Section 1 - Lessons 1 - 5: Get to Know The Book

The Grown-Up Scoop

Section1: Lessons 1 -5, below, are for the ADULT who will be reading the book.

We highly recommend adapting questions, readings, discussions, activities, and materials to the child’s needs, abilities, and environment. Extended resources are always included to save research time on behalf of the role model.

This purple symbol and word (*Reflection:) appears throughout the BA!FK® Lessons, offering professional, friendly tips and reminders for all educators, parents, and role models.

BEFORE YOU READ

• 1. The following is a brief storyline and fun facts to entertain YOU, as the adult reader, and to nurture YOUR motivation for the child to read independently.
  
  The Story:
  GIRAFFES CAN’T DANCE: Gerald, a giraffe in Africa, joins his friends at the annual Jungle Dance. All the other animals, however, begin to make fun of Gerald’s dance moves. Feeling left out and alone, Gerald searches for his own dance moves. Taking the advice of an encouraging cricket, he soon learns— “We all can dance, when we find music that we love!”

GETTING READY

• 2. Before EACH session, you can begin with an African A-GO and A-MAY exercise to bring the child(ren) to attention.

A-GO : Means “Are you ready to listen in SILENCE?”
(Explain the meaning and have students repeat the word.)

A-MAY : Means “Yes, I am ready to listen in SILENCE and you may begin.”
(Explain the meaning and have students repeat the word.)

EXAMINE THE BOOK

• 3. No Need to Judge a Book by Its Cover----JUST EMBRACE IT!!
  Sitting comfortably with the child, share the book cover and back only. Ask questions to stimulate the child’s thinking, encourage the child to read and create wonder.
  
  Here are some suggestions:
  ✓ Have you ever seen a real giraffe? Where?
  ✓ What time is it on the cover? How can you tell?
  ✓ Do you like to dance? What song /kind of music makes you want to dance?
  ✓ Can you name some different ways of dancing?
  ✓ How are the animals dancing on the back cover of the book?
  ✓ Show the location of Africa on the map or globe. Can you tell me something about Africa?
  ✓ Have you ever done something different and been called weird ?
  
  *Reflection: “When children are developing as readers, their listening comprehension is higher than their reading comprehension. Children need to hear text the way it is supposed to be read.”

The Next Step in your Lesson - OPEN that book, and Read TOGETHER!

• 4. READ the story with the child(ren) to amuse them, lengthen their attention span and expand their listening skills!
  
  AFTER YOU READ

• 5. Engage the child(ren) with the following questions:
  
  ❖ Who is the story about? How would you describe him?
  ❖ What did Gerald do well at the beginning of the story?
  ❖ Why did he have problems dancing?
  ❖ What dances did the animals do?
  ❖ What words did the animals use to describe Gerald?
  ❖ Is there an insect in the story? What did the cricket tell Gerald?
  ❖ Where does the story take place? How do you know?
  ❖ Can animals really dance? (discuss pretend and real)
  

  *Reflection: Varying your educational techniques will keep experiences fresh, lively, and fun. Here are some techniques you could try:
  ✓ Modeling (YOU demonstrate)
  ✓ Prompting (actually give gentle hand-over-hand physical assistance)
  ✓ Cueing (giving hints to appropriate answers by including size, shape, position, etc.)
  ✓ Positive Reinforcement (verbal and nonverbal)
  

Ready to Unpack the Vocabulary in Section 2? Click HERE