| Audio | Visual |
|---|---|
| Backpack Bear Learns the Rules By Chase Tunbridge. Illustrated by Dale Beisel. |
An illustration of a little bear looking into a classroom. He wears a backpack with a star on it. Inside the classroom, a teacher hands a book to a little girl. |
| When Backpack Bear first arrived on the first day of school, he was very nervous. He was so nervous, in fact, that he hid! He worried that the children wouldn't like having a bear in their class. His teacher, Mrs. Elliot, noticed he was missing. | A teacher stands surrounded by children in the classroom. Backpack Bear hides behind a bookshelf. |
| Mrs. Elliot asked all the children to look around the classroom to see if they could find Backpack Bear. | Backpack Bear peeks out as the children search. |
| When the children found his hiding spot, one of them said, "Welcome to our class!" Another said, "You can sit by me!" And another said, "I'm so happy that you are a bear!" That made Backpack Bear feel much, much better. Mrs. Elliot said, "Tick tock, it's nine o'clock! At nine o'clock we play games. I will roll this ball. If you catch it, say your name, then roll the ball to a new person so they can say their name. Remember this rule: Only say your name when you catch the ball." |
Image left: Backpack Bear crawls out of his hiding place with a smile. Image right: Mrs. Elliot points at a clock. She holds a red ball. |
| Backpack Bear really wanted Mrs. Elliot to roll the ball to him first, but she rolled it to Shane instead. Before Shane could say his name, Backpack Bear shouted, "Backpack Bear! My name is Backpack Bear!" Mrs. Elliot said, "It is nice to meet you, Backpack Bear, but it is not your turn to say your name." "When will it be my turn?" he asked. Mrs. Elliot said, "I have a hint. The answer is also the rule for this game." Backpack Bear thought really hard. "It's my turn to say my name when I catch the ball?" "Perfect!" said Mrs. Elliot. "When we wait for our turn to speak, we can listen to others." Backpack Bear was sorry for not waiting, and said so. Mrs. Elliot said, "It's okay. Making mistakes is part of learning." |
Image left: Mrs. Elliott rolls the ball to one of the children. Image right: Mrs. Elliott smiles and holds Backpack Bear's paws. |
| After everyone had a chance to say their names, Mrs. Elliot said, "Wow, you really do know how to play by the rules!"
Then she dropped the ball into the toy box. "It is everyone's job to clean up after themselves when they finish doing something, but you will also each have a special job of your own." Mrs. Elliot showed the children their class job chart. Everyone in the class did have a special job! Backpack Bear was very happy because it was his job to be the gardener. But he noticed that Jackie looked sad. He whispered, "What's wrong, Jackie?" "I wanted to be the gardener," she whispered back. |
Mrs. Elliott points at the job chart. Jackie's name is next to the "Door Opener" job. |
| Mrs. Elliot said, "Now that you know your jobs, I will answer the questions of children and bears who raise their hands or paws." Backpack Bear raised his paw. "Can I trade jobs with Jackie? She wants to be the gardener." Mrs. Elliot said, "It is nice of you to think of Jackie's feelings. You are the gardener this week. Jackie can be the gardener next week." Jackie smiled. Mrs. Elliot said, "Tick tock, it's ten o'clock! At ten o'clock we go to the computer lab. Where are our line leader and door opener?" Shane yelled, "I'm the line leader!" Jackie shouted, "I'm the door opener. I'll race you!" Backpack Bear cried, "I can't wait to learn about computers!" |
Image left: Backpack Bear holds up his paw. Jackie stands beside him. Image right: Shane, Jackie, and Backpack Bear race to the classroom door. |
| Mrs. Elliot said, "Before we go, I have two rules to teach you.
The first rule is: Walk when you are indoors.
The second rule is: Speak softly.
Who can tell me why the first rule is important?" Jackie raised her hand. "Because if we run, we might fall down and get hurt?" "That is a very good reason," said Mrs. Elliot. "What about the second rule?" Shy little Leslie raised her hand. "We should speak softly so other children can hear their teachers." Backpack Bear thought about it, and he decided they were right. |
Mrs. Elliott holds up two fingers. Backpack Bear and the other children stand around her and listen. |
| The children walked to the computer lab. Shane and Backpack Bear spoke very softly. Backpack Bear had heard about computers, but he had never used one before. He had a lot of questions. "I have a computer at my house," said Shane. "I can show you how they work." Backpack Bear and Shane shared a computer. Shane used the mouse the most, because he was showing Backpack Bear how to use it. Backpack Bear really wanted to use the mouse the most. It was hard for him to wait his turn and to listen, but he did it. |
Image left: Mrs. Elliott guides the children as they walk. Image right: Shane shows Backpack Bear how the mouse moves the cursor on the screen. |
| Mrs. Elliot said, "Tick tock, it's eleven o'clock.
Computer lab time is over.
Art time is about to begin!" The children hung up their headsets, pushed in their chairs, and then lined up behind Shane. When Jackie opened the door, they walked quietly back to their classroom. Backpack Bear didn't want to paint. He wanted to find out more about computers instead. "What are you doing, Backpack Bear?" asked Mrs. Elliot. "I'm looking for a book about computers," he said. Mrs. Elliot smiled. "You're very clever to look for a book "when you want to know more about something! "But, right now, we are painting." |
Image left: Jackie holds the door for the children in line. Image right: Backpack Bear puts a book back on the shelf. |
| Leslie painted clouds and a big yellow sun. Shane painted six slithering snakes. Jackie painted a bright red flower. Backpack Bear painted a computer, because he was still thinking about how much he liked using one. |
The children work on their paintings. They wear smocks to protect their clothes. |
| Shane, Jackie, and Backpack Bear left their paints and brushes, and went to the bookshelf to find a story. That's when Backpack Bear remembered. "Shane and Jackie," he said, "We should go back and clean up our paints and things, now that we are finished using them." Shane and Jackie were sorry for forgetting and said so. "That's okay," said Backpack Bear, "because making mistakes is part of learning." First, the children worked together to clean up their paints and brushes, then Backpack Bear watered the plants. |
Image left: Shane and Jackie have moved to the bookshelf. Backpack Bear points back at the paintings. Image right: The children wash their equipment at the sink. Backpack Bear uses a watering can. |
| Mrs. Elliot called out, "Tick tock, it's twelve o'clock, time to talk!
Look around the room and find a partner.
Choose someone new, someone you have not talked to.
Tell your new friend one rule you learned at school today." Backpack Bear looked around the room. He did see someone he hadn't talked to. Tyrell said, "I learned to listen when other people are talking." Backpack Bear said, "Me, too. I also learned to clean up after myself." "Me, too," said Tyrell. |
Image left: Backpack Bear walks toward a new classmate as the other children also find partners. Image right: Backpack Bear and Tyrell sit on the floor as they talk. |
| Mrs. Elliot said, "Now that we have remembered all the rules we learned today, we can work together to write our rules for our classroom." And that's just what they did. THE END |
Mrs. Elliott sits in front of the children. She points at a chart titled "Our Class Rules." |