A guide for using our resources

Children will study and evaluate Stevie Wonder’s accomplishments.

Vocabulary: harmonica, hit, records

Social Studies Focus: Black History Month

Simple, spectacular ideas to boost your lessons.

• Read this picture book biography for more details on Stevie Wonder’s childhood, life, and accomplishments.

• Grab some Stevie Wonder tunes and have a dance party! Upbeat songs sure to get children dancing include “Sir Duke,” “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” and “For Once in My Life.”
• Choose a slower song, such as “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” for a cool-down.
• Don’t forget to play “Isn’t She Lovely” and listen for the sounds of Stevie giving his daughter a bath! (Make sure to listen to the six-minute version for the bath sounds.)

• Use pages 2-3 of the issue to do this scavenger hunt as a group.

1. Find the heading. Underline it.

2. Find the picture where Stevie is holding his daughter. Put a ✔ on it.

3. In the orange box, find the words that name musical instruments. Circle them.

4. Look at the bottom bar. Find two words that are opposites!

Skill: art, writing

Materials: My Favorite Song skill sheet, paper plates, black paint, scissors, glue, crayons

• Make paper plate records! If kids haven’t seen a record before, you might show them an example and explain how they work.
• Give each child a paper plate. Have kids paint the plates black.
• While the paint dries, pass out the skill sheet and cut out the record labels. Have kids write the name of their favorite song (you can have kids choose their favorite Stevie Wonder song, or broaden the activity and have them choose any song).
• Have kids think about how the song makes them feel (for example, happy, sad, calm, like dancing) and help them write that on the label. Kids can also decorate their labels with crayons.
• Finally, glue the labels to the center of the plates to make records. Post them on a bulletin board for a fabulous retro display!