Highlights High Five™ May 2009 Parent/Teacher Guide
The Great Big Slide (page 4)
- Before reading the poem, ask children to describe the items on the slide.
- Read the poem several times, and encourage children to chime in on the parts they remember.
- Reread the poem, and clap on the syllables as you read it aloud. Ask children to listen for and identify the pattern (1 - 1 - 4 - 1 - 1 - 4 - 1).
- Ask children to listen for and identify the rhyming words (rides, slides, glide, and down, pound).
The ability to identify small segments of sounds within words is called phonological awareness. This is an important early-literacy skill. Listening for and clapping the rhythmic pattern of syllables in this poem will help children develop this skill.
Sprout Some Beans (pages 16 and 17)
- Read these pages, and then ask children to recall what the girl did to sprout the kidney beans.
- If you try this activity, soak two or three beans for each child. This will ensure that each child can examine and open one sprouted bean and still have at least one to plant.
Ask children why they think the girl put the seeds in a warm, dark place. Help them understand that seeds typically sprout underground where it is warm and dark. Doing this activity will enable children to see the roots, stem, and leaves beginning to develop. This will help children understand how a big plant can grow from a small seed.
Anita's Playhouse (pages 20 to 23)
- Before reading this story, explain that Anita speaks Spanish. If your children speak Spanish, ask them to stop you whenever they hear you reading Spanish. Then discuss what they think the Spanish words mean in English.
- If your children do not speak Spanish, stop after reading each Spanish sentence, and ask the children to use the pictures to guess what the Spanish words mean. Make sure children understand the meaning of each phrase before you read more of the story.
In this story, children will use pictures to infer the meaning of the Spanish words. This skill is also important as they continue to learn new words in English. Similarly, paying attention to the sounds of the Spanish words will help sharpen their ability to listen for the sounds in English words. Reread the last Spanish sentence in the story and ask children to listen for the repeated word (casa). Use the pronunciation box at the bottom of page 23 to compare the Spanish word mi and the English word my. Point out that they begin with the same letter. Some children might also notice that the Spanish word es and the English word is end with the same letter.