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ABril 2010

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A supplement to Let’s Find Out magazine

What Is YOUR Opinion?This past January, a teacher sent me the following e-mail:

I just wanted you to know that my class is using the “My Snowman” poem in an upcoming assembly. The students are acting it out for the audience. They are very excited, and it is just darling. I received five additional e-mails regarding the January rebus poem poster. Because teachers seem to like it so much, we will be doing another one in the May issue.

Teacher feedback is very important to me. Over the years, all decisions about the magazine—from the topics to the activity pages—have taken into account teacher e-mails, survey results, and teacher adviser opinions. I’d love to hear from you too! Write to me at ammiller@scholastic.com.

Warm regards,

Amanda Miller, Editor

Student Issues

Teacher’s Edit ion

temas de abril

Teach Early-Reading Skills Use the following ideas to teach five critical early-reading skills:

Phonemic Awareness (¡Repiquetea, lluvia de abril!) Say the word repiquetea aloud. Clap your hands for each syllable. What is the first sound in this word? (r) What is the letter for that sound? (R)

Phonics (¡Semillas a volar!) Point to the word volar on the cover. Explain that v makes the /v/ sound. Then write the word bueno on chart paper. Say the word volar and the word bueno aloud. How are the sounds of the first letters similar and how are they different?

Fluency (¡No seas un botabasura!) Have children practice reading with expression when they chime in on ¡No botes basura, botabasura!

Vocabulary (¿Puedes decir croac?) Children love big words. Teach them that when a frog changes from a tadpole into a frog, we call that metamorfosis.

Comprehension (¡No seas un botabasura!) Reinforce the main idea of the article and supporting details by completing the poster Nuestra carta a un botabasura.

s P a N i s H e d i t i O N

CieNCia

¿Puedes decir croac?

la GeNte Y lOs lUGares

¡Semillas a volar!

YO leO CON dibUjOs

¡Repiquetea, lluvia de abril!

CieNCia

¡No seas un botabasura!

Pósteres

Nuestra carta a un botabasura

¡Polluelos!

Let’s find out Va a Casa

GRAN EDICIÓN

La

del maestro

GRAN EDICIÓN

La

del maestro

GRAN EDICIÓN

La

del maestro

• La g de gota (Phonics)• ¿Cómo crece una rana?

(Sequencing)

TEACHEr'S EDiTiON

New! Digital IssuesYour April issues are online and ready to use with a projector

or whiteboard! Go to www.scholastic.com/lfospanish. This is just a sneak peek at what’s to come. Next year we will have a brand new Web site, with videos, activities, and other extras— free to subscribers only.

CIENCIA

¡Semillas a volar!

Activity-Page SkillMore Than/Less Than

Activity-Page SkillReading a Chart

CIENCIA

¿Puedes decir croac?

Let’s Find Out • Curriculum Guide • Abril 2010

¡No seas un botabasura!

LA GENTE Y LOS LUGARES

Science Standard

Seeds & Plants

EARLY REAdER

¡Repiquetea, lluvia de abril!

YO LEO CON dIbUjOS

Nuestra carta a un botabasura

¡Polluelos!

PÓSTERES

• Read the poster’s title and directions aloud, explaining that you will work together to complete the letter.

• First, invent a name for your litterbug and fill in the greeting (or simply write Botabasura). Then read aloud the first line and brainstorm reasons, for exam-ple: hace mal a los animales; arruina los lugares para jugar; la Tierra es más linda sin basura. Once you agree on a sentence ending, write it on the poster yourself or have children help you (you may want to use pencil first). Use the same procedure to complete the poster.

Science Standard

Weather PatternsWriting Standard

Persuasive Letter

Activity-Page SkillCritical Thinking

Science Standard

Life CyclesSocial Studies Standard

Civic Ideals & Practices

Let’s Find Out STaff: Editor: Amanda Miller; art Director: Joan Michael; Production Editor: William McDonald; Copy Editors: Veronica Majerol, Ingrid Accardi; Photo Editor: Lois Safrani; Contributing Writer: Pamela Chanko; Spanish Edition Translator: Graciela Vidal; Spanish Edition Editor: Isabel Santos; MaGaZINE GROUP, President, Scholastic Classroom & Library Publishing: Greg Worrell; Senior VP/Publisher: Patrick Daley; VP, Editor in Chief: Rebecca Bondor; Design Director: Judith Christ-Lafond, Executive Production Director: Barbara Schwartz; Executive Editorial Director, Copy Desk: Craig Moskowitz; Publishing Systems Director: David Hendrickson; Manager, Digital Imaging Group: Marc Stern; Executive Director of Photography: Steven Diamond; Senior Librarian: Karen Van Rossem. CIRCULaTION aND MaRkETING: VP, Marketing: Jocelyn Forman; Marketing & Promotion Manager: Leslie Tevlin. MaNUfaCTURING & DISTRIbUTION: Director, Manufacturing & Distribution: Mimi Esguerra; Manufacturing Coordinator: Amber Knowles. CORPORaTE: President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the board of Scholastic Inc.: Richard Robinson. POSTaL INfORMaTION: SCHOLASTIC, LET’S FIND OUT Volume 44 (USPS 483-620/ISSN 0024-1261; in Canada, 2-c no. 56049) is published monthly, Sept., Oct., Jan., Feb., March, April, and bimonthly Nov./Dec., and May/June (8 issues) by Scholastic Inc., 2931 East McCarty Street, P.O. Box 3710, Jefferson City, MO 65102-3710. Periodical postage paid at Jefferson City, MO 65102 and additional offices. POSTMASTER: Send notice of address changes to Office of Publication, SCHOLASTIC, LET’S FIND OUT, 2931 East McCarty Street, P.O. Box 3710, Jefferson City, MO 65102-3710. © 2010 Scholastic Inc. SCHOLASTIC, LET’S FIND OUT, and associated designs are trademarks/registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. All Rights Reserved. Materials in this issue may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form or format without special permission from the publisher. Printed in the USA.

Before Reading: Activate Prior KnowledgeAsk, ¿Qué alimentos con semillas comen ustedes? ¿Han plantado

alguna vez una semilla? ¿Qué necesitó para crecer? Tell children they will learn about an interesting way that seeds can get planted!

Set a Purpose for Reading: Read to learn how birds help spread seeds for plants to grow.

During Reading: PredictBefore reading the issue, cover the last panel with your hand or a sticky note. After reading the third section, ask: ¿Qué creen que sucederá? ¿Qué podría suceder cuando una semilla cae al suelo? Encourage children to make predictions. Then read the fourth section to reveal the answer!

After Reading: Draw ConclusionsNow that children know how birds help spread seeds, help them figure out other ways seeds can travel. Ask what other animals might drop seeds and nuts (murciélagos, ardillas). Then ask what happens to a seed when the wind blows (viaja por el aire y cae en otro lugar). Seeds can also float on the water, or even take a ride on an animal’s back!

Science: Planting & RecyclingGrow a garden and recycle a news-paper at the same time! Gather seeds such as alfalfa seeds, lima

beans, and grass seeds. You can create separate “jardines” to compare how the seeds sprout. Simply fold a sheet of newspaper, place it in a bowl, and pour in water to wet the paper. Then put the seeds on top and place the bowl in a sunny spot. Add water to keep the paper wet for a few days. Soon, children will see the seeds sprout. They’ve recycled the newspaper into a garden!

LEARNING

CENTERLEARNIN

G

CENTER

LEARNING

CENTER

CIRCLETIME

LEARNING

CENTERLEARNIN

G

CENTER

LEARNING

CENTER

CIRCLETIME

Before Reading: Activate Prior KnowledgeShow children the cover and ask what they know about frogs. You

can encourage discussion with questions such as: ¿Dónde viven las ranas? ¿Cómo van de un lugar a otro? ¿Qué sonidos hacen?

Set a Purpose for Reading: Read to learn the stages in a frog’s life cycle.

During Reading: InferAfter reading about camouflage, ask chil-dren why they think it might be good for a frog to blend in with the things around it. Lead children to see that camouflage helps keep animals safe from enemies. If other ani-mals can’t see it, the animal won’t get eaten!

After Reading: DramatizeInvite children to act out the stages of a frog’s life cycle. They can begin by curling up on the floor as an egg. For the tadpole, they can “nadar” on the floor by lying on their tummies and shimmying forward with their arms at their sides. To become frog-lets, they can make swimming motions with their arms and legs. Finally, they can be frogs by jumping and saying ¡croac!

Physical Development: Large Motor SkillsHave a frog jump relay! Divide the class into two teams. Mark

a starting line. Have the first child on each team get into “la posición de la rana” (squatting with hands on the floor). The first child jumps forward and stays in place, until the next child takes that place in the same spot. Then that child jumps forward, and so on, until each child has taken a jump. See which team of frogs jumped the farthest total distance!

LEARNING

CENTERLEARNIN

G

CENTER

LEARNING

CENTER

CIRCLETIME

LEARNING

CENTERLEARNIN

G

CENTER

LEARNING

CENTER

CIRCLETIME

Before Reading: Introduce a CharacterRead the word botabasura out loud. Ask children what two

smaller words they hear in the big word. (bota, basura) Explain that botabasura is not a real word, it is the name of the little monsters they will see in the magazine. Why are they called like that? (botan la basura en el suelo)

Set a Purpose for Reading: Read to learn ways to keep the environment clean.

During Reading: Fluency/PunctuationPoint out the Read-Along sentence and ask children to name the punctuation mark. (punto de exclamación) Explain that an exclamation point tells readers to say a sentence in an excited way. Practice reading the sentence chorally with expression. Then read the issue, having children call out the phrase like a cheer each time!

After Reading: Apply KnowledgeAfter discussing the sidebar on page 3, extend the activity with additional ques-tions. For example: ¿Qué harían si un compañero o una compañera botara una envoltura al suelo? Y si vieran en el patio de recreo a un niño o una niña que no conocen botar basura al suelo, ¿dirían algo?

Social Studies/Music: Sing a SongCelebrate Earth Day by teaching children this song to the tune of “El patio de mi casa:”

El patio de mi escuelaes particularmientras juego, lo cuido para ayudar!

LEARNING

CENTERLEARNIN

G

CENTER

LEARNING

CENTER

CIRCLETIME

LEARNING

CENTERLEARNIN

G

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LEARNING

CENTER

CIRCLETIME

Before Reading: Vocabulary/Pre-Teach Concepts Say the word repiquetea and ask children what it means. (imita

el sonido de la lluvia.) Together, create a list of more words representing sounds in natue, such as zumbar (fly), and quiquiriquí (rooster), chapotear (puddles), susurro (wind), oink (pig), and so on. Set a Purpose for Reading: Read to see what gets wet when it rains.

During Reading: Fluency/RhythmRead the book aloud once through to let children hear the language. Point out that patterned sentences can sound even better when you read them in rhythm, like a chant. Chant the first couple of pages to let chil-dren hear the beat. Then chant the whole book, inviting children to clap along and chime in on parts they know.

After Reading: ExtendCreate additional verses for the reader. You can do this orally or have children create new pages with text and pictures. Children can name virtually any item and plug it into the sentence pattern, for instance: Llovió encima de la pizza ¡y la pizza se mojó! Repiquetea. Repiquetea.

Science: Make Rainy-Day Self-PortraitsHave children make self-portraits showing what they wear for rainy

weather. Encourage them to choose crayons that show the real colors of their rain gear. When the children are finished, help them label their pictures with colors and names of the items. For example, paraguas rojo, botas verdes, and so on.

LEARNING

CENTERLEARNIN

G

CENTER

LEARNING

CENTER

CIRCLETIME

LEARNING

CENTERLEARNIN

G

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LEARNING

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CIRCLETIME

Use this interactive poster for a shared writing activity.

Science Standard

Coming in May/June• Sea Otters

• Butterfly in the Garden• Summer Night Bugs

• Summer Safety

• Hang the poster at children’s eye level and read the title and directions. Then point to the first baby bird and ask: Este polluelo, ¿se parece más al tucán o al búho? (al búho) Ask children to back up their answers by pointing out similarities and dif-ferences. For example, the baby bird and the owl have small beaks, while the toucan has a large beak.

• Follow the procedure above for the remaining birds. If you like, you can have volunteers circle the correct picture for each bird.

Match baby birds with their parents!

Characteristics of Organisms

Teacher: ScholaSTic inc. granTS you permiSSion To reproduce ThiS page. © 2010 by ScholaSTic inc. SupplemenT To Let’s Find Out. all righTS reServed.

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