red apple reading - january 2016

WWW.REDAPPLEREADING.COMJANUARY 2016 LEARNING SUPPORT GUIDE

RED APPLE READINGRED APPLE READING

8BEVERAGE AND A BOOK:

J A N U A R Y R E A D E R :

A SLIPPERY SLEDDING

ADVENTURE

COLD SNAP

SPOTLIGHT ON J.K. ROWLING

INDOOR ACTIVITY IDEAS FOR FAMILIES

JANUARY LITERACY LINEUP

WINTER BOOK REVIEWS

04

06

08

10

11 12

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Chilly winter activities that promote literacy!

CONTENTS

Tips to keep your children on track with school and homework.

KEEPING KIDS MOTIVATED

Cold Snap these tasty warm drinks are sure to send the chill away!

BEVERAGE AND A BOOK

Six winter books your children will enjoy.

WINTER BOOK REVIEWS

Eight ideas for having fun when the weather keeps you inside.

INDOOR ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILIES

Slippery Sledding Adventure: Finn and his friends enjoy sledding at the park!

STORY TIME!This vocabulary-rich version is best for reading aloud to pre-readers or for fluent readers, with two pages of literacy activities for fun after.

LEVEL A - SLIPPERY SLEDDING ADVENTURE

LITERACY TIME

SPOTLIGHT ON J.K. ROWLING

23The text in this version has been simplified for emerging readers, and has two fun pages of literacy activities after.

34Early readers can practice reading this version of the story, then enjoy two fun pages of literacy activities.

45Check in with these story questions after reading A Slippery Sledding Adventure.

COMPREHENSION SKILLS

2015 Red Apple Reading. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use and any reproduction or redistribution of part or all of this material without express and written permission is strictly prohibited. For questions or inquiries please email [email protected].

2

LEVEL B - SLIPPERY SLEDDING ADVENTURE

LEVEL C - SLIPPERY SLEDDING ADVENTURE

3Happy New Year!

The holiday dust has settled, decorations are finally getting put away, and my family is back to work and school. Instead of looking back at the successes and failures of the previous year, I think January is a great time to look ahead to this years potential and set new goals.

Want to spend more time together as a family? This months edition has a bunch of ideas to help you get started, from cozy winter read-aloud books to warm drinks and fun indoor activities.

Getting your children back into school mode after the holidays? We have tips that will help keep them on track. In addition, there are plenty of fun opportunities for them to read and learn throughout the pages of this guide and in the Red Apple Reading program.

Looking for a book series to read with older children? Take a look at our new Spotlight series for my daughters reviews of the favorite books and authors from her childhood.

In addition to thinking about family and children, dont forget to pencil in time this year for the things that you enjoy!

Best wishes,

Tammy BenneckePRESIDENT AND [email protected]

4W W W . R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M

KEEPING KIDS MOTIVATED

Are your children less than excited about returning to school after winter break? Check out these tips for keeping your kiddos on track!

VERBAL AFFIRMATION

Continue celebrating success

and hard work. Without praise

from time to time, even

constructive criticism can

weigh your child down. If your

kiddo feels like youre proud

of him, it will likely encourage

him to keep doing a good job!

KEEP MAKING HOMEWORK A PRIORITY

As the year progresses it

becomes easy for parents

and students to slack off on

schoolwork. Get homework

done quickly after school. Its

fine to let kids rest and have

a snack for a few minutes,

but the longer you put off

homework, the harder it is to

complete.

CONTINUE ENFORCING BEDTIME

This is another thing thats

easy to let slide about midway

through the school year. If

your children are tired it will

affect their ability to produce

quality work as well as their

mood.

5W W W . R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M

SET GOALS

January is a good time to sit

down with your child and make

goals. The goal could be a better

grade, a number of books read, or

a checklist of work to get done.

Its easier for your child to stay

motivated if she can track her

progress. Be sure to reward her

when she meets her goals!

SCHEDULE A MEETING

Sometimes a lack of motivation

can be caused by problems at

school. For instance, your child

may be unmotivated because

of a bullying issue. Set up a

meeting with his teacher to

make sure you both have the

same information and can help

your kiddo do his best. Teachers

can also help you brainstorm

ideas to help your child finish

the school year strong!

6If your family is beginning to grow tired

of the cold winter weather, they will love

reading this funny book by Eileen Spinelli.

The town of Toby Mills is experiencing

a very cold winter. In fact, the icicle on

the town statues nose is growing longer

every day! Find out how the townspeople

deal with the unbearable, below freez-

ing temps. Cold Snap is sure to leave your

little ones with a warm and cozy feeling.

When the weather has your crew look-ing for a way to warm up, check out these yummy, hot beverage recipes:

Does it get any better than the smell of

simmering apple cider on the stove? Your

family will love this recipe for homemade

apple cider from Gimme Some Oven! While

it takes a couple of hours to simmer, it is

well worth the wait (and the prep time

itself is minimal).

Cold Snap

W W W . R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M

BEVERAGEAND A BOOK

If your little ones prefer hot chocolate to

apple cider, then youll want to check out

UnskinnyBoppys homemade hot chocolate

recipe. This easy, three ingredient drink

will be a hit with the kiddos. Be ready to

serve up a second round!

This month grab a blanket and your favor-

ite hot beverage, then curl up on the couch

and enjoy some fun winter-inspired books

with your family. Nothing warms the heart

quite like a good story!

7SERIOUS LEARNING THATS SERIOUSY FUN!

www.RedAppleReading.comHelp your child become a better reader with videos and games that make it fun to learn.

TRIVIA TIME

Maria finds an injured wolf in the snow on her way to school,

and instead of leaving him, she nurses him back to health.

Ages 6 to 8

This book follows Skippyjon Jones, the Siamese cat who thinks hes a dog,

as he goes on a quest in a magical snowy forest.

Ages 3 to 5

Two birds go on an adventure in the snow and learn that no

two things are exactly alike.

Ages 3 to 7

WINTER SHADOW

SKIPPYJON JONESSNOW WHAT

NO TWO ALIKE

by Keith Baker

WINTER B O O K S


by Richard Knight

8

by Judy Schachner


THE SNOW GLOBE FAMILY

This beautiful pop-up book uses foil and glitter along with simple writing to capture a beautiful winter scene.

Ages 4 to 8

The snow globe family cant wait for someone to pick up their snow globe and give it a good shake. Will they get a chance to go sledding?

Ages 6 to 8

WINTERS TALE

by Jane OConnor

9

by Robert Sabuda

OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW

This book shows readers the hidden world of animals underneath the snow.

Ages 3 to 5

by Kate Messner

10

INDOOR ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILIES

PUZZLES

Putting together a puzzle is a fun family activity. If its a puzzle with a lot of pieces, put it together on a large piece of cardboard, so you can move it out of the way until its time to work on it again.

READ

Make some hot chocolate and warm up with a good book. Its a great way to sneak in some reading and a

sweet treat!

PUPPETS

Find some socks that are missing a match and decorate them with craft materials from a dollar store or whatever you have on hand. After theyre decorated your kiddos can put on a show or reenact their

favorite book.


BAKE COOKIES

Make gingerbread or sugar cookies for your child to decorate. Kids love play-dough, so theyre bound to have fun with real dough!

BOARD GAMES

If your kids enjoy a little friendly competition, get out some board games or card games. Games such as Scrabble serve double duty - improving vocabulary and spelling skills!

MAKE PAPER SNOWFLAKES

Bring some of the winter wonderland indoors! Paper snowflakes are fun and easy to make. They can also make fun decorations. Color them or add glitter for some extra fun.

MAKE A SCRAPBOOK

Record all of your winter fun in a scrapbook! Work on each page together, or assign each child their own page.

BUILD A FORT

Find some pillows and blankets, and make a cozy fort for your kiddos to play in. Pillow forts are also great for quiet activities, like reading and coloring.

8

PAGES 12 - 22

3 DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE SAME STORY! CHOOSE THE VERSION THATS BEST FOR YOUR YOUNG READER, THEN CLICK A LINK BELOW AND PRINT THE PAGES FOR REPEATED READING AND PRACTICE.

LEVEL A - STORY AND ACTIVITIES

LEVEL B - STORY AND ACTIVITIES

LEVEL C - STORY AND ACTIVITIES

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

LITERACY ACTIVITIES

BEST FOR READING ALOUD TO PRE-READERS

EASY TEXT FOR EMERGING READERS

MORE COMPLEXITY FOR EARLY READERS

S T O R Y T I M E

PAGES 23 - 33

PAGES 34 - 44

PAGES 45

PAGES 46 - 47

A SLIPPERY SLEDDING ADVENTURE

11


Level A



p. 1

It was a cold Saturday morning in January. Finn woke up, opened his eyes, and jumped out of bed. He ran over and looked out of the window. It was snowing!

Level A



p. 2

Finn couldnt wait to try out his new red sled. After a quick breakfast, Finn put on his winter coat, hat,

scarf, mittens, and boots. Then he ran all of the way to the hills at Hillside Park, dragging his new sled

behind him.


p. 3

The sledding hill was very crowded. Finns friends, Sam and Dot, waved and called to Finn, Over here! Sam had a yellow sled and Dot had a new red sled

just like Finns. We match! he exclaimed.


p. 4

After a few trips down the small hill, Finn wanted more of a challenge. He spotted Russ and some of his other friends from school. Do you want to race

down the big hill? he asked Russ.


p. 5

Okay, agreed Russ, but no funny business. Finn liked Russ as a friend, but he liked to tease

him sometimes, too. I promise, said Finn.


Dot and Sam shouted, On your mark, get set, go! Finn and Russ took off down the hill as fast as they could. They rode side-by-side for most of the way.

p. 6

Suddenly, Finn lost control of his sled on a slippery patch of ice. He flipped, he twirled, and he went flying through the air. Then he landed right in a

small creek near the hill - splash!


p. 7


Luckily, Finn wasnt hurt, but he was a little embarrassed. He stood up, brushed himself off,

and joked, Its a good thing frogs can swim! Finn and his friends laughed about the sledding

mishap all afternoon.

p. 8

NOISY NEW YEAR

RED APPLE READING 21

COLORFUL CONFETTI

RED APPLE READING22

Level B

COLORFUL CONFETTI W W W . R E D A P P L E R E A D I N G . C O M

Level B



It was a cold winter morning. Finn woke up and jumped out of bed. It was snowing!

p. 1

Finn wanted to use his new red sled. After he ate, Finn put on his coat, hat, and boots.

Then he ran to the park with his new sled.


p. 2


His friends, Sam and Dot, saw Finn and waved to him. Sam had a yellow sled and Dot had a new red sled

like Finns. We match! he said.

p. 3

After going down the small hill, Finn wanted to do more. He saw Russ, his friend from school. Do you

want to race down the big hill? he asked Russ.


p. 4


OK, said Russ, but no tricks! Finn liked Russ, but he liked to tease him sometimes, too.

No tricks, said Finn.

p. 5

Dot and Sam yelled, Go! Finn and Russ went down the hill very fast.

They were riding next to each other.


p. 6


Suddenly, Finns sled slipped on some ice. He flipped and went flying in the air. Then he landed in some water near the hill - splash!

p. 7

Finn was not hurt, but he felt a little silly. He got up and said, Good thing frogs can swim!

Then Finn and his friends had fun in the snow all day.


p. 8

SNACK TIME

RED APPLE READING32

SNACK TIME CROSSWORD

RED APPLE READING

from the word RESOLUTION.

ACROSS 1. To remember something, write a _____. 2. A hammer is a kind of _____. 4. Another word for relax or sleep is ______. 6. An elephant has a long _________.

DOWN 1. Birds build a ________ for their babies. 3. The opposite of win is _____. 4. One kind of flower is called a _______. 5. The car has a flat _____.

2

1

3

4 5

6




2

1

3

4 5

6




2

1

3

4 5

6




2

1

3

4 5

6

33

Level C



Level C



p. 1

It was a cold winter morning in January. Finn woke up, opened his eyes, and jumped out of bed.

He looked out of the window. It was snowing!


p. 2

Finn was excited to try out his new red sled. After a quick breakfast, Finn put on his winter coat, hat, mittens, and boots. Then he ran all of the way to the hills at the park, taking his new sled with him.


p. 3

The sledding hill was crowded. Finns friends, Sam and Dot, waved and called to Finn, Over here!

Sam had a yellow sled and Dot had a new red sled just like Finns. We match! he said.


p. 4

After a few trips down the small hill, Finn wanted more of a challenge. He spotted Russ and some of his other friends from school. Do you want to race

down the big hill? he asked Russ.


p. 5

Okay, said Russ, but no funny business. Finn liked Russ as a friend, but he liked to tease

him sometimes, too. I promise, said Finn.


p. 6

Dot and Sam shouted, On your mark, get set, go! Finn and Russ took off down the hill as fast as they could. They rode side-by-side for most of the way.


p. 7

Suddenly, Finns sled slipped on a patch of ice. He flipped, he twirled, and he went flying through the air. Then he landed in a small creek near the hill - splash!


p. 8

Luckily, Finn wasnt hurt, but he felt a little foolish. He stood up, brushed himself off, and joked, Its a

good thing frogs can swim! Finn and his friends laughed about the sledding race all afternoon.

STORY FILL IN

RED APPLE READING

friends hill hurt jacket new

race skating sled slipped snow

on the ground. He wanted to try out his new red ________ at

the park. Finn put on his hat, gloves, and warm ________.

Then he walked to the park to meet his ________.

Finn rode down the small ________ several times on his

sled. Then he asked Russ to ________ down the big hill with him.

Finn was going really fast and then ________ on a patch of ice.

After sledding, Finn and his friends went ice ________ on

the frozen pond. What a fun winter day!

friends hill hurt jacket new

race skating sled slipped snow

on the ground. He wanted to try out his new red ________ at

the park. Finn put on his hat, gloves, and warm ________.

Then he walked to the park to meet his ________.

Finn rode down the small ________ several times on his

sled. Then he asked Russ to ________ down the big hill with him.

Finn was going really fast and then ________ on a patch of ice.

After sledding, Finn and his friends went ice ________ on

the frozen pond. What a fun winter day!

43

SINGULAR OR PLURAL?

RED APPLE READING

Do you need one (singular) or more than one (plural)? Read the beginning of each sentence. Decide how you

Make up your own sentences and decide how theyshould end do you need a singular word or aplural word? How silly are your sentences?

On my hands, I wearone mitten.

mittens.

To skate, I needone skate.

skates.

To sled, I needone sled.

sleds.

one snowball.

snowballs.

In my hot cocoa, I likeone marshmallow.

marshmallows.

THISTRY




mittens.


skates.


sleds.

one snowball.

snowballs.


marshmallows.

THISTRY




mittens.


skates.


sleds.

one snowball.

snowballs.


marshmallows.

THISTRY

44

12

3

4

5

How does Finn know it is a good day for sledding?

What color is Finns new sled?

Who does Finn want to race?

What happens to Finn as he sleds down the hill?

Where does most of the story take place?

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:

SINGULAR OR PLURAL?

45


LITERACY TIME

46


LETTERS IN THE SNOW

When it snows, enjoy the chill and learn about letters at the same time. Use a stick to write letters in the snow, make giant pathway letters by dragging your feet in the snow, or shape the snow into letters by packing snow together on the drive-way. You can even use a spray bottle with food coloring and water to make letters! Listen for letter sounds and ask your child to tell you the beginning sound for the words: ice, snow, sled, ski, skate, cold, chill, wet, freeze, boots, mittens, and coat.

WINTER BOOK READING AND LITERACY

We recommend books like The Snowy Day, The Mystery of the Missing Red Mit-ten, and Snowmen at Night. Talk about the setting, the characters, and what hap-pens in the story. As you read, have your child identify specific letters or words on a page. Ask your child to guess what might happen next in the story. Ask your child to come up with an alternate end-ing for the story. Have your child draw a picture of something fun he or she likes to do in the snow.

LITERACY TIME

Prices are dropping lower than the temperature!47

SHAVING CREAM LETTERS AND WORDS

You will need a can of shaving cream and a cookie sheet or easy-to-clean table. Spray some shaving cream and encourage your child to move it around on the table. Ask your child to write different letters, words, or short sentences. Say a word and ask your child to identify the beginning letter sound by writing the letter in the shaving cream. Say a high-frequency word and ask your child to spell it. For extra fun, add some food coloring or glitter to make snowy shaving cream!

INDOOR SNOWBALL TOSS

Make a snowball with a rolled up pair of white socks or use a soft ball. Stand about five feet away from your child. Say a word, toss the ball, and have your child catch it. He or she must say a rhyming word then toss it back to you. How many words can you rhyme without dropping it? Change it up: Choose a beginning sound, a letter blend, a short or long vowel sound, or a vowel team. Toss the ball and identify a word in that category.

48

LITERACY LINEUP

JANUARY 2016

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

NEW YEARS DAY

J.R.R. TOLKIEN

PHYLLIS R NAYLOR

W. VAN DRAANEN

LEWIS CARROLL

MARJORIE PRICEMAN REMY CHARLIP

JACK LONDON

SHANNON HALE

HUGH LOFTING HAT DAY

NATIONAL POPCORN DAY

NATIONAL HUGGING DAY

NATIONAL PIE DAY

NATIONAL PUZZLE DAY

HOT CHOCOLATE DAY

M.L.K. JR. DAY

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

31

1 2 3

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

20 21 23

30

24

25

18

26 27

22

29

19

28

Written by Carley Bennecke, In-house book critic

S P O T L I G H T O N

RED APPLE READING

The Harry Potter series is a magical gift from J.K. Rowling to parents of adolescents. Her writing is suitable for children and adults alike, a magic that is very hard for wizarding authors to achieve. The series has bonded fami-lies all over the world because of its page-turning plot, character devel-opment, and heroic main character. In third grade my father read to me the first three books of the series. It was so enchanting to have him read a chapter every night before bedtime. We both fell in love with the story and characters.

J.K. Rowling

Rowlings creativity is painted on every page of each of the seven books. With her words, she illustrates a scene in the read-ers mind so vivid that it is easy to get lost in the story. It is captivating to read as an adult, but especially fun to read aloud to children.

My personal favorite from the series is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, be-cause of its addition of many new charac-ters and its exciting, appealing setting of the tri-wizard tournament.

If you are looking for a magical adven-ture to read for yourself and/or your chil-dren, Rowlings Harry Potter series is the way to go. Board the train to Hogwarts and dont forget your wand!

and the

Book Series

WWW. REDAPPLEREADING.COM

RED APPLE READING

JANUARY 2016

Serious Learning thats Seriously Fun.

red apple reading - january 2016

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