What season or time of the year is January? Let’s write the name of this month on top of the first column. What words from the story and details from the illustrations tell us it is winter? Let’s add some notes in our column for the season of winter. (Adding pictures, too is recommended) Why do the animals stay to the barn in the winter? (The teacher will refer back to this question later when animals are grazing outside) Listen to these sentences from the story again: “It is a cold, grey time of year and night falls early” And “the days are too short and dark.” What do you it means that “night falls early”? Turn to your shoulder partner and quietly discuss this question and raise your hand when you are ready to answer. If not already on the chart, tell students we will add “less daylight and sunshine” Reread pages 4 – 5. What is the next in the story? Listen to this sentence again from the story: “February follows January.” What does that mean? January is a winter month. will vary and could include January, snow, cold, frozen ground, short and dark days, sheep have heavy winter coats, sheep huddled together to stay warm, no leaves on the trees, people wearing coats, gloves, hats, wild deer coming close to the farm looking for food. Pictures representing snow, leafless trees, winter clothes, etc. may be added. Animals stay close to the barn to get fed. is less time of daylight in the winter. The next month is February. It means that February comes after January. (If students need scaffolding here, the teacher could say “follows means to come after or be behind. What does it mean that Feb. follows Jan.?”)
Reread 12 – 13. What is the next month in the year? What season is it? (If students need help, reread the first sentence “June is the first month of summer.”) Look at the illustration and think about the words in the story. Why is the pasture so green? What are the animals doing in the pasture? Which animals eat grass? How do horses help chickens get insects? Why do chickens chase insects? (If students can’t infer this, add “If “Stir up” means to shake something up or make it move quickly around” then what happens when the horses’ big feet or hooves hit the ground?”) What reasons does the author give that the bird is safe, but the squirrels “had better watch out”? What do the squirrels have to watch out for? Why do the squirrels have to be careful, but not the bird? June is the first month of summer. The pasture is green with grass. The animals are eating the grass. Horses, cows, geese, goats, and chickens eat grass. When the horses walk around to eat grass, they “stir up” the insects with their big feet or hooves. The bird is up on a branch, out of the cat’s reach; the squirrels are on the ground in front of the cat and her kittens where they could be hunted and attacked. The author says, “cats don’t eat grass or insects,” so the cat may eat the squirrels if they’re not careful. Reread pages 14 – 15. What is “enough of to go around” in June? Looking at the illustration at the bottom of the page, does it look like horses like What details in the illustration tell us whether horses do or do not like horse-flies? Talk about this quietly with your shoulder partner and raise your hand when you are ready to answer. There are enough insects to go around. No. The horses are swishing their tails and kicking to try and shoo away the flies. Goats and sheep eat flowers.
Page 6 – ewe – mother sheep Page 6 – kid – baby goat Page 7 – cranky - irritable Page 7 – hare – like a rabbit, has longer ears and back legs Page 7 – pussy willows – tall plants that grow near water Page 8 – hatching – breaking out of the shell Page 9 – eaves – overhanging part of roof Page 10 – shorn – cut off Page 10 – scarcely – very little Page 24 – frost – when outdoor temperature falls below freezing and ice crystals form Page 24 – splendid - beautiful and colorful Page 24 – migrate – move from one habitat or place to another to follow warmer weather Page 24 – – group Page 26 – bay – loud barking and howling of canines Page 11 – moult – loose feathers shed or fall off Page 16 – chatting - talking Page 17 – clank – a sound when metal hits metal Page 17 – conveyer – a machine that moves things (such as hay) on a belt that moves Page 19 – drowsy – sleepy Page 20 – shod – to put shoes on Page 24 – roost – place where birds sleep Page 26 – echo – a repeated sound Page 27 – rattle – noise that things knocking against something else make Page 27 – “huntsman’s horn” – the horn or noise maker the hunter uses (in illustration) to call other hunters Page 27 – gander – male goose