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TIPS Planning Form for Infants and Toddlers
Tune In, Introduce the Book, Promote Language, Summarize the Book
Book Title: Curious George: The Perfect Carrot Author: Adaptation by Marcy Goldberg Sacks
T: Tune In
Engage the child/children in a playful and loving interaction
Capture the child’s/children’s interest in the book you have chosen What will you do to tune in and engage the child/children with this book? You could use the song “Flower Garden” to engage children. It is possible to use this song as a felt board story as well. Sung to: "The Farmer In The Dell" The farmer plants the seeds The Farmer plants the seeds Hi, Ho and Cheery O The farmer plants the seeds. (Use the following verses.) The sun begins to shine The rain begins to fall The plants begin to grow The flowers smile at us
I: Introduce the Book
• Draw the child/children’s attention to the illustration on the book’s cover.
• Name the title of the book, briefly tell what it is about, and set the purpose for reading: “The name of this book is __________________” (It looks like… See this …This book is about …).
“Let’s read the book and find out (state purpose). What will you say to introduce this book? The name of this book is The Perfect Carrot. It looks like Curious George has a garden and he has pulled a big carrot from his garden. I wonder how he grew that carrot. Let’s read and find out.
P: Promote Language
Engage in Responsive Interactions throughout the read:
• Use child directed speech, touch, and a joyful nurturing voice.
• Stay tuned in to children’s interests throughout the read – “read the child”.
• Model book handling skills without interrupting the flow of the story. “Let’s turn the page and see what happens next.”
• Connect to children’s life experiences while reading
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P.A.T. the Vocabulary: Which words will you select to
Point, Act, Tell?
Talk around the Book: Use Think Alouds
What comments will you make to explain
character’s actions and feelings, and connect
events?
Page # Point Act Tell Your Think Aloud Comment
3 George, Bill,
bunnies, carrots
Loved (rub
stomach)
4,5 Bill, carrot,
ground
Where (shrug) CURIOUS – you
really want to
know
something
George is so
CURIOUS about
how Bill pulled a
carrot out of the
dirt - he really
wants to know
how Bill did that! I
bet he’s really
excited that Bill
said he can grow
carrots too!
6,7 Man with the
yellow hat,
packet of seeds,
hole
Dug Directions –
how to plant
seeds
8,9 Seeds, watered Dug, covered Look at George
watering his seeds!
He looks so happy
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that he has planted
his own seeds.
George knows that
his seeds need dirt,
water and sun to
grow.
10,11 No carrots (point
to dirt)
No (shake
head)
CONFUSED –
when you don’t
understand
Oh, poor George!
He thought that his
carrots would grow
in one day, and he
was so CONFUSED
when they didn’t. I
think that he didn’t
understand that it
takes many days
for seeds to grow
into plants.
12,13 Watered, carrot
plants
Look how happy
George is to see
his carrot plants
growing! I think he
takes such good
care of his plants,
and knows that
they will grow into
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big carrots one
day.
14,15 Carrots, funny,
perfect
Perfect – just
right
When you grow
carrots, you can
see the green tops,
but the carrot is
growing under the
dirt. So, George
has to pull the
carrots out of the
dirt.
16 Case Case – like a
lunchbox
I think that George
is so proud of his
carrot that he
doesn’t want to
eat it! I am
CURIOUS, I’m
wondering, what
he will do with his
perfect carrot.
17 Sign, George,
door
Perfect – just
right
Oh no, the bunnies
are gone! I bet
George is
CONFUSED –
doesn’t
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understand – why
the bunnies are
gone.
18 Bunny footprints Garden –
where food and
flowers grow
I think George is
following the
footprints because
he knows that they
will show him
where the bunnies
are, and he is really
CURIOUS - really
wants to know
about where the
bunnies have
gone.
19 cave, bunnies Oh no, those
bunnies are so lost
and CONFUSED!
They don’t
understand where
they are or how to
get home!
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20,21 George, bunnies,
cave, gone,
carrot
I bet those bunnies
were so glad to get
George’s carrot,
because they were
so scared and
hungry. And, look,
they have eaten
almost the whole
carrot! I bet Bill is
so glad that
George found his
bunnies.
22 George, Bunnies,
Carrot
Oh, I bet those
bunnies and Bill
are so happy to
see each other.
George looks so
proud too, that his
carrot helped the
bunnies when they
were lost and
CONFUSED. Good
job, George!
S: Summarize the Book Restate the purpose of the read “We just read about how Curious George grew carrots from seeds, and
used one of his carrots to help his bunny friends.” “Let’s look back at how George grew the carrots and how he used his perfect carrot to help his friends.”
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Encourage children to point to pictures that show meaning of key words or, if they are talking, to use
key vocabulary to name pictures.
Ask simple questions about events, characters’ actions or feelings:
What questions will you ask children about the events and characters in this book?
- Who is George’s friend? - What do the bunnies love to eat? - How does George feel when his carrots don’t grow? - What do seeds need to grow? - How do the bunnies feel in the cave? - How does Bill feel when George shows him where the bunnies are? For older toddlers: what open-ended questions can you ask to promote critical thinking?
- How does George know where to find the lost bunnies? - Why did George want to grow his own carrots? - Why didn’t George want to eat his perfect carrot?
For older toddlers: what other Tier 2 words (outside the book) can you introduce and reinforce? Curious, Confused
Respond to the child’s answers by promoting language:
o Acknowledge answer or give the answer for infants and young toddlers o Provide supports as the child responds o Model vocabulary and well-formed sentences
Note: Keep in mind it’s most important to model turn-taking in conversation and to model the vocabulary and
language you want the child to use eventually. It is not so important to ask the child to recall specific details.
How will you support children’s language in their answers?
It is important to repeat and extend your toddler’s answers to the questions, pushing in the few Tier 2
words specific for the story. For example, if your child responds to the question “How did George feel
when his carrots didn’t grow?” with “sad”, you could respond with “Yes, he was so sad, and confused –
he didn’t understand why his carrots didn’t grow in one day.” Also, as you are asking open ended
questions, you may need to provide safety nets for your toddlers. One safety net could be giving your
child either/or choices if they are struggling to answer (for example: “Did George see the bunnies, or did
he just see their footprints?”).
Extend the Book Implement extension activities during other times of the day (e.g., indoor or outdoor play, center time,
small group) and explain how they connect to the book you read.
What will you plan to extend the book to other times of the day and reinforce vocabulary of the book?
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Activity Materials Needed Focus Vocabulary
Plant carrot seeds in cups. Cups, dirt, carrot seeds Seeds, vegetables, grow, soil, garden, curious
Transform your sensory table into a garden! Place dirt in the table instead of sand. Allow children to dig, and plant with toy shovels, rakes and plastic vegetables
Dirt, plastic vegetables, shovels, rakes, empty watering cans, signs for the garden
Curious, garden, vegetable, soil, grow
Add toy bunnies to your dramatic play area, with various vegetables
Toy rabbits, plastic vegetables, pretend pet cage
Rabbits, curious, vegetables, confused
Find the Perfect Pair What informational/storybook might go well with this book, to support children’s knowledge and understanding?
- Grow It! A Sembrar! by Child’s Play - How a Seed Grows by Helene Jordan - Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert - The Carrot Seed by Ruth Kraus -
Adaptations for DLLs What adaptations will you make to increase the understanding and participation of the dual language learners in your classroom?
What languages are represented in your classroom? ___________________________________________
Is this book available in these languages? ____________________________________________________
Does the book avoid cultural stereotypes? ___________________________________________________
If you don’t speak the home language(s), who can read the book with DLLs in their home language(s)? A family member? A community volunteer? Another teacher? ____________________________________
What other language/cultural resources are available to you? ___________________________________
Identify a few target words, including some Tier 1 words, and phrases in the book to learn in the home language:
Vocabulary in English Words in Child(ren)’s home language(s)
Home Language 1 (SPANISH) Home Language 2
Carrot zanahoria
Bunnies conejitos
Confused confuso
Curious curioso
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Do you need any props or materials? ________________________________________________________
How do you plan to support the conversation with dual language learners? What will you need to keep in mind? ________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________
What other books on this topic could you read that reflect the cultures and languages of the children you teach? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________