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by Betsy Franco

100 Riddle Poems for Pocket Charts Betsy Franco, Scholastic Teaching Resources

Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the contents of this book for classroom use only. No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form

or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

Cover design by Norma OrtizCover artwork by Marta Avils

Interior design by Sydney WrightInterior artwork by Susan Calitri

ISBN: 0-439-25614-3Copyright 2001 by Betsy Franco

All rights reserved.Printed in the U.S.A.

Dedication8888888

For Lauren and Andrew


Introduction........................................................................................................4

Which Mystery Color? ......................................................................................10

What Shape Am I? ............................................................................................15

Whats That Feeling? .........................................................................................18

Which of the Five Senses?.................................................................................21

On the Playground: What Am I Playing? ..........................................................24

Whos on the Farm? ..........................................................................................29

Can You Bee a Bug Detective? ...........................................................................35

Whos Hatching? ...............................................................................................41

Transportation: What Kind? ..............................................................................45

Which Community Worker Am I? ....................................................................51

Whats the Weather and What Will I Wear? ......................................................56

Whos in the Rain Forest?..................................................................................62

At the Beach and in the Ocean: What Am I?.....................................................67

Which Season?..................................................................................................72

Which Holiday? ................................................................................................75

Contents


4100 Riddle Poems for Pocket Charts provides you with riddles that are fun and educational. It alsoenables you to display the riddles on your pocket chart with picture cards that will delightyour class. Having a pictorial, oral, and written answer to a rhyming riddle helps children makeconnections between oral and written language. It reinforces reading concepts for visual andauditory learners.

Activities in 100 Riddle Poems for Pocket Charts show how riddles can provide a motivational textfor teaching the following skills:

letter and sound recognition phonemic elements spelling and rhyming patterns reading skills oral literacy writing

Using all the elements of 100 Riddle Poems for Pocket Charts will help you get the most out of your riddling time!

Introduction


5How the Book Is Organized88888888888888888888

100 Riddle Poems for Pocket Charts is organized into sets of riddles on a common theme. Eachset begins with instructions for preparing the charts and developing a simple lead-in activity ordiscussion idea. These include book links, discussion topics, websites, and list-making suggestions.Step-by-step instructions are provided for setting up and using each pocket chart riddle. To extendlearning, two activities are provided for each set of riddles. In many cases, these include onephonics-oriented activity and onewriting activity.

Following the riddles are charmingpicture cards you can photocopy toenhance pocket chart learning. Forexample, in the section on WhosHatching?, there are pictures for anegg and the animals that hatch fromeggs. All pocket chart pictures canbe enlarged to a size that works bestfor your pocket-chart needs. Thepictures may then be colored andlaminated for durability.

Different Levels of Learning88888888888888888888

100 Riddle Poems for Pocket Charts can easily be used withpre-emergent, emergent, and more fluent readers. Forexample, you can first read the riddle aloud, then havechildren chant the riddle with you several times. Finally,individual volunteers or small groups can recite it beforethe class. By reading the riddle aloud in a variety of ways,you will provide the repetition children need in order tomemorize it.

The ways that picture card answers are used will dependon the level of the children. For young children, picturecard answers can be lined up facing forward on the pocketchart. For older children, vary the setupsometimes withpossible answers in full view and sometimes with theanswer facing backwards.

Tips for Teaching Phonics and Building Literacy88888888888888888888888888888888888

A riddle can easily be used to help you teach phonics and build literacy. Try the following techniques:

Children can hunt for words in a riddle that begin or end with a particular consonant


6sound. They can place sticky notes underwords with the same initial consonants oronsets. For example, children could placesticky notes under all the words that beginwith the letter b in this riddle about acommunity worker (p. 51):

Let me help youfind a bookon bears or beesor how to cook.Who am I?Answer: librarian

Some riddles include the first letter of the answer as a clue. These are perfect for beginningconsonant study. The following riddle is about clothes children wear in different types ofweather (p. 56):

To keep my hands warmwhen building in snow,my m_______ go with mewherever I go.What go with me?Answer: mittens

You can use a handmade or commercialframer to highlight words in the text thatshare a phonemic element.

The rhyming words in the riddles are perfect forbrainstorming banks of rhyming words. Childrenwill also discover that rhyming words usuallyhave a common phonogram or word family.

In some riddles, such as the one below about a rain forest animal (p. 62), the answer rhymeswith a word in the poem. A riddle like this canserve as a springboard for exploring words thatrhyme with fan.

With a giant-sized beak,and a tail like a fan,Ive got bright-colored feathers.Im called a ________ .Answer: toucan

You can cover the rhyming word with a blankcard and have children guess the mystery word.


7 Some riddles feature a particular phonemic element,such as long e or the phonogram -ake. Children canfind and highlight these elements by placing stickynotes under the appropriate words. For instance, wordswith the long e sound appear in this seasonal riddle(p. 72in the words trees, leaves, baby, and season):

In __________ timetrees have brand new leaves,and baby birds fly in the sky.We like to dig and plant all day.We like the __________ time, you and I.Which season?Answer: spring

Children can sort the picture cards into different categories. For example, the answers for theriddles about feelings (p. 18) are happy, sad, angry, surprised, and scared. These can be sorted byinitial consonants, short vowel sounds, final vowel sounds, or inflectional endings.

/s/s: sad, surprised, scared/a/a: happy, sad, angry/e/y: happy, angry-ed: surprised, scared

Word walls or word banks may be used, and even illustrated, based on words in the riddle thathave a common theme or a common phonemic element. An ABC word wall, for example,could be made using the names of the rain forest animals (p. 62).

Invite children to choose the word card that contains the answer to a riddle. Have the class usephonics as they sound out the initial, medial, and final sounds of the words.

Mix up sentence strips for each line of a familiar riddle. Then have children arrange them insequential order.

Tips for Using Riddles for Writing8888888888888888888888888

Because riddles are simple and short, they are easy toadapt, personalize, and create.

An existing riddle can be stripped to its skeleton andused as a frame for children to complete. For instance,children can write their own holiday riddles (p. 75)using the following frame.

We _________ [an activity associatedwith the holiday]on this happy holiday.Can you guess the day Im thinking of?Youre right. Its _________ Day.


8 Parts of a riddle can be covered and children can substitute new words. In this way, they canpersonalize the riddle, making it more meaningful. For example, most of the riddles aboutcommunity workers can be rewritten like the following.

Let me help you find a bookon _________ or _________or how to cook.Who am I? _________Answer: librarian

Children can write their own non-rhyming riddles on aparticular theme, such as rain forest animals (p. 62).Results can be bound together in a collaborativeclass book.

Children can complete and illustrate a frame based on atheme. For example, the following frame can be usedwith the riddles about the five senses (p. 21).

I like to pet my hamster because he is so soft.

The theme of the riddles can serve as a springboard forwriting poetry or personal opinions in creative ways.For example, in response to the riddles about playingon the playground (p. 24), children can write inside ofa ball shape.

Tips for Promoting Oral Literacy8888888888888888888888888

The pocket chart is perfect for shared, oral literacy.

Children can chant the riddle together. Groups of children can stand in front of the class and recite the riddle. Individual volunteers might want to recite the riddle. The riddle can be read chorally with two different groups reading parts of the riddle,

as with the following riddle about the five senses (p. 21).

Group one: A cricket does this with its leg.Group two: I do it with my ears.Group one: I do it when a siren soundsGroup two: or people scream and cheer.All children: What do I do?Answer: hear

Children can emphasize certain elements in a riddle when they read it aloud. For example,in the riddles about farm animals (p. 29), children can emphasize the sounds that theanimals make.

I

really like to play soccerbecauseIloveto

kick

aba

ll.


9 Some children could also recite the riddle while others act it out. The following seasonalriddle (p. 72) serves as a model.

In ____________,

trees are orange and red,[children move arms like tree branches]

and leaves are twirling in the sky.[children twirl]

We like to jump in the leaves all day.[children jump]

We like the _____________, you and I.Which season?Answer: autumn/fall

Tips for Promoting Comprehension88888888888888888888888888

Riddles are perfect for promoting readingcomprehension. In order to solve a riddle,children have to reread the text and findclues or details that lead them to the answer.You can assess childrens understanding of thetext by the reasonableness of their answersto the riddles.

Riddles presented in a pocket chart arebeneficial and easy to use.Theyre short andsweet, theyre fun and logical, and they promoteliteracy. Riddles also engage the reader on avisual and auditory level. Children will enjoysolving the riddles. And the pocket chartpictures will make riddling in your classroomespecially fun!


Getting Ready888888888888

1. Copy each line of each riddle onto a sentence strip.

2. Enlarge the picture cards (pp. 1314) on a photo-copier. Then mount them on cardstock and cut out.

3. Color each crayon the appropriate color. You maywant to laminate them for durability.

Using the Riddles888888888888888

1. Display one riddle on the sentence strips.

2. Place three or more of the picture card answers at thebottom of the pocket chart, or set the correct answerfacing backwards.

3. Read aloud the riddle and/or have the children readit aloud in groups or as a class.

4. Invite a child to guess the answer by picking one ofthe crayon pictures and saying its name. Ask thechild to support the correct answer with clues fromthe text.

5. Have the child put the correct answer beneath thelast line of the riddle.

6. Reread the riddle and answer as a group.

Going One Step Beyond88888888888888888888

Hidden Words Once children are familiar with theriddle, cover all but the initial consonant letter of someof the words. Let children say the initial consonantsound and guess the hidden word. Then have avolunteer uncover the word and read it aloud.

Color Lists Use the images from the riddles and thebooks you have read to brainstorm a list of items thatare associated with each color. Display the word banksyou create on a bulletin board.

10

Which Mystery Color?

Making the Most of the Riddles

Springboards

Read The Color Box: ABook of Shapes byDayle Ann Dodds(Little, Brown & Co.,1992) or Color by RuthHeller (Grosset &Dunlap, 1995). Askchildren what theirfavorite colors are andmake a tally chart.


11


On American flagsboth old and new,theres red and theres whiteand theres this color, too.Name the mystery color.

Answer: blue

The color from mixingred and blueis the color of plums and grape juice, too.Name the mystery color.

Answer: purple

The color of a daffodilthats growing in the sun,or a bunch of eight bananas that are ripening one by one.Name the mystery color.

Answer: yellow


12

Cherries, apples, pomegranates,ladybugs, and roses.At circus time, the clowns all wearthis color for their noses.Name the mystery color.

Answer: red

The farm has rows of peas and beans,some peppers and some lettuce.This is the color that we eatwhen Farmer Betty lets us.Name the mystery color.

Answer: green

Its a pumpkin in the autumn,ripe and golden in the light.Its a jack-o-lanterns face,bright and scary in the night.Name the mystery color.

Answer: orange



blue

purple

yellow



red

green

orange

14 100 Riddle Poems for Pocket Charts Betsy Franco, Scholastic Teaching Resources



2. Enlarge the picture cards (p. 17) on a photocopier.Then mount them on cardstock and cut out.

3. You may want to color the picture cards and laminatethem for durability.




3. Read the riddle aloud, and/or let the children read italoud in groups or as a class.

4. Invite a child to guess the answer by picking one of theshapes and saying its name. Ask the child to supportthe correct answer with clues from the text.

5. Have the child put the correct answer beneath the lastline of the riddle.



Long Vowel Hunt In the riddle about a square, havechildren place sticky notes below the words with the longi sound (tile, sides) and with long a sound (game, same).Ask children to identify the word pattern. (They eachhave a silent e at the end; they each follow the patternconsonant, vowel, consonant, e.)

Writing More Shape Riddles Individually or in pairs,let children make up new riddles for the five geometricshapes. You may wish to use the following frame:

A ______ [Example: teepee]and a ______ [Example: slice of pizza]are the clues Ill give to you.To play this guessing game,you say the shapes name.Answer ______ [Example: triangle]

15

What Shape Am I?


Springboards

Read Round Is a Mooncake byRoseanne Thong (ChronicleBooks, 2000) or The Shape ofThings by Dayle Ann Dodds(Candlewick Press, 1996).Then,have children make a list ofshapes they know and invitethem to brainstorm objectsthat match those shapes. Beginthe activity by having childrenlook around the classroom andfind objects such as the clock,for circle, and a book forrectangle.


16

What Shape Am I?

A pizza, a clock,a bicycle wheelI have no sides,but Im for real.Im a _________________Answer: circle

A door, a book,a tabletopfour corners wait where my four sides stop.Im a _________________Answer: rectangle

An arrowhead,a party hatIve got three sides.Now think of that.Im a _________________Answer: triangle

A bathroom tile,a checkerboard gameMy four straight sidesare all the same!Im a _________________Answer: square


What Shape Am I?

squaretriangle

circle rectangle





3. You may want to color the picture cards andlaminate them for durability.





4. Let a child guess the answer by picking the face thatportrays the feeling and saying its name aloud. Askthe child to support the correct answer using cluesfrom the riddle.

5. Have the child put the correct answer beneath thelast line of the riddle.



Sorting Out Feelings Create word cards with the names of feel-ings. These can include happy, sad, angry, surprised, scared, thankful,grumpy, silly, shocked, goofy, blue, and joyful. Invite children to sortthem into feelings that are happy and feelings that are not happy.

Guess the Feeling Give each child a paper folded in half. Havechildren draw themselves expressing an emotion on the front. Onthe inside, have them copy and complete the following frame.

In this pictureI am feeling ________ .I feel this way when ________ .

Display the cards on a bulletin board. Let children guess eachothers feelings and then open up the cards to check their guesses.

18

Whats That Feeling?


Springboards

Read Lillys Purple PlasticPurse by Kevin Henkes(Greenwillow, 1996) orGrandpas Face by EloiseGreenfield (Philomel Books,1988) to introduce feelings.Invite children to brainstorma list of feelings. Let volun-teers describe a situation inwhich they had a strongfeeling. Set a time limit forsharing.


19

Whats That Feeling?

Whenever its my birthday,or when Grandma brings us treats,I get a __________ feelingthats warm inside of me.How do I feel? __________Answer: happy

On dark and windy Halloweens,if someone yells out boo,it makes me feel pretty __________.Some masks have __________ me, too.How do I feel? __________Answer: scared

When someone breaks my favorite toyor calls me yucky names,then I feel very __________.Its kind of like a flame.How do I feel?__________Answer: angry

When someone hurts my feelings,or a good friend moves away,I start to feel pretty __________.The world looks kind of gray.How do I feel? __________Answer: sad


Whats That Feeling?

angrysad

scared happy








2. Place three or more of the picture card answers atthe bottom of the pocket chart, or set the correctanswer facing backwards.

3. Read the riddle aloud, and/or let the children read italoud in groups or as a class.

4. Invite a child to guess the answer by picking the body partthat is related to that sense and saying its name aloud.

5. Have the child put the correct picture card beneath thelast line of the riddle.


21

Which of the Five Senses?


Springboards

Read Busy Bunnies FiveSenses (Hello Science Reader!Level 1) by Teddy Slater(Scholastic, 2000) or My FiveSenses by Aliki (Ty CrowellCo., 1989) as an introduc-tion to the five senses. Havechildren complete a tablelike the following showingthe five senses and whatpart of the body is usedfor each.

Sense Part of Bodyseeing eyes


Collaborative Book About the Senses Have each child createa page for a collaborative class book about favorite smells, sights,tastes, sounds, and textures. Children can complete the followingframe: I like to ___________ because ___________ . For example,I like to touch my hamster because hes so soft.

Animal Senses Have children mimic how each animal in ariddle uses an unusual body part to have a sensory experience.For example: A cricket hears with an organ in its front legs. Some bats have poor eyesight. To locate an insect to eat, a bat sends

out noises. Then it listens for an echo bouncing off the insect. A boa constrictor smells with its tongue. A cat feels things with its whiskers. An eel tastes with its skin. A fly tastes with its feet.


22


An eel does this with its skin,a housefly with its feet.I do this with my mouth each daywhen I sit down to eat.What do I do? _____________Answer: taste

A cricket does this with its leg.I do it with my ears.I do it when a siren soundsor people scream and cheer.What do I do? _____________

Answer: hear

A bat can use its ears for this.I do it with my eyes.I do it when I look at birdsor watch a full moon rise.What do I do? _____________Answer: see

A boa does this with its tongue,I do it with my nose.If someones baking cookie dough,then I am sure to know.What do I do? _____________Answer: smell

A cat has whiskers just for this.I do it with my hands.I do it when I pat a dogor feel the silky sand.What do I do? _____________Answer: touch



taste

see

smell

hear touch









3. Read aloud the riddle and/or have the children read italoud in groups or as a class.

4. Let a child guess the answer by picking one of thepictures of playground equipment or games and saying its name. Ask the child to support the correctanswer with clues from the text.

5. Have the child put the correct picture card beneaththe last line of the riddle.



Opposites When working with the riddles about thejump rope and the yo-yo, invite children to find theopposites in the poems. Brainstorm other words that areopposites. Have children make a two-sided display bychoosing two words that are opposite in meaning andillustrating them on each side of an open folder.

Favorite Sports Encourage childrento write about their favorite sports andwhy they like them. Their responsescan be written inside an appropriateshape, such as a ball. Make a classbook of the results.

24

On the Playground: What Am I Playing?


Use the book Playgroundsby Gail Gibbons (HolidayHouse, 1985) andHopscotch Around theWorld by Mary D. Lankford(Beech Tree Books, 1996)as a springboard into adiscussion of playgroundactivities. Help childrencreate a web about thegames and activitiesthey engage in on theplayground. Include theequipment needed foreach activity.

I

really like to play soccerbecauseIloveto

kick

aba

ll.

Springboards


25


Over my headand under my feet,the rope twirls around,and I jump to the beat.What am I playing? _________Answer: jump rope

Its string is quite long.It spins high and low.It twirls up and down.Its called a _________ .What am I playing? _________Answer: yo-yo

On my hips it twirls round and round.But when I get tired,it falls to the ground.What am I playing? _________Answer: Hula-Hoop

Swoosh!Its going through the hoop.I make two pointsand let out a whoop.What am I playing? _________Answer: basketball


26

Home run, single,double, too.I catch the balland throw it to you.What am I playing? _________Answer: baseball or softball

I kick the ballno hands, just feet.Getting a goalfeels really neat!What am I playing? _________Answer: soccer

Draw the squaresin white or black.Throw a stone.Hop up and back.What am I playing? _________Answer: hopscotch

Im it. I chase youone, two, three.I try to catchthe friends I see.What am I playing? _________Answer: tag



jump ropebaseball

Hoola-Hoop soccer ball



tagbasketball

yo-yo hopscotch








2. Place the picture of the barn on the bottom of thepocket chart. Slip the correct picture card answerbehind the barn.


4. Let a child guess the answer and support the correctanswer using clues from the riddle.

5. Invite the child to check the answer by finding theanimal behind the barn.

6. Have the child put the answer beneath the last lineof the riddle.

Note: For younger children, display the barn alongwith three or more picture cards. Have the childchoose the correct picture card and place it on topof the barn.



Animal ABCs Working in small groups, have thechildren put word cards for the animal names in alpha-betical order. For example, cat, cow, dog, duck, horse,goose, owl, pig, rooster, sheep, turkey. If children cannotalphabetize to the second letter, omit cow and dog.

Sound Effects Let children find the lines of theriddles that include sounds. Help children build oralliteracy by having them recite the riddles with specialemphasis on the animal sounds.

29

Whos on the Farm?


Springboards

Read one of Teri Sloats FarmerBrown books, such as FarmerBrown Goes Round and Round(DK Publishing, 1999).You canalso enjoy Bill Martins ChickenChuck (Winslow Press, 2000)together. Discuss the farmanimals and the differentsounds they make.Then, assigngroups of children to a farmanimal. Orchestrate a shortconcert by pointing at eachgroup and having them mimicthe animals sound.


30

Whos on the Farm?

He cock-a-doodles on the farm.He is the farmers loud alarm.Who is he? ______________Answer: rooster

Her babys called a little lamb.Her coat is soft and white.The farmer cuts her wool each year.It keeps you warm at night!Who is she? ______________Answer: sheep

He has a very wobbly chin.His wings flap up and down.Thanksgiving Day, hed fly away,but hes stuck on the ground.Who is he? ______________Answer: turkey

She chews her cud.She softly moos.Her fresh white milks her gift to you.Who is she? ______________Answer: cow


31

He barks and runs around a lotto herd the sheep together.He keeps the farmer companyin every kind of weather.Who is he? ______________Answer: dog or sheep dog

Paddle, paddle, paddle,Dive, dive, dive,Quack, quack, quack.Its good to be alive!Who is she? ______________Answer: duck

He hoots and hoots in the barn at night.He catches lots of little mice.He turns his head this way and thatand blinks his two large eyes.Who is he? ______________Answer: owl or barn owl

Clippity clop, clippity clopShe lifts her head to neigh.Shes trotting to the big red barnto eat some fresh-cut hay.Who is she? ______________Answer: horse


Whos on the Farm?

roostercow

duck horse


Whos on the Farm?

sheepowl

turkey dog


Whos on the Farm?

barn








2. Place the leaf at the bottom of the pocket chart. Slipthe correct picture card answer behind the leaf.


4. Let a child guess the answer. Ask the child to supportthe answer by pointing to key words in the text.

5. Invite the child to check the answer behind the leaf.

6. Have the child put the answer beneath the last line ofthe riddle.

Note: For younger children, you can display the leafalong with three or more picture cards. A child canchoose the correct picture card and place it on top of the leaf.



A Good Time with Rhyme Cover one of the rhymingwords in the riddle and have children guess the missingword. Once the word is revealed, invite children to brain-storm a list of words that rhyme with it.

Bug Book Have children choose their favorite riddles toillustrate. You might instruct children to copy the riddleonto their pages before illustrating them. A collaborativeclass book can be made from the childrens pages. You might also ask children to create their own unrhymedriddles about insects that werent included on the riddlepage. Let them refer to the list of bugs that the class brain-stormed at the beginning of the lesson for ideas.

35

Can You Bee a Bug Detective?


Springboards

Help children enter the worldof bugs by reading The Icky BugAlphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta(Charlesbridge Publishing,1990) or The Best Book of Bugsby Claire Llewellyn (LarousseKingfisher Chambers, 1998). Letchildren brainstorm a list ofinsects and spiders theyve seenor heard about. Have eachchild describe one feature ofeach insect or spider.


36

Can you Bee a Bug Detective?

I have 5 eyes,2 pairs of wings,3 body parts,and other things.But most of all,I jump so far,when it comes to my hop,Im a superstar.Bee a bug detective. ___________Answer: grasshopper

I always wear a crimson coatwith dots on either side.I fly away if I get scared.Its hard for me to hide.Bee a bug detective. ___________Answer: ladybug

Come to our house for the afternoon,and help us make our honey.We can pay you with a sticky treat,because we have no money.Bee a bug detective. ___________Answer: bees

I come from cocoonsso cozy and tight.And when it gets dark,I flutter near light.Bee a bug detective. ___________Answer: moth


37

I have a lot of little feetthat I have never stopped to count.They say I have 100 legs.Now that is quite a large amount!Bee a bug detective. ___________Answer: centipede

My front and back look quite the same.I wiggle all around.Youll find me in the gardendigging tunnels underground.Bee a bug detective. ___________Answer: worm

I spin a web.I lay some eggs.I walk aroundon eight thin legs.Bee a bug detective. ___________Answer: spider

Children catch usin their jars.We blink on and off.We flicker like stars.Bee a bug detective. ___________Answer: f iref lies



grasshoppermoth

ladybug bees



wormfireflies

spider centipede



leaf








2. Place the egg at the bottom of the pocket chart. Slipthe correct picture card answer behind the egg.


4. Let a child guess the answer. Have the child supportthe answer by pointing to key words in the text.

5. Invite the child to check the answer by finding theanimal behind the egg.

6. Have the child put the correct picture card beneaththe last line of the riddle.

Note: For younger children, you can display the egg alongwith three or more picture cards. A child can choose thecorrect picture card and place it on top of the egg.


41

Whos Hatching?


Springboards

Read Ruth Hellersbook Chickens Arentthe Only Ones(Grosset & Dunlap,1981).This story willexpand childrensthinking about howanimals are born.Use the informationfrom the book tomake and record alist of animals thathatch from eggs.


Rhyme-Time Vowels For each riddle, have children place sticky notesunder the rhyming words. In each case, let children identify the shortor long vowel sound that is repeated to make the rhyme. Note that theriddle about the robin contains short e sounds. Children should highlightor point to each word that contains a short e sound.

Do-It-Yourself Riddles Use the alligator poem as a springboard forchildren to become riddle writers. Individual children or pairs of childrencan choose an animal. They should give one clue and the initial letter ofthe animals name to the class for the students to guess. For example, It has a long neckand it starts with the letter g. Answer: giraffe


42

Whos Hatching?

This reptile is breakingher egg with a crack.She hides in the shellthat she wears on her back.Whos hatching? _____________Answer: turtle

A little babys hatching outwhos covered all in yellow.Hes peeping and hes cheeping.Hes a little feathered fellow.Whos hatching? _____________Answer: chick

They are skinny and long,curled up in their eggs.Then they slither right outwith no arms and no legs.Whos hatching? _____________Answer: snakes

These creatures used to rule the earth.They hatched from giant eggs.They all had different sizesfor their tails and heads and legs.Whos hatching? _____________Answer: dinosaurs


Whos Hatching?

dinosaurchick

turtle snake


Whos Hatching?

egg





3. You may want to color the picture cards and laminate them for durability.



2. Place three or more of the picture card answers at the bottom of the pocket chart, or set the correct answer facing backwards.

3. Read aloud the riddle and/or have the children read it aloud in groups or as a class.

4. Let a child guess the answer by picking one of the transportation pictures and naming it. Ask the child to support the correct answer with clues from the text.

5. Ask the child to put the correct picture card beneath the last line of the riddle.


45

Transportation: What Kind?


Springboards

Introduce forms of trans-portation by reading This Isthe Way We Go to School byEdith Baer (Scholastic,1990) or The Big Book ofThings That Go by CarolineBingham (DK Publishing,1994). After reading, makethree webs that showtransportation in the air, onthe ground, and in thewater. Discuss the formsof transportation childrenuse to get to school.(Including feet!)


Our Favorite Transportation Invite children to drawa picture of themselves using a favorite form of trans-portation. (Note that it can be a form of transportationthe child would like to ride in.) Have children write aboutwhy they like these particular forms of transportation.Create a collaborative class book.

Lets Pretend Encourage your students to use riddlepoems as springboards for dramatic play. Children can act as if they are riding on a train, car, school bus,helicopter, rowboat, sailboat, or bicycle. You may wish tohave a few students read the airplane poem aloud, for example, while the other children pretend they arepassengers on a plane, flying high in the sky.


46


All Aboard!Clackity-clack.We go speedingdown the track.What is it? ___________Answer: train

With seat belts on,we drive around.We stop and goall over town.What is it? ___________Answer: car

The pilot takes usup so higha giant birdup in the sky.What is it? ___________Answer: airplane


47

Up in the sky,above the clouds,propeller whirring,fast and loud.What is it? ___________Answer: helicopter

Big yellow doorsswing open wide.To get to school,we ride inside.What is it? ___________Answer: school bus

Across the lakeI row and row.The harder I pull,the faster I go.What is it? ___________Answer: rowboat


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Big white sail,wind in my face.Over the waves,we bump and race.What is it? ___________Answer: sailboat

Pedals twirland wheels turn.We ride to schooland then return.What is it? ___________Answer: bicycle


rowboat

Transportation: Which Kind?

airplanecar

train


Transportation: Which Kind?

bicycleschool bus

helicoptersailboat



1. Copy each line of each riddle onto a sentencestrip.

2. Enlarge the picture cards (pp. 5455) on aphotocopier. Then mount them on cardstockand cut out.




2. Place three or more of the picture card answersat the bottom of the pocket chart, or set thecorrect answer facing backwards.

3. Read aloud the riddle and/or have the childrenread it aloud in groups or as a class.

4. Let a child guess the answer by picking one ofthe community workers pictures and sayingthe name aloud. Ask the child to support thecorrect answer with clues from the text.

5. Ask the child to put the picture card beneaththe last line of the riddle.



Initial Sound Search A number of the riddleshave words that start with the same letter.(Sometimes that letter is part of a consonant clus-ter.) Children can place sticky notes under thesewords. Explain that this repetition of sounds(alliteration) makes the riddle more fun to read.

51

Which Community Worker Am I?


Springboards

Read All About Things People Doby Melanie Rice (Doubleday,1990).Talk with children aboutthe community workers theyknow, starting with the schoolworkers. Include people inservice jobs or those who ownbusinesses that serve yourcommunity.

Firefighter : fire, fire, fight, firefighter

Doctor: stitches, slips

Baker: cookies, cakes; bake, bread

Librarian: book, bears, bees


52

Which Community Worker Am I?

Fire! Fire!9-1-1!I fight the blaze until its done.Who am I? ___________Answer: firefighter

In rain or snow or sun or hail,I walk to your homes to deliver the mail.Who am I? ___________Answer: mail carrier

Stitches and itches,slips and falls,colds and fluI fix them all.Who am I? ___________Answer: doctor

Im there for youboth night and dayso you are safe at school and play.Who am I? ___________Answer: police officer


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I get up early,just to bakeyour cookies, rolls,and bread and cake.Who am I? ___________Answer: baker

You cross the streetwhen I tell you to.When youre safely across,I let the cars through.Who am I? ___________Answer: crossing guard

Math and reading,science, too.I teach these thingsto all of you.Who am I? ___________Answer: teacher

Let me help you find a bookon bears or beesor how to cook.Who am I? ___________Answer: librarian


What Community Worker Am I?

doctorbaker

firefighter librarian


What Community Worker Am I?

police officermail carrier

teacher crossing guard




2. Enlarge the picture cards (pp. 6061) on a photocopier. Then mount them on cardstock and cut out.

3. You may want to color the picture cards and laminate them for durability.



2. Place three or more of the picture card answers at the bottom of the pocket chart, or set the correct answer facing backwards.

3. Read aloud the riddle and/or have the children read it aloud in groups or as a class.

4. Let a child guess the answer by picking one of the picture cards and saying the name aloud. Ask the child to support the correct answer with clues from the text.

5. Ask the child to put the correct picture card beneath the last line of the riddle.



Finding -ing In the riddles about kinds of weather,the questions within the riddles include words with theinflectional ending -ing. On chart paper, keep a runninglist of words with inflectional ending -ing, for example,falling, blowing, coming, floating, happening.

Consonant Clues After children have solved all theriddles about clothing in different weather, make a newriddle by substituting the following onsets for those inthe original riddles:

Replace m_______ with gl_______ for gloves.Replace r_______ with j_______ for jacket.Replace h_______ with c_______ for cap.

56

Whats the Weather and What Will I Wear?


Springboards

Introduce the weathertheme by reading CloudyDay, Sunny Day by DonaldCrews (Green LightReaders, 1999) or WeatherWords and What They Meanby Gail Gibbons (HolidayHouse, 1990). Ask childrento describe their favoriteweather and explain whythey like it. Have childrenvote on their favorites andrecord the results.


57

Weather Riddles

In winter when it falls on you,you always look surprised.But when you try to catch the s______,it melts before your eyes.Whats falling? Answer: snow

It can steal your hat.It can blow your hair.W_______ makes the leaves dance here and there.Whats blowing? Answer: wind

R_______ pitter-patters on the roof.It waters garden flowers.When we go out without our coats,it gives us all a shower.Whats coming down? Answer: rain

Small balls of ice are falling down.H_______ bounces upwhen it hits the ground.Whats coming down?Answer: hail


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Puffy white pillowsfill the sky.cl_______ hold the rainway up so high.Whats floating up there? Answer: clouds

It rises each morning and stays in the skytill its nighttime, and then it must go.It shines on the flowers and gardens and treesThey need it in order to grow.Whats shining ________? Answer: sun

A zigzag flashafter RUMBLES and BOOMS!Theres th_______ and l_______outside my room.Whats happening? Answer: thunder and lightning

When rain and suncome out to play,a r_______colors the sky that day.What colors the sky?Answer: rainbow


59

Clothing Riddles

To keep my hands warmwhen building in snow,my m_______ go with mewherever I go.What go with me? Answer: mittens

I put on my r_______and pull on the hood.Whenever its raining,my r_______ feels good.What do I put on? Answer: raincoat

Whenever its sunny,I pull on my sh_______ .I wear them to schooland for all kinds of sports.What do I put on? Answer: shorts

On windy daysI hold my h_______ ,or off my head it flies like that.What do I hold? Answer: hat


Whats the Weather?

hailclouds

thunder and lightning rain


Whats the Weather?

windsnow

rainbow sun





3. You may want to color the picture cards and lami-nate them for durability.





4. Let a child guess the answer by picking one of therain forest animals and saying its name aloud. Askthe child to support the correct answer with cluesfrom the text.

5. Ask the child to put the correct picture cardbeneath the last line of the riddle.



Rain Forest ABC Word Wall Start a word wall ofrain forest animals. Use riddle answers and animalsfrom rain forest books. Have children try to find oneanimal for each letter of the alphabet, and then dis-play the words in alphabetical order.

Riddle Writing Have children write original riddlesabout other rain forest animals. The following framecan be used in which children pretend they are a rainforest animal and then give two clues to their identity.Remind children that the riddles dont need to rhyme.

I have __________I __________Who am I?Answer: __________

62

Whos in the Rain Forest?


Springboards

Read a book about rain forestanimals, such as Amazon A B Cby Kathy Darling (Lothrop Lee& Shepard, 1996) or The GreatKapok Tree: A Tale of theAmazon Rain Forest by LynneCherry (Harcourt Brace, 1990).These books will provide anintroduction to or a review ofrain forest animals.


63


When Im eating my ants,I couldnt be neater.I use my long tongue.Im a giant ___________ .Answer: anteater

I have very long fur,except on my nose.Im the slowest of beasts.Im a ___________ with three toes.Answer: sloth

With a giant-sized beak,and a tail like a fan,Ive got bright-colored feathers.Im called a ___________ .Answer: toucan

Watch me swinging through the trees.They say Im very spunky.See me hanging by my tail.Im a forest spider ___________ .Answer: monkey


64

I have two very bulgy eyes.I live in trees and logs.You see me hop, you hear me croak.I am a spotted ___________ .Answer: frog

I am 15 feet long.No sound do I make.Ive got a forked tongue.Im an anaconda ___________ .Answer: snake

When I leave my cocoon,I go fluttering by.My wings are like jewels.Im a ___________ .Answer: butterfly

Im fast and Im sleek.Im a rain forest star.My spots make me handsome.Im called a ___________ .Answer: jaguar



butterflyanteater

frog jaguar



parrotmonkey

sloth snake






4. Use a square of sandpaper to represent the sandy beach.



2. Place the sandpaper on the bottom of the pocketchart. Slip the correct answer picture card behind thesandpaper.


4. Let a child guess the answer. Ask the child to supportthe answer by pointing to key words in the text.

5. Invite the child to check the answer by finding thesea animal behind the sandpaper.

6. Have the child put the answer beneath the last line ofthe riddle.

Note: For younger children, you can display the sandpaperalong with three or more picture cards. A child can choosethe correct picture card and place it on top of the sandpaper.



Fun with Rhymes Focus on the rhyming words in the riddles.Make a list from each riddle and add more words that rhymewith them to each list.

Search and Sort Invite children to sort pictures of ocean ani-mals. The following are suggested ways to sort them: by size of animal by initial letter by number of letters in the name by number of words in the name (e.g. sea star is two words)

67

At the Beach and in the Ocean: What Am I?


Springboards

Use the book Sea Squares byJoy N. Hulme (Hyperion Press,1993) or Into the A, B, Sea: AnOcean Alphabet by DeborahLee Rose (Scholastic, 2000) tointroduce animal life in theocean. As a group, make alist of animals that live at thebeach or in the ocean.


68


I look like a star,but Im not in the sky.I cling to the rockswhen a wave comes by.Im a ___________ .Answer: sea star/starfish

Inside my shells there is a pearlfor any luckyboy or girl.Im an ___________ .Answer: oyster

You cannot spend meat the store.Im a dollar you findwhen you explore.Im a ___________ .Answer: sand dollar

Whenever I want to switch my shell,anothers shellwill do quite well.Im a ___________ .Answer: hermit crab


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Im a fish with finsgray, white, or dark.Ive got rows of teeth.Im an ocean ___________ .Answer: shark

My flippers help mefind a meal.I swim and bark.Im an ocean ___________ .Answer: seal

I squirt out my ink.Im a sourpuss.I come with eight legs.Im an ___________ .Answer: octopus

If youre into large beaks,then Im the one.I fish in the ocean.Im a ___________ .Answer: pelican


oysterhermit crab

sand dollar starfish




sealoctopus

pelican shark



1. Copy each line of each riddle onto a sentencestrip.

2. Enlarge the picture cards (p. 74) on a photo-copier. Then mount them on cardstock andcut out.




2. Place three or more of the picture card answersat the bottom of the pocket chart, or set thecorrect answer facing backwards.


4. Let a child guess the answer by picking one ofthe trees and saying the name of the seasonaloud. Have the child support the correctanswer with clues from the text.

5. Ask the child to put the correct picture cardbeneath the last line of the riddle.



Trees with Leaves, and Other Long Es Thespring riddle includes words with the long e sound:trees, leaves, season. Place a sticky note under eachof the words, and ask children to tell what is thesame about all of them. Use the summer riddle tocontinue your study of the long e by highlightingthe words trees, green, and season.

Reciting and Acting To promote oral literacy,assign groups of children a season. For each riddle,have the group stand in front of the class. A few ofthe members should act out the riddle while theothers read it aloud.

72

Which Season?


Springboards

Read The Seasons of ArnoldsApple Tree by Gail Gibbons(Harcourt Brace, 1984) orPieces: A Year in Poems & Quiltsby Anna Grossnickle Hines(Greenwillow, 2001).Then,create a web for each season.Include the names of activitiesand sights associated with eachof the four seasons.


73

Which Season?

In ___________ ,trees are nice and bare,and pretty snowflakes fill the sky.We like to build in the snow all day.We like the ___________ , you and I.Which season? Answer: winter

In ___________timetrees have brand new leaves,and baby birds fly in the sky.We like to dig and plant all day.We like the _________time, you and I.Which season? Answer: spring

In ___________ trees are full and green,and bright hot sunshine fills the sky.We like to swim and splash all day.We like the ___________ , you and I.Which season? Answer: summer

In ___________ ,trees are orange and red,and leaves are twirling in the sky.We like to jump in the leaves all day.We like the ___________ , you and I.Which season? Answer: autumn/fall


springfall

summer winter

Which Season?










4. Let a child guess the answer by picking one of theholiday picture cards and saying the name of theholiday aloud. Have the child support the correctanswer with clues from the text.

5. Ask the child to put the correct picture card beneaththe last line of the riddle.



Holiday Color Puzzles Using the holiday colors from theriddles, split each word into two parts to create puzzle piecesfor the children to match to form color words. For examples:

Other Holidays Have pairs or groups of children create newriddles using the frame below for the following holidays: AprilFools Day, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Martin Luther King Day,May Day, Earth Day, Groundhog Day.

We _______ [Children write an activity that serves as a clue.]on this happy holiday.Can you guess the day Im thinking of?Youre right. Its _______ Day.

Let groups present their riddles and invite the class to guessthe holidays.

75

Which Holiday?


Springboards

Read Its Pumpkin Time! byZoe Hall (Scholastic, 1994),Thanksgiving by Laura Alden(Childrens Press, 1994), or TheThree Bears Holiday RhymeBook by Jane Yolen (HarcourtBrace, 1995). Brainstorm a listof holidays throughout the year,recording each holiday on apiece of paper. Let the olderchildren identify the months inwhich the holidays fall and thenput them in order by month.

p ink p urple br own gr een


76

Which Holiday?

Black and orange are the colors we useon this happy holiday.Can you guess the day Im thinking of?Youre right! Its _________ Day.Answer: Halloween

Green and white are the colors we use on this happy holiday.Can you guess the day Im thinking of?Youre right! Its _________ Day.Answer: St. Patricks

Red and pink are the colors we use on this happy holiday.Can you guess the day Im thinking of?Youre right! Its _________ Day.Answer:Valentines

I make a present just for Momon this happy holiday.Can you guess what day Im thinking of?Youre right! Its _________ Day.Answer: Mothers Day(or substitute Dad for Mom.Then Fathers Day is the answer.)


77

Which Holiday?

Red, white, and blue are the colors this day,and theres a reason why.Can you guess the day Im thinking of?Youre right! Its the _________ .Answer: Fourth of July

Brown for turkey, yellow for cornare the colors we see on this holiday.Can you guess the day Im thinking of?Youre right! It is _________ Day.Answer:Thanksgiving

We throw up confetti in all sorts of colorson the years first holiday.Can you guess the day Im thinking of?Youre right! Its _________ Day.Answer: New Years

We celebrate Lincoln and Washingtonon this very special day.Can you guess what day Im thinking of?Youre right! Its _________ Day.Answer: Presidents Day


New YearsFourth of July

Halloween St. Patricks

Which Holiday?


Which Holiday?

ValentinesThanksgiving

Presidents Day Mothers Day


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Notes


IntroductionWhich Mystery Color?What Shape Am I?What's That Feeling?Which of the Five Senses?On the Playground: What Am I Playing?Who's on the Farm?Can You Bee a Bug Detective?Who's Hatching?Transportation: What Kind?Which Community Worker Am I?What's the Weather and What Will I Hear?Who's in the Rain Forest?At the Beach and in the Ocean: What Am I?Which Season?Which Holiday?

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