RED APPLE READING MARCH 2016 LEARNING SUPPORT GUIDE
WWW.REDAPPLEREADING.COM
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WAYS TO KEEP KIDS READING THROUGH SPRING BREAK
HELPING CHILDREN BECOME MORE FLUENT READERS SPOTLIGHT ON...
CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS
MARCH READER:
WHAT COULD THAT BE?
COLORFUL RAINBOW BOOKS DINNER AND A BOOK:
I WILL NEVER NOT EVER EAT A TOMATO
CONTENTS 04 HELPING CHILDREN BECOME MORE FLUENT READERS
Easy tips to develop and improve a child’s reading fluency
06 DINNER AND A BOOK
I Will Not Ever Eat a Tomato – enjoy a fresh spring salad!
08 BOOK REVIEWS:
RAINBOW BOOKS Six colorful picture books to enjoy with your kiddos
HOW TO KEEP KIDS READING
10 THROUGH SPRING BREAK Five sure-fire ways to continue their learning out of school
11 STORY TIME!
Friends at the park hear a mysterious noise in What Could That Be?
12 LEVEL A - WHAT COULD THAT BE? Vocabulary-rich version – best for reading aloud to pre-readers or for fluent readers – with two pages of fun literacy activities
23 LEVEL B - WHAT COULD THAT BE? Simplified story text for emerging readers – two fun pages of literacy activities after
34 LEVEL C - WHAT COULD THAT BE? Early reader version of the story – followed by two fun pages of literacy activities
45 COMPREHENSION SKILLS Check in with these story questions after reading What Could That Be?
46 LITERACY LINEUP
Birthdays and special days for the month of March
49 SPOTLIGHT ON...
CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS Review from a young and vivacious book critic
©2016 Red Apple Reading. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and any reproduction or redistribution of part or all of this material without express and written permission is strictly prohibited. For questions or inquiries please email support@redapplereading.com.
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Connect with us!
Springtime is here! By this time of the school year, teachers are usually wishing for days to go by faster and for summer to get here already. I remember those days well! This is also when most parents find out whether or not their child is going to make it to the next grade in school. In the elementary school years, reading is a large part of this equation. One way to squeeze in extra reading practice is to find a fun digital reading program like Red Apple Reading. Kids can have fun watching animated videos and playing games, and parents can see an improvement in reading skills in as little as two weeks!
You’ll also find plenty of fun reading skills practice in this magazine, with a monthly reader written at different reading levels, and fun literacy activities on the pages following them. I hope that you will make reading a priority in children’s lives no matter what time of year it is. Literacy is a precious gift that all children need in their lives! Best wishes,
Tammy Bennecke PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER
tammybennecke@redapplereading.com
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HELPING CHILDREN BECOME MORE FLUENT READERS Fluency is the ability to read a passage smoothly and at a reasonable pace without having to pause to sound out words. Simple reading skills are fine for simple books, but when your child is ready for more complex reading material, having to stop and sound out every word can be incredibly frustrating! Without fluency kids can easily lose comprehension and become too annoyed by their slow pace to enjoy reading. Here are some tips for helping your kiddos develop fluency.
MEMORIZE SIGHT WORDS Sight words are common words such as “the” and “have” that your child should be able to recognize without sounding out. Flash cards are the usual go-to for learning these words quickly, but there are a multitude of other fun ways to incorporate the learning of these words – check out some of them here. The important thing is to get these words down so your kiddo doesn’t get hung up on them while reading.
RE-READ FAVORITE STORIES Believe it or not, re-reading the same stories over and over does more than just bore you to sleep! When your children re-read their favorite stories with you, they’re becoming more familiar with more complex words by seeing them over and over again. They can also learn to read them more naturally because
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the sentence will end with a question mark, such as “what” and “how”; then he can read these sentences with the endings of each sentence aren’t a
proper expression and not depend on
mystery like they are the first time
seeing the end punctuation first.
your kids read them.
NOTICE PUNCTUATION FIND A GOOD PACE
When your kiddo first shows off
Your little one should be able to read
how fast she can read out loud, she’ll
at a fairly quick pace, but not so fast
likely take no notice of commas
that she frequently stumbles over
and other punctuation. Teach her
common words and cannot comprehend
to pause at commas and stop at
the story. Try having her read a
periods. This will help her read more
passage aloud to you and then tell you
naturally and recognize phrases.
everything she remembers from the story. If she can read at a brisk speed and still recall many details and major events, then she’s found a good pace.
ENCOURAGE NATURAL INTONATION Books shouldn’t sound monotonous when read aloud. Demonstrate reading with expression when you read to your child - even if you have to occasionally exaggerate for him to catch on. You can also teach him words that indicate that
After consistently implementing these simple strategies, you will notice a big improvement in your child’s reading fluency. If you want more great tips and ideas for improving fluency, check out our Finding Fluency board on Pinterest!
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DINNER AND A BOOK Who doesn’t love to see the beautiful greens returning to the landscape after a long winter? While we enjoy the comfort foods that go so well with the winter season, a fresh spring salad is a welcome change of pace! Why not celebrate the return of spring with a salad that’s not only a satisfying meal, but also a feast for the eyes? While you’re at it, add this fun Charlie and Lola story to your dinner!
I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato (Charlie and Lola) Involve your little one in all aspects of creating
L
ola is an extremely picky eater.
this delicious salad! Take your kiddo to the
Fortunately, her brother Charlie
market with you and let him help pick out the
has a few tricks up his sleeve to
colorful veggies. When you get home arrange the
convince her to try some different
prepared vegetables into a beautiful rainbow of
foods. But when Lola declares, “I
colors! Top with the creamy dill dressing and sit
absolutely will never not ever eat a
down to a good meal and a good book!
tomato,” will Charlie be able to change her mind? Whether your child is a fussy eater or not, she is sure to enjoy this humorous story!
Rainbow Salad with Creamy Dill Dressing from Feasting at Home Your kiddo might not be a fan of raw veggies, but Feasting at Home has a recipe for a yummy salad that is so colorful and beautifully arranged that it will tempt even the pickiest child!
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SERIOUS LEARNING THAT’S SERIOUSY FUN!
www.RedAppleReading.com Help your child become a better reader with videos and games that make it fun to learn.
HOORAY FOR SPRING!
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RAINBOW
BOOKS
ELMER AND THE RAINBOW by David McKee Elmer the patchwork elephant wants to help the rainbow get back its colors by giving it some of his own. Will he lose them forever if he gives them away? Ages 3 to 6
THE RAINBOW BOOK by Kate Ohrt This lovely book associates the colors of the rainbow with emotions using beautiful, snowflake-like paper cuttings. Ages 3 to 8
THE RAINBOW GOBLINS by Ul De Rico Greedy goblins try to steal the rainbow for themselves, making the rainbow decide never to touch the ground again! Ages 4 to 8
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A RAINBOW OF MY OWN by Don Freeman What would it be like to have your very own rainbow? A young boy longs to find out! Ages 3 to 6
MONSTERS LOVE COLORS by Mike Austin GFun-loving monsters play with colors and mix new ones for their gray friends. This is a cute book to use for teaching kids about primary and secondary colors! Ages 4 to 8
THE RAINBOW MYSTERY by Jennifer A. Dussling Mike and Annie investigate what makes rainbows appear as well as learn about prisms! Ages 3 to 7
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HOW TO KEEP KIDS READING THROUGH SPRING BREAK > GIFT BOOKS EVERY DAY The excitement of opening a present isn’t necessarily reserved for holidays and birthdays! Get inexpensive books from thrift stores or on sale other places and surprise them with one every day of their break. Or make a few stops at your local library!
> READ ALOUD If your kiddo seems bored with reading by herself, mix things up by reading aloud together. Even older kids enjoy experiencing a story with someone else sometimes!
> CREATE AN OUTDOOR READING AREA Take advantage of the beautiful spring weather and create a comfortable place to read outside. It will give your child a nice change of scenery and keep him from being cooped up indoors!
> DESIGNATE DAILY READING TIMES Without the regular school schedule, your younglings might be in need of a bit of structure. Set aside a daily quiet time for reading. This has the added benefit of keeping them from sitting in front of the TV all day.
> WRITE A STORY Let your kids write stories to share with the family. They’ll enjoy the activity and you’ll sneak in a bit of fun reading and writing practice.
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STORY
TIME 3 DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE SAME STORY! CHOOSE THE VERSION THAT’S BEST FOR YOUR YOUNG READER, THEN CLICK A LINK BELOW AND PRINT THE PAGES FOR REPEATED READING AND PRACTICE.
LEVEL A - STORY AND ACTIVITIES
PAGES 12 - 22
BEST FOR READING ALOUD TO PRE-READERS
LEVEL B - STORY AND ACTIVITIES
PAGES 23 - 33
EASY TEXT FOR EMERGING READERS
LEVEL C - STORY AND ACTIVITIES
PAGES 34 - 44
MORE COMPLEXITY FOR EARLY READERS
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
PAGE 45
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WHAT COULD THAT BE? Level A
W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
Bella and Roz were playing hopscotch at the playground. Bella hopped on the square for number five, then stopped. “Did you hear that?” she asked Roz. “What could that be?”
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“Hear what?” asked Roz, stopping and listening harder. “All I hear is Ellie and Leo giggling.” Ellie and Leo were walking in the park and telling jokes to each other.
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They stopped to tell Roz and Bella a new chicken joke. “Why did the chicken cross the playground?” asked Leo. As Roz was thinking of the answer, she heard a very quiet sound that went, “Peep, peep, peep.”
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W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
Roz looked at Bella with surprise and said, “What could that be?� Leo and Ellie had heard the sound too.
p. 4
W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
The friends listened again and followed the sound. They looked behind a bench, under the slide, and near the swings. They could not find the source of the sound.
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W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
Then Bella saw the bushes move nearby. They heard the sound again, “Peep, peep, peep.” “What could that be?” said Bella as they slowly and quietly crept toward the clump of bushes.
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W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
They looked under the bushes and found a teenytiny nest of straw and grass. Inside the nest they saw three teeny-tiny baby birds who said, “Peep, peep, peep.� The little birds were so cute!
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W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
Then Leo said, “You know, you never answered my joke – why did the chicken cross the playground?” Bella said, “To see the baby birds, of course!” They all giggled and ran off to play.
p. 8
MATCHING GAME Read each animal mom word. Draw a line to match eachRead animal word the correct baby babies. eachmom animal momtoword. Draw a line toor match each animal mom word to the correct baby or babies.
cat
cat
dog dog bird bird deer deer frog
frog
duck
duck
RED APPLE READING
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COLOR WORDS
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RED APPLE READING
W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
WHAT COULD THAT BE? Level B
W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
Bella and Roz played hopscotch. Bella hopped on a number and then stopped. “Did you hear that?” she asked Roz. “What could that be?”
p. 1
W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
“Hear what?” asked Roz. “All I hear is Ellie and Leo.” Ellie and Leo were in the park telling jokes.
p. 2
W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
They stopped to tell Roz and Bella a new joke. “Why did the chicken cross the road?” asked Leo. But Roz heard it again. “Peep, peep, peep.”
p. 3
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Roz looked at Bella and said, “What could that be?� Leo and Ellie heard it too.
p. 4
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The friends listened and followed the sound. They looked by a bench, under the slide, and by the swings. They could not find the sound.
p. 5
W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
Then Bella saw the bushes move. They heard it again, “Peep, peep, peep.” “What could that be?” said Bella as they went to the bushes.
p. 6
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They looked in the bushes and found a tiny nest. In the nest they saw three baby birds who said, “Peep, peep, peep.� The birds were so cute!
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Then Leo said, “You never got my joke – why did the chicken cross the road?” Bella said, “To see the baby birds!” They all giggled and ran off to play.
p. 8
SHORT
32
O WORDS
RED APPLE READING
LONG
O WORDS
RED APPLE READING
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WHAT COULD THAT BE? Level C
W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
Bella and Roz were playing hopscotch at the playground. Bella hopped on a square, then stopped. “Did you hear that?” she asked Roz. “What could that be?”
p. 1
W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
“Hear what?” asked Roz, stopping to listen. “All I hear is Ellie and Leo giggling.” Ellie and Leo were walking in the park and telling jokes.
p. 2
W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
They stopped to tell Roz and Bella a new chicken joke. “Why did the chicken cross the playground?” asked Leo. As Roz thought about it, she heard a quiet sound that went, “Peep, peep, peep.”
p. 3
W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
Roz looked at Bella with surprise and said, “What could that be?� Leo and Ellie had heard the sound too.
p. 4
W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
The friends listened again and followed the sound. They looked behind a bench, under the slide, and near the swings. They could not find what was making the sound.
p. 5
W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
Then Bella saw the bushes move nearby. They heard the sound again, “Peep, peep, peep.” “What could that be?” said Bella as they slowly crept toward the clump of bushes.
p. 6
W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
They looked under the bushes and found a tiny nest of straw and grass. Inside the nest they saw three tiny baby birds who said, “Peep, peep, peep.� The little birds were so cute!
p. 7
W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
Then Leo said, “You know, you never answered my joke – why did the chicken cross the playground?” Bella said, “To see the baby birds!” They all giggled and ran off to play.
p. 8
ENDING BLENDS
RED APPLE READING
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“SP” RIDDLES
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RED APPLE READING
W W W. R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
1
What game were Bella and Roz playing at the playground?
2
What sound did Bella and Roz hear at the playground?
3
Which two friends were telling jokes?
4
What were two of the places they looked to find the sound?
5
What was making the “Peep, peep, peep” sound?
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LITERACY TIME BOOK OF TEENY TINY ME
Work with your child to create a book about the first few years of his or her life. Find a few photos of your child as a newborn, a toddler, at ages 1, 2, 3, and so on. Help your child sequence the pictures to put them in chronological order. Use clues from the pictures to help define the timeline. Glue each picture on a sheet of paper. Then help your child write his or her age and a sentence about what is happening in each picture. Staple or string the book together.
BABY ANIMA L BOOKS –
It’s fun to read books about baby animals, especially in the springtime. Check out these books about baby animals:
Are You My Mother? Julius the Baby of the World Baby Beluga Guess How Much I Love You? Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? 46
Make Way for Ducklings A Baby Sister for Francis Is Your Mama a Lama? Can’t You Sleep Little Bear? Frogg y’s Baby Sister
RED APPLE READING
Spring into literacy with Red Apple Reading BABY PE T
SING LIKE A BABY
Children enjoy having pets, but you can make it so you don’t have to clean up after it. Have your child draw his or her own baby pet. Choose an animal and do a little research about what the baby animal looks like. Find out what the baby animal eats, where it sleeps, and what else it needs to survive. Write the information down near the picture so you and your child remember when you “pretend” to care for the pet. Give the pet a name. Alternatively, create a baby pet sock animal (with yarn for a tail, button eyes, and so on) or find a small stuffed animal. Give your child a “real,” soft pet to care for. Make the pet a bed, and make some “pretend” food for the pet, too.
Pretend you and your child are baby animals. What kind of sounds do baby animals make? Start with a “peep” and peep along to your favorite tunes on the radio. Or, pretend you are a baby bird and make up the words to a song the baby would sing. For example, you might sing, “I’m a little bird, I love my nest. Eating slimy worms – that’s the best!”
DID YOU KNOW?
March is National Nutrition Month – Eat something healthy! 47
LITERACY LINEUP MARCH 2016
Monday
1
Tuesday
2
PEANUT LOVER’S DAY
8
3
KENNETH GRAHAME
Thursday
WORLD BOOK DAY
10
EZRA JACK KEATS
17
ST. PATRICK’S DAY
24
23
22
DENYS CAZET
29
PUPPY DAY
30
13
DOUGLAS FLORIAN
25
KATE DICAMILLO
LUCY BATE
26
31 MARCH INTO LITERACY MONTH WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
SUCIE STEVENSON
48
ANNA SEWELL
CESAR CHAVEZ DAY
RED APPLE READING
SPRING FORWARD!
PI (3.14) DAY
21
FIRST DAY OF SPRING
MARGARET MAHY
28
27
BETTY MACDONALD
CEREAL DAY
14
20
19
18
GIRL SCOUT SUNDAY
CARL HIAASEN
Sunday
7
MEM FOX
12
11
Saturday
6
DAV PILKEY
BARBIE DAY
16
Friday
5
4
READ ACROSS AMERICA
9
15
Wednesday
EASTER
DOREEN CRONIN
SPOTLIGHT ON‌
C aptain U nderpants Written by Carley Bennecke, In-house book critic
Book Series
Captain Underpants is one of the first book series I read that made me realize reading can be fun. Silly and adventurous, the series follows fourth grade best friends George and Harold. The boys hypnotize their principal into becoming their very own comic superhero: Captain Underpants. I began reading this series in fourth grade along with my best friend. We thought the books were completely hilarious and very inspirational for unleashing creativity in school, since the main characters were in a school that didn’t allow students to use their imagination.
The Captain Underpants books are in comic book form with illustrations on each page. The series has a total of twelve graphic novels, each with fun alliteration in the titles, like Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants. Students who find reading boring and uneventful should definitely read the books in this series. Not only will reading become an exciting event, it will be stimulating, entertaining, and laugh out loud funny.
RED APPLE READING
MARCH 2016
RED APPLE READING Serious Learning that’s Seriously Fun.
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