TEACHING
GUIDE
TEACHING
Mighty
Movers
2nd Grade Reading Level
2
TEACHING
MIGHTY
MOVERS
Standards
Technology
• Understands the nature and uses of different forms of technology.
• Understands the relationships among science, technology, society, and the individual.
Language Arts— • Demonstrates competence in the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing.
Writing
• Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in written compositions.
• Gathers and uses information for research purposes.
Language Arts— • Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the reading process.
Reading
• Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies for reading a variety of
informational texts.
Language Arts— • Demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning.
Listening and
Speaking
Visual Arts
• Understands the characteristics and merits of one’s own artwork and the artwork of
others.
Multiple Intelligences Utilized
• Spatial, linguistic, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, and
intrapersonal
Copyright © 2004 by Lerner Publications Company
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Student pages may be
reproduced by the classroom teacher for classroom use only, not for commercial
resale. No other part of this teaching guide may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written
permission of Lerner Publishing Group, except for the inclusion of brief
quotations in an acknowledged review.
Go to www.lernerclassroom.com
for a complete list of titles in the
Mighty Movers series.
LernerClassroom
A division of Lerner Publishing Group
241 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.
800-328-4929
Website address: www.lernerclassroom.com
Manufactured in the United States of America
2 3 4 5 6 7 — IG — 11 10 09 08 07 06
ISBN 0-8225-1932-1 PMS Blue 286U
TEACHING
Lesson 1
What Is A . . . ?
Purpose: Students will preview and complete skills
lessons involving vocabulary words from the Mighty
Movers books.
Materials
• Mighty Movers series
• All About Words
p. 8
• Reading Skills
Checklist p. 9
• pencils
Objectives
• Recall information.
• Restate facts.
• Apply prior knowledge while reading.
• Practice using a glossary.
• Identify boldfaced words in a text.
• Explain the meaning of a word.
MIGHTY
MOVERS
Explain to students that this is the glossary. Tell
students that the glossary has a list of important
words from the book and explains what the words
mean.
• Point out the boldfaced words. Tell students that
you know these are important words because they
are thicker and darker than the other words on the
page.
• Demonstrate how to use the glossary:
Step 1 While reading the text, stop at a
boldfaced word.
Step 2 Ask the class what they think the word
means.
Step 3 Look at the first letter of the boldfaced
word.
Step 4 Turn to the glossary on page 30.
Step 5 In the glossary, find a boldfaced word
that begins with the same letter as the
boldfaced word from the text. Then
look for the word from the text.
Step 6 Read the definition to the class and
discuss it.
Read
(student, partner)
• Read one book from the Mighty Movers series.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Copy All About Words p. 8 for each student.
• Copy Reading Skills Checklist p. 9 for the class.
(A number of skills are listed on the reproducible.
You may fill in the blank spaces with additional
reading skills. Use the checklist throughout the entire
unit.)
Pretest
(student, class)
• Choose one Mighty Movers book to read.
• Preview the text independently.
• What do you think you will learn from the book?
Model
(teacher)
• Turn to page 30 in the chosen Mighty Movers book.
Practice
(student, partner)
• Complete All About Words p. 8.
• After completing All About Words p. 8, work with a
partner to quiz one another on the vocabulary
words.
Discuss
(teacher, class)
• What did you learn?
• What words from the book had a different definition
than you had previously learned? (e.g. bucket—a
place at the end of a fire truck’s ladder where
firefighters stand to spray a fire)
Evaluate
(teacher)
• Use the Reading Skills Checklist p. 9 to evaluate each
student’s reading proficiency.
3
4
TEACHING
MIGHTY
MOVERS
Lesson 2
Technology Helps
Us . . .
Purpose: Students will research information in the
Mighty Movers books to learn how humans use
different types of equipment to fulfill basic needs.
Students will sort and categorize pictures found in
periodicals or other sources.
Materials
• Mighty Movers books
• paper
• scissors
• pencils
• glue
• magazines with
pictures of vehicles
• Technology Helps Us
pp. 10–11
• whiteboard or
chalkboard
• dry erase marker or
chalk
Objectives
• Define the word technology.
• Identify vehicles that are useful for human welfare.
• Collect pictures of vehicles.
• Organize and arrange pictures of vehicles by use.
• Construct a diagram showing how vehicles are used.
• Determine which vehicles are most useful to people.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Copy Technology Helps Us pp. 10–11 for each
student.
• Collect magazines with pictures of vehicles.
Pretest
(class)
• List vehicles and how humans use them (e.g. for
transportation, construction, entertainment, farming,
excavation, etc.).
Read
(student)
• Read one or several books from the Mighty Movers
series.
Model
(teacher)
• Define the terms transportation, farming,
construction, excavation, and protection.
• Give examples of vehicles and their uses.
• Demonstrate how to fill out the Technology Helps Us
worksheet pp. 10–11.
Practice
(student)
• Complete Technology Helps Us worksheet
pp. 10–11.
• Cut out magazine pictures of vehicles.
• Group pictures and objects by their uses.
• Glue the pictures onto paper and label the uses for
the vehicles in each group.
Discuss
(student, class)
• Discuss the importance of the various forms of
technology found in the Mighty Movers books.
• Share information found in the books.
• Explain how the types of vehicles were grouped and
why.
Evaluate
(teacher, class)
• Construct a class chart or bulletin board that displays
the pictures and categories of vehicles collected by
the students.
TEACHING
Lesson 3
Make a Model
Purpose: Students will make a nonworking model to
represent the subject of a Mighty Movers book.
MIGHTY
MOVERS
Pretest
(teacher, class)
• What is a model?
• Show an example of a model of one Mighty Movers
vehicle.
Read
(class)
• Read one of the Mighty Movers books.
Materials
• Mighty Movers books
• Make a Model
Shopping List p. 12
• Make a Model
Rubric p. 13
• pencils
• Various craft items,
such as colored clay,
cardboard, pipe
cleaners, colored
noodles, Popsicle
sticks, beads, buttons,
yarn, construction
paper, etc.
Objectives
• Select a vehicle from the Mighty Movers series to
study.
• Identify the different parts of a vehicle.
• Collect the materials needed to construct a model of
a vehicle.
• Organize the materials needed to make a model.
• Construct a nonworking model of a vehicle.
• Evaluate how well a model represents an actual
vehicle.
Model
(teacher)
• Demonstrate how to use craft items to represent
different parts of a Mighty Movers vehicle (e.g. round
buttons could be used to represent wheels).
Practice
(student)
Day 1
• Take the Make a Model Shopping List p. 12 to the
craft item display and write a list of the items you will
need for your model.
Day 2
• Use your Make a Model Shopping List p. 12 to select
the items you will need to make your model.
• Build your model in class. (This could take several
class periods, depending on the intricacy of the
models.)
• (Optional) Write a fictional story about your model.
Name your model and write a story with a
beginning, middle, and end.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Copy Make a Model Shopping List p. 12 and Make a
Model Rubric p. 13 for each student.
• Collect and display craft materials.
• Create a model of a vehicle from one of the Mighty
Movers books.
Discuss
(class)
• Why were some models possibly easier to build than
others?
• Why did you choose the objects you did to represent
the different parts of the models?
Evaluate
(class, teacher)
• Share completed models and stories with the class.
• Teacher evaluates models and presentations using the
Make a Model Rubric p.13.
5
6
TEACHING
MIGHTY
MOVERS
Lesson 4
In Summary
Purpose: Students will design and draw a futuristic or
novel kind of transportation.
Materials
• Mighty Movers books
• Fantastic Machine
Ideas p. 14
• All About My
Machine p. 15
• Project Thoughts
p. 16
• pencils
• crayons or colored
pencils
Objectives
• Recall information from Mighty Movers books.
• Identify a problem that could be solved by modifying
an existing machine.
• Illustrate a new or improved machine.
• Explain and label an illustration.
• Plan how a new machine would be used.
• Predict how a machine will fulfill a need.
Activity Procedures
Prepare
(teacher)
• Copy Fantastic Machine Ideas p. 14, All About My
Machine p. 15, and Project Thoughts p. 16 for each
student.
Pretest
(class)
• Brainstorm machines in your home or school that
make a job easier.
Read
(class)
• Read one Mighty Movers book.
Model
(teacher, class)
• Show students how to complete Fantastic Machine
Ideas p. 14.
• Draw a new and improved machine and present it to
the class as an example.
• Demonstrate how to label the illustration.
Practice
(student)
• Individually complete Fantastic Machine Ideas p. 14.
• Complete an illustration of your new and improved
machine using All About My Machine p. 15.
• Label your illustration with a short caption.
Discuss
(class)
• How might engineers or inventors think up or design
new types of machinery, equipment, or
transportation?
• How will the machine you improved be more useful
than the existing machine it was based on?
Evaluate
(student, teacher)
• Complete Project Thoughts p. 16.
TEACHING
Additional Resources
WEBSITES
DLTK’s Crafts for Kids: Transportation Activities
http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/transportation/
This site offers a variety of transportation craft
ideas and coloring pages.
John Deere Kids’ Corner
http://deere.com/en_US/compinfo/kidscorner/
home.html
Learn about farm equipment safety.
TxDOT Expressway: Transportation
http://www.dot.state.tx.us/kidsonly/TransPg/
Transport.htm
This kids’ site by the Texas Department of
Transportation has photos and facts about a
variety of common vehicles. It includes printable
coloring pages of each vehicle type.
BOOKS
Bingham, Caroline. Rescue-Mania! (Vehicle-Mania!
Series). New York: World Almanac Books, 2003.
Students will learn all about rescue vehicles and
how they work.
Boucher, Jerry. Fire Trucks Nuts and Bolts.
Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, 1993.
This colorful book shows the process of building
a fire truck.
Brown, Craig McFarland. Tractor, Vol. 1. New York:
HarperCollins, 1995.
This picture book details the different purposes
for which a farm tractor can be used.
Collins, David R. Pioneer Plowmaker: A Story about
John Deere. Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing
Group, 1990.
This biography tells the story of John Deere, an
inventor who created farming equipment.
Eick, Jean. Garbage Trucks. Chanhassen, MN: The
Child’s World, Inc., 1998.
The author uses simple text to describe garbage
trucks and their functions.
Ethan, Eric. Helicopters. Milwaukee, WI: Gareth
Stevens Audio, 2002.
This book describes how helicopters can be used
as emergency vehicles.
___. Police Cars. Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens
Audio, 2002.
This book describes police cars and the
MIGHTY
MOVERS
equipment they contain.
Gibbons, Gail. New Road. New York: Harpercrest,
1987.
This book explains how roads are built and the
kinds of machines used to build them.
Jennings, Terry. Cranes, Dump Trucks, Bulldozers and
Other Building Machines. New York: Kingfisher
Books. 1993.
This book describes machines that are used for
building.
Levin, Freddie. 1-2-3 Draw Cars, Trucks and Other
Vehicles. Columbus, NC: Peel Productions, Inc.,
2001.
This illustrated book teaches kids how to draw a
variety of vehicles.
Maynard, Christopher. I Wonder Why Planes Have
Wings and Other Questions About Transportation.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.
This book answers all kinds of questions kids have
about transportation and vehicles.
Mayo, Margaret. Emergency. Minneapolis: Lerner
Publishing Group, 2002.
This colorful board book introduces students to
the various vehicles used to respond to
emergencies.
Nelson, Robin. Transportation Then and Now.
Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, 2003.
Students compare modes of transportation from
long ago with those of the modern age.
Photographs accompany the simple text.
Soloff-Levy, Barbara. How to Draw Planes, Trains and
Boats. New York: Dover Publications, 2004.
This book gives easy-to-follow instructions for
drawing a variety of vehicles using geometric
shapes.
Stille, Darlene R. Big Rigs. Minneapolis, MN:
Compass Point Books, 2001.
This book explores a variety of trucks and their
functions.
7
8
All About Words
Name ______________________________________ Date ________________________
Directions:
Write boldfaced words from your Mighty Movers book in the boxes on the
left. Use the glossary on p. 30 of your Mighty Movers book to find each word’s definition.
Write the definitions on the lines.
Draw a picture to represent each word in the
square to the right of its definition.
Word
Definition
Teaching Mighty Movers
Picture
➤
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Skill ➤
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9
Reading Skills Checklist
Mastered
A
Developing
B
Teaching Mighty Movers
C
Needs Improvement
D
F
10
Technology Helps Us
Name ______________________________________ Date ________________________
Directions:
Look for facts about how humans use vehicles.
Write each fact
under the word that describes its purpose. Example: A fire truck carries firefighters to a fire.
You could write this fact under TRANSPORTATION or PROTECTION. Write the facts that
don’t fit any category under OTHER.
TRANSPORTATION
FARMING
CONSTRUCTION
Teaching Mighty Movers
11
Technology Helps Us
EXCAVATION
PROTECTION
OTHER
Teaching Mighty Movers
12
Make a Model Shopping List
Name ______________________________________ Date ________________________
Part of Vehicle
Craft Item Needed
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
Teaching Mighty Movers
13
Make a Model Rubric
Name ______________________________________ Date ________________________
Score
4
Elements
-Model was well constructed.
-Parts of model were easily identified.
-Used a loud, clear speaking voice when presenting model.
-Provided complete and correct information about the vehicle chosen.
3
-Model was well constructed.
-Most parts of the model were easily identified.
-Used semi-loud, clear speaking voice when presenting model.
-Provided correct information about the vehicle chosen.
2
-Model was completed.
-Some parts of the model were easily identified.
-Speaking voice was not loud and clear when presenting model.
-Provided some incorrect information about the vehicle chosen.
1
-Model was not completely done.
-Parts of model were not easily identified.
-Was not able to be heard while presenting model.
-Provided very little correct information about the chosen vehicle.
Score _________
Teaching Mighty Movers
14
Fantastic Machine Ideas
Name ______________________________________ Date ________________________
Directions:
questions below.
Read a Mighty Movers book. Plan your new machine by answering the
What machine will you improve? ___________________________________
1. What are three things that the machine doesn’t do that you think it should do?
2. How will your new and improved machine work better than the real machine?
3. What changes will you make to improve this machine?
4. Answer the questions below before you draw your picture. Circle Y (yes) or N (no).
a. Is my solution a new idea?
Y
N
b. Is it useful or fun?
Y
N
c. Can I draw it?
Y
N
d. Would people really use it?
Y
N
If most of your answers are yes, go ahead and draw your idea.
Teaching Mighty Movers
15
All About My Machine
Name ______________________________________ Date ________________________
Directions:
Read a Mighty Movers book.
Draw a picture of your new,
improved machine.
Write a caption below the picture explaining how you improved
the machine.
Teaching Mighty Movers
16
Project Thoughts
Name ______________________________________ Date ________________________
Directions:
below.
Read a Mighty Movers book.
Complete each of the statements
The machine I chose to improve was
I chose this machine because
The hardest part about drawing my improvement was
The thing I like best about my drawing is
Something I learned from reading about the real machine is
I would say that my improved machine idea and drawing (circle one):
1 = need more work
2 = are mostly the way I planned
3 = are okay
4 = are good
5 = are really great
Teacher Comments
Teaching Mighty Movers