Enhance reading abilities with an activity that enriches and expands children's language and emergent literacy skills.
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Construction Trucks by Jennifer Dussling
Summary of the Story
This book describes the kinds of trucks that are used to build a house, move a big tree, build a road, tear down a building in a city, and build a skyscraper.
Introducing the Story- Read the title of the book from the cover, pointing to each word as you say it. Have children repeat the title as you point to
each word. Explain that construction means "building." - Point to the trucks on the cover. Ask: Have you ever seen any trucks like this? Where? What kind of work were the trucks doing? (Accept all responses.)
Reading the Story for the First Time
- Read the story, moving your finger under the words as you read.
- After reading, ask: What do you think it would be like to drive one of these trucks?
Recalling the Story
- After you have finished reading, ask the children the recall questions below. Continue to ask these questions when you reread the book, until he or she knows the answers.
Reading the Story Again and Again
- Give open-ended prompts on each page. For example, ask: What do you see in this picture? Do less reading of the words to the story each time you read, leaving more and more of the "reading" or retelling to children.
- Give prompts about objects or activities in the pictures. For example, ask: What is the woman reading? (She's reading the plans for a new house.) Use your finger to point to what you are asking about. Evaluate the children's response. Expand it by giving more information. Ask the child to repeat the answer. If he or she needs help in answering a question, ask that question again the next time you read the book.
- You may wish to discuss the prompts shown below.
Extra Activities
- Children can draw pictures of one or more of the construction sites in the book. They can draw one or more of the trucks involved in the construction. Help children write labels for their drawings, using some of the words in the book.
Recall Questions
Ask the following questions to check children's understanding of the story.
- What is the name of this book? (The name of the book is Construction Trucks.)
- What are people building in the first part of the book? (They are building a house.)
- What is the first thing people use trucks for when they are building a house? (Trucks clear the land of rocks and trees.)
- What happens to the dirt and rocks that are dug out of the hole? (Dump trucks carry it away.)
- What is used to make the basement walls and floor of a house? (A concrete mixer makes concrete which is then poured into the hole.)
- How do trucks help people build a road? (Trucks clear away rocks and make the ground smooth. Then trucks put down asphalt and make it smooth.)
- Why did the workers tear down the garage in the book? (They wanted to build a skyscraper in its place.)
- How do trucks help people build a skyscraper? (Trucks dig a new foundation. They drive posts into the ground to hold up the sides of the building. They lift materials workers need, including steel beams, wood, and concrete.)
