Overview
of
Series
Verbs
in Action
explores different ways we use common action verbs.
Pictures support the sentences and show how each verb is
used.
Comprehension
Strategy
Making
Connections
Prior to reading, children need to activate prior
knowledge and make connections to what they already know. This prepares them for
the concepts and content vocabulary they will encounter as they read. While
reading, children make connections to the text to help them better understand
what they are reading.
"I
Do" (Teacher models strategy)
Teacher:
"I’m looking at the cover of the book
Blow Out
. I have
seen and heard this instrument before. I know it is a trumpet. I know that to
make sounds, you need to blow air through it. This connection helps me predict
that the book is about blowing things. I think about what things I can blow. I
can blow my nose. I can blow a bubble. I also think about what things blow. I
can blow. I know the wind can blow too. As I read the book, I will try to
connect the information on the page with what I know. On page 2, I see a child
blowing out candles. I can connect to this. I often have trouble blowing out all
of my candles with one
blow.
"We
Do" (Teacher and children practice
together)
Teacher: "What are the children
blowing on page 3? How about on page 4? What does this make you think of? What
is the girl doing on page 7? Have you ever felt like she does? Look at the
pictures on pages 8 and 9. What do these pictures make you think of? What do you
know about the two instruments in the pictures?
Continue having
children look at the pictures and make connections to what they already know to
prepare them for the vocabulary and concepts in the
book.
"You
Do" (Children use the strategy)
In pairs,
children work with a partner to look at the pictures and make connections to
what they
know.
Textual
Supports
Familiar
topics
High-interest
photos
The books present actions that are, for the most part,
familiar to children. The photos motivate interest in the text and provide
context for the
vocabulary.
Textual
Challenges
Idioms
and some unfamiliar meanings of verbs
Besides common usage for
the verbs, each book also includes examples of unfamiliar usage and idioms, such
as "blow your top" or "carry a tune," that may need further
explanation.
ESL
Connections
Word
Meanings and Idioms
ESL children may find the language in these
books difficult to understand. Support the literal meanings of the words by
having them write and say each verb and then act it out. Use role-play to
demonstrate the meanings of selected idioms. For example, act out getting angry
and say, "When I get angry, I sometimes blow my top." Then ask
volunteers to act out the meanings of the idioms (or act them out yourself) and
have children guess the
idioms.
Language
Acquisition
Idioms
Book
Have children illustrate the figurative meaning of an idiom
of their choice on a sheet of paper and then turn the paper over to illustrate
the literal meaning. Ask them to write the idiom under this picture. For
example, they could draw a picture of themselves singing and a picture of
themselves carrying a musical note in their hands for "carry a tune."
Staple the pages together with the figurative meanings on the front. Children
can take turns showing the class their figurative drawing and having the class
guess the idiom. They can turn the page to
check.
Integration
of Literacy, Art, and Physical Education
(Physical
Education) Have children demonstrate the different ways they can move, blow,
turn, and play.
(Art) Create an action poster gallery. Assign different
action verbs from the books to different children. Have them write their verb in
big letters at the top of poster paper and then draw themselves doing their
actions below the verbs.
Internet
Links
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/anemometer.html
This
page on the California Energy Commission’s "Energy Quest" Web
site shows how to measure how fast the wind blows. (Teacher)
http://www.eyeonthesky.org/lessonplans/05sun_daynight.html
This
site provides a two-day lesson plan with extension activities on what makes
night and day, which relates to the book Turn Into. (Teacher)
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Activities/FunScience/Motionocean
This
site shows children how to make water move like waves on the ocean. (Teacher and
Children)
http://home.howstuffworks.com/paper-masks.html
This
site shows how to make several different types of face masks. (Teacher and
children)
