I Can Be Me in KC!
by Christle Reed
Two young children invite you to come along as they meet the diverse, creative people that make our city the place where everyone can say, I Can Be ME in KC! Learn about following your interests and developing your skills as we meet the fascinating people who have succeeded in making their professional dreams a reality.
Reading Tips for Story Explorers
Find a comfortable space to read together
Slow down and enjoy the illustrations
Ask and answer questions together
Make reading part of your routine - bedtime is a great time for reading
Use these prompts to encourage deeper thinking with your children:
"Tell me more, why do you think that?"
"How do you know that?"
"Interesting, did you notice anything else?"
Phonemic Awareness
When introducing the book, share the title and notice these phonemic elements:
The letter I is the first letter in the title of the book and it is the first word in the title of the book too! When the letter I stands alone and is capitalized it is the word I and it is pronounced with it's long vowel sound.
Point to the letter I on the cover and explain that it is both a letter and a word. The word means me or myself!
Ask the children to say the word after you. Show them the cover of the book and have them read the word out loud with you as you point under each word.
Vocabulary
city: a place in which people live that is larger than a town
murals: art that is painted directly on the surface of a wall
orchestra: a group of musicians who perform instrumental music using many different instruments
harvest: gathering crops, or the season when crops are gathered
graphics: a picture, map, or graph used for illustration or decoration
Questions to Discuss
What kind of interests do you have? Do you know anyone grown up who has that same kind of interest?
Have you ever asked someone in your community about the work they do? Who would you ask if you could?
Do you help at home by doing chores or jobs for the family? What are the skills you are learning that might be helpful at school or at work someday?
Have you been to any of the places in KC that are shown in the book? Are there places you go or people you have met that you would like to see in a book?
Let's Play
The children in this story imagine their future opportunities by playing and acting out those activities now. Talk with your child about what they might like to be or do when they grow up. How can you make a play area or a real life opportunity to try doing those things right now? For instance:
- Set up a 'classroom' for stuffed animals for a child who imagines being a teacher. Use some crayons and paper to give each animal school supplies.
- Set up a 'post office' for a child who imagines working with the post office. Use a cardboard box as a mail box; envelopes from your junk mail to give children something to put in the box; scrap paper to write letters; a plastic shopping bag for a mail carriers letter bag.
- Set up a 'drawing station' or a 'writing station' for a child who imagines being an artist or an author. Use a variety of pens, pencils, crayons, or markers; use scrap paper of different colors or sizes; use glue or tape or whatever is available.
