Maggie Investigates
fold on line Tuba Ant 3 4 Maggie Investigates Robert-Leslie Publishing The InvestiGator Club Prekindergarten Learning System Directions: Photocopy pages 1 2 onto one sheet of paper, front and back. Cut along the dotted lines and fold to make a book. Staple along the inside fold.
fold on line 5 Seashell Broccoli 2 Draw something to investigate. 1 Rose 6
Literacy: Read Maggie Investigates s Understand that illustrations carry meaning. Show interest in reading-related activities. Read the title together and discuss things children like to investigate. Page through the book. Point out Maggie s notebook and how she uses a computer and books to learn more about the things that make her curious. Then, read the book together, using the illustrations to talk about how Maggie uses her senses to investigate. Ask questions such as: What does Maggie see? What does she taste? Smell? Why does Maggie use a magnifying glass? Maggie Investigates What new thing would you like to investigate? On page 6 of their books, have children draw something they might enjoy investigating. Phonological Awareness: Compound Word Hunt Combine words to make a compound word. Explain that some big words are made of two little words. Give examples of two words that when put together become compound words. Begin with an item that Maggie investigated in the story, a seashell. Have children listen to the two parts and combine them to make the compound word: sea, shell. (seashell) Look for a picture of a seashell in the story. Then, go on a treasure hunt, searching for other compound words. Ask: Can you find a paint, brush? (paintbrush) Do you see a chalk, board? (chalkboard) book, case? (bookcase) A back, pack? (backpack) Do you see someone wearing eye, glasses? (eyeglasses) Let s Investigate! 4
Literacy: Books to Share Ask to be read to. Collect picture books about exploring and place them in the reading corner. You might add: First the Egg by Jenkins Laura Vaccaro Bugs, Bugs, Bugs by Catherine Daly Corduroy by Don Freeman Mouse Paint by Ellen Stroll Walsh books about exploring Have children choose books to read alone or share with a friend. Invite them to set their favorite books in a special place so that you can read them aloud to the group. Literacy: Retell Maggie Investigates s Retell a story after it is read aloud. Use information learned from books to categorize. Maggie Investigates Reread Maggie Investigates. Remind children that Maggie uses her sense of smell, taste, hearing, sight, and touch to investigate things she is curious about. Invite children to use the illustrations to retell the story in their own words. Discuss things to investigate using the five senses. Draw a five senses chart and have children suggest something to investigate for each category in the chart. Let s Investigate! 5
Math: Longer than a Rose? Compare lengths. rose stem Display a rose like the one Maggie investigates. Invite children to smell the rose and describe it. Compare the length of the rose to another object, using the words longer and shorter. Then invite children to compare the lengths of various objects to the rose. Have them sort the objects into those that are longer than the rose, and those that are shorter. Math: The Longest Vegetable Measure lengths of objects. assorted vegetables dried beans Remind children that Maggie investigates broccoli, carrots, and tomatoes in Maggie Investigates. Tell children they will investigate and measure different vegetables. Show them how to use dried beans to measure the lengths of vegetables. Line up beans beside a broccoli stalk. Ask: How many beans long is it? Have children measure different vegetables, and count the beans to find the longest one. Math: Lighter than a Seashell? s Weigh objects. Compare weights. balance scale seashells Display a seashell like the one in Maggie Investigates. Pass it around and encourage children to feel the weight of it. Ask: Is it light or heavy? Then display other objects such as an eraser, a toy truck, and a ball. Have children predict which items are lighter than the seashell. Encourage them to feel the weight of each object in their hands. Then show children how to use a balance scale to confirm their predictions. Record results in a chart. Let s Investigate! 6
Writing: Something to Investigate s Engage in written exploration. Begin to edit and revise work. Maggie Investigates After children have drawn a picture of something to investigate, have them write a caption. Younger children may dictate their responses or use symbols, letters, or invented spelling to express their ideas. Encourage older children to write a phrase or sentence. Guide older children to check for spacing issues. If there is not a finger s width between words, then the spacing may be too tight. If necessary, have them rewrite the caption to show how it has been revised. Let s Investigate! 7