teacher’s guide - knowledge...

© Vivendi Universal Publishing and/orits subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved. Reading Blaster® Ages 6–81

Teacher’s Guide

0470910

2 © Vivendi Universal Publishing and/or its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.Reading Blaster® Ages 6–8

Reading Blaster™ Ages 6–8Teacher’s Guide

Production TeamDana FefferSteve Ikeda

Albert ChangJeremy BishopCathy Siegel

AuthorDella Quesent

Design and LayoutLauren AzeltineMary Wadman

EditorPamela Blanford

Reproduction of these pages by the classroom teacher for use in the classroom ispermissible. The reproduction of any part of this book for an entire school or school

system or for commercial use is strictly prohibited.

© Vivendi Universal Publishing and/or its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.Reading Blaster is a trademark of Vivendi Universal Publishing and/or its subsidiaries.

All trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners.


Table of Contents

Welcome ......................................................................................4About the Student Activities ........................................................ 5–7

Unit 1 Cave HuntActivity 1. Step-by-Step Origami ...........................................9Activity 2. Sentence Deconstruction ......................................11Activity 3. Magnetic Poems .................................................12

Unit 2 The BridgeActivity 1. Scrambled Story .................................................13Activity 2. Ad-libs...............................................................15Activity 3. Word Search......................................................18

Unit 3 The River CreatureActivity 1. Row, Row, Row Your Craft ...................................20Activity 2. Write an Incomprehensible Story .........................21

Unit 4 Geyser AlleyActivity 1. Haiku ................................................................24Activity 2. Charades ...........................................................26Activity 3. Around the World with Syllables ..........................27

Unit 5 Volcano ClimbActivity 1. Ad-libs...............................................................28Activity 2. Beginning Sound Symphony ................................29Activity 3. Musical Words ...................................................30

Unit 6 Volcano DropActivity 1. Alpha-Arrange the Class .....................................31Activity 2. Alpha Scavenger Hunt ........................................32Activity 3. Alpha Sculpture ..................................................34


Welcome

Reading Blaster™ Ages 6-8 takesyou and your students on an excitingreading adventure on the planet Islandia.Blaster, Galactic Commander, and Spot’s

vacation is interrupted when Mumblers from theplanet Nonsense steal books from the library.But which Mumbler has the books?

Help the Blasterpals explore the islands and navigate throughvarious reading challenges. Find the clues that will reveal theidentity of the Mumbler who has taken the books!

Reading Blaster™ Ages 6-8 will enable pre-second andsecond grade level students to use a variety of basic Englishskills in order to reinforce important reading concepts.This Teacher’s Guide is designed to provide meaningfulskill-based activities for students to use in conjunction withthe Reading Blaster™ Program. Each unit of student activitiesis centered around the skills taught in each game from theCD-ROM. These lessons provide further reinforcement of thereading concepts covered in the game. Each lesson containsan outline explaining the learningobjectives and procedure forthe activity. In addition, thereare extension activities that providea more in-depth and challenginglook at the concept.


Summary of Student Activity Units

Unit 1: Cave HuntIn this unit, students hone their seq-uencing skills by writing step-by-stepdirections, by deconstructing andreconstructing sentences, and bycreating magnetic poems.

Skill Focus: Sequencing

Activity 1: Step-by-Step Origami• Recount experiences in a logical

sequence. Restate facts and details inthe text to clarify and organize ideas.

Activity 2: Sentence Deconstruction• Identify text that uses sequence or other logical order.• Recognize and use the correct word order in written sentences.

Activity 3: Magnetic Poems• Identify and use correctly various parts of speech, including nouns and verbs,

in writing and speaking.

Unit 2: The BridgeIn this unit, students unscramble words,complete a word search puzzle, andwrite their own ad-lib story focusing onspelling strategies and parts of speech.

Skill Focus: Spelling

Activity 1: Scrambled Story

Activity 2: Word Search

Activity 3: Ad-libs

• Recognize and use knowledge of spelling patterns (e.g., diphthongs,special vowel spellings).

• Spell frequently used irregular words correctly.• Spell basic short-vowel, long-vowel, r-controlled, and consonant-blend

patterns correctly.• Recognize and use knowledge of spelling patterns (e.g., diphthongs,

special vowel spellings).


Unit 3: The River CreatureIn this unit, students read to getinformation and solve problems.They enjoy and appreciate languageby rewriting a favorite song lyric intheir own words and by writing theirvery own grammatically correct, incom-prehensible story!

Skill Focus: Reading Comprehension

Activity 1: Row, Row, Row Your Craft• Students paraphrase information that has been shared orally by others.• Students draw upon a variety of comprehension strategies as needed.• Students compare information from several sources.• Students understand the structure and organization of various reference

materials.• Students use a dictionary to learn the meaning and other features of

unfamiliar words.

Activity 2: Write an Incomprehensible Story• Understand and be able to use complete and correct declarative, interrogative,

imperative, and exclamatory sentences in writing and speaking. Identify andcorrectly use various parts of speech, including nouns and verbs, in writingand speaking.

Unit 4: Geyser AlleyUsing haiku and the popular game ofcharades, students practice syllabication.

Skill Focus: Syllabication

Activity 1: Haiku

Activity 2: Blasto-Rades

Activity 3: Charades• Distinguish initial, medial, and finalsounds in single-syllable words.

• Distinguish long and short vowel sounds in single-syllable words.• Create and state a series of rhyming words, including consonant blends.• Apply knowledge of basic syllabication rules when reading (e.g., vowel-

consonant-vowel = su/per; vowel-consonant/consonant-vowel = sup/per).


Unit 5: Volcano ClimbIn these activities, students playfullypractice their beginning sound skills.

Skill Focus: Beginning Sounds

Activity 1: Ad-libs

Activity 2: Beginning Sound Symphony

Activity 3: Musical Words

• Students generate the sounds from all the letters and letter patterns,including consonant blends and long- and short-vowel patterns, andblend these sounds into recognizable words.

Unit 6: Volcano DropIn this unit, students practice alphabetiz-ing with three high-energy activities forthe whole class.

Skill Focus: Alphabetizing

Activity 1: Alpha-Arrange the Class

Activity 2: Alpha Scavenger Hunt

Activity 3: Alpha Sculptures

• Students arrange words in alphabetical order.


Unit 1/Activity 1 Cave Hunt

Step-by-Step Origami

Skill FocusSequencing

DescriptionStudents teach their classmates how to make simple paper shapes.

MaterialsStep-by-Step Origami activity sheet, paper, crayons or markers, scissors

ProcedureDistribute the Step-by-Step Origami activity sheets. Have students colorthem and make a paper hat by following the diagrams on page 10.Then tell students that they will make origami using no more than fourfolds and explain the procedure to classmates. Demonstrate how to dothis by folding paper into simple shapes and explaining every step youtake. (“I’m folding the top right corner of the paper toward the center.”)Give each student two more sheets of paper. They experiment with thefirst sheet, then they color the second sheet and fold it into the desiredshape. When everyone is finished, choose one student to teach theclass how to make a shape. Have other students add folds to thisshape. Finally, hang all the origami from a mobile.

Extension• Have each student write and/or draw step-by-step instructions

for any simple activity: throwing a ball, drawing a parallelogram,making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, greeting someone,walking across the room to get apencil, etc. Display the results.

• Have students use the Logo oranother programming languageto generate precise instructionsin sequence.


Step-by-Step Origami

1 2

43



Sentence Deconstruction


DescriptionStudents practice sequencing and sentence-writing skills.

Materialspaper strips, pencils, scissors

ProcedureHand out one strip of paper to each student and break theclass up into groups of two. Have each student write a complete,grammatically correct sentence on a sentence strip. Keeping thesentence secret, students cut it up into individual words. The pairsof students then exchange the words and race each other to seewho can reconstruct the sentence first in its original form.

Extension• Try the same game with the sentences cut into individual letters.

• Try the exercise above with a picture or a collection of pictures.



Magnetic Poems


DescriptionStudents practice sequencing skills while composing fun poems.

Materialsindex cards, markers, magnetic chalkboard (if available)

ProcedureBegin the lesson by sharing some of your favorite poems withthe class. Review some elements of poetry—personification,metaphor, simile, rhythm—as well as basic parts of speech,including describing words, action words, and things. Passout index cards. Have students generate five nouns (things),five adjectives (describing words), and five verbs (action words),and write one word on each index card. You, the teacher,should make adverb, article, and pronoun cards. Divide theclass into groups of four, and give each group a set of the cards.Tell students that they will use the cards to create a poem. As anexample, use the cards to create a poem as a class, then havestudents create poems in their groups.Display the poems on a magnetic boardor a bulletin board.

Extension• Create and print the list of cards using

a computer database program such asClarisWorks®.

• Keep word cards in a large basket foruse by individuals or small groups.

ClarisWorks is a registered trademark of Claris Corporation.


Unit 2/Activity 1 The Bridge

Scrambled Story

Skill FocusSpelling

DescriptionStudents hone their spelling skills by unscrambling the wordshidden in the story.

MaterialsScrambled Stories activity sheet, index cards, markers, #4 pencils

ProcedureDistribute a copy of the Scrambled Stories activity sheet to eachstudent. Explain that several words are scrambled in the storystudents are about to hear. (Have fun pronouncing the scrambledwords!) Read the story to your students, then have them read itindividually and unscramble the words. Have students write theunscrambled word in the blank next to each scrambled word.Students will use these unscrambled words in two other activities,so they should be sure to hold onto the worksheets.

Extension• Have students write their own scrambled-word stories.

Answer Key1. simple 7. large2. normal 8. rang3. home 9. sheet4. blue 10. team5. loud 11. with6. very


Scrambled Stories Name _________________________

Dear Teacher,Dear Teacher,Dear Teacher,Dear Teacher,Dear Teacher,

I’m not going to insult you by telling you that my dog ateI’m not going to insult you by telling you that my dog ateI’m not going to insult you by telling you that my dog ateI’m not going to insult you by telling you that my dog ateI’m not going to insult you by telling you that my dog ate

my homework. If only it were that pimsle my homework. If only it were that pimsle my homework. If only it were that pimsle my homework. If only it were that pimsle my homework. If only it were that pimsle 1.___________.___________.___________.___________.___________.

The truth is the following:The truth is the following:The truth is the following:The truth is the following:The truth is the following:

Yesterday afternoon started as most other monarl Yesterday afternoon started as most other monarl Yesterday afternoon started as most other monarl Yesterday afternoon started as most other monarl Yesterday afternoon started as most other monarl 2.________________________________________

afternoons. I had just come omhe afternoons. I had just come omhe afternoons. I had just come omhe afternoons. I had just come omhe afternoons. I had just come omhe 3._________ from school_________ from school_________ from school_________ from school_________ from school

and before I could put away my uble and before I could put away my uble and before I could put away my uble and before I could put away my uble and before I could put away my uble 4._________________________________________________________________

backpack the phone rang really doul backpack the phone rang really doul backpack the phone rang really doul backpack the phone rang really doul backpack the phone rang really doul 5.__________. It__________. It__________. It__________. It__________. It

was my father. “Son, there are some yrve was my father. “Son, there are some yrve was my father. “Son, there are some yrve was my father. “Son, there are some yrve was my father. “Son, there are some yrve 6.__________________________________________________

important papers I left on my grlae important papers I left on my grlae important papers I left on my grlae important papers I left on my grlae important papers I left on my grlae 7.__________________________________________________

oak desk. The We Get It There or You Don’t Careoak desk. The We Get It There or You Don’t Careoak desk. The We Get It There or You Don’t Careoak desk. The We Get It There or You Don’t Careoak desk. The We Get It There or You Don’t Care

delivery service is on the way to pick them up.”delivery service is on the way to pick them up.”delivery service is on the way to pick them up.”delivery service is on the way to pick them up.”delivery service is on the way to pick them up.”

As I hung up the phone the doorbell rgnaAs I hung up the phone the doorbell rgnaAs I hung up the phone the doorbell rgnaAs I hung up the phone the doorbell rgnaAs I hung up the phone the doorbell rgna

8.__________. I ran to get the papers and in the heat__________. I ran to get the papers and in the heat__________. I ran to get the papers and in the heat__________. I ran to get the papers and in the heat__________. I ran to get the papers and in the heat

of the action my homework heest of the action my homework heest of the action my homework heest of the action my homework heest of the action my homework heest 9._________ ended up_________ ended up_________ ended up_________ ended up_________ ended up

in the overnight envelope. As we speak, my homeworkin the overnight envelope. As we speak, my homeworkin the overnight envelope. As we speak, my homeworkin the overnight envelope. As we speak, my homeworkin the overnight envelope. As we speak, my homework

assignment is being worked on by a meat assignment is being worked on by a meat assignment is being worked on by a meat assignment is being worked on by a meat assignment is being worked on by a meat 10.__________ of__________ of__________ of__________ of__________ of

highly trained scientists in Singapore. And, instead of myhighly trained scientists in Singapore. And, instead of myhighly trained scientists in Singapore. And, instead of myhighly trained scientists in Singapore. And, instead of myhighly trained scientists in Singapore. And, instead of my

homework assignment, I present you tihw homework assignment, I present you tihw homework assignment, I present you tihw homework assignment, I present you tihw homework assignment, I present you tihw 11.________ some________ some________ some________ some________ some

notes on black holes.notes on black holes.notes on black holes.notes on black holes.notes on black holes.



Ad-libs

Skill FocusSpelling

DescriptionStudents organize the unscrambled words from the previousstory into nouns, verbs, and adjectives using the UnscrambledWord Sorting activity sheet.

MaterialsUnscrambled Word Sorting activity sheet on page 16, Scrambled Storiesactivity sheet on page 14, Ad-lib Writing activity sheet on page 17

ProcedureWrite the scrambled words on the board. Then review partsof speech with your class. As a group, discuss a noun (thing),a verb (action word), and an adjective (describing word) fromthe list. Have students use the Unscrambled Word Sorting activitysheet to sort the unscrambled words from the story. Complete theAd-lib Writing activity sheet with the group using the sorted wordsfrom the worksheet.

Extension• Break your students into groups and have them create their own ad-libs.


Unscrambled Words Sorting Worksheet


Ad-lib Writing Name ________________________

Write your ad-lib story idea here.



Word Search

Skill FocusSpelling

DescriptionUsing the words from the scrambled word exercises, studentssharpen their language arts skills by playing word search.

MaterialsWord Search activity sheet, completed and sorted UnscrambledWords Sorting Worksheet on page 16

ProcedureDistribute the Word Search activity sheet. Have students completeit independently.

Extension• Have students create their own word searches using words related

to a specific subject (e.g., weather words, food words, art words).

Answer Key


Word Search

n o w w o u l s h e e t b e

m a s i m p l e n i a c a l

z j e l a b n o w t h a c k

h n b t w h o w l l m r x z

o o e c a n b e t o b b y f

w a u j w p r h o b u a h c

m j l d i s e o t j t d t a

d o b f t h q m l o o m v t

c o y o h f i e n d t h e g

p o s s i r t s h n o i f n

a v v e r o n i c l m f g a

z a e c k i s t l a r g e r

e v r n o w i s m p s l h o

h o y d y o u d o i t m i p


Unit 3/Activity 1 The River Creature

Row, Row, Row Your Craft

Skill FocusReading Comprehension

DescriptionStudents refine their reading comprehension skills by rewritingsong lyrics in their own words.

Materialschalkboard, chalk

ProcedureWrite the lyrics to “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” on the board. Usingthe dictionary or students’ suggestions, discuss the meaning of eachword in the song. Make a list of the students’ definitions under thelyrics. Then rewrite the song on the chalkboard using these definitions.(For example, gently could be defined as “softly” and row defined as“push.”) Using the new lyrics, sing the song in a round.

Extension• Do the same exercise with other songs. Divide the class into groups

of four. Have each group create their own definitions and lyrics forthe same song and write all the versions on the board.

• Sing all the different versions in a round.


Unit 3/Activity 2 The River Creature

Write an Incomprehensible Story

Skill FocusReading Comprehension

DescriptionBuilding on prior knowledge, students write a story that makesno sense but is grammatically correct.

MaterialsStory Starters activity sheets, paper, pencil

ProcedureDistribute the Story Starters activitysheets. Tell students that they will writea story based on one of the story starters.The story should make no sense, but itshould retain the same word order. Forexample, “The cat ran in the house” couldbe changed to “The shoe swam in the house,”thus retaining its subject-verb-objectword order. Be sure students understandthat they must maintain the sentencestructure. Share the stories with the class.

Extension• Try the same activity with questions.


Story Starters

22


Sto

ry S

tart

ers

Nam

e: _

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

_


Unit 4/Activity 1 Geyser Alley

Haiku

Skill FocusSyllabication

DescriptionStudents practice syllabication by creating multiple haikus.

MaterialsHaiku by You! activity sheet, white lined paper and coloredconstruction paper

ProcedureDistribute the Haiku by You! activity sheet to the class. Explain thata haiku is a three-line poem with five syllables in the first line, sevensyllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line. Letstudents practice writing haiku on the activity sheet. Then pass outwhite lined paper and colored construction paper and have studentswrite and mount haiku of their own. Display the completed haiku ona bulletin board.

For example:

The but ter fly flew

The win dow was op en wide

Did it come in side?

Have students write their poems first on linedpaper and then on colored construction paperwith artwork.

Extension• Have students create haikus with their own

syllabication rules.

• Have students compete with each otherin a “Haiku Slam.”


Haiku by You!

Create your own haiku by writing one syllable per space.



Charades


DescriptionStudents play charades emphasizing the “how many syllables”aspect of the game.

Materialsnone

ProcedureDivide the class into groups of no more than five studentseach. Explain the rules of charades. Then give each groupa theme, such as movies, books, TV shows, favorite foods,or favorite school subjects. Have each group play charades,starting with the question How many syllables?

ExtensionNone



Around the World with Syllables


DescriptionStudents apply their syllabication skills in a whole-group activity.

Materialsnone

ProcedureHave students stand in a circle. Go around the world (circle)and have each student name an object in the classroom thathas only one syllable. In subsequent rounds, students name two-,three-, and four-syllable objects. Students must sit down if theycannot think of an object, name an object with an incorrect numberof syllables, or repeat an object already named. Play continues untilthere is only one student left standing!

Extension• Play the 20 Questions Syllable Game.

Invent rules as you see fit.


Unit 5/Activity 1 Volcano Climb

Ad-libs

Skill FocusBeginning Sounds

DescriptionStudents have fun completing ad-libs as they practice workingwith initial sounds.

Materialspaper, pencils

ProcedureHave students each write a sentence about something they want.Collect the sentences. Erase a word from the sentence, noting itspart of speech and initial sound. Ask the class to replace it with aword that is the same part of speech and has the same initial sound.(For example, if you erase big, students should name an adjectivestarting with b.) Put the new word into the sentence and read it tothe class. Break students up into groups of four and combine all thesentences in an ad-lib story.

Extension• Try the same exercise with ending sounds.

• Try erasing several words from the sentence.



Beginning Sound Symphony


DescriptionIn this activity, students practice initial sounds by participatingin and conducting an initial-sound symphony.

Materialspointing device (a pencil will work)

ProcedureTell students that you will create an initial-sound symphony.Review initial sounds with the class and how they are used.Generate a list of initial sounds on the board. Divide the classinto groups of four and assign each group an initial sound.

Now it’s time for rehearsal. Using your baton, go over theconductor’s signals, such as the ones for louder, softer, sustained,and solos. Once your signals are established, use the baton topoint to the different groups of initial sounds and experiment.Let students try conducting.

Extension• Try the same thing with complete words.



Musical Words


DescriptionIn this game, students sharpen their spelling skills by listeningto beginning and ending sounds.

Materialsnone

ProcedureHave students sit in a circle. Tell them that they will play a gameinvolving beginning and ending sounds. The rules are as follows:A student says a word that starts with the letter a. Then the studentnext to him says a word that starts with the final letter of the previousword (for example, atom, monster). Continue around the circle,and as students get better, put time limits on the response.

Extension• Collect the words and use them in a story.


Unit 6/Activity 1 Volcano Drop

Alpha-Arrange the Class

Skill FocusAlphabetizing

DescriptionStudents use their alphabetizing skills to impose order.

Materialsclock with second hand

ProcedureHave students line up at the front of the room. Tell them toarrange themselves in alphabetical order as quickly as possible,without talking. Every time someone speaks, add five secondsto the time. Try this a few times and see if students canbeat their record. Break students into groupsand have them compete against each other,arranging themselves by age, last name, inreverse alphabetical order, etc.

Extension• Try the game again, but allow talking. Is the game

faster or slower? Why?

• Have students try the game with their eyes closed(talking allowed).



Alpha Scavenger Hunt


DescriptionStudents use the alphabet as a guide for a fun scavenger hunt.

MaterialsAlpha Scavenger Hunt activity sheet

ProcedureGive each student the Alpha Scavenger Hunt activity sheet.Tell them that they must walk around the school, the room, oranother specified area and find an item for each letter of thealphabet. (For example, acorn, brad, curtain, dictionary, etc.)The students collect each item by recording it on their AlphaScavenger Hunt worksheet. The first pair to return to the roomwith a completed list wins.

Extension• Create a dynamic word wall with all the words students

collect on the scavenger hunt.


Alpha Scavenger Hunt Name _______________________

A ___________________________ N ___________________________

B ___________________________ O ___________________________

C ___________________________ P ____________________________

D ___________________________ Q ___________________________

E ____________________________ R ____________________________

F ____________________________ S ___________________________

G ___________________________ T ___________________________

H ___________________________ U ___________________________

I ___________________________ V ___________________________

J ____________________________ W ___________________________

K ___________________________ X ____________________________

L __________________________ Y ____________________________

M __________________________ Z ____________________________



Alpha Sculpture


DescriptionTeams of students work together to create a human sculpturefor each letter of the alphabet.

Materialsnone

ProcedureDivide the class into teams of four. Explain to the teams that theywill create human sculptures for letters of the alphabet. Some letters,like W, will require the entire group, while other letters may requirefewer students. Have the teams share their sculptures one group ata time, or have multiple groups present the same letter in differentways. As the teams become more competent, have them spellsimple words.

Extension• Try the same activity with numbers.

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