A guide for using our resources

Children will follow the rescue of a baby dolphin and examine the ways people helped it survive.

Vocabulary: rescue, veterinarians, pod

Science Focus: ocean animals

Social and Life Skills: caring for animals

  1. Watch a Video:

    Flip for Dolphins

     

  2. Read the Issue:

    How to Save a Baby Dolphin

     

  3. Play a Game:
    Ocean Punctuation

    Skill: punctuation

     

  4. Complete Skill Sheets 

    Reading Checkpoint

    Skill: reading comprehension

     

    Summarize It

    Skill: writing

     

    Help the Dolphin

    Skill: phonics

     

  5. Lesson Boosters 

  • Paired Text Suggestion: Dolphin Baby! by Nicola Davies

     

  • Phonics Focus: Blends vs. Digraphs

     

  • Hands-on Activity:
    Roll-a-Dolphin

CCSS (and states that have similar standards): RI.1.1 ask and answer questions; RI.1.4 determine meaning of words; RI.1.10 read informational texts; RF.1.1 punctuation; RF.1.3 phonics; W.1.8 gather information; SL.1.1 participate in collaborative conversations

Simple, spectacular ideas to boost your lessons.

Paired Text Suggestion: Dolphin Baby! by Nicola Davies

  • Follow a baby calf as it learns how to be a dolphin from its mother. The narrative and illustrations are scientifically accurate, and the story is joined by additional facts sprinkled throughout the book.

Phonics Focus: Blends vs. Digraphs

  • Review a blend and digraph that your class has already learned. Look at the blend. Do the letters make one sound or two? How about the digraph?
  • Have students open their issue and find a given word. Practice saying it aloud as a class. Does the word begin with a digraph or blend? You can make a chart to list the digraphs and blends from the issue.
  • Words with blends to use:
    • blanket
    • swim
    • smoothies
    • float
    • swarm
    • clicks
    • stay
  • Words with digraphs to use:
    • wrapped
    • whistle
    • where
    • they
    • the
    • there

Hands-On Activity: Roll-a-Dolphin

Skill: read a key

Materials: one Roll-a-Dolphin key skill sheet per game, one dolphin drawing skill sheet per player, number cube, pencils, crayons

  • Students can play this game with a partner or by themselves. It s great practice for reading a key, subitizing, fine-motor skills, and applying what they learned about dolphin body parts.
  • If playing with a partner, students can take turns rolling the number cube and drawing the appropriate part on their dolphin. Encourage them to look at the last page of their issue for reference. If playing alone, the player can simply keep rolling the number cube. The game ends when players have completed their dolphins!
  • When students' dolphins are complete, have them write the dolphin's name and color their picture.