Early Math  /  Spatial Thinking  /  Books & Songs  /  Activity

Lucy in the City Read Aloud

 

Spatial Thinking
Books & Songs

Lucy gets lost in the city but finds her way home by retracing her steps.

A man points to a raccoon on the page of a book while he reads Julie Dillemuth’s book “Lucy in the City.”

Children spot the landmarks on the map that Lucy used to remember how to get home.

 

Materials

Julie Dillemuth’s book “Lucy in the City.”
  • Lucy in the City by Julie Dillemuth

Preparation

  1. Pre-Read: Read through the story on your own before reading with children.
  2. Note: The book refers to the cardinal directions (north, south, east, west). Those are spatial concepts that can be introduced when children are older and don’t need to be explained here unless children ask.
 

Directions

  1. Before Reading: Hold up the book and read the title, author, and illustrator. Ask children what they think the book will be about.
  2. While Reading: On the pages that show Lucy’s travels through the city streets, trace your finger over the dotted lines that show the route she took.
  3. After Reading, ask:
    • How did Lucy find her way home?
    • Turn to the final spread that shows the full map of the city. Say: To find her way home, Lucy had to remember some of the different landmarks she saw earlier. Take a look at the map. Can you remember what some of them were? Can you spot them on the map?
    • Finish by asking children to find Lucy’s home on the map.
Length of Play

15 min.

Group Size

Whole Class

In the Schedule

Circle Time

 
Vocabulary
  • map
  • directions
  • landmark
  • route
 
Learning Goals
  • Plan, describe, or follow a route from one location to another  
  • Develop an initial idea that maps, diagrams, and models can be representations of real-world spaces