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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
|
Author: Bill
Martin and John Archambault
|
LANGUAGE ARTS
Letter
Recognition
1. As you read the story, have your child point to each letter on the page
as it is mentioned.
2. Have your child find the letters of his/her name on the inside front cover.
3. Cut out a trunk and palm leaves from construction
paper. Tape the tree to the fridge. Add letter magnets. Have your child add
the letters as they are mentioned in the story.
Rhyme
1. Note the rhyming rhythm of the story. For your student who
understands what rhyme is, try paraphrasing the story without the
rhyming. Does your child enjoy it this way? Which way does he like it
the best?
2. Read the book and stop just before a rhyming word. Can your child guess what
word comes next? For example “Chicka chicka boom boom! Look there’s a full
____” or “J and K are about to cry. L is knotted like a _____”.
Personification
Personification gives human traits to animals or objects. Ask your child if
letters have feelings or if they can run and play. Point out that the author has chosen
to make them seem like people. Read the story and ask your child to point out
things that make the letters seem like people. (Running, climbing, talking,
emotions)
MATH
Counting
Count the letters on the inside cover (there are both upper and lower case
letters, so there are 52)
Colors and
Counting
Choose a page of the book and count how many red, orange, pink, green, blue,
and yellow letters there are. Have your child color a bar graph. Are there
more green than blue? Which color has the most letters? Which has the least?
Patterns
Have your child follow a pattern with cut out letters. A, B, C, A, B, (what
comes next?) You might also consider cutting the letters out of various
colors. Red A, Blue A, Red B, (what comes next)
Measurement:
Weight
Use magnetic letters on a balance. What happens if the same amount of
letters is placed on each side? How many can the child place on one side before
it tips?
COOKING
Coconut
Try adding coconut to your favorite granola recipe or sprinkling it on
oatmeal, cold cereal or fruit salad. You could also look for some simple
coconut recipes to prepare with your student.
ABC kabobs
Slice apples, bananas, carambola (star fruit) into bite size pieces. Let your
child thread them onto skewers. It is fun to put a star fruit slice on the end
to create a “magic” wand.
Fruit
Smoothies
Let your child choose one or 2 tropical fruits. Add chunks (equal to 1-2
cups) to blender with one can of mandarin oranges (with juice) and one banana.
Blend. Add ˝ cup or more of milk to desired consistency. Note: freezing the
banana ahead of time adds to the texture.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Family Tree
Discuss with your child extended family roles such as aunts and uncles and
cousins. Make a family tree with the child’s grandparents at the top.
Family Tree at Enchanted Learning
SCIENCE
Day and
Night
Discuss the rotation of the earth and the concept of day/night. An easy way
to do this is to place a paper doll shape on the globe. Shine a flashlight
(sun) onto the globe where the figure is. Slowly rotate the globe and notice
that the figure slowly moves out of the sunshine (into the night).
Rotation of the Earth
Coconut Trees
and Tropical Climates
Have your child look at the tree in the book. Does this look like the trees
in your yard? Coconut Palm Trees grow in tropical climates. Tropical climates
are categorized by high temperatures and large amounts of precipitation year
round. Discuss with your child differences and similarities between this type of
climate and your own. Use a calendar to note how many sunny and rainy days you
have over the next month or two. You might also wish to set up a rain gauge in
your own yard.
Fruits
After your trip to the local grocery store (see Life Skills), let your
child smell and touch the various fruits that you have chosen. What is the
texture? Is it smooth or rough? Can your child find the stem end? What is the
shape? Let your child help you to wash the fruit. Then, wash his/her own
hands. Cut each one open (for information on how to open a fresh coconut, see
below) and examine the flesh and seeds. Is there juice? Is the flesh of the
fruit a different color than the skin or shell? Does it smell different after
you have opened it? You may wish to save some of the various seeds and let them
dry. You can plant them to see which (if any) will sprout.
Note: To open a coconut, puncture each of the eyes with a skewer or nail. Then allow the coconut to drain. Put the coconut into a large Ziploc bag. Place on a hard surface (the driveway works well) and whack it with a hammer.
LIFE SKILLS
Grocery
Store Field Trip
Bananas, citrus fruits, and pineapple are tropical fruits that most young
children regularly enjoy. Take a trip to the produce section of a local grocery
store to explore other tropical fruits that are widely available at most grocery
stores now. Select several new fruits to try. Let your child touch and smell
the various choices. Some choices to consider include papaya, guava, mango,
fresh pineapple, kiwi, star fruit (carambola), avocado, pomegranate, plantains,
and be sure to also get a whole coconut! Take time to explain to your child how
you choose each fruit, or ask the produce manager to assist you. You may want
to call ahead to arrange this.
First Aid
All the letters crashed out of the tree and had some cuts and scrapes.
Discuss how to treat a skinned knee or a stubbed toe.
ART
Art
Appreciation
Notice the bright colors that the illustrator chose. Point out to your
child the polka dot border. Why does he/she think the artist chose to do that?
How many shades of green did the artist use? Is each leaf the same shape? If
you have discussed personification, ask your child to look at the pictures to
find examples of ways that the artist added human characteristics to the
letters.
Collage
Lois Ehlert is known for her collage art. Give your child many brightly
colored paper and scissors and let them create a collage. They may wish to
create a coconut tree or perhaps their house or something else of their
choosing.
Painting
Get banana leaves from the grocery store. Let your child place them on top
of construction paper (dark colors work best). Leave in the sun for several
hours. When you remove the leaves, you are left with the design your child
created. You can also get a similar effect by taping construction paper leaves
to the construction paper. Have your child paint over the top of the leaves.
When dry, remove the leaves.
ABC Coconut
Tree Pictures
Use the banana leaves to make prints (or cut sponges into leaf shapes similar to
the book). Paint the underside of the leaf with paint and press onto paper.
Use bottle tops to make circles (coconuts) and pieces of rectangular sponges
(trunks) to complete their pictures. You can then add ABC stickers or use ABC
sponges to complete the trees.
JUST FOR FUN
Grass Skirt
Use newspaper to make “grass” skirts for dress up fun. Open several thick
sections of a newspaper and tape end to end to fit around your child’s waist.
Tape a length of twine or yard to each end. Cut strips up from the bottom to
within 2 inches of the top. Wrap around your child and tie at their waist.
Play some hula music and enjoy dancing together.
Paper Towel
Tube Trees
Paint paper towel tube brown. Cut leaves from construction paper and
glue/tape to the top. Add coconuts (brown pom poms or circles of construction
paper) to the leaves. You may wish to also add ABC stickers to the trunk and
leaves.
Lesson Extensions for an older student
1. Consider a study of the import/export business.
2. Discuss the phases of the moon.
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/time/moon/phases.html
http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/vphase.html
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/astroskymap/lunar.htm
RESOURCES
Websites
Bill Martin's Website
John Archambault's Website
Selecting and preparing tropical fruit
More about tropical
fruit
Chicka Chicka Boom
Boom Coloring and Craft Pages
Library List
Chicka Chicka 1,2, 3 by Bill Martin Jr.
other alphabet books-
Dr. Seuss' ABC
On Market Street by Arnold Lobel
Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert
Alphabet City by Stephen T. Johnson
Video
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Lots More Learning Fun! (Scholastic Video
Collection) DVD ~ Bill Martin Jr.