TEACHER'S GUIDE FOR:

Golden Dragon Parade

By Anastasia Suen
Illustrations by Priscilla Burris

Focus: Concepts of Print

• one-to-one matching
• using the picture clues
• reading patterned sentences
• noticing a change at the end of a patterned sentence

Supportive Text Features

• familiar words and concept
• patterned sentences
• two alternating sentence patterns
• strong picture/text match

Essential Components of Reading Instruction:

• Phonemic Awareness: concept of word
• Phonics: initial consonant blends /dr/, /fl/; long /i/ vowel sound spelled /igh/.
• Vocabulary: lights, masks, drums, flags, lions, fans, dragon, pop
• Language Mechanics: adding “s” to a noun
• Fluency: reread the story independently or with a partner
• Comprehension: determine what is important, make connections, ask questions

High-frequency Words: here, they, come, I, see, the

Getting Ready to Read
1. Introduce the concept and vocabulary by asking open-ended questions:

• Tell me what you know about parades.
• What types of parades have you seen? How did watching the parade make you feel?
• Name some holidays and celebrations for which there are parades in our community.

2. Connect children’s past experiences with the story and vocabulary:

• Hold the book, calling children’s attention to the title. Read: "Golden Dragon Parade."
• Ask children to predict what they might see at a Golden Dragon Parade.
• Show the back cover and read the copy. Ask children to name the items they see on the back cover.
• Have children predict some words they might read in the story.
• Give children the book and have them look at the pictures.
• Ask them to find out what the people see at the parade.

3. Remind children of the strategies they know and can use with unfamiliar words:

• Ask them, "What will you do if you come to a word you don’t know?"
• Encourage children to look at the pictures and the beginning sound of the word.

4. Be aware of the following book/text features:

• The book contains familiar words: lights, masks, drums, flags, lions, fans, dragon, pop.
• The text is above the pictures; the pictures go across each two facing pages.
• There are two alternating patterned sentences: “Here they come.” “I see ___.”
• Only one word changes on every other page. The exception is page 15, where two words are added at the end of the sentence pattern.
• The last page is different: “Pop! Pop! Pop!”
• The last page is a series of exclamations; the type increases in size with each word.

Reading the Book
1. Set a purpose by telling children to read the book to learn and find out what they see at a Golden Dragon Parade.

2. Have children read quietly but out loud. Each child should be reading at his or her own pace. Children should not read in chorus. Listen to children as they read by leaning close or bending down beside each child.

3. Look for these reading behaviors during the first reading:

• Do the words children say match the printed words in the book? (voice-to-print match)
• Do children look at the pictures before they read the text or after they read?
• What do they do if they encounter an unfamiliar word? (appeal to you, try a strategy)
• Do their eyes go down to the picture before reading the new word in the pattern?
• Are they saying the initial sounds of words before saying the whole word?
• Are they saying the individual letter sounds
  /m/-/a/-/s/-/k/-/s/ or blending the sounds?
• Do they reread if they come to an unfamiliar or unknown word?
• Have they self-corrected any mistakes?
• Is there any inflection or speech-like sound to their reading?
• Have they responded with a laugh or other sound as they read the text?
• Do they make comments as they read?

4. As children read, suggest a reading strategy if they are struggling: "Try looking at the picture to make sense of the print." Encourage children to take a guess or use the beginning letter sound.

5. Possible teaching points to address based on your observations:

• Review using the picture to help with each new word.
• Review using initial consonant blends and the long /i/ vowel sound to read new words.
• Model how to reread the sentence if it does not sound right or make sense.
• Call attention to all the high-frequency words children have learned and used.
• Provide help with reading the two-syllable word.
• Talk about how an “s” is sometimes added to the end of a word to show more than one (lights, masks, drums, etc.).
• Point out that it is important to look at the crowd of people in each picture to find out who is telling the story. Also note that the visual clues start with the picture on the title page.
• Call attention to the exclamation points on the last page.

After the First Reading

1.Have children confirm their predictions about what they saw at the Golden Dragon Parade.

2.Starting with the title page, have children look at the pictures in order and tell the story in their own words. Encourage children to pay attention to both the parade participants and the young girl in the red shirt to see how she is responding to the parade.

3.Have children name the colors they see in the clothing/costumes of the parade participants.

4.Tell children to look carefully at the picture of the lions on page 11 and the dragon on page 15. Talk about what makes it possible for the animals to walk in the parade.

5.Focus children’s attention on the last page. What does it show? Model how the words should be read differently because of the exclamation points.

6.Explain that the Golden Dragon Parade is part of the celebration of Chinese Lunar New Year, and introduce children to the basics of the holiday (there are many informational sites online). If any children are of Chinese heritage, let volunteers tell the class what they know about the holiday and parade.

7.Have children tell what they think might happen next in the story.
 

Second Reading

1. Have children reread the book in a whisper voice or to a partner.

2. This is a time for assessment. While children are reading, watch what they do and what they use from the teaching time. Alternatively, you might take a running record on one child as an assessment of the child’s reading behavior.

Cross-Curricular Activities
Language
Record children’s retelling of the story of Golden Dragon Parade on chart paper. Then reread the story with children several times, pointing to each word as you read.

Read aloud the story The Dancing Dragon by Marcia Vaughan in which a child describes the excitement, preparation, and festivities of Chinese Lunar New Year, ending with a parade that includes a magnificent dragon.

Language/Math
Look through the book and make a list of the plural words. Write the singular form alongside each word. Review that adding “s” at the end of a word shows there is more than one. Have children go through the book and count how many of each item they see. Record the results with tally marks alongside the plurals. The plural/singular word pairs may also be added to the word wall.

Math
Children may enjoy learning how to write the Chinese characters for the numerals 1, 2, 3. Those with good small-motor coordination may wish to try additional characters as well. Here are the characters for 1 through 10:

 

Social Studies
Many video clips of Chinese Lunar New Year parades are available online. If possible, let children view one or more of these to see a real parade.

Read children the Bebop title Chinatown Adventure, about a young girl’s visit to a Chinatown near where she lives. Talk about all the things the girl sees. In the photographs, children will see examples of lights (lanterns), fans, and other items depicted in Golden Dragon Parade. Let volunteers who have visited or live in a Chinatown tell about their experiences.

Social Studies/Art
Show children where China is on a globe or world map. Explain that the Chinese dragon represents strength and goodness. The dragon appears at the end of the New Year parade to wish everyone peace, wealth, and good luck. It is called Gum Loong, which means “Golden Dragon.” Have children draw a picture of a Chinese dragon and write a sentence about the picture. Or you may wish to download an outline of a Chinese dragon for children to color. One example can be found at the following Web site, but many others are available: http://www.edupics.com/coloring-page-chinese-dragon-i5662.html.

Science
For the new year, Chinese children are given red envelopes with brand-new money inside. Make a solution of 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1/4 cup salt. Let children drop pennies into the solution, wait a few minutes, then remove and dry the coins with a paper towel. Children will have shiny “new” pennies to wrap in red paper and give as gifts to their friends and families.

Art
Provide children with construction paper, tissue paper, colored cotton balls, crayons, safety scissors, glue, and other art supplies to make their own lanterns, masks, flags, and other items for a Golden Dragon Parade. Several children may even wish to work together to make a lion and a dragon. Let children carry their creations and hold their own parade. You may wish to download some Chinese music to play during the festivities.

Writing
Have children write questions they would like to ask the girl in the story about the Golden Dragon Parade.

El desfile del dragón dorado

Guided Reading: B
EDL/DRA: 2
Intervention: 2

16 Pages
38 Words

The Spanish edition also uses two patterned sentences and familiar words: luces, máscaras, tambores, banderines, leones, abanicos, dragón, pum. The pattern uses the singular form of the verb ver, meaning “to see,” shown in the text as veo. Because many children speak dialects or may mix Spanish and English, you may need to help children understand that “book language” does not always match the words we use every day.

The book introduction and guided reading lesson follow the outline for the English edition. Children need exactly the same support and strategy instruction as their English-speaking classmates.

If children have difficulty with concepts or words in the story, see the article "Guided Reading with Emergent Readers" for suggestions.