Page 2 - Kin News, Jr. Teacher Guide, September October 2020

COMMON CORE AND NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS (NGSS) ALIGNED ACTIVITIES

Kindergarten: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.2
Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in
which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
To go with “Claude: chatty, silly, or shy?”: After reading the article, ask students what a personality is.
Then ask students what they think Claude needs to be happy. How does this connect to his personality?
Revisit two things from the article that Claude often does, or likes to do, such as listening to his
favorite band or camping with his family. Ask students to think of one of their favorite things to do
and draw a picture of them doing it next to a picture of Claude doing one of his favorite activities.
Then ask them to write a sentence that describes how they feel in the picture and a sentence describing how they
think Claude feels, for example, “I feel ________. Claude feels ________.”
First grade: NGSS 1-PS4-1
Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound
can make materials vibrate.
To go with Critter Clues: after students have guessed the critter, revisit clue #4, “I do not have
ears, but I still sense sound.” Ask students how they think a spider can do this without ears.
Demonstrate how sound waves vibrate with a video or an in-person or virtual experiment,
such as putting a piece of paper near a speaker or using a slinky to show how the sounds
correspond to the size of the waves shown by the motion of the slinky. Discuss other
animals that sense sound in different ways, such as caterpillars. Do students think
not having ears makes it harder for them to survive than it is for animals who do
have ears? Why or why not?

Second grade: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.1
Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they
are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and
provide some sense of closure.
To go with Humane Hero, “Ethan Speaks Up”: After reading the article, ask students
how Ethan brought attention to his cause. Explain how laws begin as bills and then
are voted on to become laws. Then have students brainstorm ideas for laws they
would like to introduce in their state. Vote on one law idea to write a letter about
as a class to a state representative, like Ethan did. (Find state representatives at
https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials). Include the following sections:
• A salutation/opening • Why should that law be passed?
• What law do they think should be made? • A conclusion/closing
To extend the activity, allow students to choose their own cause and write their own letter. Celebrate any responses they receive.

BOOK NOOK

Sad, the Dog

Written by Sandy Fussell | Recommended for ages 3-7
A clever little dog christens himself “Sad” when his humans fail to give him a name.
Although they feed him and wash him, they don’t appreciate his many gifts, like
his love of singing (“stop that yapping!”). When the people move away and leave
Sad behind, Sad is heartbroken. But then a new family with a young boy arrives
at Sad’s house in a big truck. Although Sad is initially frightened, it soon becomes
clear that the boy is just the right person to make a dog’s life complete with
playtime, treats, and a brand-new name: Lucky. Welcoming illustrations illuminate
this joyful tale, which reminds young readers to appreciate themselves and the
ones — human or otherwise — who depend on them.
BOOK SUMMARY FROM AMAZON.COM.
COPYRIGHT: SAD, THE DOG. TEXT © 2015 BY SANDY FUSSELL. ILLUSTRATIONS T © 2015 BY TULL SUWANNAKIT.
REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER, CANDLEWICK PRESS, SOMERVILLE, MA ON BEHALF OF WALKER BOOKS, AUSTRALIA.