
• Cut out magazine pictures of clothing and write descriptive labels for them. This could also
be an opportunity to reinforce the use of pronouns – “He is wearing black shoes.” “She has a
black hat.”
• Compare the colours in the “real” rainbow with the colours in the book. (Six of the seven
rainbow colours are mentioned. Indigo has been omitted, and violet has been renamed
purple.) Draw and label a diagram of a rainbow.
• Read or reread the Dragonflies emergent title Lunch Boxes, which also includes
colour words.
• As a group, compile a set of instructions for getting ready in the morning.
• Make an individual or class book, innovating on the text pattern: “Look at me. I can …”
or “I am …”
• Look out for examples of metaphors in other books or poems.
• BLM word activity: practise writing high-frequency words
The students can match the high-frequency words by drawing a line from the base of the
balloon to the balloon with the same word on it.
• BLM comprehension activity: matching words with pictures
The students can cut out the words and paste them on the appropriate pictures.
–3–
I will need:
Name
pencil
Lunch Boxes
w
p
g
r
y
b
purple
red
yellow
blue
white
green
Lunch Boxes
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Feana Tu‘akoi 2000
Illustrations copyright © Crown 2000
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
I will need:
Name
scissors
pencil
glue
Lunch Boxes
1
2
3
4
5
6
Look out!
Here is a yellow lunch box.
Here is a blue lunch box.
Here is a red lunch box.
Here is a purple lunch box.
Here is a green lunch box.
Lunch Boxes
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Feana Tu‘akoi 2000
Illustrations copyright © Crown 2000
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
Lunch Boxes
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(38 words)
M
SC
M
Here is a blue lunch box.
Here is a purple lunch box.
Here is a yellow lunch box.
Here is a white lunch box.
Here is a red lunch box.
Look out!
SC
Total
Here is a green lunch box.
Accuracy Rate:
Self-correction Rate:
Percentage
Miscues
100
99
98
0
97
96
1
95
94
93
2
92
3
91
90
89
4
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Lunch Boxes
Here is a blue lunch .
box yellow red green !
purple white Look out Lunch Boxes
by Feana Tu‘akoi
illustrated by Phillip Small
Overview
A group of children stack their coloured lunch boxes as high as they can. Inevitably, the
stack falls!
Suggested purposes
This book supports the comprehension strategies of using prior knowledge, predicting
using illustrations, and inferring. It provides opportunities for practising one-to-one word
matching, directionality, and recognition of high-frequency words. The illustrations provide
opportunities for extending the student’s oral language.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the high-frequency words – a, here, is, look, out
the repeated initial consonant -b – blue, box, boxes
the upper-case and lower-case forms of initial letters –B, L, b, l
the colour names
the high proportion of single syllable words
the change in text structure on page 8
the ending and the exclamation mark for emphasis on page 8
the visual sub-plot (the bird taking part in the game)
Setting the scene
Play the stacking game with the students’ lunch boxes – checking that their lunch box lids are
on securely! Use the text structure of the story, including the colour names and the “Look out!”
at the end.
Alternatively, you could stack other objects, such as coloured blocks, to introduce the text
structure.
The first reading
Discuss the cover illustration and encourage the students to infer the setting and topic.
I wonder where these children are … What’s happening in the picture? Look what they have with
them …
What do you think this book is called? Support the students in cross-checking their prediction
with the upper-case letters in the title. Read the names of the author and illustrator.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Discuss the students’ predictions.
Title page – Revise the colours of the lunch boxes. Ask the students to read the title again.
Page 2 – Some students may need a question to draw them into the text structure. What has
the boy got?
Remind the students of the strategies you want them to focus on during the reading. Listen to
them read the text, supporting them as necessary. Observe their one-to-one word matching
and their strategies to work out the colour names. The colours may be a support for some
students but a challenge for others. Note that pages 2 to 7 have the same sentence structure.
Page 7 – What will happen next?
Page 8 – Why did the lunch boxes fall? Note that the reason is open-ended. It may have been
the bird landing or that the stack was too high – or the students may come up with other ideas.
What will happen next?
Reread the text with the students, fluently and expressively, emphasising the climactic ending.
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen to the students reread the text. Observe their attempts to maintain one-to-one word
matching and to read fluently and expressively.
• Locate some of the high-frequency words. Find “is” on page 3. Can you find “is” on the next
page? Tell me the letters in the word. Can you write it on the board?
• Find the words in the text that start with “b”. Explore the illustrations to find another “b”
object (bird).
• Locate the upper-case and lower-case forms of the word “lunch” in the text. Talk about why
words sometimes need to have capital letters. Discuss the visual features of “L” and “l”.
• Allow the students to discover and talk about the objects in the background – the vehicles,
the hills, and the airplane.
• Focus on the bird in the illustrations. It appears on the title page and on pages 2, 7, and 8.
Discuss how it seems to be taking part in the game. Would a bird really do this?
• Look at the different expressions on the characters’ faces on page 8. What might each child
be saying?
• Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with
the students.
Suggestions for further activities
• Read or reread the Dragonflies emergent title Look at Me, which also includes colour words.
• Ask the students to draw their lunch boxes. Cut them out and paste them on a mural to
create a stack. Label the lunch boxes with colour words or sentences.
• The students could paint or draw their own lunch box and write a short descriptive
sentence about it, for example, “My lunch box is yellow.”
• Innovate on the text and create a big book or wall story, for example, “Here is a red block.”
• BLM word activity: writing words using initial sounds
The students can identify the colour of each lunch box, write the colour in the space
provided, and illustrate the lunch boxes in the appropriate colour.
• BLM comprehension activity: sequencing illustrations in the correct order
The students can cut out the pictures from the bottom of the page, sequence them
according to the order of the story, and paste them in the appropriate boxes.
–2–
I will need:
Name
Miss Pool Is Cool
pencil
sh
ch
children
the
shouted
that
she
their
th
Miss Pool Is Cool
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Joy Cowley 2002
Illustrations copyright © Trevor Pye 2002
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
I will need:
Name
Miss Pool Is Cool
glue
scissors
pencil
Stand back
children.
Cool!
Miss Pool,
you look cool!
We are going
to the fire station.
Miss Pool,
that was cool!
Hold on,
Miss Pool!
Miss Pool Is Cool
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Joy Cowley 2002
Illustrations copyright © Trevor Pye 2002
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
Miss Pool Is Cool
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(101 words)
M
SC
M
“We are going to the fire station,”
Miss Pool held the hose. said Miss Pool. “Stand back, children,” she said.
“Cool!” we said.
A fire fighter turned on the tap. We looked at the fire engine.
Swoosh!
The fire fighters let us put on
“Hold on, Miss Pool!” we shouted.
their coats and helmets.
Miss Pool laughed and laughed. Miss Pool put on a coat. We all laughed, too.
She put on a helmet, too.
A fire fighter turned off the tap.
“Miss Pool, you look cool!”
“Miss Pool, that was cool!”
We looked at the ladder
SC
Total
and the fire hose.
Accuracy Rate:
Self-correction Rate:
Percentage
Miscues
100
99
98
97
96
95
0
1
2
3
4
5
94
93
92
91
90
6
7
8
9
10
89
11
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Miss Pool is Cool
We are going to the
fire station said Miss
Pool Cool we looked at
engine fighters The let
us put on their coats
and helmets a coat
helmet too on you look
ladder hose held Stand
back children fighter
turned tap Swoosh she
Miss Pool is Cool (cont.)
Hold shouted laughed
laughed all too off . .
laughed that was cool
said She Miss Pool !
the and A “ ” , , “ ” Miss Pool Is Cool
by Joy Cowley
illustrated by Trevor Pye
Overview
The adventurous and good-humoured Miss Pool takes her class to the fire station. The
humorous situation and lively dialogue are just right for expressive reading.
Suggested purposes
This book supports the comprehension strategies of using prior knowledge and drawing
conclusions. It provides opportunities for expressive reading through the use of exclamation
marks, repetition, direct speech, and onomatopoeia and provides opportunities to decode
using visual information from the illustrations.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the high-frequency words – a, and, are, at, on, said, she, the, to, was, we, you
the repeated initial letters – c, h, l, t
the initial consonant blends – st, sw
the digraphs -ch – children; -gh – laughed; -sh, – she, shouted, swoosh;
-th – that, the, their
the upper-case “I” for “Is” in the title
the rhyming words – cool, Pool
the plural nouns – coats, fighters, helmets
the verbs ending in “ed” – laughed, looked, shouted, turned
the irregular past-tense verb – held
the use of speech marks
the onomatopoeia – swoosh!
the exclamation marks for emphasis
the text in the illustrations, including mirror writing
Setting the scene
Show the students the cover. Where is Miss Pool? How do you know? What is she thinking?
What are the children thinking? What might happen next?
You could also relate the book to the students’ experiences. Have you ever been to a fire
station? What did you see?
The first reading
Ask the students to read the title, observing which students use their knowledge of “Pool”
to decode “Cool”. Talk about how the familiar word “is” looks different when it has a capital
letter. Read the names of the author and the illustrator.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Discuss the students’ predictions.
Title page – Listen to the students read the title again. What is the girl wearing?
Page 2 – What do you think Miss Pool is telling the children? Why has the author used an
exclamation mark? How does she want you to read this?
Listen to the students read the text independently, offering support as necessary.
Page 3 – Note the jump in time from the previous page.
Page 4 – Prompt the students to use both the illustration and the text to decode the nouns.
What are the children doing? Who is helping them? Some students may say “jackets” for “coats”.
Does it say “jackets”? What letters will help you?
Page 5 – What is Miss Pool doing? What do you think the children are saying to her?
Page 6 – Observe which students use the visual information to read “ladder” and
“fire hose” successfully.
Page 7 – What did Miss Pool do? You may need to model the use of the irregular verb “held”.
That’s right, she held the hose.
Page 8 – Have a brief discussion about the power of a fire hose. How are fire hoses different
from garden hoses?
Page 9 – What are the children telling Miss Pool to do? Encourage expressive reading.
Page 10 – Ask the students to look at the characters’ expressions before they read this page.
Draw out the idea that everyone thinks the situation is funny. What will happen next?
Page 12 – Is that what you would say? How would you say it? How would you feel if Miss Pool was
your teacher?
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen to the students reread the text, noting their expression and their use of visual
information to decode the words.
• Locate the high-frequency words in the text.
• Focus on any of the repeated initial letters or initial consonant blends that the students may
have had difficulty with. Locate examples in the text and make a list of other words that
start the same way. Read the list together, articulating the initial sounds.
• Write “she” and “shouted” on the board. What is the same about these words? What other
words start with “sh”? Ask the students to listen as you say “swoosh”. What do you notice
about the “sh” sound?
• Some students, particularly those for whom English is a second language, may need more
practice with plural nouns. Talk about how the “s” forms the plural. Make a list of familiar
objects and practise writing the singular and plural forms. Read through the list together,
articulating the “s” endings.
• Identify all the verbs in the text that end in “ed”. Using the board, add other endings to the
root verbs (“look”, “looks”, “looking”, “looked”) and use the words orally in sentences.
• Write “cool” and “Pool” on the board. What is the same about these words? If we changed the
first letter, what other words could we make?
• Focus on page 7 and talk about how the speech marks show the words that are said. Ask the
students what Miss Pool said.
• Locate “swoosh!”, and talk about how it makes the sound of the water coming out of the
hose. Think of other examples of onomatopoeia.
–2–
• Talk about how the author makes the book exciting. Draw attention to the use of
exclamation marks, the inclusion of direct speech, the realism in the speech (“Hold on!”,
“that was cool!”), the repetition (“laughed and laughed”), and the onomatopoeia. Reread the
book together, relishing the expressive reading.
• Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with
the students.
• Examine and discuss the technical clothing and the equipment shown in the illustrations.
• Examine the mirror writing on the fire engine on page 3. Why is it like that?
Suggestions for further activities
• Reread the Dragonflies emergent title Off Goes the Hose!
• Add labels to an illustration of the fire engine.
• Encourage the students to incorporate some of the author’s techniques in this book into
their own writing to make it more exciting.
• Model the inclusion of direct speech during shared or guided writing sessions.
• Start a class collection of examples of onomatopoeia.
• BLM word activity: practise using digraphs
The students can identify the words that start with “th”, “sh” , and “ch” and write them in
the spaces provided. They can then think of one more word for each digraph.
• BLM comprehension activity: explore direct speech
The students need to decide whether the phrases in the speech bubbles at the bottom of
the page are said by Miss Pool or the chidren. They can then cut out the speech bubbles and
stick them onto the appropriate places.
–3–
I will need:
Name
Off Goes the Hose!
on
Water the
garden.
Water tree.
Water window.
Water clothes line.
Water pencil
felt pens
me!
Off Goes the Hose!
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Joy Cowley 1997
Illustrations copyright © Christine Ross 1997
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
I will need:
Name
Off Goes the Hose!
pencil
felt pens
Water on the garden.
Water on the tree.
Water on the window.
Water on me!
Off Goes the Hose!
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Joy Cowley 1997
Illustrations copyright © Christine Ross 1997
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
Off Goes the Hose!
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(31 words)
M
SC
M
Water on the garden.
Water on the clothes line.
Water on the tree.
Water on the clothes.
Water on the window.
Water on Grandma …
Water on me!
Off goes the hose!
SC
Total
Accuracy Rate:
Self-correction Rate:
Percentage
Miscues
100
99
98
97
0
96
1
95
94
93
92
2
91
90
89
3
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Off Goes the Hose
Water on the garden
window me clothes line
Grandma Off goes hose
on the clothes tree
. . … !
Off Goes the Hose!
by Joy Cowley
illustrated by Christine Ross
Overview
This poetic text features a child playing with a hose while Grandma is hanging out the
washing. When the water gets on Grandma, she cheerfully but quickly turns off the hose.
This book captures the fun of playing with water and creates opportunities for children to
discuss family relationships.
Suggested purposes
This book supports the comprehension strategies of making connections with real-life
experiences, using illustrations to make predictions, forming and testing hypotheses, and
inferring. It provides opportunities for practising one-to-one word matching, directionality,
and recognising high-frequency words. The rhythmic nature of the text encourages the
development of fluent reading, and the illustrations provide opportunities for extending
students’ oral language.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
the rhythmic nature of the text, encouraging fluent reading
the rhyming words – me, tree
the near-rhyming words – clothes, hose
the high-frequency words – me, on, the
the large “W” on page 2, which draws students’ attention to the correct starting point
the upper-case and lower-case forms of initial letters – goes, garden, Goes, Grandma;
hose, Hose; on, Off; Water, window
• the use of an exclamation mark for emphasis
• the use of an ellipsis to create anticipation on page 7
• Grandma’s immediate response to getting wet
Setting the Scene
Discuss hoses that are used at home or at school. What is the hose for? Are you allowed to use
the hose at home? When do you use it?
The students may also like to share their experiences of using sprinklers, paddling pools, or
backyard water slides.
The first reading
Discuss the cover illustration and establish that the child is playing with the hose. Where is the
water going? What might get wet? Read the title together. Offer support with the meaning of
the title – some students may have difficulty because of its colloquial nature.
Draw attention to the exclamation mark in the title. It looks as if something exciting might
happen in this story … Encourage the students to predict (from hypotheses) what might
happen and who will turn the hose off. Read the names of the author and illustrator.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Discuss the students’ predictions.
Title page – Ask the students to read the title again. What is the girl doing now? Note that she
is still playing with the hose even though she is getting covered in water.
Page 2 – Where is the water going? Discuss the illustration and draw out (or feed in) the word
“garden”. Show me where to start reading. Listen to the students read the page. If they read
“flowers” for “garden”, direct them to cross-check using the initial letter.
Remind the students of the strategies you want them to focus on during the reading. Listen to
them read the text, supporting them as necessary. Observe their one-to-one word matching
and their strategies to manage the text change on each page.
Page 5 – Draw attention to the exclamation mark. How does the author want you to read
this page?
Page 6 – Before reading this page, focus on the illustration to establish where the water is.
If necessary, draw the student’s attention to the washing basket and the clothes as a verbal
support for the words “clothes line” and “clothes”. Listen to the children read the page and
observe how they manage the return sweep. Grandma’s feet can be seen under the washing.
Who do you think that is? Encourage the children to predict what might happen next.
Page 7 – The children may say “Mum” or “Nana” for “Grandma”. Direct them to cross-check
using the initial letter. Draw attention to the ellipsis for anticipation. Oh dear, I wonder what
Grandma will do …
Page 8 – Encourage the students to read this page expressively, referring back to the title for
support if necessary. Review the students’ earlier predictions about who might turn the
hose off.
Encourage the students to infer and form hypotheses. Why did Grandma turn the hose off?
What will she say to the girl? How is the girl feeling? What will happen next?
Reread the text together, savouring its rhythm, rhyme, and drama.
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen to the children reread the text. Observe their attempts to maintain one-to-one word
matching, especially over the two lines on page 6, and to read expressively, attending to the
punctuation.
• Read the text to the students as a poem and ask them to aurally identify the end rhymes
(“me”, “tree”) and near rhymes (“clothes”, “hose”). Explore the similarities and differences in
the end sounds of “clothes” and “hose”.
• Locate some of the high-frequency words. Find the word “the” on page 2. Can you find “the”
on the next page? Tell me the letters in the word. Now find “on”? How do you know that
says “on”?
• Compare the upper-case and lower-case forms of “w” in “Water” and “window” on page 4.
Talk about the convention of starting a sentence with a capital letter.
• Compare the upper-case and lower-case forms of the title and the final page. Focus
particularly on the initial letters of the words. Look through the story to find another capital
“G”. (“Grandma” on page 7) Remind the students about the convention of starting names
with a capital letter, and relate it to their own names.
• Focus on the ellipsis on page 7 and explain that it means “there’s more to come” and that it
encourages the reader to slow down and think about what might happen next. Discuss how
it adds excitement to the text. Reread pages 7 and 8 expressively.
–2–
• Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with
the students.
• Choose one or two illustrations and discuss how the visual features add meaning and
interest. You could talk about the illustrator’s use of pattern, for example, the stripes and
the checks on the child’s clothing and the washing or the drops of water on the characters
on the title page and page 8.
Suggestions for further activities
• Read or reread the Dragonflies emergent title In the Garden, which also uses an ellipsis for
anticipation.
• Model the use of an ellipsis during shared writing.
• Innovate on the text using the names of the children – “Water on Jason.”
• Draw a picture of the playground on a rainy day and add captions such as “Water on the
climbing frame” or “Water on the path”.
• BLM word activity: practise writing high-frequency words
The students can write the words “on” and “the” in the appropriate places. They can then
draw a picture of themselves in the last box. They can read their sentences to
a partner.
• BLM comprehension activity: illustrate the story to support the meaning of the text
The students can illustrate the sentences in the boxes.
–3–
I will need:
Name
pencil
The Gardener
Make new words with ed and ing.
clip
clipped
clipping
slip
slip
slip
drip
drip
drip
trip
trip
trip
flip
flip
flip
The Gardener
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Dot Meharry 2000
Illustrations copyright © Ali Teo 2000
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
I will need:
Name
The Gardener
pencil
felt pens
“Where are my clippers?”
Said the gardener.
“This is too big.”
He clipped and clipped.
He made a ____________ .
The Gardener
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Dot Meharry 2000
Illustrations copyright © Ali Teo 2000
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
The Gardener
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(55 words)
M
SC
M
“Where are my clippers?”
He clipped and clipped.
said the gardener.
He made a bird.
“This tree is too big.”
He clipped and clipped.
He clipped and clipped.
He made a frog.
He made an elephant.
He clipped and clipped.
He clipped and clipped.
“This tree is too small,” he said.
SC
Total
He made a horse.
Accuracy Rate:
Self-correction Rate:
Percentage
Miscues
100
99
0
98
97
1
96
2
95
94
93
3
92
4
91
90
5
89
6
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
The Gardener
Where are my said the
clippers gardener This
tree is too big He
clipped clipped and he
made an a elephant
horse bird frog small
“”. . , ? The Gardener
by Dot Meharry
illustrated by Ali Teo
Overview
This humorous narrative portrays a gardener’s delight in expressing his creativity. The
students will enjoy making predictions from the intriguing illustrations.
Suggested purposes
This book supports the comprehension strategies of making and confirming predictions and
drawing conclusions. The repetitive sentence structure provides strong support for students
who lack confidence in their reading.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the high-frequency words – a, and, are, he, is, my, said, the
the initial consonant blends – cl, fr, sm, tr
the digraphs -ph – elephant; -th – the, this
the different endings for the word “clip” – clippers, clipped
the adverb “too”
the use of direct speech to begin and end the story
the clear beginning, middle, and end
the use of repetition
the question mark on page 2
the humorous, exaggerated illustrations
Setting the scene
Talk about the students’ experience with gardens. Do you have a garden at home? Do you
help in the garden? If there are students who lack experience of gardens, show them a
photograph of a public garden. City information pamphlets usually include photographs
of notable gardens. You could arrange to visit the school caretaker to have a look at some
gardening tools.
There may be trees, bushes, or hedges at your school that need to be clipped regularly.
Introduce the word “clippers”.
If possible, show the students an example of topiary. You could use the illustration on page 4
of the book.
The first reading
Look at the cover of the book. The illustration suggests that this might not be a
straightforward story. What is this man doing? What is he using? Read the title and the names
of the author and the illustrator.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Discuss the students’ predictions.
Title page – Listen to the students read the title again. Reinforce the word “clippers”.
Page 2 – Why is the gardener standing like that? What do you think he’s saying? You may need
to review the students’ knowledge of other words starting with “cl”, such as “click”, “clock”,
“class”, and “clap” to support them in their decoding of “clippers”.
Page 3 – What did the gardener do with the clippers? Focus on the ending of “clipped”.
Listen as the students read the text independently, encouraging them to use the illustrations
on pages 5, 7, and 9 to predict what the gardener might be making. Note which students
cross-check the visual features of the content word on the following page to confirm their
predictions.
Page 10 – Why is the gardener scratching his head? Is he happy with the frog?
Page 11 – What might happen next?
Page 12 – Were you right? What will the gardener do now? Which shape did you like best?
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Identify specific high-frequency words in the text.
• Focus on any of the initial consonants or blends that the students may have been unsure of.
Locate the words in the book and make a list of other words that start the same way.
• Focus on the initial consonant blend “cl”. Reread the text and note where “cl” has been used.
Make a list of other words that start this way.
• Explore endings that can be used with “clip”. Note that the endings “ed”, “ing”, and “er” all
involve doubling the final “p”. Repeat the activity with the words “slip”, “drip”, or “trip”.
• List words that rhyme with “clip”.
• Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with
the students.
• Look at the illustration on page 11. Why does the tree suddenly appear bigger? Draw out the
idea that the close-up illustration, the flying leaves, and the gardener’s tongue all work
together to create a sense of the gardener getting carried away with his own ideas.
Suggestions for further activities
• Innovate on the text, using the names of the students in the class, for example, “Nathan
clipped and clipped. He made a dragon.”
• The students could write a group or individual response to the outcome of the text.
• The students could use dough or clay to model a shape from the book and add a label.
• The students could make a list of the jobs a gardener would need to do.
• The students could illustrate and label a list of gardening tools.
• Encourage the students could find out more about topiary.
• BLM word activity: practise writing word endings
The students can add the word ending “ed” and “ing” to each word. They must remember to
double the “p”.
• BLM comprehension activity: revise predictions
The students can predict a new outcome by adding a new illustration and word. They can
then read their story to a partner.
–2–
I will need:
Name
pencil
The Picnic
Make the words plural.
sandwich
sandwich
chip
chip
apple
apple
cookie
cookie
picnic
picnic
The Picnic
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Margaret Schroder 1999
Illustrations copyright © Crown 1999
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name
The Picnic
The Picnic
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Margaret Schroder 1999
Illustrations copyright © Crown 1999
I will need:
glue
scissors
pencil
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
The Picnic
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(33 words)
M
SC
M
Mum put the sandwiches in.
Mum put the juice in.
We put the chips in.
We put the lemonade in.
Mum put the apples in.
We love picnics!
We put the cookies in.
SC
Total
Accuracy Rate:
Self-correction Rate:
Percentage
Miscues
100
99
98
0
97
96
1
95
94
93
92
2
91
90
89
3
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
The Picnic
Mum put the in We
sandwiches chips ! .
apples cookies juice
lemonade love picnics The Picnic
by Margaret Schroder
illustrated by Fraser Williamson
Overview
This story describes how Mum and two children prepare for a picnic. A closer reading of the
story reveals that the children and Mum have quite different ideas about the best kinds of
food to pack!
Suggested purposes
This book supports the comprehension strategies of using prior knowledge, making and
confirming predictions, using illustrations to understand text, making connections to
real-life experiences, and inferring. It provides opportunities for recognising high-frequency
words and for practising directionality and one-to-one word matching.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the high-frequency words – in, the, we
the use of the pronoun “we” to refer to the two children
the repetitive sentence structure
the plural nouns – apples, chips, cookies, picnics, sandwiches
the shift of focus from Mum to the children on alternate pages
the contrast between the food choices of Mum and the children
the use of an exclamation mark for emphasis on page 8
the visual sub-plot featuring the family cat and dog who appear on most pages
the quirky style of the illustrations
Setting the scene
Discuss the sort of food that you might take on a picnic. What kind of food do you like on
picnics? Who gets it ready? Where do you put the food? When do you have a picnic? Where do
you go? Note that you may need to explain or clarify the concept of a picnic for students who
are unfamiliar with them.
The first reading
Discuss the the front cover. What food can you see? Who is at the picnic? List the food that can
be seen (apple, drink, sandwiches). What else could you take on a picnic? Ensure that the other
food and drink mentioned in the text (juice, lemonade, chips) is included in the discussion.
Listen as the students read the title, pointing to each word as they do so. Read the names of
the author and illustrator.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Lead a discussion to build or expand the
students’ background knowledge.
Title page – Listen to the students read the title again. What’s the dog doing? Is he enjoying
the picnic? The image of the dog reinforces the underlying exuberance and fun of the text.
Remind the students of the strategies you’d like them to focus on during the reading. Listen as
they read the text, supporting them as necessary.
Page 2 – What is Mum doing? Where will she put the sandwiches? Some students may attempt
to read it as “Mum put in the …” instead of “Mum put the … in”. If so, direct them to read the
sentence again, pointing to each word. Does that say “in”? No, you’re right, “in” is at the end.
Try that sentence again.
Page 3 – Who can you see on this page? What are they getting? The fact that the girl needs to
stand on a stool to get the chips reinforces the idea that the chips are not an everyday food
item. Observe how the students manage the change from “Mum” to the pronoun “we”.
Pages 4 to 7 – Encourage the students to look at the illustration on each page, then confirm
the name of the food item by cross-checking the initial letter as they read. Some students may
realise that there is a bit of competition going on between Mum and the children regarding
their choice of food. If not, don’t tell them during this first reading.
Page 8 – Where is the family now? They look as though they are enjoying themselves. I wonder
what they might be telling us about picnics … Draw the students’ attention to the exclamation
mark. How does the author want us to read this? Practise spirited, expressive reading!
Encourage the students to infer the different opinions about what to take on the picnic. On the
board, make two lists – the food Mum puts in and the food the children put in. Read the lists
with the students. What do you notice about these lists? What food would you like to take on
a picnic?
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen to the students reread the text. Observe their attempts to maintain one-to-one word
matching, to cross-check using the initial consonant, and to read expressively, especially on
page 8.
• Ask the students to locate some of the high-frequency words in the text. Find the word “the”
on page 2. Can you find “the” on the next page? Tell me the letters in the word. Now find “in”?
Can you write it on the board?
• Ask the students to use their word and letter knowledge to locate some of the food words.
Can you find the word “sandwiches”? How did you know that word was “lemonade”? Talk
about the initial letters, the word length, or the similarities to other known words.
• List the plural nouns. Discuss the function of the “s” on the end of each word. How does it
sound? Practise saying the words with and without the plural ending.
• Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with
the students.
• Explore the humour in the illustrations, for example, the antics of the cat and the dog and
Mum holding a biscuit on page 8. Encourage the students to comment on the quirky style of
the illustrations.
––
Suggestions for further activities
• Read or reread Bubbles, another Dragonflies emergent title illustrated by Fraser Williamson.
• Have a picnic at school. Involve the students in the planning.
• Create a group mural about packing for a picnic. Add captions such as “Anna put in the
chocolate cake.” “Cody put in the fruit.”
• Make a three-dimensional picnic display using containers, models, play dough, and a picnic
cloth and add labels such as “We like biscuits because ...”, “Apples are good because ...”
• Create alternative endings for a picnic story, for example, it might rain, the dog could eat
the food, or the car might break down.
• Ask the children to draw pictures of things they love. Add captions such as “I love …” or
“We love …”
• BLM word activity: make words plural
The students can look at the words listed and decide on the appropriate ending to make
each word plural. They can add “s” or “es” to make the words plural.
• BLM comprehension activity: record the main points from the story
The students need to recall the items Mum put in the picnic bag and the items the children
put in. They can then cut out the items and stick them in the appropriate bags.
––
I will need:
Name
glue
scissors
Time for Bed
1
2
6
5
Time for Bed
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Fran Hunia 2000
Illustrations copyright © Jennifer Cooper 2000
3
4
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
I will need:
Name
pencil
felt pens
Time for Bed
ing
He was climb
He was rid
a
his
.
.
He was draw
a
.
He was clean
his
.
He was read
a
.
He was asleep!
Time for Bed
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Fran Hunia 2000
Illustrations copyright © Jennifer Cooper 2000
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
Time for Bed
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(84 words)
M
SC
M
“Time for bed,” said Mum.
“Time for bed,” said Gran.
But Jake didn’t hear. But Jake didn’t hear. He was climbing a tree.
He was cleaning his teeth.
“Time for bed,” said Dad.
“Time for bed,” said big brother.
But Jake didn’t hear. But Jake didn’t hear. He was riding his bike.
He was reading his book.
“Time for bed,” said Grandad.
“Time for bed,” said little sister.
But Jake didn’t hear. But Jake didn’t hear. He was drawing a picture.
He was asleep!
SC
Total
Accuracy Rate:
Self-correction Rate:
Percentage
Miscues
100
99
0
98
1
97
2
96
3
95
4
94
93
5
6
92
91
7
90
8
89
9
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Time for Bed
Time for bed said Mum
But Jake didn’t hear
He was climbing a tree
Dad riding his bike
Grandad drawing ! “”
picture Gran cleaning
teeth big brother book
reading little sister
asleep , . . Time for Bed
by Fran Hunia
illustrated by Jennifer Cooper
Overview
In this humorous text, Jake’s family remind him that it’s time for bed, but Jake doesn’t
hear because he’s doing other things. A careful reading shows that Jake already knows it’s
bedtime and that he has things under control. The students will find plenty to talk about in
this delightful family story.
Suggested purposes
This book supports the comprehension strategies of using prior knowledge, identifying the
main ideas, and drawing conclusions. The repetitive text structure supports the reader while
the word changes on each page encourage the development of cross-checking strategies.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the high-frequency words – a, but, for, he, said, was
the verbs ending -ing – cleaning, climbing, drawing, reading, riding
the initial consonant blends – br, cl, dr, tr
the contraction – didn’t
the use of direct speech
the positive literacy models– Grandad reading the newspaper, Jake reading a book, big
brother doing his homework
the relationship between the boy and his pet dog
the family members in the illustrations
the clear sequence of activities shown in the illustrations
the humorous ending
Setting the scene
Discuss bedtime routines. Draw out the idea that families are not the same – that different
things may happen in different households. How do you know when it’s time for bed? What do
you do to get ready for bed? Do all the children in your family go to bed at the same time?
The first reading
Look at the cover. Can you read the title? What are the children doing before they go to bed?
Read the names of the author and the illustrator.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Help the students to make connections
between the preview question and their own experiences.
Title page – Ask the students to read the title again. Can you see what the boy is drawing? Why
do you think he has drawn that?
Page 2 – What is Mum saying to Jake? Is he going to answer her? Why/why not? The students
may need support on pages 2 and 3 to establish the pattern of the text. If they say “Jake wasn’t
listening” or “didn’t listen”, draw the students’ attention to “hear” and encourage them to
cross-check the print details. Does that look right? What else could it be?
Listen as the students read the text independently, offering support as necessary. Note that, as
the story progresses, Jake is actually getting ready for bed. He moves from outdoor activities to
quieter indoor ones, then gets into his pyjamas, cleans his teeth, and reads a book.
Page 12 – What was Jake doing? Observe how the students manage the text change on
this page.
Encourage the students to think critically. What will his family say when they see Jake asleep in
the chair? Why do you think little sister is still awake?
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen to the students reread the text, observing their expression and their attention to
visual information.
• Locate some of the high-frequency words. How many times can you find “for”? Can you write
the word without looking at the book? Can you find “but”?
• Identify all the verbs that end in “ing”. List them on the board and think of others or use the
words listed orally in sentences.
• Find “climbing” and “cleaning”. Can you think of any other words that begin with “cl”? Make
a list. Do the same for “br”, “dr”, or “tr”.
• Locate the contraction “didn’t”. Write “did not” on the board and show the students how an
apostrophe can replace the “o” to make “didn’t”. Reread a few pages using “did not” instead
of “didn’t”. Talk about how contractions can make writing seem more informal.
• Focus on the speech marks in the text. Reread the text together so it “sounds like talking”.
• Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with the
students.
• Look through the illustrations, discussing the relationship between Jake and his pet dog.
Should the dog be in the bathroom? Why/why not?
• Look at the illustrations and talk about what Jake is doing. Enjoy the humour in the fact
that his family keep telling him it’s time for bed without noticing that he is actually on his
way. Note the sequence of activities. Relate Jake’s bedtime routines to the students’ own
experiences. Have you ever fallen asleep before bedtime?
Suggestions for further activities
• Ask the students to retell the story in their own words.
• Innovate on the story for a class big book or wall story, using the same text structure. You
could change the characters or the verbs, for example, “ Time for bed, said Aunty. But Maria
didn’t hear. She was …” Alternatively, you could change the setting, for example, “Time to
get up … ” or “Time for school … ”
• Make a group book about getting ready for bed.
• Draw a character from the book. Write their speech into a speech balloon and attach it to
the picture.
• BLM word activity: practise writing word endings
The students can add the word ending “ing” to each verb. They can read their sentences to a
partner. They can then draw a picture of the boy asleep.
• BLM comprehension activity: sequence the illustrations in the correct order
The students can cut out the pictures and stick them in the correct order on the chart.
Examples of the first and last pictures have been provided.
–2–
I will need:
Name
pencil
felt pens
Too Big!
too
I am t o o big for my
.
I am
big for my
.
I am
big for my
.
I am
big for my
.
I am big for my
.
I am big for my
.
Too Big!
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Materoa Tangaere 2000
Illustrations copyright © Philip Webb 2000
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name
I will need:
Too Big!
glue
scissors
pencil
sh
T-shirt
ch
chair
shoes
Too Big!
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Materoa Tangaere 2000
Illustrations copyright © Philip Webb 2000
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
Too Big!
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(51 words)
M
SC
M
I am too big for my jeans.
I am too big for my swing.
I am too big for my T-shirt.
I am too big for my chair.
I am too big for my shoes.
But I am not too big for a hug!
I am too big for my bike.
SC
Total
Accuracy Rate:
Self-correction Rate:
Percentage
Miscues
100
99
0
98
97
1
96
2
95
94
93
3
92
4
91
90
89
5
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Too Big!
I am
jeans
swing
hug .
too big for my
T-shirt shoes bike
chair But not a
!
Too Big!
by Materoa Tangaere
illustrated by Philip Webb
Overview
This story, told by a young boy, highlights a situation that children can easily relate to
– growing too big for clothes and toys. He finds comfort in a hug from Mum.
Suggested purposes
This book supports the comprehension strategies of using illustrations to understand text,
making connections with real-life experiences, and inferring. It provides opportunities to
practise one-to-one word matching, directionality, recognising high-frequency words, and
cross-checking using visual information. Look at Me is another Dragonflies emergent title
with the theme of clothing.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the high-frequency words – am, but, for, I, my
the repeated initial consonant “b” – big, bike, but
the initial digraphs -ch – chair; -sh – shirt, shoes
the initial consonant blend -sw – swing
the use of the adverb “too”
the exclamation mark for emphasis in the title and on page 8
the repetitive sentence structure
the expressions on the characters’ faces
the affirmative, reassuring ending
the cat featured in the illustrations
Setting the scene
Show the students some clothes that are obviously too small for them. Could you wear these?
Why not? Encourage the response “I’m too big for them” rather than “They’re too small”.
Discuss favourite clothes that they have grown out of. What are you too big for?
Keep the focus on “too big” so that the students don’t become confused when they begin to
read the text.
The first reading
Discuss the cover illustration. Why do you think the boy is looking sad? Encourage the students
to attempt the title. If necessary, draw their attention to the letters “T” and “B”. Read the
names of the author and illustrator.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Discuss the students’ predictions.
Title page – Listen to the students read the title again.
Page 2 – What is the boy thinking? The children may read “pants” for “jeans”. Support them
to cross-check the initial consonant. Could that word be “pants”? Why not? Look at the picture.
What else could it be? Are you right? How do you know?
Pages 3 to 6 – Remind the students of the strategies you want them to focus on during the
reading. Listen to them read the text themselves, reinforcing one-to-one word matching. The
pattern of the text supports independent reading.
Page 7 – How is the boy feeling? What might happen next?
Page 8 – How is he feeling now? Observe which students notice the change in text pattern and
if they attend to the “b” in “but”. Offer support as necessary. They may read “cuddle” for “hug”.
Prompt them to cross-check using the initial consonant. Draw attention to the exclamation
mark. How does the writer want you to read this page? Practise reading the sentence together
expressively.
Encourage the students to infer from the text and the illustrations. What might he do with his
old clothes and toys? Note that the illustration of Mum suggests that there will soon be a new
baby in the family.
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen to the students as they reread the text, observing their one-to-one word matching
and how they manage the change in the text pattern on the last page.
• Encourage the students to share their own experiences of growing out of favourite clothes
or toys. Look at the expressions on the characters’ faces. Think of some words to describe the
feelings that they show.
• Locate some of the high-frequency words in the text. Find “am” on page 2. Can you find “am”
on the next page? Tell me the letters in the word. Now find “for”? How do you know it says
“for”?
• Find all of the words that start with “b”. Ask the students to suggest more words that start
this way.
• Listen to the sound of the digraph “sh” in “shirt” and “shoes”. Make the sound together, and
think of other words that start the same way. Do the same for “ch” or the initial consonant
blend “sw”.
• Discuss the use of “too”. The students may know how to spell “to”. Ask them to show you on
the board how it looks different. You could explain that in this text, “too” means “more than
enough” but it may be useful to provide other examples. For example, If I burnt my mouth
when I was drinking a cup of coffee, I would say that it was “too hot” or if I couldn’t hear
what the reading group were saying, I would say that the class was “too noisy”.
• Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with the
students.
• Draw the students’ attention to the cat, which appears on almost every page. What is the
cat thinking?
Suggestions for further activities
• Make a collection of items that the students are too big for and add labels.
• The children could draw and write about something they have grown out of: “I am too big
for my bed,” “I am too big for my soccer boots.”
• Read or reread the Dragonflies emergent title Look at Me.
• BLM word activity: practise using digraphs
The students can look at the digraphs and sound them out. They can then cut out the
pictures and match them to the appropriate digraph.
• BLM comprehension activity: read and complete sentences
The students can fill in the missing spaces with the word “too”. They can then read their
sentences to a partner.
–2–
–3–
Name
Training Ruby
I will need:
pencil
jumped
walk
eat
walked
sat
stay
ate
jump
stayed
sit
Training Ruby
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Jane Buxton 2003
Illustrations copyright © Crown 2003
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
I will need:
Name
glue
pencil
Training Ruby
sat
sit
hat
mat
Training Ruby
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Jane Buxton 2003
Illustrations copyright © Crown 2003
cat
jump
rat
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
Training Ruby
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(61 words)
M
SC
M
I said, “Walk!”
I said, “Jump!”
and Ruby walked.
and Ruby jumped.
“Good girl, Ruby,” I said.
“Good girl, Ruby,” I said.
I said, “Sit!”
I said, “Eat!”
and Ruby sat.
and Ruby ate.
SC
Total
“Good girl, Ruby,” I said.
I said, “Stay!”
Accuracy Rate:
and Ruby stayed.
Self-correction Rate:
“Good girl, Ruby,” I said.
I said, “Come!”
and Ruby came.
“Good girl, Ruby,” I said.
Percentage
Miscues
100
99
0
98
97
1
96
2
95
94
93
3
4
92
5
91
90
89
6
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Training Ruby
I said Walk and Ruby
walked Good girl Sit
sat Stay stayed Come
came Jump jumped Eat
ate “ ” , , . ! “ ”
Training Ruby
by Jane Buxton
illustrated by Richard Hoit
Overview
In this text, a boy proudly demonstrates how well trained his dog is until temptation proves
too strong, and the dog runs away with some sausages.
Suggested purposes
This text supports the comprehension strategies of making connections to real-life
experiences, using illustrations to understand the text, analysing and synthesising, and
evaluating. It provides many opportunities to practise cross-checking and to focus on
regular and irregular past-tense verbs. The repetitive structure provides support for less
confident readers.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the high-frequency words – and, come, good, I, said
the rimes in “jump”, “sat”, “sit”
the initial consonant blend -st – stay, stayed
the verbs ending in -ed – jumped, stayed, walked
the irregular past-tense verbs – ate, came, sat
the use of imperative verbs
the use of speech marks
the opportunities for expressive reading
the repetitive structure
the relationship between the boy and his dog
the story line carried by the illustrations
the humorous ending
Setting the scene
Do you (or does someone you know) have a dog? Do you (or they) take it for walks? How do you
(or they) make sure the dog behaves?
Check that the students understand what “training” means. What words do people use when
they want their dog to do something? What do they say when their dog does what they want?
The first reading
Look at the cover. What is the boy doing? What do you think the title might be? If the first word
was “training”, what letters would you expect it to start with? How would it end? You may need
to tell the students Ruby’s name. Read the names of the author and the illustrator.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Lead a discussion to build or expand the
students’ background knowledge.
Title page – Listen to the students read the title again. What does this illustration tell us
about Ruby?
Listen as the students read the text independently, offering support as necessary.
Page 2 – What do you think the boy is telling Ruby to do?
Page 3 – Is the boy pleased with Ruby? How do you know?
Page 4 – If the students say “sit” or “sitted” for “sat”, prompt them to cross-check using the “at”
rime. Where do you think they’re going?
Page 6 – Some students may say “stop” or “sit” for “stay”. Prompt them to cross-check. Look at
the ending. Could this word be “stop”? Is Ruby sitting down? Why does the boy want Ruby
to stay?
Page 8 – If necessary, support the students with the irregular verb “came”. Does “comed”
sound right?
Page 12 – Is Ruby a good girl? What will the boy do now? Why is it important to train a dog?
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen to the students reread the text, observing their use of expression and their strategies.
Check that they’re articulating the “ed” endings.
• Locate some of the high-frequency words. Find “and” on page 2. How do you know that’s the
right word? Can you find it on page 4? Can you write it without looking at the book?
• Focus on the initial consonant blend in “stay” and “stayed”. Make a list of other words that
start with “st”.
• Have the students substitute initial consonants or blends for the “at”, “ay”, “it”, or “ump”
rimes. List the words so the students can see the pattern. Read the list together. Which word
is “rat”? How do you know?
• Show the students how they can use “ed” verbs in their writing. Write “walk” on the board.
Show me how you can make “walk” into “walked”. Find “walked” on page 2. What letters are
at the end? Were you right? Now, how do you change “stay” into “stayed”? Repeat the process
of having the students visualise and confirm several times. Have the children add “ed” to
verbs that aren’t in the text. During subsequent writing sessions, remind them to draw on
what they’ve learnt about adding “ed”.
• Reread the pages that include irregular past-tense verbs. Remind the students that not
all verbs have “ed” added to them and that they will need to draw on their knowledge of
spoken English. Does “sitted” sound right? Practise making up some oral sentences together
that use the verbs “ate”, “came”, or “sat”.
• Talk about the purpose of the speech marks. How do you know what the boy said? Talk about
how exclamation marks can make the words come to life.
• Ask the students to find the words where the boy tells Ruby what to do. You could introduce
the term “imperative verbs”. Remind the students of the use of imperative verbs when
writing instructions.
• Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with
the students.
• Browse through the illustrations together, encouraging the students to tell the story of
the boy’s journey with Ruby. Encourage the students to compare the story with their own
experiences of dogs.
–2–
Suggestions for further activities
• Ask the students to write or draw the next part of the story.
• Have the students draw pictures of themselves training a dog. They can add speech bubbles,
using commands from the text.
• Innovate on the text, adding in new commands for Ruby and her trainer. For example, “I
said, ‘run’, and Ruby ran.”
• Give the students magnetic letters and ask them to generate their own rhyming lists using
selected rimes from the story.
• BLM word activity: use regular and irregular past-tense verbs
The students can draw a line to link present-tense verbs with past-tense verbs.
• BLM comprehension activity: practise writing using rhyme
The students need to identify the words that rhyme with “sat”. They can write those words
inside the bowl. They can write the words that don’t rhyme with “sat” outside the bowl.
–3–
I will need:
Name
Walking the Dog
Walking the Dog
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Jane Buxton 1997
Illustrations copyright © Jennifer Cooper 1997
pencil
br
ome
fl
ence
f
owers
h
idge
r
uck
tr
ark
p
ee
d
oad
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
I will need:
Name
Walking the Dog
pencil
We went
the road.
through
We went
the tree.
after
We went
We went We went
We went
Walking the Dog
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Jane Buxton 1997
Illustrations copyright © Jennifer Cooper 1997
the park.
over
round
the ducks.
into
the bridge.
the flowers.
along
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
Walking the Dog
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(56 words)
M
SC
M
We went along the road
We went over the bridge
and round the tree.
and through the flowers.
We went round the tree
We went through the flowers
and into the park.
and under the fence …
We went into the park
and home!
and after the ducks.
Total
We went after the ducks
Accuracy Rate:
and over the bridge.
Percentage
Miscues
SC
Self-correction Rate:
100
99
0
98
97
1
96
2
95
94
93
3
92
4
91
5
90
89
6
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Walking the Dog
We went along the !
… road and round the
tree into park after
ducks over bridge fence
through flowers under
home . Walking the Dog
by Jane Buxton
illustrated by Jennifer Cooper
Overview
This is a fun text about taking a dog for a walk in the park. The lively illustrations convey
what is “really” happening in the story.
Suggested purposes
This book supports the comprehension strategies of noting details in illustrations, making
connections with real-life experiences, and using illustrations to understand text. The
sentences are structured so that the content words from the last half of each sentence
are repeated in the beginning of the next sentence. This provides strong support for the
students who lack confidence in their reading.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the high-frequency words – and, the, we
the initial consonant blends – br, fl, thr, tr
the word ending -er – under, over, flower(s)
the compound word – into
the plural nouns – ducks, flowers
the prepositions – after, along, into, over, round, through, under
the consistent sentence structure
the use of an ellipsis to heighten anticipation on page 7
the use of an exclamation mark for emphasis on page 8
the significant development of the story line that occurs in the illustrations
Setting the scene
Discuss what is involved in caring for a dog. If you have a dog or if you know someone who
does, who looks after it? Who takes it for walks?
Visit or talk about a local park. What do you do at the park? Are dogs allowed at the park?
If you feel that the students need support with the prepositions, organise an activity trail in
the school grounds, drawing out the language used in the book.
The first reading
Look at the cover illustration. Who can you see in the picture? How is the dog feeling? The
illustration clearly conveys the dog’s enthusiasm and energy! What is the girl doing? Ask the
students to read the title. Read the names of the author and the illustrator.
Title page – Listen to the students read the title again.
Page 2 – Look closely at the illustration. Note that the child has now left her garden (as Dad
is now on the other side of the fence) and is almost at the park. Ask the students to read the
“Park” sign.
How did they get to the park? If necessary, use the board to help the students decode “along”.
Some students may say “path” for “road”. Ask them to take another look. How does the
word start? What other letters will help you? Listen to the students as they read the text for
themselves, supporting them as necessary.
Page 4 – Where is the dog going now? What is it doing? If necessary, write “after” on the board
and sound it out with the students.
Page 6 – The students may need support with “through”. Draw attention to the initial sound
and question the students to encourage them to use meaning and structural information.
Where did they go next? That’s right. Thr … (the flowers). Pause so that the students have time
to come in with the appropriate word.
Page 7 – Draw the students’ attention to the ellipsis. Why do you think that’s there? Where will
they go next?
Page 8 – Encourage the students to read this page with expression. How do you think the girl
feels now? If the dog could talk, what do you think it’d be saying?
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen to the students reread the text, monitoring their fluency and their ability to follow the
text without pointing.
• Focus on the initial consonant blends that the students are unsure of. Locate the words in
context and make a list of other words that start the same way.
• Look at the words ending in “er”. List other words that end in “er”.
• Focus on the structure of the sentences – two ideas joined by the conjunction “and”.
Make up some more sentences using this structure.
• List the nouns in the story and talk about the difference between their singular and
plural forms.
• Discuss the use of the ellipsis on page 7 to build anticipation.
• Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with
the students.
• Develop the students’ oral language by discussing the illustrations. The students could track
and talk about the progress of the cat and the bird that appear on most pages. They could
discuss the way the illustrator has conveyed how the girl is rushing – she loses her shoe on
page 6 and she is sweating on page 7.
• Share the humour in the cover illustration. The text is called Walking the Dog, yet the picture
shows the characters running. Who is walking whom?
Suggestions for further activities
• After discussing the illustrations, the students could retell the story, adding more details.
This could be recorded on tape for them to enjoy on the listening post.
• Add speech or thought bubbles to the illustrations.
• The students could draw a map of the park. They could label the features such as the
fountain, the bridge, and the pond.
• In pairs, the children could plan a walk around the school grounds. They could draw a map
to record their walk and give it to another pair of children to follow.
–2–
• Create a story together using the same text structure, in which the noun at the end of the
first sentence is used at the beginning of the next sentence, for example, “We walked along
the path and into the playground. We walked into the playground and up the steps.” This
could be a written or oral activity and would be particularly useful for the students for
whom English is a second language.
• Reread familiar books that feature the use of prepositions.
• BLM word activity: identify the onset and rime of words
The students can link the onset with the rime by drawing a line between the two.
• BLM comprehension activity: read and complete the sentences
The students can write the correct preposition in the spaces. They can then read the
sentences to a partner.
–3–
I will need:
Name
What’s in the Tin?
pencil
um
m
y
cr
bs
mum
asked
dad
tin
crumbs
yum
What’s in the Tin?
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Jane Buxton 1996
Illustrations copyright © Philip Webb 1996
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
I will need:
Name
pencil
Crumbs
N
ic
Mu m
Tim
What’s in the Tin?
k and
Ann a
S imon
What’s in the Tin?
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Jane Buxton 1996
Illustrations copyright © Philip Webb 1996
Da d
Do g
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
What’s in the Tin?
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(55 words)
M
SC
M
“What’s in the tin?”
“Chocolate brownie. Yum!”
asked Mum.
“What’s in the tin?”
“Chocolate brownie. Yum!”
sniffed the dog.
“What’s in the tin?”
“Chocolate brownie. Yum!”
asked Simon.
“What’s in the tin?”
“Chocolate brownie. Yum!”
asked Dad.
“What’s in the tin?”
“Crumbs!”
SC
Total
asked Anna.
Accuracy Rate:
“Chocolate brownie. Yum!”
Self-correction Rate:
“What’s in the tin?”
asked Nick and Tim.
Percentage
Miscues
100
99
0
98
97
1
96
2
95
94
93
3
92
4
91
90
5
89
6
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
What’s in the Tin?
What’s in the tin asked
Mum Chocolate Yum
brownie Simon Anna
the Nick and Tim “ ”
sniffed the dog Dad
Crumbs “ ” ? . !
What’s in the Tin?
by Jane Buxton
illustrated by Philip Webb
Overview
One after another, family members help themselves to a chocolate brownie from the tin.
When Dad arrives home, only crumbs are left. This is a cheerful family story that will be
familiar to many children.
Suggested purposes
This text supports the comprehension strategies of using illustrations to make predictions,
noting details in illustrations, and summarising the main ideas. It provides many
opportunities to practise cross-checking and to focus on regular and irregular past-tense
verbs. The repetitive structure provides support for less confident readers.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the high-frequency words – and, in, the
the initial consonant blends – cr, sn
the digraph -ch – chocolate
the rime -um – Mum, yum, crumbs
the contraction – what’s
the use of “asked” rather than “said”
the use of a question as the title
the repetition in the text
the use of exclamation marks
the use of direct speech
the children’s names
Setting the scene
Bring a biscuit or cake tin into the classroom and ask the students to guess what’s inside
it. You may wish to have chocolate brownies or some other little treat inside! Talk with the
students about where treat food is kept in their homes.
The first reading
Look at the cover. Draw the students’ attention to the question mark in the title. What is
this asking? Ask the students to read the question. Read the names of the author and the
illustrator.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Discuss the students’ predictions.
Look at the illustration on the title page. Why is the tin on the top shelf?
Page 2 –What do you think Mum is asking herself? The repetition of the title is a support, but
“asked” may need to be taught and reinforced on the board. Encourage the students to crosscheck if they use “said”. Could this word be “said”? Why not? Look at it carefully. What would
look right and sound right?
Listen to the students read the text independently, offering support as necessary. Encourage
them to work out the names, but be ready to tell them if they find them too puzzling.
Page 4 – The students may have come across “Simon” before, in the Simon Says game.
Page 8 – Note that Nick and Tim are twins.
Page 10 – Use the picture cue to assist the students with “sniffed”. What do dogs do when they
are near food?
Page 12 – How does the author want you to read this page? What clues has she given you?
Encourage the students to read expressively. Help them to think beyond the text. What will
happen next? Who do you think made the brownies? How did the dog get a brownie out of the
tin?
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen as the students reread the text, noting instances of expressive reading, selfmonitoring, and cross-checking.
• Locate “chocolate” in the text. Make a list of words that start with the digraph “ch”. Do the
same for the initial blends “sn” or “cr”.
• Locate the children’s names and discuss the use of capital letters.
• Examine the contraction “what’s”. Write “what is” on the board and rub out the letter the
apostrophe replaces. Talk about how contractions can be used to make writing sound more
like talking.
• Use the board to explore the similarities between “yum”, “Mum”, and “crumbs”.
• Locate the speech marks. Make an enlarged photocopy of a double-page spread. Write the
character’s spoken words in speech balloons, then stick the balloons onto the page and
display it.
• Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with
the students.
Suggestions for further activities
• Ask the students to retell the story in their own words.
• Write question-and-answer flap books, for example, “What’s in the lunchbox?” asked
Serena. (Lift the flap.) “Chips. Yum!”
• Make chocolate brownies with the group. You could take photographs and make them into
a class book.
• Dramatise the text. Use an empty tin and ask the characters to make up their own treat.
“Strawberries. Yum!” “Marshmallows. Yum!”
• Ask the students to draw a tin with their favourite treat inside and label it.
• The students could collect data on their favourite types of cakes and display the information
as a class graph.
• BLM word activity: recognise rhyming words
The students can write “um” in the missing spaces on the tin. They can then read the words
at the bottom of the page and draw a line from the words with “um” to the word on the tin.
• BLM comprehension activity: record the main points from the story
The students need to draw a line from the picture of the character to the character’s
brownie. They must identify that Dad was left with the crumbs at the end. They can then
retell the story to a partner.
–2–
I will need:
Name
Where Is Sam?
glue
scissors
Here are Sam’s shoes.
Here are Sam’s socks.
Here are Sam’s pants.
Here is Sam’s T-shirt.
Where Is Sam?
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Julie Ellis 2001
Illustrations copyright © Christine Ross 2001
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
I will need:
Name
Where Is Sam?
are
is
Here Sam’s pants.
Where
Here pencil
Sam?
Sam’s T-shirt.
Where
Where Is Sam?
Learning Media Limited 2007
Text copyright © Julie Ellis 2001
Illustrations copyright © Christine Ross 2001
Sam?
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Name:
Where Is Sam?
Date:
Reading Record
Have the student read aloud the text below. Identify when she or he makes an error or miscue that interferes with the understanding of the text or self-corrects. Record the student’s miscues (M) and self-corrects (SC) above the text.
(34 words)
M
SC
M
This is Sam.
Here are Sam’s pants.
Here are Sam’s shoes.
Where is Sam?
Where is Sam?
Here is Sam’s T-shirt.
Here are Sam’s socks.
Where is Sam?
Where is Sam?
Here he is!
SC
Total
Accuracy Rate:
Self-correction Rate:
Percentage
Miscues
100
99
98
0
97
96
1
95
94
93
92
2
91
90
89
3
Retelling
After the student has finished reading, ask them to retell the story.
Many facts/ideas (4 or more) 3
Few facts/ideas (1or more)
1
No facts/ideas
0
Summary of Reading Behaviours
Fix-up Strategies Fluency
Uses letters and sounds
Uses picture cues
Slow, word by word
Uses little words in unknown words
Asks for help
Some phrasing
Skips the word and reads on
Other:
Phrased and fluent
Rereads the sentence
Appropriate intonation and expression
Next Steps
This sheet can be copied freely for classroom use.
It must not be copied for an entire school system.
Where is Sam?
This is Sam Here are
Sam’s shoes Where is
socks pants T-shirt he
? . !
Where Is Sam?
by Julie Ellis
illustrated by Christine Ross
Overview
In this humorous story, the reader follows Sam through the house, finding item after item
of discarded clothing, until the answer to the question posed in the title is revealed. The
keyhole illustration on the cover provides an intriguing clue, while the detailed illustrations
provide many opportunities for discussion.
Suggested purposes
This text supports the comprehension strategies of predicting using illustrations and
making connections with real-life experiences. It provides opportunities for consolidating
the high-frequency words “here”, “where”, “is”, and “are” and for monitoring the students’
use of return sweep. Look at Me is another Dragonflies emergent title about clothes.
Text features (Focus on only one or two per session.)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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the high-frequency words – are, he, is, this
the digraph -sh – shoes, T-shirt
the repetitive text structure
the shift from one to two lines of text per page
the question and answer format of the text
the names for the items of clothing
the exclamation mark for emphasis on page 8
the possessive apostrophe in “Sam’s”
the close picture–text match
the way the illustrations heighten the fun of the story, showing Sam disappearing from
view on each page
Setting the scene
Use the cover to set the scene. This book is about a boy. His name is in the title. Can you find it?
Some students may recognise “am” in “Sam”. What do you notice at the end of the title? What
do you think the question is? Look through the keyhole. Can you guess where Sam is? Discuss the
students’ ideas and predictions without giving away the answer.
Back cover – Read aloud the preview question. Discuss the students’ predictions.
The first reading
Listen to the students read the title, then read the names of the author and the illustrator.
Title page – What is Sam doing? Listen to the students reread the title.
Page 2 – Listen to the students read the text.
Page 3 – The word “Here” may be a challenge for some students. Draw their attention to the
initial consonant, but be prepared to tell them the word to set the pattern of the text.
Ask the students to read the text independently, offering support as necessary. Note that,
from page 5, there are two lines of text per page. As the students read, observe how well they
are able to maintain one-to-one word matching and return sweep.
Page 6 – The students may read “trousers” or “jeans” for “pants”. Prompt them to cross-check
using the initial consonant. Does that look right? What else could that word be? What letters in
the word will help you? Where is Sam now?
Page 8 – Encourage the students to read this page expressively! Draw their attention to the
exclamation mark. How does the author want you to read this?
Encourage the students to think critically. Is that where you thought he would be? What will
Mum or Dad say about Sam’s clothes? What else could Sam have done with his clothes?
Ideas for revisiting the text (Choose only one or two per session.)
• Listen to the students reread the text, observing which students are using visual and
syntactic cues accurately. Observe, for example, the students’ fluency when reading the
shifts from “is” to “are”.
• Locate some of the high-frequency words. Can you find “here”? Can you find another one?
Now can you find “where”? How are the words different?
• Find the word “shoes”. Can you think of other words that start the same way? Can you hear
the “sh” sound in “T-shirt”? Show me the letters that make that sound.
• Talk about the apostrophe in “Sam’s”. Explain that it is there because each item of clothing
belongs to Sam.
• Using the words and punctuation cards for this book, reassemble the sentences with
the students.
• Work through the illustrations, discussing the features of each room. Which room is Sam in
now? How can you tell? Can you see Sam in the illustration? Note that the boat on page 8 is
also visible through the keyhole in the cover illustration.
Suggestions for further activities
• Reread the Dragonflies emergent book Look at Me.
• Innovate on the text, using the names of the students.
• Rewrite the story, replacing the bath with the swimming pool or the beach.
• Talk about what the students are wearing. Ask the students to draw and label items
of clothing.
• Cut out clothes to go on an outline of Sam’s body.
• Draw a floor plan of Sam’s house and label it.
• BLM word activity: practise writing high-frequency words
The students can write either “is” or “are” in the appropriate spaces. They can then read
their sentences to a partner.
• BLM comprehension activity: cut and paste sentences to match pictures
The students can cut out the labels and stick them under the appropriate illustration.
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