Level 8

Push or Pull?
by John Parker

Overview
This book demonstrates the physical forces of pushing and pulling.

Literacy Focus
High Frequency Words
do, does, the, why

Word Count: 73 words Initial Consonants: w, r (water, wind, rocks) Compound Words: sailboat, waterwheel, tugboat

Writing/Speaking and Listening

Writing content words to describe the force applied to objects Responding to questions in text Describing how objects are moved

Content Words
sailboat, move, wind, pushes, sled, pull, waterwheel, train, engine, pulls, front-end loader, trailer, truck, push, tugboat

Comprehension/ Thinking Skills

Using illustrations to read text Making and verifying predictions Classifying

Decoding Skills
Initial and Final Digraphs: sh (ship, push) Initial Consonant Blends: sl, tr (sled, trailer, truck)

Observe/Assess
See Oral Reading Records in the Assessment Handbook.

Text Features
Bold-faced type

Science Focus
Content and Thinking Skills
Understanding that pushing and pulling are both examples of force Understanding that pushing and pulling can cause movement Classifying forces that push or pull

Background Information
The movement of objects is caused by the basic actions of pushing or pulling. How an object moves by one of these forces depends on a number of factors: size, weight, shape, and the degree of friction. From a very early age, children push and pull objects as they play. This text extends the concept of

pushing and pulling to contexts beyond childrens immediate experiences.

Correlation to National Standards

Physical Science Position and Motion of Objects Science as Inquiry
See Standards Chart on page 204.

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Push or Pull?

Literacy Focus
Set the Scene
Suggest a situation in which the classroom furniture would need to be moved. Ask children how this could be done. Write the words they use for action on the board. Examples could be lift, carry, drag, and push and pull. Read the text together. Emphasize the word in boldfaced type.
Pages 415 Ask children to look at the picture on each page. As they become more familiar with the concept, ask:

Help each child write a question about how an object moves. Ensure that all questions end with a question mark. Write the compound words on the chalkboard and show children how to decode them. sail/boat water/wheel tug/boat

Read and Discuss

Cover and Title Page Show children the book. Point out the title of the book and the name of the author. What do children think this book will be about? Ask:

Do you think the ________ is being pushed or pulled? Why? Read and discuss the text together.
Page 16 Let the children read the text for themselves. Encourage their thoughts on the question asked in the text. Tell children to give reasons for their answers.

Comprehension
Activity Master, page 136 Use the Activity Master, page 136, to encourage children to recall information from the book. Have them record what they remember on the chart. Then have them refer back to the text to confirm or add information.

What might the book tell us about pushing and pulling? What things might be used to push and pull?
Pages 23 Discuss the picture with the children.

Respond
Together write and say the words in the text that include the digraph sh (push, ship). Write other words with this digraph appearing at either the beginning or end of the word (crush, hush, shape, shirt).

What does the picture show us? What do you think is making the boat go across the water?

Meeting Individual Needs For specific teaching strategies for meeting individual needs, see pages 198-203.

Science Focus
Science Concept
Pushing and pulling are actions that make things move.

Activities
May the Force Let the children experience pushing and pulling appropriate objects. Discuss how it feels to push and pull and the difference between pushing and pulling. Discuss whether they think one is easier than the other.

Machines That Push or Pull The book names some machines that help people move things. Discuss other machines children know of. Do the machines push or pull? A Machine to Push or Pull Supply a variety of materials and have children make a device that can move an object. Materials could include boxes, tubing, tape, paper, string, or wood.

Push or Pull?
Activity Master, page 137 Have children cut out the pictures on the Activity Master, page 137, and sort them according to how they are moved.

Push and Pull Activities Organize hands-on activities that are similar to those in the text. Allow children to experiment with a toy waterwheel, have toy sailboat races, or hold a long sign as they run to mimic the movement of an airplane pulling a sign.

Push or Pull?

135

Name

Push or Pull?

Complete the chart below.

What moved it? Was it pushed or pulled?

136

Activity Master

Comprehension: Classifying

2001 National Geographic Society

Name

Push or Pull?

Cut out the pictures. Sort them into things that are pushed and things that are pulled.

2001 National Geographic Society

Science: Physical Science

Activity Master

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