Objectives  Identify signs and symbols in immediate surroundings, make predictions

Teaching Guide
Materials  colored pins, index cards, tape, map of the world Who Crosses Here?

30 minutes, Days 1–3

Build Background
Activate Prior Knowledge  Tell children: Today, we will read about signs. Signs
are very important because they give us information. We see many signs every day on the street, at
school, and in our neighborhoods. You may want to show some easily recognizable signs
to the class, such as: STOP, EXIT, PUSH, PULL, etc. Ask children: Where have you
seen these signs? (at a street corner, above the door)

Introduce the Focus Skill: Verbs  Explain to the class that verbs are
action words. They describe what someone is doing. Give children the following
example: I talk to the class. The class listens to me. Then pantomime for the class.
Sit down in your chair and ask children: What am I doing? (Sitting) Then stand up.
What am I doing now? (Standing) Ask children to pantomime with other verbs, such
as write, read, walk, etc.

Acquire New Vocabulary  Tell children that the following verbs appear in the book: climb, hunt, rests, graze, neigh,
sprints, trumpets, hops, relaxes, sniff. Write these words on the board. Read each word aloud and use it in a sentence: I like to
climb trees. Dogs like to sniff things. Ask children to write all of the animals they can think of that perform the verbs on separate index
cards. For instance, hunt: tigers, lions, bears, etc. Then have each child come up to the board and tape the index cards with the animal
names under the corresponding verb. Some animals may fall under more than one verb (for instance, bunnies: hop and sniff, horses:
neigh and sprint). Discuss any verb-animal combinations that children might have missed as a class.

Read and Respond  Display the book. Read the title and author name aloud as you track the print. Tell the class that they are
going to play a guessing game as you read. Point to one of the signs and ask children what animal they think it represents. For example,
after reading p. 10, point to the sign. Ask: What animal do you think this is? (a deer) As you do a picture walk of the book, point to the
signs and ask children to guess what animal is shown on each one. Have children list their guesses. When they are done, have children
vote on the answer for each page. The majority votes will decide the answer. Check answers at the back of the book when reading is
complete. Discuss incorrect answers as a class. Review the verb on each page. For example, return to page 10 and point to the verb
sprints. Ask: What do you think sprint means? (run really fast) What animal is this? (a deer) So what do deer do? (They sprint.)

60 minutes, Days 4–5

˛ Curricular Enrichment: Social Studies (Geography)  Explain to children that the animals shown in this
book live in different countries and continents. Tell children: We may see some of the animals where we live, but other animals live far
SOCIAL
STUDIES
away. Have any of you seen cows, horses, or frogs? Have you seen panthers, llamas, or koalas? Where do you think these animals live? Use a map
to familiarize children with countries and continents where some animals live. For example: Penguins live in Antarctica. (Point to
Antarctica on the map.) Antarctica is a continent. Koalas live in Australia. (Point to Australia on the map.) Australia is a continent and a
country. You may want to provide access to a computer for children to conduct additional research on countries and continents.
Then designate a sign from the book to each child. If there are not enough signs to go around, have classmates work in
pairs. Tell them to find out where the animal comes from. If children are having difficulty, give them a list of countries or
continents. Then have children place a colored pin on the map where the animal is found. Discuss animals and where they
live as a class.

Home Connection  (Teacher, you may want to photocopy NATIONAL STANDARDS

this activity for children to complete with a family member.)
Talk with your child about signs in your neighborhood.
Encourage him or her to explain what action each sign tells
them to do. For example: SLOW means go slow. YIELD means let
the other person go before you do. Make sure your child understands
Language Arts: K-12.1, K-12.3, K-12.4, K-12.5, K-12.6, K-12.7, K-12.8, K-12.11, K-12.12
Mathematics: Numbers PK-2.1, PK-2.2; Algebra PK-2.1, PK-2.4; Geometry PK-2.1—PK-2.4;
Measurement PK-2.1; Data & Analysis PK-2.1, PK-2.2; Connections PK-12.3
Science: K-4.1, K-4.2, K-4.3, K-4.4, K-4.5, K-4.6
Social Studies/Geography: K-12.1—K-12.6
Technology: K-12.1, K-12.3, K-12.4, K-12.5

the relationship between verbs and signs.

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