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Engage students in learning about insects and their characteristics.

Goal
Children will learn about some kinds of insects and their characteristics.

Objective
Children will be able to answer questions based on a diagram of a ladybug.

Concepts of Comprehension©
Fact is information that someone can prove true or false. Opinion is what someone believes about a subject. After reading the text about ladybugs, write four sentences on an easel pad: Ladybugs help farmers. Ladybugs are cute! Ladybugs are insects. Ladybugs are creepy. Read the sentences aloud. Explain that two sentences are facts about ladybugs and two sentences are opinions. Ask children to identify the sentences that are opinions. Ask: How do you know?

Link
Play a game while learning about insects, and exploring their habitats.

Literature Connection
• The Best Book of Bugs, by Claire Llewellyn
• Bugs Are Insects, by Anne Rockwell
• From Caterpillar to Butterfly, by Deborah Heiligman
• Insect Detective, by Steve Voake
• It’s A Good Thing There Are Insects, by Allan Fowler
• On Beyond Bugs! All About Insects, by Tish Rabe

Standards In This Issue
Common Core State Standard
Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.

National Standard
Science (NSES)
Organisms and their environments
Characteristics of organisms

Before Reading
Reinforce Vocabulary: Ask children to say three words that describe the tiger beetle on the cover. List the responses on an easel pad. Do the same for the other insects in the issue before reading about them.

Background Information
Scientists say that more than 1 million species of insects live in our world. Insects can be found on land and in water.
• An insect is an animal with six legs, three body parts, and a pair of antennae. Some have wings. Insects do not have lungs. Most insects breathe through holes called spiracles that line the sides of their bodies.
• An insect’s body is covered with a hard shell called an exoskeleton that acts like protective armor.
• Almost all insects are hatched from eggs laid by their mothers.
• Tiger beetles can see well and run quickly to chase down prey. They have strong jaws to secure their food. Some species have iridescent coloration.
• Butterflies begin their lives as caterpillars. They eat leaves. As adults, butterflies drink
nectar from flowers. Butterflies go through four stages of growth:
 egg, caterpillar, chrysalis (pupa), and adult (butterfly).
The butterfly pictured in the student edition is a swallowtail butterfly.
• Grasshoppers are found in almost all climates worldwide. They eat plants. They have five
eyes and no ears. They hear with an organ on the abdomen. Their large back legs are used
for hopping. Long-horned grasshoppers produce sounds by rubbing their front wings together. Short-horned grasshoppers make sounds by rubbing their hind legs against their front wings or by rubbing their wings together. Grasshoppers go through three stages of growth: egg,
nymph, and adult.
• Praying mantises have strong front legs that can crush prey. Some have wings as adults. They can turn their heads 180 degrees for excellent
vision and hearing.
• Ladybugs can be ordered and delivered to farmers. They eat aphids, which are small bugs that suck on the juices of plants and destroy crops.

During Reading
Summarize: Guide children in paraphrasing the ladybug story and not including the details.

After Reading
Write: On an easel pad, write this sentence frame: I never knew that _____. Ask students to complete the sentence by writing something new that they learned about insects in the blank.

Comprehension Extension: Have children share facts about insects. Guide them in writing sentences that are facts. Ask them how they feel about insects. List the responses. Help them see how facts differ from opinions.

Adaptation: Share insect-related pictures or objects. Have each child select one item and write a question or riddle about it. Invite children to quiz one another. For example: I buzz around, and I make honey. What am I? (a bee)

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Share some facts about our country’s flag.

Goal
Children will learn about how Flag Day is celebrated in our country.

Objective
Children will be able to name what the flag’s stars and stripes represent.

Concepts of Comprehension©
Main Idea is the big idea in a text. It tells you what the text is mostly about. Engage students in thinking about the big idea in the text about the flag. Point to the title as a clue. Provide two or three sentences, and ask students which one best describes the main idea. Then ask how they know. (Suggestions: A. Our flag has stars on it. B. Our flag is an important symbol of our country. C. Our flag has 13 stripes.)

Link
See a video about the history of our country’s flag.

Literature Connection
• Flag Day, by Sheri Dean
• A Flag for Our Country, by Eve Spencer
• L Is for Liberty, by Wendy Cheyette Lewison
• Our American Flag, by Mary Firestone
• Our Fifty States, by Lynne Cheney
• Our Flag, by Carl Memling
• Who Leads Our Country? by Jacqueline Laks Gorman

Standards In This Issue
Common Core State Standard
Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

National Standard
Social Studies (NCSS)
Civic ideals and principles

Before Reading
Tap Prior Knowledge: Display the cover of the issue. On an easel pad, write this sentence frame: This issue is about _____. I will probably find out that _____. Guide students in completing the sentence frame, and record their responses. Ask: Where do you see our country’s flag? What does the flag stand for?

Background Information
• The United States flag is flown 24 hours a day at the White House and at several other places across our country.
• The United States flag is also called Old Glory. Capt. William Driver gave our flag that name in 1831 as he set off on a sea voyage.
• Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. That is the anniversary of the adoption of the Stars and Stripes. In 1885, a Wisconsin schoolteacher arranged for his students to observe June 14 as our flag’s birthday. Over the years, states held ceremonies and cele-brations to honor the flag. In 1949, President Harry S. Truman officially designated June 14 as Flag Day.

During Reading
Make Connections: Help children connect to the text in this week’s issue. Ask: As you read about celebrating our flag and our country, what do you think of? What celebrations have you attended on Flag Day? Memorial Day? the Fourth of July?

After Reading
Recall Information: Let pairs of students discuss what they read. Ask them to draw pictures to show one thing they learned.

Comprehension Extension: Reinforce main idea. Copy the poem below on an easel pad, or display it on a whiteboard. Read it aloud, and then guide students in identifying the main idea of the poem. Explain that the main idea is sometimes mentioned a few times. Remind them that the title may help them identify the main idea. Read the lines of the poem aloud with children. Guide them in finding the lines that reflect the main idea and in identifying those that mention details.

Adaptation: Set up a vocabulary game in a center. Include index cards with words related to the topic of country. For example, include flag, states, stripes, stars, and so on. Include five words that are not related to the topic. Set up two small boxes or baskets, one labeled About Country and the other labeled Other Words. Invite students to sort the cards into the correct boxes.

Poem to Share
We Love Our Flag
Flags are flying in the wind;
We love to see them there.
They show off stripes of red and white,
While waving in the air.
Our flag’s a sign of freedom
No one can take away.
Be proud of what our flag stands for,
And salute it every day.
—Deborah Garmon

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Invite students to explore the life of a large shark.

Goal
Children will learn about various sharks that live in the ocean.

Objective
Children will be able to name characteristics of the whale shark and identify several other kinds of sharks that live in the ocean.

Concepts of Comprehension©
Setting tells you where and when a story takes place. Discuss where sharks live and swim. Point out that sharks are fish that swim in oceans. Ask: What is most likely the setting of a story about sharks? (the ocean) Engage students in reading a story that takes place in a different setting: an aquarium. Read aloud Shark Attack, by Abby Klein. The story takes place during a field trip to an aquarium. First grader Freddy has a chance to take a shark quiz. Will he win the prize?

Link
Dive underwater and see more videos of whale sharks.

Literature Connection
• Commotion in the Ocean, by Giles Andreae
• I Am a Shark, by Darlene Stille
• Magic Tree House Fact Tracker: Dolphins and Sharks, by Mary Pope Osborne
• Shark Attack, by Abby Klein
• Sharks, by Martha E. H. Rustad
• Sharks, by Seymour Simon
• Spectacular Sharks, by Bobbie Kalman

Standards In This Issue
Common Core State Standard
Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.

National Standard
Science (NSES)
Organisms and their environments
Characteristics of organisms

Before Reading
Set a Purpose for Reading: Ask children to preview the text to find the sentence that names the biggest fish in the ocean. Ask: Where might you see a shark? What ocean animals do you know of that are big? What other kinds of sharks can you name?

Background Information
• Oceans cover about 70 percent of Earth’s surface and hold about 97 percent of Earth’s water.
• Our oceans are all connected, but they have different names: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern oceans.
• Sharks are fish that have no bones. Their skeletons are made of cartilage. Sharks’ skin is made of denticles, hard teethlike structures that protect the shark.
• Sharks can have up to 3,000 teeth. When a tooth is damaged or lost, a new tooth replaces it.
• Sharks’ keenest sense is smell.
• Baby sharks are called pups.
• The great white shark is the largest meat-eating shark and is considered the most dangerous to humans. Great white sharks grow to an average of 15 feet in length. The animal gets its name from its white underbelly. Great white sharks are torpedo-shaped swimmers with powerful tails that help them move through water at speeds of up to 15 miles per hour.
• There are more than 50 shark species. Sharks vary greatly in size. The spined pygmy shark is 10 inches long, while a whale shark is about 46 feet long.
• The many different kinds of sharks have names that include goblin shark, nurse shark, snaggletooth shark, lemon shark, crocodile shark, megamouth shark, and bull shark.

During Reading
Vocabulary in Context: List and discuss key words from the text (such as gentle, discovered, flat, and stripes). Engage students in finding the meaning of the words by looking at other words and sentences in the text.

After Reading
Compare and Contrast: Create a simple T chart. Invite children to list recently learned characteristics of sharks. Next provide nonfiction picture books about other fish. Help children compare and contrast shark characteristics with those of other fish.

Vocabulary Extension: Using an ocean theme, write a row of four words on the board. Include one word that does not belong. (For example, list shark, fish, ocean, and door.) Ask students to identify the word that does not belong and to replace it with a word that does belong. In the example, students would eliminate door and replace it with fins or the like. Continue with other themes.

Adaptation: Write a simple sentence on the board to start a story. For instance, write: Fish swim. Invite each child to add a word to the sentence or to start a new sentence. Fish swim in the ocean. Fish can be large or small. Record responses. Invite children to read aloud all the sentences they wrote. 

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Reinforce important summer safety tips with students.

Goal
Children will learn how to be safe in the summer.

Objective
Children will identify how to properly wear a helmet while riding a bike.

Concepts of Comprehension©
Author’s Purpose is the reason why an author has written a text for readers. After reading about the four summer safety rules, explain that authors write stories for different reasons. Sometimes authors want to make people laugh. Other times authors want to explain something or give people information. Ask: Why did the author write about summer? Did the author want to make us laugh? Did the author want to give information?

Link
See a video about bike-safety tips.

Literature Connection
• The Bears’ Vacation, by Stan and Jan Berenstain
• Officer Buckle and Gloria, by Peggy Rathmann
• On Your Bike, by Ruth Thomson
• Safety at the Swimming Pool, by Lucia Raatma   
• Skin Sense: A Story about Sun Safety for Children, by Lori Lehrer-Glickman
• Staying Safe on My Bike, by Joanne Mattern
• Watch Out! Near Water, by Claire Llewellyn

Standards In This Issue
Common Core State Standard
Identify reasons an author gives to support points in a text.

National Standard
Science (NSES)
Personal health

Before Reading
Build Anticipation: Let students study the issue title and tell what they know and what they want to find out about staying safe in summer. List responses on a whiteboard to set a purpose for reading. Ask: Why do more children play outdoors in the summer? What is one safety rule you know? Why is that safety rule important?

Background Information
Experts say accidents and injuries peak during summer months when children have more free time and are involved in more outdoors activities. Suggested safety tips from experts include the following:
• Children should always wear bike helmets when riding or skating. They should ride on flat surfaces with an adult present.
• Children must have an adult present when swimming and should follow all water safety rules.
• Children can stay safe from the sun’s rays by wearing protective clothing. Parents should apply sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher to children’s bodies and reapply after swimming.

During Reading
Use Text Features: Engage students in looking at each photo and reading the question under each one. Ask: What do you see in the pictures that lets you know it is summer?

After Reading
Mini Activity: Let students recall one thing he or she learned about summer safety to illustrate. Bind children’s drawings to make a class safety booklet.

Poetry/Vocabulary Extension: Copy the poem below onto an easel pad. Read it aloud with students. Analyze the poem with students by saying: Find two words that rhyme. Which word names a body part?

Summer Safety
Keeping safe in summer
Means taking special care
When you’re near the water
And when your feet are bare.
Sunscreen will protect your skin
From the burning sun.
But while you’re being careful
Don’t forget to have some fun!
—Sharon Siegelman

Adaptation: Draw two simple racetracks on the board with a starting point and a finish line. Give two students clues to guess a word. For example: It has two wheels, and you pedal it. (bike) For each correct answer, make a mark on the racetrack to show a step toward the finish. The person who gets there first wins.

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Grade 1 Teaching Centers, 2011-12

April 2011-12

Print out your April Teacher's Guide PDF here.

March 2011-12

Print out your March Teacher's Guide PDF here.

February 2011-12

Print out your February Teacher's Guide PDF here.

December/January 2011-12

Print out your December/January Teacher's Guide PDF here.

November 2011

Print out your November Teacher's Guide PDF here.

October 2011

Print out your October Teacher's Guide PDF here.

August/September 2011

Print out your August/September Teacher's Guide PDF here.