Pre-Viewing Questions:
1. Have you ever been to a shoe store? What do you remember about it? What was
on the shelves? If you saw boxes, what was in them? Did someone buy new shoes
on your visit?
2. What does it mean to be organized? Is our room organized? How?
3. What does a handyman do? Is a handyman a community helper? What other
community helpers do you know?
Post-Viewing Questions:
1. Why did Julietta and her father leave Sherman’s shoe store without buying shoes?
How did Julietta finally get her dance shoes?
2. What kind of sign did Manny make for Sherman’s store?
3. How did Manny help Sherman organize his store? Do you think this was a good
idea? Why or why not?
Activity #1
Where Does It Belong?
Curriculum Connection: Sorting
Materials needed: Old magazines, scissors, tape and a set of pictures or drawings
representing three rooms in a home such as a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom.
Sherman found that things were easier to find when they were properly sorted. Explain to
students that they are going to practice sorting. Place pictures on the bulletin board
representing three rooms of a home, such as a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Have
students look through the magazines to find items that go in the rooms, cut them out and
attach them to the board underneath the picture of the room in which it belongs. As
students place pictures on the board, ask them to explain why they chose the item for that
particular room.
Activity #2A
Extension: Matching Shoes
Curriculum Connection: Matching
An important part of running a shoe store is matching the right shoes to the customer.
Students will have an opportunity to practice matching in this fun activity. Divide the class
into two teams. Have the teams line up and face each other. Tell students they are going
to play a game in which they will try to match shoes to their classmates. To begin, have
every student remove one shoe and place them all in a pile between the teams. The first
student in line for Team 1 begins by going to the pile, selecting a shoe and trying to match
it to a student on Team 2. If they find a match, they give the shoe to the student and the
team scores a point. If not, the shoe is returned to the pile. Play continues with a student
from Team 2, and so on. When each student has had a turn, tally the points to determine
the winning team.
Activity #3
My Sign
Curriculum Connections: Symbols
Materials needed: Drawing paper, crayons and scissors.
In the program, Manny and his tools create a new sign for Sherman’s shoe store in the
shape of a shoe. Pass out paper, crayons and scissors to students and ask them to
imagine what kind of store they might like to have one day. Then ask them to draw a
symbol to represent the store. Keep suggestions simple. For example, a pet store might
be represented by a fish in an oval shape or the face of a dog drawn as a circle. Have
students color their signs and cut them out. Post signs on the wall. To extend the activity,
ask students to name their store and describe what they would sell.
“The New Kid”
Program Summary:
Manny and his tools get a call from the newest family in town. The family has just arrived
from Argentina and is moving into their new house. They want Manny to build a teetertotter for their son Marcello. Marcello is feeling sad and lonely; he doesn’t know anyone in
the town and has nothing to do. He is afraid he won’t be able to make new friends.
Manny and the tools involve Marcello in the building of the teeter-totter. Along the way
they discover that the main spring for the equipment is broken. A trip to Kelly’s hardware
store results in a bargain when they discover that everything in the store is on sale that
day except springs -- springs are free!
The teeter-totter is built and only one thing remains to be done -- it needs to be tested by
two riders. Manny spots Nelson, the boy who lives next door to Marcello, and asks him to
help. He and Marcello ride the teeter-totter and have a wonderful time. It’s clear Marcello
has made his first new friend.
Objectives:
By viewing the program and participating in the activities, students will:
1. Explore the importance of friendship.
2. See how a teeter-totter works and learn teeter-totter safety rules.
3. Hear and practice words in Spanish.
Pre-Viewing Questions:
1. Do you know any words in Spanish? If so, share them with the class.
2. What is a teeter-totter? Have you ever played on a teeter-totter?
3. Is it hard sometimes to make new friends? Why or why not? How do you make a
new friend?
Post-Viewing Questions:
1. What job was Manny asked to do?
2. Why was Marcello sad?
3. Who was Nelson? Do you think Nelson and Marcello will be friends? Why or why
not?
Activity #1
English–Spanish Word Practice
Curriculum Connection: Language Arts
Manny speaks both English and Spanish. Ask students if any of them are familiar with a
language other than English. In this activity, students will have the opportunity to
practice some of the Spanish words found in the program. To begin, first say the English
word, then the same word in Spanish. Have students say the Spanish word with you.
Use as many words as is appropriate for your class, then quiz students by saying a word
in English and challenging them to recall the Spanish equivalent.
English
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Spanish
Uno
Dos
Tres
Cuatro
Cinco
Seis
Siete
Ocho
English
Yes
Mister
Mrs.
Please
Thank you
Hello
Goodbye
Friend
Spanish
Sí
Señor
Señora
Por favor
Gracias
Hola
Adiós
Amigo
Activity #2
Friendship Rainbow
Curriculum Connection: Social Skills
Materials needed: Large sheet of butcher paper, poster paints.
Marcello found it difficult to make friends. Discuss with the class what it means to be a
friend. What qualities do they look for in a friend? Read a book to the class such as
Making Friends by Sarah Levete. What did students learn about friendship from the
book? Have the class work together to create a large montage of handprints in the
shape of a rainbow using different colors. Label the completed work “Our Friendship
Rainbow” and hang it on the wall. Did anyone make a friend while doing the activity?
Activity #3
Keep Your Balance
Curriculum Connection: Gross Motor Skills
Marcello’s teeter-totter is balanced on a center support. It goes up on one end and down
on the other when children, sitting at each end, push off the ground with their feet.
Explain to students that they are going to use their bodies to mimic the action of a teetertotter and in doing so, practice balancing on one foot. Have students stand in a circle
with plenty of room between them. Lead the group by rocking to one side and lifting the
opposite foot off the ground. Hold the position, balancing on one foot, and then bring
your leg down and rock to the other side. See how long students can balance on one
foot.
Activity #4
Teeter-Totter Safety
Curriculum Connection: Safety
Marcello and Nelson were able to have fun on the teeter-totter because they knew how
to use it safely. Review the following list of teeter-totter safety rules with students. You
may wish to extend the activity by having the class create a playground safety poster.
Teeter-Totter Safety Rules
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
One rider per seat.
Always sit facing one another.
Hold on to the bar with both hands.
Keep feet to the sides of the seat.
If not riding, stay back!
Resources
Web Sites
Disney Channel’s Cable in the Classroom web page.
http://psc.disney.go.com/disneychannel/cableintheclassroom/
Handy Manny games, activities and music.
http://disney.go.com/disneychannel/playhouse/handymanny/
Preschool activities.
http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/
Traditional Mexican dances.
http://www.folklorico.com/
Children’s digital library in English and Spanish.
http://www.storyplace.org/
Books
Hippocrene Children's Illustrated Spanish Dictionary: English-Spanish/SpanishEnglish. Publisher: Hippocrene Books; Bilingual edition, 2003.
Levete, Sarah. Making Friends. Publisher: Copper Beech, 1998.
Murphy, Stuart J. A Pair of Socks: MathStart Series, Matching. Publisher:
HarperTrophy, 1996.
Pancella, Peggy. Playground Safety. Publisher: Heinemann, 2005.
Pipe, Jim. Why Does It Fall Over? Projects about Balance. Publisher: Copper Beech,
2002.
Pluckrose, Henry. Sorting. Publisher: Franklin Watts Ltd., 2003.
Stevens, Janet. Shoe Town. Publisher: Green Light Readers, 2003.