Authored by:
TeacherVision Staff
Last edited: January 21, 2023
Use a School Readiness Activity to provide early language thinking experiences for preschool children that will prepare them to do well in the early grades.
Grades:
Subjects:
Asking Good Questions
Purpose/Skills- To use language expressively
- To practice asking questions
- To build vocabulary
Materials
Fire fighter's hat or other fire fighter props
question
describe
Literature Suggestion
Read A Trip to the Firehouse by Wendy Cheyette Lewison, or any nonfiction book about fire fighters.
- Read the book you have chosen.
- Invite children to talk about this real firehouse.
- Help them notice that the pictures in the book are photographs of real people.
Procedure
- Put on a fire fighter's hat and any other fire fighter props you have.
- Explain that you are pretending to be a fire fighter.
- Invite children to ask you questions about what it is like to be a fire fighter.
- Model questions such as: Fire fighter, why do you go down the pole to get to the fire truck? or Why do you use a ladder? To prompt questions, show children the book illustrations again and mention fire fighters' gear, trucks, or life at the firehouse.
- If children ask questions you cannot answer, tell them you don't know the answers and have the children make guesses. (You may also want to write to a fire company to pose the questions. If so, read your letter aloud to the children before sending it. If you can visit a local firehouse, the children can ask the questions themselves.)
Enrichment
Invite the children to pretend to be fire fighters and work together in small groups to put out a fire. Take this opportunity to talk about the difference between real facts and make-believe.
Observation Assessment
- Proficient - Child asks appropriate questions about fire fighters and firehouses.
- In Process - Child has difficulty thinking of appropriate questions and asking them in a way that can be understood easily.
- Not Yet Ready - Child listens to the book, but does not yet participate in a discussion, does not yet attempt to ask a question, or speaks inaudibly.
