(bright upbeat music) - Hey.

Welcome to Camp Read-A-Lot.

I'm Mrs. Hammack and I am so excited that you're here with me at camp.

You know, camp is a great place to have fun and to learn.

And at Camp Read-A-Lot, we're going to read and sing and talk and do all kinds of activities that will help us to grow to be strong readers.

Parents, you can help at home, too.

Why don't you try making reading an event?

Right, so, what you can do is set aside time in your daily schedule where everyone just stops and reads.

You can read the same thing or you can all read different things.

Maybe you even wanna read a book that's been made into a movie and then celebrate it by popping popcorn, having snacks and watching the movie together after you've finished the book.

Wouldn't that be great?

What a great way for you to show your kids how important reading is.

And I know you'll see great results when the school year starts because your kiddos are going to have a great time holding onto all that learning that they got and then even growing during the summertime rather than that summer slide.

Why don't you try to make reading part of your family's routine?

I think you'll really love it.

All right, campers, are you ready for our hello song?

Okay.

♪ Hello readers ♪ ♪ Hello writers ♪ ♪ Hello campers ♪ ♪ I'm glad you're here today ♪ ♪ Hello readers ♪ ♪ Hello writers ♪ ♪ Hello campers ♪ ♪ I'm glad you're here today ♪ You ready for our pledge?

All right, let's do it.

Get your salute ready.

On my honor, I will try my best to be kind to everyone, to have a smile on my face, and a song in my heart.

Great job.

Hey, we are talking about friendship today and I have a great story that we're gonna read.

But, you know, we always, even at camp, have to train our ears for sound.

And there are so many beautiful sounds here at Camp Read-A-Lot.

But we're gonna train our ears to hear sounds in words.

Do you think you can help me look for our friend Scooter that's supposed to be here to help us with our game?

Scooter.

Do you see him anywhere?

Scooter.

- I'm so sorry to bother you.

- Oh.

- You know, we were having s'mores at our camp next door.

- Oh no.

- And I need to let you know that Scooter came by.

I guess Scooter really likes s'mores, that's what I'm being told.

- He loves s'mores.

- Well, Scooter, you're back home where you need to be.

- Oh, thank you.

Hey, I did not know you were camping right next door.

- Yeah, we really.

- Oh, awesome.

- We love Camp Read-A-Lot.

- Hey, campers, this is my friend, Bob.

Isn't that cool?

Here we are all camping at the same time.

Do you think you could stay and sing a little song with us?

- Oh, Mrs. Hammack, I would love that, it's great.

I'd love to be here with your readers in Camp Read-A-Lot.

- That would be fantastic, come on over.

- All right, thanks.

- I've got a seat right here for you.

- That's great.

I'll pull up a stump.

- So, do you have any songs that maybe our campers might know that we could sing?

- You know, one of the things that's really great about camping is that a lot of people like to sing.

And I love to play the ukulele.

The ukulele's like a small guitar with four strings.

It's a really fun instrument to play and it's really small so you can bring it with you to Camp Read-A-Lot or anywhere that you wanna go.

- I love it.

- I was thinking maybe we could sing a song, which is kind of an echoing song, where I'll sing a line and then you answer with a line right after.

So even if you don't know the song, you can still sing it if you just sing the same words that I'm singing.

- I think that's a great idea.

- And then, this song is like a building song.

It's called The Green Grass Grows All Around and the words build and build and build.

So even if you don't know it, you'll get it, you'll get the picture pretty quick.

- Okay, that sounds good.

- You ready?

- Let's try it.

♪ Out in the woods ♪ ♪ Out in the woods ♪ ♪ There was a tree ♪ ♪ There was a tree ♪ ♪ The prettiest tree ♪ ♪ The prettiest tree ♪ ♪ That you ever did see ♪ ♪ That you ever did see ♪ ♪ There's a tree in the hole ♪ ♪ And the hole in the ground ♪ ♪ And the green grass grows all around, all around ♪ ♪ And the green grass grows all around ♪ ♪ And on that tree ♪ ♪ And on that tree ♪ ♪ There was a branch ♪ ♪ There was a branch ♪ ♪ The prettiest branch ♪ ♪ The prettiest branch ♪ ♪ That you ever did see ♪ ♪ That you ever did see ♪ ♪ There's a branch in the tree ♪ ♪ And the tree in the hole ♪ ♪ And the hole in the ground ♪ ♪ And the green grass grows all around, all around ♪ ♪ And the green grass grows all around ♪ ♪ And on that branch ♪ ♪ And on that branch ♪ ♪ There was a nest ♪ ♪ There was a nest ♪ ♪ The prettiest nest ♪ ♪ The prettiest nest ♪ ♪ That you ever did see ♪ ♪ That you ever did see ♪ ♪ There's a nest in the tree ♪ ♪ And the tree in the branch ♪ ♪ And the branch in the tree ♪ ♪ And the tree in the hole ♪ ♪ And the hole in the ground ♪ ♪ And the green grass grows all around, all around ♪ ♪ And the green grass grows all around ♪ ♪ And in that nest ♪ ♪ And in that nest ♪ ♪ There was a bird ♪ ♪ There was a bird ♪ ♪ The prettiest bird ♪ ♪ The prettiest bird ♪ ♪ That you ever did see ♪ ♪ That you ever did see ♪ ♪ There's a bird in the nest ♪ ♪ And the nest in the branch ♪ ♪ And the branch in the tree ♪ ♪ And the tree in the hole ♪ ♪ And the hole in the ground ♪ ♪ And the green grass grows all around, all around ♪ ♪ And the green grass grows all around ♪ ♪ And on that bird ♪ ♪ And on that bird ♪ ♪ There was a wing ♪ ♪ There was a wing ♪ ♪ The prettiest wing ♪ ♪ The prettiest wing ♪ ♪ That you ever did see ♪ ♪ That you ever did see ♪ ♪ There's a wing on the bird ♪ ♪ And the bird in the nest ♪ ♪ And the nest in the branch ♪ ♪ And the branch in the tree ♪ ♪ And the tree in the hole ♪ ♪ And the hole in the ground ♪ ♪ And the green grass grows all around, all around ♪ ♪ And the green grass grows all around ♪ ♪ And on that wing ♪ ♪ And on that wing ♪ ♪ There was a feather ♪ ♪ There was a feather ♪ ♪ The prettiest feather ♪ ♪ The prettiest feather ♪ ♪ That you ever did see ♪ ♪ That you ever did see ♪ ♪ There's a feather on the wing ♪ ♪ And the wing on the bird ♪ ♪ And the bird in the nest ♪ ♪ And the nest in the branch ♪ ♪ And the branch in the tree ♪ ♪ And the tree in the hole ♪ ♪ And the hole in the ground ♪ ♪ And the green grass grows all around, all around ♪ ♪ And the green grass grows all around ♪ One more time.

♪ And the green grass grows all around, all around ♪ ♪ And the green grass grows all around ♪ Mrs. Hammack, you are a great singer.

- You too.

- And you have a good memory too.

- Oh, that was fun.

- That was super fun.

- That was fun, I love it.

- Singing in campfires, that reminds me of every summer I spent like enjoying the campfire.

In places like Camp Read-A-Lot, I'm getting the same.

So you should do that with your family.

That's another thing that, parents, you can do.

If you sing, your kids will become strong readers everyday.

Reading, singing, and talking to your kids is really the answer.

- I love it.

That was awesome.

Hey, I'm just getting ready to share a story with our campers.

I'd love it if you wanted to stay.

- Oh, I would love to hear a story.

- Awesome.

- Yeah, anything that we can do to like learn more and read as often as we can is awesome.

So I'd love to share that with you.

- Hooray!

All right, well today, first before we start, I'm going to, I'm gonna go over our catch of the day.

These are the words that we might need to know to help us understand what the story is talking about.

So these word is narrator.

Narrator.

Do you remember what a narrator is?

I'd love when we have words we've already talked about.

This is the person who's telling a story, right?

And sometimes, the narrator is part of the story.

And you're gonna see that today.

All right, let's see what else we have here.

Oh, swap.

Swap.

A swap, when you swap something, you're trading it or you're exchanging it.

I know some of you with Pokemon cards and some of those know exactly what that means.

And let's see, we have amazing.

- Great word.

- Is that a great word?

- That is a great word.

- It means wonderful and surprising.

You know sometimes, we use this word without really thinking about what it means.

And so, and I think about it today as we're reading our story.

And this word is what our strength is for today.

And that's friendship.

A friendship is a relationship between friends.

And you're seeing it right here, right?

And I hope that you have some great friendships, too.

So our story today is called "Not Norman".

I think you're going to be surprised by how the story goes.

So watch and let's get into, let's jump in and see what's happening.

Not Norman, a goldfish story.

Now, remember, we've talked a little bit about how books work.

And this is our front cover of the book.

And our back cover.

And remember that some stories tell us a little bit about the story on the back cover.

That way, if we're looking for a good book and we're not sure, we've never heard of it, we can read a little bit and see if that sounds interesting for us to read.

And we also have the spine of the book.

And then when you go and get back to school, your librarians will want you to remember to make sure when you put the book on the shelf that the spine is the part that's sticking out.

And then of course, the title page.

And that's where we hear the name of the story again.

This story is written by Kelly Bennett and illustrated by Noah Jones.

And you know what I just noticed?

I forgot my reading tools.

Because when I was reading that, I had to splint my eyes.

I need to get my glasses.

Remember, we all use whatever tools we need to help us be successful.

And we might all need different tools.

Some of us need glasses for our eyes.

Some of us need braces for our arms or wheelchairs for our legs.

All of those things are great because they help us be the best that we can be.

- Look at those amazing glasses.

You're very amazing.

- Thank you.

All right, let's see.

All right, it's a goldfish story.

So let's find out about Norman.

Not Norman.

"When I got Norman, I didn't wanna keep him.

I wanted a different kind of pet.

Not Norman."

Can you tell who's talking?

Right, this character right here is the narrator and he's also the character that's telling us his story about Norman.

Have you ever gotten a gift for your birthday that, hmm, maybe you weren't that excited about?

Yeah, sometimes it's hard.

"I wanted a pet who could run and catch.

Or one who could climb trees and chase strings.

A soft, furry pet to sleep on my bed at night.

Not Norman.

All Norman does is swim around and around and around and around and around and around and around and around and around and around and around.

"This is it, Norman," I decided.

"I'm trading you for a good pet."

Norman doesn't move.

Norman even, not even a fin twitches.

How can I trade him like this?

No one will want a sorry-looking fish in a gunky bowl.

When I drop Norman into his nice, clean bowl, he starts dipping and flipping and flapping his fins around.

He looks so goofy I have to laugh.

"Don't think just because you made me laugh, I'm going to keep you," I tell him.

"Tomorrow, you're outta here."

Norman blows a stream of bubbles.

The next day, I take Norman to school with me.

If I talk him up real good during Show-and-Tell, maybe someone will want him.

On the way there, we see my friend Austin.

Austin has a really cool dog and seven puppies.

"Wanna swap one of your pups for Norman?"

I ask.

"Who's Norman?"

asked Austin.

"My goldfish," I say.

By the time I rescue Norman, half of his water is gone."

Can you see why he needs to rescue him?

He have the dogs there drinking his water.

- They think it was clean.

- Right.

""I'm sorry," I tell Norman when we get to school.

"I'm really sorry."

He just stares at me all googly-eyed.

Finally it's my turn for Show-and-Tell.

Just as I start to talk about my goldfish, Emily shouts, "Jenny is gone!

Who let my snake loose?""

You see?

What do you think is gonna happen?

Yeah, that's what will happen in my classroom.

"Does anyone hear the story of how I got Norman?

Does anyone even asked to hold his bowl?

No.

They're all jumping and screaming and chasing the snake.

Not Norman.

He's looking right at me.

"Thanks for listening," I tell him."

- Norman's pretty cool.

- Yeah.

That afternoon, we go to my music lesson.

As soon as it's over, I'm taking Norman back to the pet store.

I take out my tuba and I began to play.

I glanced over at Norman and he's swaying back and forth.

Glu glu glug glug, he mouths.

"Ha, look, Norman's singing," I say.

"Pay attention!"

snaps Maestro.

"And try to play the proper notes."

Maestro makes me stay for extra practice.

By the time my lesson is over, it's too late to go to the pet store.

"Don't think just because you like my music that I'm going to keep you," I tell Norman.

He glugs.

That night, I'm sound asleep when screech, screech.

What's that noise?

Screech, screech, screech.

Ha, yikes, there's something at my window.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spot Norman.

He isn't scared.

He isn't swimming around in circles either.

He glugs and gives me a little wave.

I'm not alone.

Together, Norman and I slide open the curtains.

It was just a broken tree branch.

"Hoo, thanks for watching out for me, Norman."

On Saturday, I take Norman to the pet store, just like I said I would.

I look at the cats and dogs and snakes and birds.

I loom at the hamsters and mice and lizards, too.

They all look like good pets, but they are not Norman.

When I got Norman, I wasn't sure I wanted to keep him.

But now, even if I could pick any pet in the whole world, I wouldn't trade him.

Not Norman."

And his sign says, "Norman, one amazing fish."

- Look at that bowl.

- Well, yeah.

- Maybe Norman trade them.

- Yeah, he traded up for sure.

- [Both] Wow.

That's incredible.

So, did you hear some things about friendship in this story?

I did, did you?

- Yeah, I mean, at first he didn't really want Norman.

But once he spend a little time with him and learned what Norman was like, things changed.

- A lot.

- That is so true.

And so I have our little reading power chart.

And so let's take a look at it because it talks about the beginning and the middle and the end of the story.

And here it says what the narrator says.

What he feels.

And what he does.

So at the beginning of the story, the boy gets the goldfish as a gift, right?

But he's not that excited about it.

Here's what he says.

"I wanted a different kind of pet."

And here's how he felt.

He was disappointed, right?

He was kind of excited and then let down 'cause that wasn't exactly what he planned.

And then he takes Norman to school hoping that someone else will want him.

In the middle of the story, do you remember what happened?

What did he say in the middle of the story?

Can you remember some of the things he said?

Right, he went to music class.

Let's see what, up, he said, "I'm taking you back."

Do you remember he said, "As soon as music is over, you're outta here."

And then he was still unhappy.

But I noticed, did you noticed that even though he was still unhappy, he was starting to notice some things about Norman that might change his mind.

- I think when he went to music class, and realize that Norman really liked his singing, or his tuba playing, it was singing along.

Like things started to change.

- Yeah, I agree.

And also when the snake got loose.

- Oh my gosh, yeah.

- And everyone was running around and no one was listening, but Norman was listening.

- That's right.

- All right, and then he makes plans to take him back.

But then, at the end of the story, our character changes.

And something happens.

And at the end of the story, he says he looked at the cats and the dogs and the snakes and the birds and the hamsters and all of those other pets, but now, he is satisfied.

Now, he is happy that he has Norman.

And he takes Norman home with him.

He says, "I wouldn't trade him for any pet in the world."

He even got him a great big fancy fish tank.

Did you notice?

Isn't that awesome?

Wow.

So do you see how sometimes we think one thing but as we spend time with someone or doing something, we get more information about them.

And it can change our mind.

And we can see things that we didn't see at first.

And that's really important to be open to changing your mind about things.

Because sometimes we make a decision about something or a person and we decide that we don't like them or we don't wanna be friends with them.

And we really have nothing to make that decision with.

And then as we spend time together and get to know each other, we really learn that we actually have a lot in common.

And we can be good friends.

And that's super important that we give each other a chance to be a good friend.

And so that's what I hope you learned about Norman's story.

Is that sometimes it takes a little time to get to know each other and spend time together.

And that will really be an added benefit to you when you take the time to get to know someone.

I think you'll enjoy it.

What do you think?

- You know, one of the things I think we need to remember is sometimes we judge what we want our friends to be.

Like in the case of Norman, I wanted a fuzzy pet or somebody that would sleep on my bed.

But it was only because I had not ever met a fish that could sing.

- Hmm, that's true.

- Right.

So when I learned that there are different people out there that aren't exactly like me, and I'm open to like understanding that they might be different but that they're still really special and very unique.

It's a great way to make a friend.

- I love that idea.

That's a great way to think about it.

Because sometimes when people are different, it makes us uncomfortable.

And it makes us nervous that you know, we don't wanna spend time with them.

- Right.

- And I love the idea of changing how you think about that.

- Right.

- That maybe somebody different than you is exactly who you should want to be friends with.

- And it might require being a little bit patient.

Sometimes we go look different or act different or say different things, and it might take a few times to better understand them but stay with it and you never know what it would take to make a good friend.

- I think that is fantastic.

That is awesome.

- Amazing.

- Amazing.

That's right, amazing.

Using one of our catch of the day words.

Now, I have a little activity for us.

I made a little poster of Norman and so I want to brainstorm with you, with my friend, Bob, and with you.

What are some things that made Norman amazing?

And in thinking about that, I want you to also think about just what would make a friend amazing.

So what are some things you think would make him, that made him amazing.

And then what would make a friend an amazing friend.

So the first thing I thought of was that the first thing he's did.

That he showed that he was a listener.

He listened to the boy when no one else was listening.

And a good friend is always a good listener.

- One thing I learned about Norman, too, is he really like music and Norman can sing.

Who ever met a singing fish before?

- Right.

- And I think anybody that likes music is a good friend of me.

- I think that's a great great way to think about it.

I also thought, you know, he was there when our character was afraid.

So our character felt super alone, like something terrible was happening and he was all by himself.

And then he realized, he wasn't alone.

He had Norman.

And that's something a good friend does.

Even if the friend is not right there in the room with you, and you can call them, you know that you're good friend is gonna be there for you and help you when you're afraid, or when you need to talk about something.

And I thought that was awesome that Norman could be that kind of friend.

- Not afraid of snakes or bumps and noises in the night.

That's awesome.

- Right.

- What a great friend.

- That is a super great friend.

Well, can you think of anything else about Norman that made him amazing?

- I think Norman is just always there.

And that's one good thing for a friend.

A friend that's always there for you, that you can count on, that you know is gonna be in your corner, and he's gonna love and care for you and be a good friend.

That's a great thing about Norman and a great thing about really friends who stay with you.

- That's true because even though our character was not really very kind at the beginning, that didn't bother Norman.

He just stuck with him.

And you're friends are gonna stick with you even when you're not quite the nicest kindest person.

They love you no matter what.

And that is what makes an amazing friend.

- That is amazing.

- Well, my friends, I am so glad that you have joined us at camp today.

And I'm so excited that my friend, Bob, is here.

And we're gonna sing our closing song.

But before we do, I want you to take time and think about meeting somebody new.

Maybe somebody that's different than you and spend some time together so you can get to know each other.

And I bet you're gonna learn, not only will you learn more about them, but you'll learn more about yourself, too.

Because we have a lot to share with each other.

And we only make each other stronger.

We're better together.

SO find somebody new and make a good friend.

- Thanks Mrs. Hammack for being my friend and for giving Scooter a sleep back at home.

- I'm so sorry about the s'mores.

- That's great, you know, it's okay.

- All right, do you know the song Skinny Marinky?

- I think I know that song.

Yeah, I'd love to sing it with you.

- Let's do it.

- Okay, sure.

- All right.

♪ Skinny Marinky Dinky Dink ♪ ♪ Skinny Marinky Do ♪ ♪ I love you ♪ ♪ Skinny Marinky Dinky Dink ♪ ♪ Skinny Marinky Do ♪ ♪ I love you ♪ ♪ I love you in the morning ♪ ♪ And in the afternoon ♪ ♪ I love you in the evening ♪ ♪ And underneath the moon ♪ (Mrs. Hammack howls) ♪ Skinny Marinky Dinky Dink ♪ ♪ Skinny Marinky Do ♪ ♪ I love you ♪ Hey, I just realized I had a taco joke for you.

- (laughs) Mrs. Hammack, you know that all my best friends tell taco jokes.

- What?

Our tacos not.

Why are they not good in keeping secrets?

- I don't know why our taco is not good at keeping secrets?

- Because they spill everything.

(both laughs) - Oh, my gosh.

They spill everything, that's true.

- Oh - I've had such a great time with you today.

Thanks for teaching us about friendship and being a good friend and what it means to be better reader.

You're awesome.

- Thank you.

- Amazing.

- I think you are awesome and amazing.

And I hope you'll come back another time.

- I'd love that.

- And we'll see you later.

Bye-bye.

(bright upbeat music)