February 2002     Vol.3 Issue 2

All Lesson Plans

Outdoors

Suggested lesson plan for "Kids can
help clean Forest Park streams"

Readability: About sixth grade reading level

Possible hard words: Proper names: Forest Park, Meramec River, Ron Coleman, Eureka High School, Zack Beavers, Caleb Patton, Katie Belleville, Diane Johnson, Audubon Society, Rockwood Reservation
Other words: Volunteers, celebration, tributaries, weird, submerged, environmental, stretches, redevelopment, organizers, appropriately, supervision

BEFORE READING: Ask the young reader to read the names and words from the list above. If no more than three call for help from you, suggest the young reader read the article silently. If four to six words call for help, suggest that the young reader read the article aloud to you. If seven or more call for help, you offer to read the article aloud. Make clear that questions will be raised after the reading.

DURING READING: For the one reading silently, offer help with words if asked. For the one reading aloud, provide words fairly quickly if the reader is struggling with them. If you read aloud, model expressive and fluent oral reading as the young reader follows along.

AFTER READING: Use questions such as these to check comprehension and stimulate discussion.

1. Why is Forest Park being cleaned up and improved?
2. What is America's largest on-gong cleanup of a river and how long has is been going on?
3. Why would the kids use canoes in their volunteer efforts?
4. Do you think such projects are a good idea for kids to take part in? Would you like to volunteer for a cleanup project? Why or why not?

Profile

Suggested lesson plan for "Young author is published in national magazine"

Readability: About sixth grade reading level

Possible hard words: Proper names: Andrea Bachmann, Teddy Harvey, Williamsburg, VA.
Other words: fiction, submitted, rejected, unfamiliar, tournament, illustrate, imagination

BEFORE READING: Have the young reader read the names and words from the list, providing any help where needed. Since there is a relatively short list of possible hard words, ask the young reader to read the article aloud. Indicate you will offer help if needed. Note that questions will be raised afterward.

DURING READING: Provide words fairly quickly if they are unknown or appear to be impairing fluency.

AFTER READING: Use questions similar to the following to check understanding and promote a discussion.

1. Why did Andrea decide to write an article about her soccer playing experience for "Stone Soup?"
2. What had her soccer coach asked Andrea to do that was different for her?
3. What two things happened that made Andrea happy she had agreed to play a different position?
4. Name two or three things in your life that you think you could write about?

Lifestyle

Suggested lesson plan for "St. Louis Rams
make a character video for kids"

Readability: About sixth grade reading level

Possible hard words: Proper names: Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Aeneas Williams, Isaac Bruce, Michele Steptoe-Clark, Ernie Conwell, Adam Timmerman, Soldan-International High School, Grant Wistrom, Tory Holt, Cooperating School Districts, Diversity Awareness Partnership
Other words: character, traits, courage, commitment, cooperation, arena-league, communication

BEFORE READING: Check out the young readers ability to "handle" the article by having him or her read all the terms from the list above. Help with pronunciation where help is needed. If no more than three items are missed, ask the young reader to read the article silently. If four to seven words are missed, ask the young reader to read the article aloud to you. If eight or more are missed, you volunteer to read the article aloud. In all instances, indicate that questions will be raised and discussed after the reading.

DURING READING: For the silent reader, supply any words if asked for help. For the child reading aloud, supply any words fairly quickly that seem to be impairing fluency. If you read aloud, model smooth and expressive oral reading.

AFTER READING: Use questions such as those that follow to check comprehension and stimulate a discussion of the article.

1. With examples like "courage" or "commitment" given, how would you define a "trait?"
2. How did Ernie Conwell explain "cooperation?"
3. How is Michelle Steptoe-Clark different from the other people on the video?
4. Would you like for your class to view and discuss the video? Why or why not?

Health

Suggested lesson plan for "Kids who've quit smoking now teach others of dangers"

Readability: Sixth grade reading level

Possible hard words: Proper names: Shannon Oliver, Hancock Place Middle School, BJC Health Systems, Andi Boyd, Erica Pound, Rocky Tucker, Erica Ellebracht, Angie Hasenfratz
Other words: encouraging, cigarettes, tobacco, cancer, participation, conditioning, skit

BEFORE READING: Other than the few proper names, this article has few words likely to be difficult. Have the young reader read the list, offering help where needed. Then ask him or her to read the article to you. Indicate that a few questions will be asked afterward.

DURING READING: Help out fairly quickly with any words that seem to be impairing fluency as the reader reads aloud.

AFTER READING: Use questions to check understanding and stimulate discussion over the article. Examples follow.

1. Who taught Shannon Oliver and Erica Pound to smoke when they were very young? Were you shocked by who the ones were who got them smoking? Why or why not?
2. Why does participation in sports get some kids to give up smoking?
3. Why use kids who may still be smoking to get across the message to not smoke?
4. How do you feel about kids smoking?

News

Suggested lesson plan for "Compton-Drew students get a close look at city government"

Readability: Sixth grade reading level

Possible hard words: Proper names: Shannon Carr, Whitney Meredith, Joseph Burton, Katherine and Kristine Goldman, Minh Chau Pham, Mayor Francis Slay, Desmond Holmes, Margi Doshi, James McClure, Karen Turner, Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Jurasic Park
Other words: situations, alderman, presentation, news anchor, weatherman, carbon dioxide, deforestation, surgeon, paleontologist, dinosaurs, forensic medicine

BEFORE READING: Have the young reader read the list of names and words from the possible hard words list. There are more than twenty-five items. Ask the young reader to read the list with you helping out where needed. If the reader has trouble with no more than three, ask him or her to read the article silently. If four to seven words cause a problem, have the reader read the article aloud to you. If eight or more items are troublesome, you volunteer to read the article aloud. Indicate in all three instances that questions will be asked after the reading.

DURING READING: For the child reading silently, offer to help with any words if asked. For the child reading aloud, supply any words fairly quickly that seem to be impairing reading fluency. If you read the article aloud, try to model smooth and fluent oral reading.

AFTER READING: Use questions to check comprehension and stimulate discussion. Examples are the following.

1. What were the kids trying to discover in their visit to St. Louis City Hall?
2. What special information was Shannon Carr seeking to find and why did she want to know?
3. How do you know Kristine Golden was impressed by what she saw at City Hall?
4. What do you think it means to "think outside the box?"
5. What would you be looking for if you visited your community's City Hall?

Music

Suggested lesson plan for "Fifth grader
plays in Symphony Music School concert"

Readability: Sixth grade reading level

Possible hard words: Proper names: Wilbur Song, Webster University Symphony Music School String Orchestra concert, Mikhail Lobko, Russian, Shanghai, Ameren UE Bright Star, Melanie Murphy, Keming Song
Other words: "one-quarter sized," stage presence, demonstration, prospective, erhu, entomology

BEFORE READING: Have the young reader read the names and words from the hard words list. Provide help where needed. If fewer than three items cause a problem, suggest the young reader read the article silently. If four to six words are troublesome, ask the young reader to read the article aloud. If seven or more words are missed, you volunteer to read the article aloud to the child. Indicate questions will be raised and a discussion conducted after the story is read.

DURING READING: For the silent reader, indicate that you will help with words if asked. For the child reading aloud, supply troublesome words quickly to keep the oral reading smooth and fluent. If you read aloud, model smooth and fluent oral reading.

AFTER READING: Use questions such as the following to check comprehension and promote a discussion of the article.

1. How do the violins Wilbur plays reflect his growing up?
2. What was special about third grade in terms of Wilbur's music successes?
3. Besides his interest in music, what is Wilbur's other major interest?
4. Have you tried playing a musical instrument? Describe your involvement in music.

Reading

Suggested lesson plan for "Kids get help
for their reading from volunteers"

Readability: Above sixth grade reading level

Possible hard words: Proper names: Diana Johnson, Roger Wright, Jr., Annunziata Learning Center, Alicia Jones, Buder Branch, Harry Potter, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Carondelet Branch, Kathy Adkisson
Other words: unique, volunteer, tutor

BEFORE READING: Beyond the few proper names, there are few difficult words in the article. Ask the young reader to read the names and words from the list, offering help where needed. Then suggest that he or she read the article aloud to you. Note that questions will be asked afterward.

DURING READING: Provide any words that seem to be interfering with fluent oral reading.

AFTER READING: Use questions such as these to check comprehension and promote discussion.

1. What must the young readers and their parents agree to in order to be admitted to the YRead program?
2. What is different about the YRead program compared to most other programs?
3. What agreement must the tutors have that is similar to the one the parents and children must make?
4. Do you think the kind of help described is likely to help any young readers that you know become better readers? Why or why not?

Books

This month's book reviews

A kids' biography of a famous Missourian who has been receiving lots of media attention

Most kids growing up in Missouri know a little bit about Mark Twain. They certainly have heard about him in school and there's a good chance they've been to Hannibal. There have been enough versions of "Tom Sawyer" on television that they have probably seen at least one of them. They are likely to know that Mark Twain is not a real name but one based on something to do with riverboats.

This book, "Mark Twain, America's Humorist, Dreamer, Prophet," written by Clinton Cox and published by Scholastic in 1995, is a serious and fairly encompassing biography, even if written and published for kids. The reading level reported by the publisher is sixth grade level and the author provides an extensive bibliography and an index. This little 254 page paperback can serve as a more detailed treatment of Twain's life than most people will ever read, or it can serve as the departure point for a serious term paper on some aspect of Twain or his writing.

As a reviewer, I would add that I read the book before I was aware of the Ken Burn's treatment of Mark Twain's life on public television. After viewing all four hours of the special, I was impressed at how many of the same insights presented in the TV treatment were contained in this 1995 publication for children. Furthermore, they were available for a young reader in an inexpensive and attractive paperback format.

• Buy this book from Amazon.com

How much do you know
about Laura Engalls Wilder?

There's a good chance that adults have read at least some of Laura Engalls Wilders' books while in school. Possibly, if they were lucky, a teacher in the classroom read the books aloud to them. There's also a good chance that adults who grew up in Missouri heard quite a bit about Laura Engalls Wilder while they were in middle grades. There is even a better chance that adults watched segments of "Little House on the Prairie" when it was a top-rated TV series', starring Michael Landon. Perhaps they knew the TV scripts were based on the original writings of a Missouri farmwife who became a prize-winning children's author. Perhaps not.

"Laura Engalls Wilder, Young Pioneer," is another recent addition to the Childhood of Young Americans, a series of paperbacks published by Aladdin Books, a subsidiary of Simon and Schuster. This biography contains several dividends for the parents who encourage their daughter (or their son) to read it. The kids might be stimulated to read the entire series of "Little House" books if they read the biography. Kids who have read some of Wilder's stories already will want to read more about her life. Laura Engalls Wilder was an avid reader herself and had always aspired to be a writer. She wrote about what she knew and she did it without substantially changing her day-to-day life. She went on to become a national celebrity. Hey, how motivating can a kids' book get?

• Buy this book from Amazon.com

Amelia Earhart presented as
a role model for modern girls

A recent addition to the Childhood of Famous Americans series is the Aladdin paperback, authored by Beatrice Gormley and published by Simon and Schuster, titled "Amelia Earhart, Young Aviator." A 271-page biography, the line drawing illustrated book is directed to readers in the 8-12 year range. As with books in this particular series, considerable attention is paid to the childhood of the subject and to background and motivation that lead to the subject's actual accomplishments. Earhart's marriage, her aviation successes as an adult, and her mysterious loss on the record seeking around the world flight in 1937 are not slighted in the book, however.

The author of the biography clearly is seeking to underscore the point that Amelia Earhart's pioneering accomplishments in aviation provided a breakthrough for women throughout the world. In addition, the author makes the point that Earhart remained a sensitive and attractive female even as she made her mark in a field that was dominated by men.

• Buy this book from Amazon.com

An award-winning novel for kids by a
British author labeled a "magic realist"

"Kit's Wilderness' by David Almond. Published in the U.S. in 2000, has cleaned up on awards given for children's books. It's An ALA Notable Book, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, a Booklist Editor's Choice, and a Publisher's Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year. It deals in fantasy but does it in a way that puts it light years ahead of a book like "Harry Potter." Of course, it requires a much more sophisticated reader than does Harry Potter, to understand the role that healthy fantasy - reality-based fantasy - plays in helping humans understand their humanness.

From a readability formula standpoint, "Kit's Wilderness" is fairly easy reading. However, to appreciate the full nuances of the book, a fairly sophisticated teen-age reader is called for. Even then, a reading of "Kit's Wilderness" with full appreciation calls for participation in a discussion group led by a knowledgeable mentor. If you buy it for your teen-ager to read, it would be a good idea if you read it and were prepared to engage in some long discussions about its many implications. Remember, it didn't sell millions of copies like Harry Potter, but it drew accolades from a lot of reviewers and critics of children's books. It's a book that a reader - child or adult - will not quickly forget.

• Buy this book from Amazon.com