Friends by Helme Heine - Teaching Ideas

The three friends out on an adventure.


by Helme Heine


These three friends love to be together. They spend the day doing what friends like to do, playing, pretending, and learning how to compromise. They first take off on their bike exploring the countryside. In their travels, they discover a pond where they play hide and seek, play pirates and go fishing. As the sun starts to set, they head home. Not wanting their fun to end, they decide to have a sleepover, but to their dismay, there is a problem at each of their houses. Do these three friends end up having a sleepover? Your students will be antsy with anticipation to find out.

The following is some information about the book that will help you plan your lesson.

Reading level: 3.5

Theme: Friendship, cooperation, teamwork

Genre: Adventure

Suggested Vocabulary: strutted, tiller, conquered, rumbled, pigsty, and perch.

Reading skills and strategies: sequence, visualize, story elements, cause and effect, asking questions, prediction, author’s point of view, connections, compare and contrast, and problem/solution.

Writing: letter writing, personal narrative using adjectives, journal entry and acrostic poem

Grammar: adjectives, time/sequencing words

Below is a free sequencing activity that I have created to go with this book. I have created a packet of the skills and strategies I mention above.

 
click above picture to get freebie!
A peak at all the goodies in the Friend Skills and Strategies Teaching packet.


http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/A-Skills-and-Strategies-Teaching-Packet-inspired-by-Friends-by-Helme-Heine

Do you have this book in your classroom library? Is this a book you use for lessons? What book about friendship do you like to read?
Let me know.  

Happy reading!

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Swimmy


By Leo Lionni
 
Swimmy is a happy little fish until one day a big tuna fish eats his brothers and sisters. Swimmy finds himself alone and afraid in the big ocean. As Swimmy swims along, he discovers a world of wonderful sea creatures. At last, he comes upon a school of fish that look just like his brothers and sisters. He is so excited about all the creatures that he has seen in the ocean he tells the little red fish to come with him. Unfortunately for Swimmy, the fish won't go because they are too afraid of the big fish. Swimmy comes up with a brilliant idea so the little fish don't have to be afraid. What do you think Swimmy's idea is? Will the other fish like his idea? Have fun reading Swimmy with your students and discovering if Swimmy really did have a brilliant idea.

Reading level: 3.5

Theme: Cooperation, teamwork, confronting fears, marine life, and creativity and imagination

Genre: Fable, folk tale

Vocabulary:  mussel shell, swift, darting, gulp, marvel, Medusa, swaying


Reading skills and strategies: sequence, visualize, story mapping, asking questions, predicting, making connections, drawing conclusions/inferencing, Bloom’s leveled questions, classify and categorize

Grammar: nouns, adjectives 

Writing: letter writing, personal narrative using adjectives, journal entry and cinquain poem

I have included a 3 page inferencing activity as well as a list of leveled questions that can be used with this book. If you like what you see, I have created a packet of activities specifically for this book using all of the strategies and skills listed above.




A peak at all the goodies in the Swimmy Skills and Strategies Teaching packet.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Skills-and-Strategies-Activity-Packet-inspired-by-Swimmy-by-Leo-Lionni


Isn't this just a great little story, don't you love Leo Lionni's illustrations? Is this a "go to" book for you, or one you don't think to grab? Which Leo Lionni book is your favorite?
Let me know :)

Happy reading!

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