Amazing Birds of the Rainforest Emergent Reader Activity
BEFORE READING
On the board, write the words macaw, cockatoo, bird of paradise, toucan, harpy eagle, and hummingbird. Help children read the words. Ask children what they think these words have in common, leading them to conclude that they all identify a type of bird. Point out that these birds live in the rain forest. Tell children they will learn more about these birds in the book.
READING
To set a purpose for reading, ask children to read to learn more about how rain forest birds look and act.
Use questions such as these to guide the reading:
• How does this bird look?
• What is something interesting about this bird?
• How is this bird different from other birds you have read about?
WORKSHEET & Sample PDF Activity
Sample PDF Activity
AFTER READING
Guide children to review the book. Have volunteers tell which bird they liked best and why. Compile children’s responses on the board. Then as a class choose one of the birds to research and learn more about.
Response Activities
Bird Trading Cards
Materials: index cards, crayons
Give each child three index cards. Tell children to select one of the rain forest birds from the book to make bird trading cards. Help children make three identical cards in which they draw the bird on the front and write one fact about it on the back. Invite children to trade cards.
Rain Forest Bird Tours
Materials: crayons, drawing paper
Have children close their eyes and imagine that they are on a rain forest tour. Tell them about the environment and about the birds there. Then have children draw a picture of their imaginary rain forest and the birds that live there. Combine the pictures together to create a class picture book about imaginary rain forest birds.
PHONICS FOCUS
Identifying Long Vowel Sounds
On the board, write the words rain, face, line, beak, ways. Ask children to read each word and identify the letter/s that stand for the long vowel sound. Point out the sounds of ai, ea, and ay. Also point out the long vowel in the words that end with e. Have children scan the text for other words with long vowel sounds.
MINI LESSONS
• READING STRATEGY
Gathering Information from Text
Ask children to choose one of the birds from the book and then locate the description of the bird. Have children reread the text to gather information about the bird’s appearance and behavior. Then have children summarize the information by writing a list of facts about the bird.
• LANGUAGE PATTERN
Using Directional Words
On the board, write the directional words up, down, upward, forward, backward, right, left, upside down. Have volunteers read the words. Then have children point or pantomime to show directional movements for each word. Ask children to tell how these words could be used to tell how birds move.
