Trucks at Work (pages 14 and 15)
- Before reading the text, discuss the illustration. Encourage children to brainstorm what the workers might be building; for example, a skyscraper, an apartment building, or a department store.
- If children have trouble figuring out what Max might say, read the sentences again, stressing the word in darker type. (That is the missing word.)
- After answering the riddles, revisit the scene, helping children name each truck and how it's used.
In order to decide what Max might say, children must pay attention to both the sounds of the words they are considering (phonics) and whether those words make sense in the sentence (comprehension). These are important skills to begin to develop, even before children begin formal reading instruction.
Mail a Letter (page 17)
- Ask children to describe what's happening in each photo. Then go back and read the captions.
- If children have mailed a letter to someone, ask them to talk about what they did and who received the letter. If they took it to the post office, encourage them to describe that experience. Finally, ask children to talk about letters they have received.
After the children have drawn a picture, ask them what they want to say to the recipient of their letter. Write what they tell you (on the back of their drawing), and help them address the envelope. If possible, encourage the recipients to write back. It's fun to get mail! And it's a great way to learn how reading and writing go hand in hand.
Going Up (pages 22 and 23)
- Before reading the poem, discuss what's happening in the illustration. You could ask: "What helps each child go up?"
- Have children describe ways they like to go up.
- Help the children use the details in the illustration to guess how old each child might be.
This poem uses the repetition of a single word and details in the illustration to tell quite a story. Paying attention to the details will help children learn how to "read" a picture.