Billy & Milly, Short & Silly by Eve Feldman. 2009

Playing with Words I

Billy & Milly, short & silly by Feldman, Eve - G.P. Putnam's Sons, p2009, c2009--E--Int Lvl: K-3. Contains thirteen very short, silly stories that follow the adventures of Billy and Milly.

Rationale: When the kindergarten, first and second grade teachers are working with rhyming words and word families, offer to supplement their classroom lessons with a complimentary supportive lesson(s) in the library and computer lab. When those teachers are working on story concepts of beginning, middle, and end, offer again to support their work with a library lesson. Many teachers divide their students into groups, offer to have one of those groups come to the library and/or lab for a supportive lesson. It takes a little coordination, requires some flexibility on the classroom teacher’s part and your part and maybe some other teachers to make accommodations. Also, provides a reason for a flexible schedule or at least a modified flexible schedule.

There are two lessons here, one featuring the concepts of beginning middle and end the other rhyming words. Note I’ve said “lessons” not story hours. They are meant to be used with small groups as described above. They could be part of a larger story hour featuring the theme of one of the books, but not as a stand alone half hour group story hour.

Grades K-2--Beginning, Middle, and End

Background: All of the books in the bibliography below are stories in rhyme about friendship. Billy & Milly are friends and the stories rhyme, but the emphasis in this part of the Books Alive entry is on the story concepts of beginning, middle, and end while rhyming and friendship are merely a vehicle.

Preparation:

Prepare a 3 x 5 card for each student with one of the words: beginning, middle, or end.

Access to computer lab for the class. Drawing program such as KidPix, Paint, Pixie, or TuxPaint.

Select several stories from You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You. Arrange with an older student, a parapro, or a teacher to be your reading partner.

Chart paper or whiteboard and appropriate markers.

Select stories you would like to read from Billy & Milly, Short & Silly.

Introduction: Could you write a story with just three or four words? Would your story have a beginning, middle, and end? The Inspiration Book has many stories with just a couple of words. I’m going to read a few. Be sure to study the pictures carefully.

Read aloud selected stories from:

Billy & Milly, short & silly by Feldman, Eve - G.P. Putnam's Sons, p2009, c2009--E--Int Lvl: K-3

Contains thirteen very short, silly stories that follow the adventures of Billy and Milly.

(After each story ask:) What happened at the beginning of the story?, What happened at the end? What happened in the middle?

We learned a lot about the story by looking at the pictures because there were just a few words, and we could describe what happened at the beginning, middle or end. My helper and I are going to read slightly longer stories with no pictures. Do you think you can tell about the beginning, middle, and ending with no pictures? Let’s try.

Read aloud the selections you’ve chosen from

You read to me, I'll read to you : very short stories to read together by Hoberman, Mary Ann - Little, Brown, p2005, c2001--811--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 1.3 A book of children's poetry which encourages young children to read with an adult.

(After each story ask:) What happened at the beginning of the story?, What happened at the end? What happened in the middle?

Now could you draw a picture for the beginning, middle or end of one of the stories we just read? I’m going to give each of you a card with the word beginning, middle or end on the card. We’ll go to the computer lab, and it will be your job to draw a picture from one of the stories that shows us the beginning, middle or end. When you have finished your work, we’ll talk about the pictures that go with each story and whether you drew the beginning, middle or end. If you’d like, make a beginning, middle and end display of the artwork.

Variation: Also, have the title of the story printed on each card before you give the card to the students. Then, the child needs to be more specific, the original version allows the child to choose the story.

Teacher Resources:

Interactive Story Mapping http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/storymap/

Grades 1 & 2--Rhyme Time

Preparation:

Review computer game Construct-A- Word at http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/construct/

Arrange to have computers logged into the game to save time.

Write one of the following rhyming families on a 3 x 5 card. Be sure you have enough for each student to have one card. ook, ive, ug, at, eg, ire, ain, oo, ap, ale, ox, oo, it, ow, op, unk, oom, ame, ee, ack, eam, ike, ape, ock, oops

Several of these have rhymes with variant spellings--give those cards to students who find rhyming an easy activity.

Write the following words on sentence strips and 3 x 5 cards. These are the words from Billy & Milly

Stoops, hoops, scoops, oops

Dock, rock, shock,croc

Ape, cape, escape,

Bike, spike hike

gnat, hat, splat, flat

Dream, beam, scream

Pack, whack, crack, snack

Tee, tree, bee, flee

Flame, blame, shame, tame

Room, broom,zoom, boom

Bunk, trunk, skunk, clunk

Cow, now, wow, bow

Shop, drop, mop, flop

Access to computer lab with Internet access for the class. Draw software.

Introduction: In class you have been working with rhyming words and word families. Today we’re going to do the same in the library. I’ve written a word family on twelve cards. Your first job is to make as many rhyming words as possible before I clap my hands.(Distribute cards and pencils.) Ready, go to work.

Who has (name a word family)? What rhyming words did you write for that family? Did any of you have a rhyme family that could be spelled several ways? Some of you have rhyming families from our Inspiration Book. If you hear your rhyming family, raise your hand.

Read aloud:

Billy & Milly, short & silly by Feldman, Eve - G.P. Putnam's Sons, p2009, c2009--E--Int Lvl: K-3

Contains thirteen very short, silly stories that follow the adventures of Billy and Milly.

Did you write other words on your card than the ones in the book? What were they?

I like to play with rhyming words, and there is a computer game that lets us do just that. It’s called Construct a Word.. Let’s go to the lab. I’ll introduce the game, then let’s see how many rhyming words you can make. (Go to lab. Introduce the game. Allow time to play.)

Teacher Resources for another library lesson or classroom extension:

Enchanted Learning Rhyming Word Activities http://www.enchantedlearning.com/rhymes/matching/

Construct a Word Interactive http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/construct/

Generating Rhymes: Developing Phonemic Awareness K - 2 | Lesson Traditional chants and songs are adapted to help young students recognize and generate rhymes. The word and letter patterns involved in rhymes provide a... URL http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/generating-rhymes-developing-phonemic-121.html

	A-Hunting We Will Go: Teaching Rhyming Through Musical Verse K - 2 | Lesson Adapting the song "A-Hunting We Will Go," students put a whale in a pail and even "take a little bear and hug it if... URL: http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/hunting-will-teaching-rhyming-264.html

Additional titles for Substitution, Display, and/or Check-out:

Smick! by Cronin, Doreen — Viking, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), 2015 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3. Meet Smick. And Chick. And . . . stick! But what happens when they meet each other? Filled with action, rhymes, and wordplay, Smick!is nothing less than terrific

Say hello by Foreman, Jack, 1986- - Candlewick Press, p2008, c2008--E--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 0.6 Written when the author was ten years old, tells of a dog and a boy who are both lonely until they are included by others.

Bigger than you by Kyung, Hyewon — Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2018. -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 0.9. A group of young dinosaurs builds a seesaw and takes turns playing on it until the bossy, big, and TERRIBLE Tyrannosaurus interrupts their game in a fit of temper. All ends well, though, when Mom steps in and encourages a peaceful and a productive end to the conflict.

Peep and Ducky (Peep And Ducky-PK) by Martin, David — Candlewick Press, 2013. -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.2. Illustrations and rhyming text follow two animal friends as they play pretend games, fly down a slide, flop in a puddle, and run around a tree.

Stick and Stone by Ferry, Beth  — Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015. -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.2. Stick and Stone are both lonely until Pinecone's teasing causes one to stick up for the other, and a solid friendship is formed.

You read to me, I'll read to you : very short stories to read together by Hoberman, Mary Ann - Little, Brown, p2005, c2001--811--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 1.3 A book of children's poetry which encourages young children to read with an adult.

Mac and Cheese by Weeks, Sarah - Laura Geringer Books, p2010, c2010--E--Int Lvl: K-3--Rd Lvl: 1.5 Two cats that are as different as night and day are nevertheless best friends.

My pet book by Staake, Bob — Random House, 2014 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 1.8 A boy's search for the perfect pet leads him to the bookstore, where he finds a bright red book that becomes his best friend. FREE Teaching Resources available for download from Follett.

When no one is watching by Spinelli, Eileen  — Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2013 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.2 When alone, a young girl enjoys dancing, singing, growling, and cheering but when anyone other than her best friend is watching, she is quiet and shy.

Best friend on wheels by Shirley, Debra r — Albert Whitman, 2008--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.8 A young girl tells all the ways she and her best friend Sarah are alike, in spite of the fact that Sarah uses a wheelchair.

Just like brothers by Baguley, Elizabeth — Barefoot Books, 2018 : -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.9. After listening to their respective mothers tell them separately about the dangers lurking in the woods, a little boy and a wolf cub get lost in the forest, where they meet, become friends, and play together until they are found by their worried mothers.

The Bippolo Seed and other lost stories by Seuss — Random House, 2011--E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.1 The Bippolo Seed -- The rabbit, the bear, and the Zinniga-Zanniga -- Gustav the Goldfish -- Tadd and Todd -- Steak for supper -- The strange shirt spot -- The great Henry McBride. Contains seven rare stories by Dr. Seuss which were first published in magazines between 1948 and 1959, featuring "The Bear, the Rabbit, and the Zinnigo- Zanniga," "Gustav the Goldfish," "Todd and Todd," "Steak for Supper," "The BippoloSeed," "The Strange Shirt Spot," and others, and including an introduction and commentary on each story.

The lion inside by Bright, Rachel — Scholastic Press, 2016 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.1. A little mouse decides to seek lessons in roaring from the mighty lion--who happens to be afraid of mice--and the two become good friends.

The very cranky bear by Bland, Nick — Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., 2014. -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.2.  On a cold, rainy day in the jungle, four animal friends hide in a cave to play, but unexpectedly meet a very cranky bear trying to nap.