Suggestions for Using Prediction and Paired Reading Strategies with Ten Apples Up on Top!

I love this book! It is a great read aloud book.


There are many opportunities to use reading strategies (paired reading and prediction) and phonological activities (rhyming, sound play, patterns in words) as you read.

Here are literacy strategies to do with "Ten Apples Up On Top! " by Theo. LeSieg (Dr. Seuss). This is a counting up to 10 book where the animal characters compete with one another to put one more apple on top of their heads as they hop, drink milk, walk on the tight rope, and skate.

Some reading strategies I suggest are the following:

• Accentuate your voice when you come to the rhyming words at the end of the storyline; example "You can do three but I can do more. You have three but I have four" "Look! See, now. I can hop with four apples up on top."
• Use the Prediction Strategy ( see 6/5/09 post) to predict what the next number apple will be on top before you turn to the next page. When you get to the next page and read how many apples are on top - count the apples on top and point out to your child that the picture matches the words you are reading - print has meaning!
• Predict what will happen next when you get to page 37 - will these apples fall?
• Predict on page 38 what will happen when a new character appears (a large angry bear) shaking a mop at the dog, lion and tiger!
• Continue to use prediction - say something like this to engage your child -"What will happen next?" "Oh, No what next??" "Will the apples stay on top?" "What do you think the birds will do?"
• Use the Paired Reading Strategy (see 6/5/09 post) after your child is familiar with the story line and pause before the second rhyming word in a pair and let your child fill in that word; example, "You can do three but I can do more, You have three but I have ____."
• Share reading sentences with your child if he is able to read the text. You read a page or sentence and he reads the next. As children are learning to read they like to read some of the story, but, may want to stop because they enjoy hearing the story read to them.
• After you have read the book a number of times, ask your child why the author decided to make the print large on the last pages of the book (remember to read those larger print words with more expression so your child makes the link between the excitement occurring on the pages)
• Count how many times the word "apples" occurs in the book - why did the first time the word apple appear on page 3 without the letter "s" on it? What is the quantity meaning of apple and apples? Does the text match the number of apples on top?
• Choose a word that appears in a rhyming pair and make new word rhymes
• Talk about the exclamation point that is at the end of many sentences. "What does that mean?" In my class we called it an "excitement mark" to indicate something happening in the story.

There are many strategies to use with this book that are intended to do over multiple readings. Some activities are stand alone activities such as counting the number of times you see the word "apple" in the text or making new rhymes with pairs of rhyming words from the book. Please use these strategies with other books you read as well.

For an additional activity your child can draw a picture of himself and draw apples on top of his head. Then he can write "I have 6 apples on top!" onto the paper. This reinforces that print has meaning. See my prior posts about journal writing (7/13) which provides a format for journal writing. Proudly display the picture where your child can easily reach it and point to the words as he reads his story!

Susan