About the Book

Text Type: Fiction/Realistic
Page Count: 10
Word Count: 45

Book Summary
The children in this book enjoy all kinds of familiar activities, from sports to dress-up to video games. The end of the book provides an important safety lesson. Fun illustrations accompany patterned text and changing vocabulary.

About the Lesson

Targeted Reading Strategy

• Connect to prior knowledge

Objectives

• Use the strategy of connecting to prior knowledge
• Compare and contrast information
• Discriminate the initial sound /w/
• Associate the letter Ww with the sound /w/
• Recognize pronouns
• Categorize words associated with games

Materials

• Book -- Games We Play (copy for each student)
• Chalkboard or dry erase board
• Compare and contrast, initial consonant Ww, pronouns worksheets
• Word journal (optional)

Indicates an an opportunity for student to mark in the book. (All activities may be completed with paper and pencil if books are reusable.)

Vocabulary

• High-frequency words: we, like, to, not, do, with, and, but
• Content words: play, tag, baseball, soccer, dress-up, house, hide-and-seek, video games, fire

Before Reading

Build Background

• Discuss types of games. Ask students to tell about the different kinds of games they like to play, rules for playing the games, and whether or not all games have winners and losers.
• Discuss things are not to be played with (fire, medicine, guns). Discuss the consequences of playing with these types of objects.

Book Walk

Introduce the Book

• Show students the front and back covers of the book and read the title with them. Ask what they might read about in a book called Games We Play. (Accept any answers students can justify). Ask students what the children are doing. Ask them if they have played soccer or watched a soccer game. Invite volunteers to share their experiences.
• Show students the title page. Discuss the information on the page (title of book, author's name, illustrator's name). Ask what game the children are playing.

Introduce the Reading Strategy: Connect to prior knowledge

• Explain that good readers make connections between what they already know and new information they read. Remind students that thinking about what they already know about the topic of the book will help them understand what they read.
• Model making connections to prior knowledge.
• Think-aloud: When I look at the back cover of the book, I see different objects. I have seen some of these objects before. The ball is used in soccer. The glove and bat are used in baseball. I've used some of these objects in games I've played. I expect that some of the games in this book will be ones that I have played before. I will remember what I know about these games and use that information to help me read the book.
• Have students preview the covers and title page of the book. Invite them to share how they connected to something they know about.
• As students read, encourage them to use other reading strategies in addition to the targeted strategy presented in this section. For tips on additional reading strategies, click here.

Introduce the Vocabulary

• Introduce unfamiliar vocabulary to students and model the language pattern. For example, on page 3 ask: What are the children playing here? Yes, they are playing tag. What do you think the children might be saying?
• As vocabulary words are identified, have students point to the corresponding word on the page to help them make the picture/word connection. For example, ask: Which word on this page do you think says tag? How do you know it says tag?
• Model for students how recognizing the game can help them read the new word on the page.
• Think-aloud: I know the children are playing baseball. I recognize the game because I am a big baseball fan. I know baseball starts with /b/, so this helps me read the word.
• Encourage students to add new vocabulary words to their word journals.
• For additional tips on teaching high-frequency words or word-attack strategies, click here.

Set the Purpose

• Have students look at the pictures as they read the words. Tell them to think about how the games in the book are like games they have played, and use this information to help them read the book.

During Reading

Student Reading

• Guide the reading: Give students their copy of the book. Have a volunteer point to the first word on page 3. Read the word together (We). Point to where to begin reading on each page. Remind students to read words from left to right. Point to each word as you read it aloud while students follow along in their own book.
• Ask students to place a finger on the page number in the bottom corner of the page. Have them read to the end of page 5, using their finger to point to each word as they read. Encourage students who finish before others to reread the text.
• Ask students what games they know about and how this helped them read the words.
• Model connecting to prior knowledge.
• Think-aloud: When I read page 3, I looked at the picture and saw children that appeared to be running and chasing each other. I thought about games I know about that involve chasing other children. This reminded me of the game called tag.
• Have students read the remainder of the story. Remind them to think about what they already know about games as they read.

Have students make a small question mark in their book beside any word or words they do not understand or cannot pronounce. These can be addressed in the discussion that follows.

After Reading

Reflect on the Reading Strategy

• Ask students what words, if any, they marked in their book. Use this opportunity to model how to read these words using decoding strategies and context clues.
• Reinforce how using what they already knew about the games they like to play helped them understand what they read.
• Think-aloud: When I looked at the picture on page 9, my first thought was that they were watching TV. But then I looked again, and I could see they had controls in their hands. I know that when you play video games, you use controls like these. This helped me read the words video games on the page.
• Discuss additional strategies students used to gain meaning from the book.

Teach the Comprehension Skill: Compare and contrast

• Discussion: Review the games in the book with students. Discuss how the games they play are similar and different from these activities. Encourage students to think about where and when they play, how many people play, what they wear, how teams are chosen, and what equipment they use.
• Introduce and model the skill: Tell students that one way to understand the information in the book is to think about how the games are alike and different. Make a large Venn diagram on the board. Write Tag on one side, Hide-and-Seek on the other, and Both where the circles overlap. Model making comparisons while you write the information in the appropriate circle.
• Think-aloud: I know that we usually play tag outside, and we often play hide-and-seek outside, too. I will write play outside in the overlapping circle. But I have played hide-and-seek inside sometimes, too, so I will write sometimes played inside in the hide-and-seek circle. Both games need several children for it to be fun. I will write this information in the overlapping circle. In tag, people make a lot of noise when they are chasing each other. I'll put that in the Tag circle. In hide-and-seek, you need to be quiet so you are not found. I will put that in the Hide-and-Seek circle. This is one way the games are different.
• Continue writing similarities and differences in the circles. When you are finished, review the similarities and differences with students.
• Check for understanding: Ask students to identify one similarity and one difference between two familiar games.
• Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the compare and contrast worksheet. Have them choose two games to compare that were not used in the discussion. Discuss their work when they have finished.

Extend the discussion: Instruct students to go through the book and color the pages that have games that are like the games they play.

Build Skills

Phonological Awareness: Discriminate initial sound /w/

• Say the /w/ sound and the word we. Ask students to repeat. Ask what sound they hear at the beginning of the word.
• Tell students to listen for the /w/ sound as you say the following alliterative sentences one at a time. Have them clap each time they hear the /w/ sound:

Wade wore a wig. (3)
Will won a wooden wagon. (4)
Walt woke a wild wasp. (4)
Wendy waved a weird wand. (4)

Phonics: Initial consonant Ww

• Write the letter Ww on the board, and ask students to name the letter. Tell them that this letter stands for the sound they can hear at the beginning of the words wig, wagon, and wasp.
• Write the word we on the board, and read it with students. Ask what sound they hear at the beginning. Ask a volunteer to come up and circle the letter that stands for the /w/ sound.
• Tell students they are going to read some words that start with the /w/ sound. Write the words wig, won, and wet on the board. Run your finger under each letter as you model sounding out the words. Repeat, and have students sound the word out with you. Then have a volunteer circle the letter that stands for the /w/ sound in the word.
• Repeat the steps with the words won and wet.
• Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the initial consonant Ww worksheet. If time allows, discuss their answers.

Grammar and Mechanics: Pronouns

• Tell students to look at page 3 of the book. Read the sentence. Ask students to tell whom the word we is referring to (the kids). Ask three students to come to the front of the room. Using their names, say: (Name), (name), and (name) like to play tag. Direct the three students to choral read the sentence from the book. Explain that the word we stands for all three students. Ask one student to sit down. Have the remaining two students choral read the sentence.
• Ask one of the two students to sit down. Ask the group how the sentence should be read if there is only one student left. Have the student who is standing repeat: I like to play tag.
• Ask another student to come up and join the student already standing. Ask the rest of the group how they might tell someone about what the two students like to play. Model the sentence: They like to play tag. Tell students that the word they stands for both students.
• Have one of the students sit down, and repeat with the pronoun he or she.

Instruct students to underline the word on each page of their book that stands for more than one person.

• Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the pronouns worksheet. If time allows, discuss their answers.

Word Work: Categorize words

• Ask students what the book was about (games). Review the names of the games: tag, baseball, soccer, dress-up, house, hide-and-seek, video games. Ask students what these words have in common (They can be put into a group called "games").
• Have students brainstorm other words that can go in the group called "games." Have students group the games into other groups, such as games played inside/outside, games with/without equipment, games for teams/individuals, and so on.

Build Fluency

Independent Reading

• Allow students to read their book independently or with a partner. Additionally, partners can take turns reading parts of the book.

Home Connection

• Give students their book to take home to read with parents, caregivers, siblings, or friends.

Extend the Reading

Writing Connection
Provide the sentence I like to play___. Help students with spellings of words. Ask them to illustrate their sentences. Combine into a class book, place at a center, and encourage students to read the book.

Math Connection
Make a bar graph of students' favorite games. Title the graph "Games We Like to Play." Label the y-axis with numbers. Label the x-axis with the names of the games (draw icons if desired). Give each student a small sticky note on which to write his or her name. Ask students to come to the graph and post their name on the bar that shows their favorite game. Tally the numbers.

Assessment

Monitor students to determine if they can:

• talk about what they know about games and how this helps them read unfamiliar words
• select appropriate features of two different games to compare and contrast using a Venn diagram
• accurately discriminate words with the initial sound /w/ during discussion
• associate the letter Ww with the sound /w/ during discussion and on a worksheet
• recognize and use pronouns during discussion and on a worksheet
• logically categorize words associated with games

Comprehension Check

• Retelling Rubric