Leapster Story Explorers Teachers Manual
™
Porta bl e tech n ology ce nter
Story ExplorErS
Story ExplorErS
English
earners
Language L
Develop essential reading and listening skills
using handheld technology that immerses English language learners
in engaging vocabulary and comprehension activities.
T E A C H E R ’ S M A N U A L
Fold your word catcher like this:
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5.
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™
Porta bl e tech n ology ce nter
Story ExplorErS
Story ExplorErS
Develop essential reading and listening skills
using handheld technology that immerses English language learners
in engaging vocabulary and comprehension activities.
T E A C H E R ’ S M A N U A L
© 2007 by LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or in a storage retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
Permission is hereby granted to reproduce the Blackline Master pages bearing a copyright line, in limited quantities,
for classroom use only.
LEAPFROG SCHOOLHOUSE, the LeapFrog SchoolHouse logo, and LEAPSTER are trademarks or registered trademarks of
LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. Copyright © 2007 LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. LeapFrog SchoolHouse is a
division of LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.
ISBN-13 978-1-59319-825-1
ISBN-10 1-59319-825-6
Printed in XXXXXXX
LeapFrog SchoolHouse
A division of LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.
Emeryville, CA 94608
800.883.7430
LeapFrogSchoolHouse.com
CONTENTS
PROGRAM OVERVIEW 5
COMPONENT S 7
STORY AND SKIL LS SUMMA RY 9
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE 13
VOCABUL ARY 14
NA RRATIVES 14
PH ONEMIC AWAREN ESS 15
SY NTAX 15
STORY CO MPREHENS ION 16
AB OUT THE PROGRAM’S LEVELS 16
SK ILLS MATRIX 17
CLASSROOM USE AND MANAGEMENT 21
IN TEGRATING THE PROGRAM IN TO THE CL ASSROOM 23
USING THE LEAPSTER STORY EXPLORERS PROGRAM 25
US ING THE TEACHER FUNCTION S 26
PL AYING ACTI VITIES I N S TUDENT M ODE 32
ST UDENT AS SESSM ENT PROF ILE 36
LE AP STE R® STO RY EX PLOR ER S TE AC HE R’S MANUA L
CONTENTS
USING THE STUDENT PRACTICE BOOK 37
ACTI VIT Y I NSTRUCTI ONS AND ANS WER K EY 39
HOME CONNECTION KIT 47
IN TRODU CTORY FAMILY LET TERS 48
LE APSTER S TORY EXPLOR ERS FAMILY/SCH OOL CON TRACTS 50
MATERIALS SIGN-OUT SHEE T 52
MI DPOINT FA MILY LET TERS 53
FI NAL FAMILY LET TERS 55
APPENDIX: WORD LISTS 57
LE AP STE R® STO RY EX PLOR ER S TE AC HE R’S MANUA L
PROGRAM
OVERVIEW
HEADER
As English language learners acquire or refine language and literacy skills,
it is crucial to engage in activities that develop listening and reading
comprehension. Leapster Story Explorers is designed for Spanish speakers
in grades K–3 to develop reading comprehension and vocabulary skills in
beginning and early intermediate English proficiency level students. e
task-directed and interactive program is particularly effective at building
competency in young students.
LE AP STE R® STO RY EX PLOR ER S TE AC HE R’S MANUA L
5
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Leapster Story Explorers provides a moderate degree of Spanish language
audio support as students start using the program. e program then carefully
scaffolds English content to ensure consistent and successful engagement as
the student proceeds. Engaging story lines are coupled with direct instruction
on vocabulary, followed by narratives that develop comprehension skills
through active listening tasks. Phonemic awareness activities and practice with
syntactical patterns (such as sentences with prepositional phrases) prepare
students for success with the story comprehension questions that follow. e
student practice book provides additional practice on key concepts and skills,
and connects directly to the themes and curriculum that students encounter
when using Leapster Story Explorers. rough the unique experience when
using Leapster Story Explorers, students will find that the practice necessary
for fluency is enjoyable and productive.
e program is designed for use in a linear progression to provide appropriate
scaffolding. e default course path includes periodic evaluations of student
progress, and opportunities for review and further practice at the end of each
level. You can view reports at any time to see the students’ progress. While the
default course will be best for most of your beginning-level students, you can
modify individual learning paths based on your observations of each student’s
English language proficiency and performance.
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LE AP STE R® STO RY EX PLOR ER S TE AC HE R’S MANUA L
COMPONENTS
e Story Explorers for Leapster Portable Technology Center (PTC) provides
screen-based, leveled skill practice. e interactive curriculum adapts to match
the pace of individual users, allowing students to progress at their own rate.
Skills in listening comprehension are enhanced as students move through
engaging screen-based themes.
Your Leapster PTC includes:
■
Leapster handhelds: These screen-based personal learning tools teach the
way students love to learn.
■
Story Explorers cartridges (each Leapster cartridge can track up to
three students): Vocabulary, phonemic awareness, syntax, and story
comprehension activities are presented in engaging themes with tutorials
and structured hints to facilitate mastery.
■
Name stickers: Write student names on these and place them on the backs
of the cartridges to allow students to easily identify their own cartridges.
■
Student practice books: These specialized books connect directly to
the themes and curriculum students encounter when using the Leapster
handhelds and Story Explorers cartridges.
■
Teacher’s manual: This book provides instructions for using the program
and its components.
■
Headphones: These allow for quiet study.
■
AC adapters: Use these as an alternative to batteries.
■
Power strip: Use with the Leapster AC adapters.
■
Parent guides for the Leapster handhelds: This hardware reference guide
includes instructions and safety guidelines. Keep these guides for reference
in class or keep them with your home connection kits.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Note: Find additional
components, including student
practice books, cartridges,
Leapster handhelds, carrying
cases, and expansion kits, at
LeapFrogSchoolHouse.com/
Leapster.
Leapster Handheld
Current research shows that interactive screen-based products such as the
Leapster handheld can be very effective learning tools. Because students are
challenged by the engaging activities, they eagerly tackle increasingly difficult
levels of learning activities. Furthermore, the game-like activities promote
repeated use, aiding students in internalizing the vocabulary and concepts.
LE AP STE R® STO RY EX PLOR ER S TE AC HE R’S MANUA L
Note: Learn about the
latest ecacy research
on Leapster PTCs at
LeapFrogSchoolHouse.com/
Research.
7
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Students move through the program
sequentially, completing each activity
in order.
Leapster Story Explorers Cartridges
Instructions for moving through the program are provided in Spanish.
Tutorials and Spanish audio support are provided to guide students through
activities and provide assistance when needed.
e program guides students through three story lines that span four levels.
Each story has a narrative section intended to encourage active listening
comprehension skills and four distinct activities, each with a different language
focus. e stories provide context to vocabulary from the themes home,
food, nature, animals, neighborhood, and transportation. While Spanish audio
support is available to ensure students can understand the directions, the
narratives are exclusively in English.
Students sign in using their own names, and the program allows them to pick
up where they left off. Students can choose to replay previously completed
portions of the program as many times as they wish, but they can’t advance to
the next level until they have completed each activity.
is linear approach ensures that students have the proper scaffolding to
succeed at the later, more difficult activities.
Note: To reorder student
practice books, visit
LeapFrogSchoolHouse.com/
Leapster. You can also download
a printable PDF version of
the student practice book by
registering the product online
with LeapFrog SchoolHouse.
Student Practice Books
In addition to the interactive Leapster component, the program includes
colorful student practice books with activities for each skill set, corresponding
to the interactive elements of the program. ese activities are designed for
additional practice to reinforce the lessons and expand learning into literacy,
and they can serve as informal benchmark assessments.
Teacher’s Manual
is teacher’s manual provides a scope and sequence, instructions on using
the program, an extensive word list, and an answer key to the student practice
book. In addition, the home connection kit includes a sample introductory
letter to the family, sample update letters, a sample contract, and a sample
sign-out sheet for materials. e home connection kit extends the learning
experience for students and enables family members to become active partners
in learning English with their children.
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STORY AND SKILLS SUMMARY
Connie and Max are playing in their attic, where they find a dusty book of
children’s stories. As they turn the pages of the book, their attic disintegrates
into puzzle pieces and the children find themselves in one of the story settings.
ey search each of three story settings for the pieces of their attic. When they
find and assemble all 12 puzzle pieces, they are able to return home.
Students follow Connie and Max through each story to complete a series of
four activities as they look for puzzle pieces. ese activities reinforce key skills
that build students’ listening comprehension.
e stories provide context to vocabulary from the themes home, food,
nature, animals, neighborhood, and transportation. After completing all of the
vocabulary, phonemic awareness, syntax, and story comprehension activities,
students advance to the next level and the story lines repeat. While the stories
remain the same in all levels, the difficulty of the activities increases.
Because students repeat each story line narrative four times to complete all
four levels of the program, they have an excellent opportunity to gradually
build on skills acquired in lower levels.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
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Story Explorers Introductory Narrative
Connie and Max discover a magic book that transports them into the book’s stories.
Ogre’s Cottage
Vocabulary Activity
The children explore the
cottage and learn vocabulary
from the themes home and
food.
Story Narrative
The ogres come home to
discover the children asleep in
the ogres’ beds. The children
appease the angry ogres by
making them a stew.
Phonemic Awareness
Activity
The children identify words
with particular phonemes to
add to the stew.
Syntax Activity
The unhappy ogre chases the
children from the house. To
escape across a river, the
children must jump on logs to
build sentences.
Vocabulary Activity
The children explore the
island and learn vocabulary
from the themes nature and
animals.
Story Narrative
The children find a farm, catch
fish for dinner, and sleep
under the stars. The next day,
pirates arrive to raid the island.
Phonemic Awareness
Activity
To stop the pirates, the children
throw bananas at items that
have particular phonemes.
Syntax Activity
The pirates chase the children
to the beach. To escape to
another island, the children
must jump on turtles to build
sentences.
Banana Island
Vocabulary Activity
The children explore the
western town and learn
vocabulary from the themes
neighborhood and transportation.
Story Narrative
The town is deserted—the
townspeople are hiding from
Shady Sue. The children chase
her around town, narrowly
missing her each time.
Phonemic Awareness
Activity
The children identify words
with particular phonemes to
round up stampeding chickens.
Syntax Activity
To cross a canyon and catch
Shady Sue, the children must
jump on tumbleweeds to
build sentences.
Story Comprehension
Activity
Connie records the adventure
for the town newspaper by
answering questions about
the story.
Old Cody Town
Story Comprehension
Activity
Connie records the adventure
in her journal by answering
questions about the story.
Story Comprehension
Activity
Connie records the adventure
in her journal by answering
questions about the story.
The children complete the adventure and find themselves back home again.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
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Vocabulary Activity: Students acquire vocabulary through the exploration of objects on the screen.
When students are ready, the exploration activity is followed by a word search activity when
students press the B button on the Leapster handheld. In Level 1, optional language support is
available to provide the vocabulary words in both Spanish and English.
Story Narrative: Narratives provide context for the vocabulary and theme. Narratives encourage
active listening and comprehension skills such as using background knowledge, identifying main
idea, and paying attention to detail, context cues, and nonverbal cues. Elements of story structure
such as character, setting, plot, and story sequence are also identified to enhance comprehension.
Phonemic Awareness Activity: Students identify target phonemes to build awareness of English
sounds that are uncommon in Spanish.
Syntax Activity: Using vocabulary introduced in earlier activities, students are introduced to
syntactical patterns, such as sentences with prepositional phrases. Repetition of sentences such as
He is a boy or He sits on the chair helps students internalize the patterns.
Story Comprehension Activity: Students respond to questions of increasing difficulty about the
narrative section.
Activities
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
LE AP STE R® STO RY EX PLOR ER S TE AC HE R’S MANUA L
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SCOPE AND
SEQUENCE
HEADER
e activities on the Leapster Story Explorers cartridge cover four skills:
vocabulary, phonemic awareness, syntax, and story comprehension. In
addition to the activities, the narratives build listening comprehension;
students progress through each story at their own pace, pausing, moving
forward, and moving backward at will. Students listen to and view each story
at least four times (once in each level), with the expectation that they will
derive new and expanded meaning from each repetition.
LE AP STE R® STO RY EX PLOR ER S TE AC HE R’S MANUA L
13
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
cow
cow
VOCABULARY
e vocabulary activity introduces eight new words in each story for a
cumulative total of 24 new words per level, and a total of 96 words. ese
words come from six themes: home, food, nature, animals, neighborhood, and
transportation. In addition, the vocabulary component introduces a secondary
set of fundamental modifiers that are critical to K–3 pedagogy, including
numbers, shapes, colors, and opposites. e modifiers also appear in the
practice book activities to reinforce learning of vocabulary terms associated
with early math concepts.
Level 1 Vocabulary Activity
Level 4 Vocabulary Activity
Tip: Encourage students to
touch elements on the screen
during the narrative—there are
several opportunities to reinforce
thematic vocabulary.
Students acquire vocabulary through the exploration of objects on the screen.
When students are ready, the exploration activity is followed by a word search
activity when students press the B button on the Leapster handheld. In this
word search activity, images appear on the screen to support vocabulary
development. In addition to the systematic vocabulary practice during this
activity, students will be listening to numerous words that do not appear
on the screen. By hearing high-frequency words such as the, is, and what
in context, students will have rich opportunities to further expand their
vocabulary. See the word lists on page 57 for all of the words presented in
the program.
NARRATIVES
After the vocabulary activity, students view and listen to an animated
story that places the recently acquired vocabulary in a concrete, easily
understood context.
Additional vocabulary words are introduced contextually in the story line, and
students can touch images on the screen with the Leapster stylus to reinforce
vocabulary (for example, if you touch the fire in the ogre’s cottage, the audio
says e fire is warm). ese “touch-and-talk” items emphasize the thematic
vocabulary (home, food, nature, animals, neighborhood, and transportation),
as well as introduce vocabulary about color, size, and shape in the context
of simple English sentences (e fish is orange; e wheel is round). is
practice helps move students from understanding English at the word level to
understanding it at the sentence level.
Narrative
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PHONEMIC AWARENESS
The re is hot.
The
The
is is
hot
hot
The ogres felt angry.
The
The
felt felt
ogres
P
p
peach
ig
E
et n
er d
After the interactive narrative section, students are presented with a phonemic
awareness activity that increases their ability to distinguish important sounds
that often cause problems for students learning English. Students must
identify specific sounds within the context of common words. roughout
each level, students are introduced to similar phonemes that are contrasted
with one another. is approach will increase the amount of exposure to key
sounds while reinforcing what the student has already learned.
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
By the end of each level, students have had significant exposure to three closely
related phonemes so that their ability to distinguish, and later pronounce,
these phonemes can improve.
SYNTAX
Vocabulary and common themes from the narrative sections are revisited in
an activity featuring English syntax. In this activity, students follow the proper
word order of known vocabulary in the context of a sentence. Because these
words now form part of the students’ vocabulary, they can begin to focus
on how these words work with other words to create meaning. us, the
acquisition process is scaffolded from focusing on the word level to focusing
on the sentence level. is process also assists the students’ comprehension by
revisiting sentences and topics from the narrative.
Level 1 Phonemic Awareness Activity
Level 4 Phonemic Awareness Activity
LE AP STE R® STO RY EX PLOR ER S TE AC HE R’S MANUA L
Level 1 Syntax Activity
Level 4 Syntax Activity
15
hungry scared
sleepy
Yes
No
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
Level 1 Story Comprehension Activity:
Is the ogre hungry?
STORY COMPREHENSION
e final activity assesses the students’ comprehension of the narratives
and themes running throughout each section. e repeated exposure to the
narratives throughout each level helps lead students from simply trying to
understand the general plot to gathering enough details to make conclusions
from what they have seen and heard.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM’S LEVELS
e program contains four levels that introduce new content as the student
progresses. ese levels follow the language acquisition process.
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Beginning vocabulary
Numbers 1–9
Initial consonants
Yes/No questions
Early intermediate
vocabulary
Shapes
Initial consonants
Identifying details
Early intermediate
vocabulary
Colors
Medial vowels
Story sequence
Advanced intermediate
vocabulary
Opposites
Medial vowels
Inferring meanings
through utterances,
actions, visual cues,
and context
Level 4 Story Comprehension Activity:
How did Max feel when he came into
the bedroom?
e program’s levels roughly correspond to proficiency levels as follows:
Story Explorers Levels 1 and 2: Proficiency Level 1 Students (Beginning)
Beginning-level students have had limited exposure to the sounds of the
English language. ey rely heavily on their native language to aid them in
learning English, and depend on context clues and nonverbal communication
for comprehension. Typically, Proficiency Level 1 students can recognize
phonemes in English that are also found in their native language and can
produce high-frequency vocabulary words. Students at this level demonstrate
comprehension through simple words and nonverbal communication, such as
drawings or physical gestures.
Story Explorers Levels 3 and 4: Proficiency Level 2 Students (Early
Intermediate)
Early-intermediate students have had some exposure to the sounds of the
English language, but their knowledge of English is limited. Typically,
Proficiency Level 2 students speak their native language at home and
have minimal experience in English-only environments. Students at this
level can produce the basic sounds of English along with high-frequency
words and phrases. ey demonstrate comprehension through nonverbal
communication, such as drawings or physical gestures. While they can’t yet
form grammatically correct sentences, they can communicate using one- and
two-word responses.
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LE AP STE R® STO RY EX PLOR ER S TE AC HE R’S MANUA L
SKILLS MATRIX
e skills matrix below lists the objectives and exercises covered in the
activities. Most beginning proficiency students should follow the default path,
starting at Level 1. However, you can use this information to help you decide
whether to place more advanced students at a higher level. e program is
designed for use in a linear progression. Students complete each activity in
order, starting with vocabulary, then phonemic awareness, then syntax, and
then, lastly, story comprehension. Students complete all the activities in the
three stories in Level 1, before progressing to Levels 2, 3, and 4.
e icons in the table are from the activity picker screens.
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
Skill and Activity Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Vocabulary Beginning vocabulary
Numbers 1–9
beans
bed
Ogre’s Cottage: Home, Food
Banana Island: Nature, Animals
Old Cody Town: Neighborhood,
Transportation
cheese
cup
fork
knife
slippers
spoon
Numbers: 1, 2, 3
branch
cow
elephant
sheep
stars
sun
turtle
zebra
Numbers: 4, 5, 6
bridge
house
park
school
store
street
train
tunnel
Numbers: 7, 8, 9
Early intermediate vocabulary
Shapes
door
lamp
milk
pillow
plate
table
tub
window
Shapes: rectangle, square
chicken
sh
monkey
mountain
sea
shell
snake
spider
Shape: triangle
car
child
man
map
road
truck
wheel
woman
Shape: circle
Early intermediate vocabulary
Colors
blanket
brush
ham
jam
rug
sofa
tomato
towel
Colors: blue, pink, red
bee
bird
buttery
re
frog
leaf
tree
worm
Colors: green, purple, yellow
airplane
bench
bicycle
camera
fence
sign
streetlight
suitcase
Colors: black, brown, white
Advanced intermediate
vocabulary
Opposites
bowl
chair
pot
rice
salad
steak
stove
yam
Opposites: big, small
clouds
girae
moon
river
rocks
sand
wave
Opposites: short, tall
bank
hospital
mailbox
policeman
seat
sidewalk
ticket
trashcan
Opposites: far, near
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17
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
Skill and Activity Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4
Phonemic Awareness Bilabial plosives often mistaken
Ogre’s Cottage: Introduces
one sound with clearly
unrelated distractors. This rst
sound is one with which most
English language learners have
some familiarity.
Banana Island: Presents a
new sound closely related
to the rst, some unrelated
distractors, and some
distractors featuring the
sound from the rst activity.
This sound may be slightly
dicult for some English
language learners.
Old Cody Town: Introduces
a third sound, related to
the rst two, while utilizing
only distractors featuring
the words from the rst two
activities. This sound may be
unfamiliar to many English
language learners.
for one another (/p/, /b/) and
the voiced labiodental fricative
(/v/), which is dicult for many
Spanish speakers since the
letter v is pronounced as the
voiced bilabial plosive (/b/)
/p/
pea
peach
pear
pig
pillow
pink
plate
plum
pot
purple
puzzle
/b/ contrasted with /p/
banana
bat
bean
bed
bee
bench
bird
bowl
box
branch
buttery
/v/ contrasted with /p/ and /b/
van
vase
vat
vent
vest
vine
violet
violin
volcano
Domed postalveolar
sounds (/ch/, /sh/) and the
voiceless dental nonsibilant
fricative (/th/)
The sound /ch/ is common
to most English language
learners, especially to native
Spanish speakers; /sh/ and /th/
are challenging, especially for
native Spanish speakers.
/ch/
chain
chair
chalk
chart
cheese
cherry
chicken
chili
chip
/sh/ contrasted with /ch/
shadow
shampoo
shark
sheep
shell
ship
shoe
shovel
shower
/th/ contrasted with /ch/ and
/sh/
theater
thick
thin
think
thirty
thorn
three
throne
thumb
Common vowels in their
English contexts to give
students practice in the way
that vowels function with
English consonants
/o/
box
clock
frog
hot
knot
lock
log
mop
pot
rocks
stop
/oh/ contrasted with /o/
boat
coat
cone
goat
rope
rose
soap
stove
throne
toast
/oo/ contrasted with /o/ and
/oh/
boot
cube
ute
food
goose
moon
roof
spoon
tune
Vowels common in English,
yet very dicult for English
language learners because
they do not typically appear
in Spanish
/a/
bag
bat
black
cat
ham
hat
map
rat
yam
/e/ contrasted with /a/
bed
belt
bench
egg
nest
net
pen
red
ten
web
/i/ contrasted with /a/ and /e/
bridge
chip
sh
gift
lip
milk
pig
pin
ship
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LE AP STE R® STO RY EX PLOR ER S TE AC HE R’S MANUA L
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