Objectives  Understanding change, social, and economic challenges; compare and

Teaching Guide
contrast hypothetical situations; identify problems and solutions; the importance of family
and teamwork When Times Are Tough
Materials  notepads and pencils

30 minutes, Days 1–3

Build Background
Activate Prior Knowledge  Tell children: Sometimes people need help to do
things. You probably needed help to tie your shoelaces when you were younger. Have you
ever needed help doing something? What was it? Who did you ask for help? What did they
do to help you? Encourage children to discuss their experiences as a class.

Introduce the Focus Skill: Identify Problems and Solutions   

Explain that a problem is something that you need to figure out. A solution
is the answer to the problem. State an example of a problem to the class: I
have a problem. My room is messy because I have too many toys. I’m going to give them
to kids who don’t have any toys. Giving away my toys is the solution. My room won’t be
messy anymore. Ask children to think of a problem they’ve had and how they
solved it. Have them write it down and share it with the class.

Acquire New Vocabulary  Introduce the 10 key words in the book: tough, save, plenty, neighbors, activities,
community, events, teams, improvise, and useful. Read each word aloud and use it in a sentence, emphasizing each syllable
in the key word. For example, say: When times are tough, we need to work together. We can improvise solutions to problems. Ask children to
look up key words that they don’t understand in a dictionary and write their definitions. Review definitions, proper pronunciation, and
spelling as a class.

Read and Respond  Display the book. Read the title and author name aloud as you track the print. After reading the book
with the class, point out to children that each problem in the book is introduced on the left page, and the solution is given on the right
page. For example, on p. 4, the problem is that the family needs to save energy. The solution on p. 5 is that the family will read good
books and make up new games. Ask the class to come up with alternative solutions for the problems that are presented in the book. For
instance, an alternative solution to the problem posed on p. 4 could be to play board games. Discuss these alternatives as a class.

60 minutes, Days 4–5

˛ Curricular Enrichment: Social Studies  Explain to children that they will work individually to come up
with ways to help their families at home. Then distribute notepads and pencils to the class. First, ask the children to list the
SOCIAL
STUDIES
things that family members may need help with. Encourage children to include cost- and energy-saving ideas. Some cost-
saving ideas may include bringing lunch to school instead of buying it, or having a picnic in the park instead of going to a
restaurant. Some energy-saving ideas could be turning the lights off when leaving a room or washing the dishes by hand. A
third option is reusing (i.e.: using disposable silverware and containers more than once, using both sides of the paper) and
recycling (separating paper, plastic, and glass items to be recycled). Then ask children to apply one of the three options at
home. Encourage children to come up with three ways to carry out the idea they chose. For instance, a child who chooses to
help his/her family save energy could take shorter showers, turn the computer off when he/she is done using it, and walk
to a friend’s house instead of asking a parent for a ride. Tell children to be prepared to talk about what they did to help out
at home during tomorrow’s class. On the following day, discuss how children helped at home. Have each child tell the class
which option they chose and why. Encourage children to give details about what they did to help at home.

Home Connection  (Teacher, you may want to photocopy this NATIONAL STANDARDS
activity for children to complete with a family member.)
Language Arts: K-12.1—K-12.9, K-12.11, K-12.12
Talk with your child about what he/she did to help you Mathematics: Numbers PK-2.1—PK-2.3; Algebra PK-2.1, PK-2.3, PK-2.4; Geometry PK-2.1—
PK-2.4; Measurement PK-2.1, PK-2.2; Data & Analysis PK-2.1—PK-2.3; Problem Solving
out during the past couple of days. Discuss how the family PK-12.2, PK-12.3; Connections PK-12.3; Representations PK-12.3
benefited from the extra help. Talk about how your child Science: K-4.1, K-4.2, K-4.3, K-4.5, K-4.6
Social Studies: Economics: K-4.1—K-4.11, K-4.13—K.4.16, K.4.19; Geography: K-12.2, K-12.4,
has been helpful and how he/she could help out more. K-12.5; U.S. History: K-4.1, K-4.2
Health: K-4.1—K-4.7
Encourage your child to use the words problem and solution when Physical Education: K-12.3—K-12.7
brainstorming new ideas. Visual Arts: K-4.1, K-4.2, K-4.3, K-4.5, K-4.6
Technology: K-12.1—K-12.6
Dance: K-4.1—K-4.7
Theater: K-4.1—K-4.8

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