Transportation and Construction Reading Activities with Kids!
You can read with your children about different types of vehicles, how to construct a road, or you can help your child learn how to identify vehicles when driving on errands. When reading to your children, help them learn critical thinking and problem-solving skills by asking questions and talking about the story. Listed below are stories, discussion questions, and relevant California Common Core Standards used by teachers for early elementary students to develop effective language arts skills.
Suggested stories or books on transportation and construction may include:
- There’s a Hole in the Road by Mary Ann Burke reprinted by permission on GenParenting.com
- Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site
- Wheels at Work Construction book
- Find it: Things That Go
- Spot the Difference Building Site
A Hole in the Road Story
The story below was created by Grandma Mary Ann and her grandchildren after her car slipped into a sink hole at the bottom of a hill. Although there is some truth to the story, it is greatly exaggerated and can be read to your children with much imagination and humor. After reading the story, you can answer the comprehension questions and submit a comment to GenParenting.com Comments.
There’s a Hole in the Road!
By Mary Ann Burke, copyright 2017 by Novation Associates
There’s a hole in the road and as you can plainly see,
It is bigger than both you and me.
My grandma fell in it with her big black car,
And gasped as she soared into the black tar!
The hole first surfaced right after the rain,
And my dad told me the hole would not drain.
I asked how could this hole be repaired?
Then my dad told me he had to get prepared!
He found the street engineer,
Who fell in the hole when I stood near.
This hole is out of control, as you can see,
With the comings and goings of all near me.
I want this hole fixed, as soon as can be,
So that my sisters and I can cheer with glee!
The city contractor brings his heavy equipment to fix the hole,
And digs in the dirt like a mole!
The excavator bucket lifts a truckload of mucky tar,
Onto a passing car!
The dump truck finally arrives to clear away the mess,
And dumps fresh dirt into the hole with no stress.
The land leveler flattens mounds of dirt,
While the dump truck driver pours asphalt on the road without his shirt!
The paver spreads asphalt; then the road roller flattens the road,
For all to see as our happiness explodes!
Our road is fixed and our lives are fine,
The hole is a great story about one scary time!
Transportation and Construction Reading Discussion Questions
Ask your children the following questions after reading the story or another selected book:
- What jobs does each transportation or construction vehicle do in the book?
- What vehicles could you use to go to the doctor, travel to the beach, or drive to school?
- What construction trucks or equipment would you use to build a house, make a road, or build your school?
- What did you learn from the book about community helpers or construction equipment?
- What vehicle would you like to drive and what job would you like to do?
- What did you learn from this story? Post your response to the GenParenting Comments.
- Compare this story to another about community helpers or construction and what did you learn?
- Draw a picture of your favorite construction vehicle and tell a story about the it.
Listed below are relevant California Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy that support early elementary school learners:
- Kindergarten: With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
- Grade 1: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
- Grade 2: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
- Kindergarten: With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.
Copyright © 2018 by GenParenting
Mary Ann Burke, Ed.D., Digital Education Expert, is a substitute distance learning teacher for Oak Grove School District in San Jose, California and the author of STUDENT-ENGAGED ASSESSMENT: Strategies to Empower All Learners (Rowman & Littlefield: 2020). Dr. Burke creates digital language arts and substitute teaching K – 12 activities for teachers and parents. She is the Cofounder of the Genparenting.com blog. Burke is the former Director II of Categorical & Special Projects for the Santa Clara County Office of Education that supports 31 school districts serving 272,321 students in Santa Clara County. She is also a previous Director – State & Federal Compliance for Oakland Unified School District, the former Director – Grantwriter for the Compton Unified School District, and was the initial VISTA Director for the Community Partnership Coalition in southern California. Much of her work focuses on creating innovative digital trainings and partnership programs for teachers and families to support students’ learning. These programs were featured as a best practice at a National Title I Conference, California’s Title I Conferences, AERA Conferences, an ASCD Conference, the NASSP Conference, and statewide educator conferences.