How to Teach a Slug to Read

Title: How to Teach a Slug to Read

Author: Susan Pearson

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Children

Copyright: 2011

Reading Level: Approximately Grade 3 

Summary:

Can you teach a Slug how to read? This short story explains the procedure a Slug must undertake to learn how to read. The step-by-step instructions include labeling, read alouds, repeated words, sounding out words, making a vocabulary lists and lots of patients. This short read also contains Mother Slug rhymes and amazing visuals.

Suggested Delivery:

Read aloud followed by class discussion.

Electronic Resources:

1. Susan Pearson- A great tool for students to utilize before the reading. It is the author's webpage and students can use it to find out more about the author before reading her book. It contains an interview with Pearson, questions she answered from kids and other books she wrote.

2. Video- One of the steps in the book is to help the baby Slug sound out words. This website includes videos students can see after the reading to help them understand how they were taught to sound out words. This website will also help them for their writing activity.

Teaching Suggestions:

1. Vocabulary- Slug, Interest, Rhymes, Tuffet, Patient, Worth

2. Reading Strategies-

Before Reading: Before you start reading, ask students the following questions as a whole class discussion. This will prepare students for the reading and will get them motivated to read the book as they are already making text-to-self connections.

1. Who taught you to read?

2. Where did you learned how to read?

3. Why is it important to learn how to read?

4. How did you learned how to read?

5. What types of books do you like to read?

6. Have you tried to teach someone else how to read?

During Reading: Have students choral read the book with you. This strategy will help struggling readers with fluency and sight words. The strategy will also give them the opportunity to practice and receive support before reading it on their own. 

After Reading: After you read the book, ask students the following questions as a whole class discussion. If necessary, write the steps on the white board so students can easily have access to them.

1. When you teach a Slug how to read, what step is the most important one? Why?

2. When you teach a Slug how to read, what step would you remove or think it is unnecessary? Why?

3. The way the Slug learned how to read, is it the same way you learned how to read?

3. Writing Activity- Have students write a journal entry of their experience as a learner. The journal entry should include their experience with reading, if they like it or dislike reading and why. They should also write the steps they would follow to teach a younger sibling how to read.