Jim McMahon/Mapman®
Alaska and Hawaii are not drawn to scale or in their proper places.
Welcome to New York City! It is one of the biggest cities in the world. It has tall buildings called skyscrapers.
Alan Wycheck/AP Images for Tishman Speyer
Wow! A Tree-mendous Tree
Find out about a special Christmas tree in New York City. Then read the true story of a tiny owl that was stuck there.
From the December 2023/January 2024 Issue
Learning Objective: Children will locate and discuss facts about the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center.
Lexiles: 500L
Vocabulary: skyscrapers, gigantic, tradition
Topic:
Social Studies,
Common Core Standards
TEKS Standards
1. The Big City
2. The Big Tree
Alan Wycheck/AP Images for Tishman Speyer
Workers cut down the tree and bring it to the city on a big truck.
Every year, New York City gets a gigantic Christmas tree. There aren’t big trees like this in the city. The tree comes from the woods.
3. Pretty in the City
Shutterstock.com
Alan Wycheck/AP Images for Tishman Speyer
The huge tree goes in a spot called Rockefeller Center. Workers add hundreds of lights. What a sight!
Millions of people visit the tree each year. They love this holiday tradition.
4. A Secret in the Tree
Shutterstock.com
One year, there was something else in the tree. A tiny owl was hiding in it. The owl was alone in the big city. Uh-oh!
video
(1)
Activities
(2)
Skills Activities
Answer Key
(1)
More About the Article
English Language Arts Focus
Nonfiction text features
Vocabulary
skyscrapers, gigantic, tradition
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Implementation
Whole Group
Pairings and Text Connections
- In this issue: “Big Read-Aloud: Tiny Owl in the Big City”
- Suggested books: The Christmas Owl: Based on the True Story of a Little Owl Named Rockefeller by Ellen Kalish and Gideon Sterer
Before-Reading Resources
- Video: Traditions (5 minutes): Explore the ways that traditions enhance our lives.
- Vocabulary Slideshow (5 minutes) skyscrapers, gigantic, tradition
Suggested Reading Focus
Information from text and images/labels (20 minutes)
- Before opening the magazine, tell your students they will be learning about something surprising that happened during one of New York City’s holiday celebrations. Review the vocabulary slideshow and traditions video to explore this concept.
- Walk your students through the nonfiction text features of the page. Take a close look at the pictures and ask students to share what they notice.
- Read the mini article. Pause to check for understanding with each of the bolded vocabulary words.
- Have students share with the group or in partnerships their predictions for what might happen to the tiny owl in the tree.
After-Reading Skills Practice
- Skills: Traditions (15 minutes)
Extension Craftivity
Skills: Making predictions (15 minutes)
- Have students work in small groups to predict how the tiny owl made its way into the holiday tree. Encourage them to include details such as where the owl came from.
- Then have them act out their ideas or create a poster using classroom craft materials.
Text-to-Speech