Highlights High Five™ June 2008 Parent/Teacher Guide
Crescent Moon (page 4)
- Before reading the poem, talk about the picture. Have children tell what they know about the moon. Discuss how the shape of the moon changes over time.
- After reading the poem, talk about how the shape of the moon probably sparked the poet's imagination. The crescent shape may have reminded the poet of a smile. And that made the poet imagine that the moon was listening to stories told by the stars—funny stories that made the moon laugh. The poet was imaging how the moon might behave if it were a person.
- Talk about where the people in this illustration might live. Explain that when people look up into the night sky, the moon is the same shape, no matter where they may be.
Some children think that all poems rhyme. But, of course, they don't. Although the poet's words don't rhyme, they are carefully chosen to help us think about the moon in a new way. After reading this poem, maybe you and your children will smile the next time you see a crescent moon!
Bees (pages 18 and 19)
- This poem plays with the sound bees make and the sound made by the letter B.
- Have fun reading and rereading the poem, encouraging children to chime in on the parts they remember.
- Hunt for the B's hidden in the illustration, and then look for both the uppercase and lowercase B's in the poem.
- Invite children to name the objects in the illustration that begin with the B sound. Make a list of those words and any others that children name. (We found bees, bubbles, bottle, book, berries, buttons, bib, boat, bird, bridge, boots, bathtub, bug.)
This activity can help children discover the difference between letters and words, and words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. (B, b, be, bee)
Salmon for Supper (pages 30 to 34
- Before you read this story, ask children to talk about the types of fish they like to eat. Explain that most people get fish to eat from the grocery store, but some live in places where they can go fishing and catch fish to eat.
- Here are some questions to use after reading the story. How did Alix help her family? Why do you think Alix and her father needed to get water from the river? What do the pictures tell you about the place where Alix lives?
This story is set in a remote Yup'ik Alaskan village, but its theme is universal. A child in a loving family does her part to help out. As the children enjoy this story, they will be learning a bit about how people live in a faraway place.