The Elephant's Trunk (pages 12 and 13)
- As children describe what the elephant needs to do, encourage them to use as much language as possible. For example, if a child points to the small stuffed animal and then says "toy box," you might say: "He can put the stuffed elephant in the toy box."
- The illustration and the words in the poem will expose children to lots of fun words and objects. Talk about what it means to squirt, what a trumpet is, and how many are in a dozen.
- As children talk about what they see, encourage them to use words like closet, chest of drawers, toy box or toy trunk, overalls, basketballs, beach balls, lampshade.
Many young children struggle with the demands of "cleanup time" whether at home or at school. Here's a chance for them to tell someone else how to do it!
What Do You Think? (pages 16 and 17)
- Encourage the children to give the character a name.
- Help the children understand that the coat and kite can be used as "clues" to figure out what might happen next.
- The third illustration offers different options. Perhaps the little guy will put his kite down and play soccer with the other children. Perhaps he will encourage them to join him as he tries to fly his kite. Perhaps he has finished flying his kite and will now join the group. There's no "right answer" here.
- Use the last picture to prompt children to make up more stories.
If you've ever struggled to come up with bedtime stories, you can appreciate how these picture prompts help children describe who, what, when, where, and how.
That's Silly! (pages 28 and 29)
- As children look at this feature, they will use what they know (their prior knowledge) to figure out what doesn't make sense—what's silly.
- Encourage children to explain why something is silly. For example, "Animals can't use cameras." "Cats and dogs don't use forks to eat, and they can't sit at a table!" As they talk about what they see, children will develop confidence in their ability to share their ideas.
All the features highlighted this month focus on developing children's oral language abilities. Remember, literacy has four components: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Speaking and listening are essential to later reading success.
Have fun talking together about the things you see in Highlights High Five!