Modified/Extended Activities for Kit 1 - Book 04 Art in the Fort

As parents and educators, we are always searching for ways to differentiate instruction for our children.  I like to compare it to children learning to play a sport, like baseball.  The child begins by hitting the ball off of a tee, then progresses to coach pitch, and then to regular pitching.  The child builds on each skill.  Reading is the same.  We must always start with the foundations necessary to understand sounds and how words work.  If a child is struggling, often they may have missed an integral part of the steps of learning to read.  Our Ned & Patrick Series has books and activities that are prepared for a teacher or parent to use, but that doesn’t mean that everyone should do exactly the same thing with our Literacy Kits.  A child may not be ready to group words by syllables if they have not been taught what a syllable is.  In this blog, we give suggestions as to how to modify or scaffold the activities to meet your child wherever they are in this exciting journey of learning to read.  We must build their confidence as we go!

Note:  The activities in each book can be modified for a reader who may need extra support.  Below are ideas to use with the activity cards for readers who may not be ready to attack the word cards independently.  The activities will build skills necessary for successful reading.  The extension activities are for readers who may need supplemental work.  These consist of a list of words to enhance vocabulary.  The words can be discussed orally in kid-friendly language.  A child can use the words in spoken sentences or written sentences.  There is also a list of comprehension questions to encourage deeper thinking about the stories.  Again, these can be discussed to promote oral language or written responses can be created.

Modified Activity One: Phonemic Awareness-Child will gain an awareness of sounds through listening activities.

• Choose cards from the activity one set.
• Give the child the word by each sound. 
• Example:  For the word “firm,”  say to the    child “blend these sounds to make a word. /f/ /ir/ /m/
• Have the child finger spell or tap each sound then blend to say the word.

Note:  You could use the words on the back cover of the book for this activity as well.

Modified Activity Two: Rhyming-Children will practice the skill of recognizing rhyming words.   

• Give the child the following pairs of words and ask them to indicate if the words rhyme or not. Ask them for a signal.  For example a thumbs up for rhyming words and a thumbs down for words that do not rhyme.

stir/her

hard/card

hurt/farm

turn/burn

sport/shirt

porch/torch

dark/girl

fort/star

jar/fur

curb/bark

Extension Activity One: Words Worth Knowing

fort - a strong building used for protection

collapse - fall in

burst - to come or go suddenly

charming - pleasing

Extension Activity Two: Questions Worth Asking:

• Why did Patrick decide to do art projects?
• What were the first three things Patrick did to build his fort?
• Describe the character Patrick. What makes you think that about him?
• Do you think that the fort was the perfect place to do art? Why or why not?