TEACHER'S GUIDE FOR:

Jump Rope

By Mimi Chapra
Illustrations by Selina Alko

Focus: Concepts of Print 

• one-to-one matching
• using the picture clues
• reading a patterned sentence

Supportive Text Features:

• familiar words and concept
• patterned sentence
• strong picture-text match

 
High-frequency Words: she, out, he, we, all

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

• Tell me what children do when they jump rope.
• Tell me how children play jump rope together.
• What do children do when they are jumping rope?

1. Connect children’s past experiences with the story and vocabulary:
   • Hold the book, calling children’s attention to the title. Read: “Jump Rope.”
   • Ask them to predict what they would expect to see happening in the story.
   • Show the back cover and read the copy. Ask children when they think it is jump rope time.
   • Have children predict some words they might read in the story.
   • Give children the book and have them look at the pictures.
   • Ask them what the pictures tell about the story.
2. 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.
3. Be aware of the following text features:
   • The book contains familiar words: jumps, jump.
   • There are two patterned sentences: “She jumps.” “She jumps out.”
   • The pronoun changes on each page.
   • The last sentence is different: “We all jump!”

Reading the Book
Set a purpose by telling children to find out what the children did while jumping rope.

1. 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.

2. Look for these reading behaviors during the first reading:
   • Do the words they say match the printed words in the book? (voice to print match)
   • Do they 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 up 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 /j/ - /u/ - /m/ - /p/
     • /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?

3. 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 after looking at the pictures.

4. Possible teaching points to address based on your observations:
   • Review using the picture to help with each new word.
   • Review using the beginning sound.
   • Model how to reread the sentence if it doesn’t sound right or make sense
   • Discuss the pronouns (he, she, we). How do we know which to use?
   • Call attention to the exclamation point on the last page.

After the First Reading
Have children confirm their predictions.

1. Ask children to talk about the boys and girls. Point out how children use “he,” “she,” “they,” or “we” when they relate what the children are doing.

2. Generate some rhymes or chants that children use when jumping rope.

3. Have children make some connections between what they read about and what they have actually experienced playing jump rope.

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

1. This is a time for assessment. While they are reading, watch what children 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: Write out a jump rope rhyme and read it with children. Have them find the rhyming words. Change some of the words or names in order to make another rhyme.

Art: Design a T-shirt that could be worn while jumping rope.

Science: Borrow some jump ropes from the physical education teacher. Have children feel their pulse or heart rate while sitting. Then have them jump rope for a couple of minutes and retake their heart rate. Discuss why many athletes use jumping rope as part of their training and exercise programs.   

Math: Count the number of jumps each child can take before making a mistake. Graph the results and discuss why there are differences.

Social Studies: Investigate why so many children jump rope during recess. Why is this a good activity for school?

Writing: Make up a jump rope rhyme. Encourage children to use rhythm and rhyme in their rhyme.

Guided Reading with Saltar a la cuerda

Guided Reading™: C        DRA: 3        Reading Recovery®: 3

The Spanish edition also uses two patterned sentences, however because of Spanish grammar, the two sentences are different: “Le toca saltar a ella/él.” and “Termina de saltar.” Because many children speak dialects or may mix Spanish and English they may use other words or phrases. 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 the concepts or words in the story, see the article “Guided Reading with Emergent Readers” for suggestions.