An entertaining read aloud that has students laughing out loud can inspire a love of reading. This week we are spotlighting Neck and Neck by Elise Parsley because it does just that. Listening to Leopold the Giraffe’s inside thoughts paired with the hilarious facial expressions in the illustrations is sure to have young readers entertained. Using an engaging read aloud like Neck and Neck in the classroom is a great way to teach reading and writing while having fun! - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
SUMMARY
Leopold the Giraffe is a popular attraction at the zoo. Children squeal over how tall his neck is and Leopold loves the admiration. One day, Leopold finds he has some competition at the zoo, a giraffe balloon! A little boy is holding the balloon, and thinks it is better than the real thing. Leopold is jealous and tries to compete. He can grin, zoom and bounce just like the giraffe but the balloon is still competition. Leopold tries to solve his problem by popping it, only to find the boy returns with even more balloons!
The boy accidentally lets go of the balloons and they drift up into Leopold's favorite tree. He must decide whether or not to save them. When he does, Leopold finally gets the boy’s admiration and all is well again at the zoo.
USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
Neck and Neck is a book that will show students just how fun reading can be. When students are this engaged in a story it is the perfect opportunity to expand on their writing and reading skills. It also lends itself well to a variety of social emotional lessons.
- Teach students to make inferences about Leopold’s actions throughout the story.
- Neck and Neck is packed with action lending itself well to a lesson on the cause and effect of Leopold’s actions.
- Encourage readers to get creative with their writing and continue the story of Leopold or create their own.
- Work with interjections and examine how authors use adjectives to enhance a story.
- Facilitate a class discussion on making good choices and feelings as students reflect on Leopold’s actions.
NO-PREP PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES:
If you are looking for “ready to go” activities for the first day of school, be sure to check out the book companion. With it you’ll receive all of the following resources to align with this specific book:
- comprehension questions
- 30 writing prompts with themed paper
- vocabulary activities
- word study print & go activities
- ideas for grammar lessons with focus sentence printables
- social emotional learning discussion topics
- graphic organizers to target specific comprehension skills and strategies
Young readers will be so engaged working with Neck and Neck it won’t even feel like learning!
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will also love these similar books:
- We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
- The Adventures of Beekle by Dan Santat
- Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang
- Pig the Pug by Aaron Blabey
TRY OUT A SAMPLE COMPANION
It's hard to explain how amazing the Starts with a Story book companions are because there is just so much goodness included in each one. It's best if you experience using one for yourself. Sign up below & we'll send you an entire book companion to try out for FREE!
