1 3 1 mom was a baby once (fiction)

Mom Was a Baby Once
by Irene Kruger

ELL Reader 1.3.1

Fiction

INTRODUCE THE BOOK

RESPOND

Activate Prior Knowledge/Build
Background Read the title, and invite children
to tell how children change as they grow. Ask:
How have you changed since you were a baby?
How have other children you know changed? Tell
children this book tells how a mom has changed.

Answers to the Reader’s Inside Back Cover:

Preview/Use Text Features Preview the
reader by talking about the illustrations together
and naming the labeled items.
Preteach Vocabulary Review the highfrequency words that appear in this book:
nothing and stays. Introduce these key words
from the book: photo (p. 2), little (p. 4) and
changed (p. 8). Discuss these words and add
them to a Word Wall.

READ THE BOOK
Choose among these options for reading to

support children at all English proficiency levels.
Read Aloud Read the book aloud as children
follow along. Pause to verify comprehension and
to explain unfamiliar concepts.
Monitored Reading Have children silently
read a few pages at a time. Use the following
questions to support comprehension:
• Page 2 What are Justin and his
grandfather doing? (They are looking at
photos.)
• Page 3 Who is in the photo? (Justin’s mom
and grandfather are in the photo.)
• Page 4 What is Mom in the photo? (Mom
is a baby in the photo.)
• Pages 5–8 Why does Justin look at the
photo and then at his mom? (Justin looked at
the photo and then at his mom to see how
she’s changed.)

Talk About It
1. Mom was little then and now she’s big.
She had no teeth then and now she has teeth.
(Compare/Contrast)
2. Possible response: He will grow taller. His
voice will change. His feet will grow.
Write About It
3. Children should draw a picture of themselves
as a baby on one side of the paper. On the other
side they should draw a picture of themselves as
they appear now.

Support writers at various English proficiency
levels.
Beginning Encourage children to use the
words Then and Now to label their drawings.
Intermediate Provide the sentence frames
When I was a baby, I was ___ and Now I
am ___. Have children dictate endings.
Advanced Invite children to explain their
pictures after they have completed them.
Extend Language The opposite of big is little.
Encourage children to say the opposites of other
words, such as black (white) and dark (light).
Answers to page 26:
Pages 4–5: Mom is big.
Pages 6–7: Mom has teeth.
Family Link Read aloud the Family Link activity
on page 26 before sending copies of the Study
Guide home with children. Later, have them
describe themselves as babies.

© Scott Foresman 1

Reread Have children reread the book with a
partner, in small groups, or independently. Have
them complete the Study Guide on page 26.

ELL Readers Teaching Guide

Unit 3, Week 1 Mom Was a Baby Once

25


Study Guide

Mom Was a
Baby Once

Name

• Read Mom Was a Baby Once again.
• Write about Mom now.
Pages Mom as a Baby Mom as a Big Person
4–5

little

6–7

no teeth

Ask family members what you were like as a baby.

26

Mom Was a Baby Once Unit 3, Week 1

ELL Readers Teaching Guide

© Scott Foresman 1

Family Link