- hill
- obstacle
- ramp
- roll
MA Standards:
English Language Arts/Literature/RL.PK.MA.1: With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about a story or a poem read aloud.
English Language Arts/Literature/RL.PK.MA.4: With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unfamiliar words in a story or poem read aloud.
English Language Arts/Literature/RL.PK.MA.9: With prompting and support, make connections between a story or poem and one’s own experiences.
English Language Arts/Literature/RL.PK.MA.2: With prompting and support, retell a sequence of events from a story read aloud.
Head Start Outcomes:
Literacy Knowledge/Alphabet Knowledge: Recognizes that the letters of the alphabet are a special category of visual graphics that can be individually named.
Literacy Knowledge/Book Appreciation and Knowledge: Asks and answers questions and makes comments about print materials.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Reading and Literature 7: Develop familiarity with the forms of alphabet letters, awareness of print, and letter forms.
English Language Arts/Reading and Literature 6: Listen to a wide variety of age appropriate literature read aloud.
English Language Arts/Reading and Literature 10: Engage actively in read-aloud activities by asking questions, offering ideas, predicting or retelling important parts of a story or informational book.
Read Together: Samantha on a Roll #2
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
STEM Key Concepts: An object placed on an inclined plane will roll, slide, or stay put; The shape of an object affects whether it will roll, slide, or stay put
ELA Focus Skills: Speaking and Listening, Story Comprehension, Vocabulary
Before You Read
Show children the cover of the Samantha On a Roll by Linda Ashman. Ask children, What do you remember about what happens to Samantha in the story? Invite children to retell the story in their own words. Emphasize the main idea of the book with children.
Give children a listening focus by asking them to notice the different obstacles Samantha hits as she rolls down the hill and how each obstacle changes the way she goes down the hill.
As You Read
Read slowly and with expression so children can enjoy the rhythm of the words.
- Pause before Samantha hits an obstacle and have children predict what will happen next. (obstacles: Matt, bride and groom, ice cream stand, skateboard ramp)
- Pause on the page: “Can’t stop herself. Can’t turn around. . . .” and ask, Why did Samantha go off the ground and into the air after she hit the ramp? (the ramp incline was slanted up)
After You Read
Talk with children about the book. Encourage children to compare their experiences with obstacles to the experiences Samantha had in the book. Ask questions such as,
- How is Samantha’s ride down the hill similar to your marble’s ride down the ramp? (hit obstacles, went fast and slow, changed directions, etc.)
- Are there any new ideas you learned from the book that you would like to try with your trackways?
Adaptation: If younger children have trouble concentrating, read part of the book and return later to read more. Discuss what has happened thus far to refresh memories.
English Language Learners: Before reading, use facial expressions, movements, and gestures to demonstrate the meaning of words. Then have children act out the words when you arrive at them in your reading.