The Battle of Screens vs Nature

Learn to Read with ALOHA
All of the books in the Hawaiian Cat Tales collection were designed, written, and illustrated by school children, most of whom reside on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Keiki Classroom* teachers, with 50+ years of experience between them, developed the curriculum. These books bring to life aspects of the Hawaiian culture while addressing social and emotional issues. Reluctant readers become excited when identifying with their peers’ stories. Each book represents a letter of our alphabet and teaches phonics, parts of speech, homophones, sentence starters for proper grammar and writing, and spelling rules. The intention of the Hawaiian Cat Tales Collection A-Z is to Learn to Read with ALOHA. Read with love, joy, and
connection.
Keiki
Get ready to go on a treasure hunt! Look for the paw print in each picture. Find the Paw and pause. Reflect on what is happening in the picture. Then, challenge yourself as you read about the adventures of Brotu, Brycen, Bossy Brent, and Bayaku Ban. You will find words that teach you new vocabulary. You will also learn about phonics, parts of speech, homophones, sentence starters for proper grammar and writing, and spelling rules. If you want more information, go to
the back of this book and read the words in each section so you can find them in the story. The more you find, the better treasure hunter you are!
*Keiki Classroom is a Division of Creating Keiki Curriculum, 501(C)(3) Non-Profit
Parents
Read the “Teaching Tips” in the back of this book. Each section will guide you so you get the most out of reading with your child. Make connections to the story by asking your child deep-thinking questions such as, “Would you be brave enough to sneak onto Bossy Brent’s boat? How would you react if you saw a little one getting taken out in the surf? What would your three wishes be if you found Byaku Ban’s cave?”
We have also added a few simple ways to improve your child’s reading experience. Be on the lookout for our YouTube channel, Customized Curriculum By Kristen, where experts explain the wisdom of these simple suggestions. Most of all, enjoy the time reading with your child. You bring the fun factor to reading and your child will find joy in reading. Through our work at Keiki Classroom, we hope to instill a lifelong love of reading in your child. Children whose parents read with them behave better in school.
Teachers
There are sections in the back of the book for 6 objectives. You choose the best objective for your students. There is also an enrichment section for lesson plan ideas. Please reach out to us with your feedback as you read these books to your students: LearningIsFunInKona@Gmail.com

Zack loved to play video games.  He was a lazy bum.   He was an orange, fluffy, long-haired cat.  who wore a black hoodie, one earring in his left ear, and denim jeans.  He wore black Converse shoes. He liked to be bare-pawed unless he went outside (which he didn’t do often).
Being an adventurer had always interested him, but, unfortunately, he ended up on his screen most of the time.  His screen time zapped all his energy and made his eyes gloss over.  The screen hypnotized him!  It took his mom calling him several times before he would respond.  He hadn’t stepped outside of his house in months.  Sometimes, he would even forget to eat!
One day his mom came in and scolded him for being a gamer because he couldn’t unplug from the screen.  So his mom intervened, and then he was full of rage.
She reasoned with him, “Zack you must find something else to do or else I will take away your video games for a whole year!” Zack’s mom was ok with him playing games a few hours a week but it seemed to be an addiction and take over all his life.
Zack thought and thought, “Oh man, I don’t want to get all my video games taken away.” Then, after a lot of brainstorming, he asked, “Can I use my computer to find some kind of adventure?”

On occasion, Brotu would get upset if things didn’t go his way. Brotu eventually broke free from being stubborn and impatient. The ocean taught him to let go of his anger and he began to live a more holoholo1 lifestyle.
One morning Brotu and Brycen were surfing near a kitten with a cute bear on her t-shirt. She was catching waves on her bodyboard. A few moments later, they noticed the kitten was drifting out to sea in the strong rip current. The brothers knew that she was being pulled out too far to be able to swim back to the shore. Quickly, they jumped in and paddled with their bare paws to save her.
Because the brothers knew how to read the currents, they were able to save the kitten just in time from being taken by the current. When they got her on shore and she was safe, they waved bye
and walked down the beach.
1  Holoholo - Hawaiian Language: to walk, ride or sail with pleasure, to move with the flow of life having no agenda.
Now, at the same time, there happened to be a local news reporter surfing nearby. When the brothers rescued the kitten, the reporter paddled in and wanted to know the names of the cats so he could write a story about the rescue. Unfortunately, by the time he paddled in, the brothers had already walked away.
Another cat on the beach had also watched the kitten’s rescue. His name was Bossy Brent. Bossy Brent had that nickname because he was bossy and always telling everyone what to do. The more bossy he was, the fewer friends he had. Bossy Brent was as dark as the night and wore a black tank top with a skull on it. He was a bit older than Brycen and Brotu.
Bossy Brent had watched and didn’t lend a hand to Brycen and Brotu but, instead of helping during the rescue, he just watched. He approached the news reporter and claimed, “I know you saw them rescue the kitten, but I was the one who told those felines to save her! I just didn’t have my board to go out there myself. I saw the kitten being taken by the current and told those two brothers to rescue her.”
Bossy Brent was boasting and taking all the credit. The reporter shook his head, shrugged his shoulders, and quietly walked away. He knew Bossy Brent wasn’t telling the truth.
Meanwhile, as Brycen and Brotu were walking back home, they noticed something shiny poking out of the sand. It was a glass bottle with a scroll inside! They dug out the bottle. When they popped the cork, they discovered a treasure map with a fishtail on it! Brycen said, “This map reminds me of the tale of the Magic Wishing Fish. Brotu, do you remember the legend of the Magic Wishing Fish? The legend says that every 100 years, if you find the cave of the Magic Wishing Fish and call his name, he grants those with a generous heart three wishes.”
Brotu wondered, “Wow, Brycen, now that we have the map that shows the directions to his cave, all we need to know is the name of the Magic Wishing Fish?”
Brycen replied, “Hmm, we don’t know yet, but this map shows the Wishing Fish’s cave with a fishtail print on the outside. So, if we find that cave with the print, we will know we found the RIGHT cave!”
With the map in hand, the brave brothers began their journey to find the name of the Magic Wishing Fish.
However, their big search came with a big problem, Bossy Brent! There were rumors in their beach town that Bossy Brent was the only one who knew the name of the Magic Wishing Fish. Humm, what were they to do next?
Bossy Brent quietly followed the brothers down the beach listening to their conversation. He overheard them talking about their discovery and the legend of the Magic Wishing Fish. He knew the legend was true because he had discovered the name of the Wishing Fish when he was a kitten. He had always wanted to find the Wishing Fish too, but, he didn’t have the map to the cave.
Bossy Brent caught up with the brothers and boasted that he had the name of the Magic Wishing Fish. Bossy Brent bragged the name was hidden in a treasure box on his boat in the harbor.
At this point, the brothers had the map and no name and Bossy Brent had the name, but no map! The race between the kind-hearted brothers and Bossy Brent was on! Who was going to find the Magic Wishing Fish’s cave first?
As the brothers brainstormed, they cried aloud, “We need to get on Bossy Brent’s boat! We need to find the treasure chest with the Magic Wishing Fish’s name inside!” They charged down the beach, hopped into their boat, and quietly motored to the harbor where Bossy Brent’s boat was moored. Almost instantly, they spotted his boat.
Brotu stealthfully snuck aboard Bossy Brent’s fishing boat followed by Brycen. Bossy Brent was asleep and the boat was anchored. Silently, Brotu looked for the treasure box.
As Brotu searched the boat, Brycen kept watch. Brotu finally found the treasure box hidden beneath a stack of life jackets. The brothers gave each other a thumbs up, slipped off the boat, and quietly cruised away.
Bossy Brent heard the purr of the brothers’ motor and woke up in a panic! He saw the life jackets strewn about the boat. He knew his rivals had discovered the treasure box with the name of the Magic Wishing Fish in it! Now the race was on to the Magic Wishing Fish’s cave. He just had to find the brothers and follow their trail.
As Brycen and Brotu made their way out of the harbor, they opened the treasure box. On a piece of paper inside the box was the name Byaku Ban. They had found the name of the Magic Wishing Fish! The note read, “Byaku Ban lives in the cave with his mermaid cat companion and best friend, Boseidon. They are inseparable.”
They pulled out the map, studied it, and raced to the entrance of the Magic Wishing Fish’s cave! But alas, they saw Bossy Brent speeding in the same direction on his blue boat! “Oh no,” the brothers yelled, “he knows we have both clues!”
Briskly, the speeding boats flew to the cave. Brycen and Brotu outraced Bossy Brent and blew past him, but unfortunately, in their haste, they took a wrong turn. Then, they started over and followed the map more closely. The brothers found their way to the cave.
When Brotu and Brycen saw the Magic Wishing Fish’s cave entrance, Bossy Brent’s boat was already anchored there. Bossy Brent had barricaded the cave with boulders to block the brothers from entering!
The brothers started brainstorming, again. Brotu exclaimed, “How are we going to break through this barricade?” Brycen cried out, “I wish we had a bomb to blow up the boulders!” But, no such luck, they didn’t have a random bomb on their boat. The brothers decided to swim below the boulders and discovered an opening that led into the cave. Hooray!
Once inside the cave, they swam towards a silver-blue light in the distance. The brothers knew they were getting close as the light grew bigger and brighter. Up ahead, they spied the Magic Wishing Fish!  Byaku Ban was a swordfish radiating that sparkling silver-blue light. With boisterous voices, the 2 braddahs1 yelled, “Byaku Ban!” Just then, Bossy Brent appeared from the shadows.
Byaku Ban read the hearts of the three cats standing before him. He felt the brothers’ integrity and caring character. Bossy Brent was a selfish and dishonest cat, whereas, the brothers were kind and generous.
1  Braddahs - Hawaiian Language: brothers, male friends.
The Wishing Fish had magical powers. He knew everything that happened in the sea. He saw and remembered when the brothers saved the kitten from drowning. Byaku Ban truly knew their hearts. He could see their good intentions when they rescued the kitten. He had a flashback vision of the brothers generously saving the kitten while Bossy Brett took credit. The Wishing Fish made his decision and granted Brycen and Brotu three wishes! Bossy Brent was denied any wishes. The Wishing Fish had fulfilled his promise. Within moments, Byaku Ban quietly vanished into the deep-blue sea.
In the end, the brothers learned that generous hearts receive fortune, while the selfish are denied. To this day, not a soul knows what wishes Brycen and Brotu made.
What would your three wishes be if you had found Byaku Ban?
Moral: Radiate kindness and share the beautiful bounty of love. Those with
generous hearts receive goodness and fortune.

Parent Tips
A parent, in this context, means anyone in a caregiving role
Tips to decode a word you don’t know:
1. Look for the base word. Is there a prefix or suffix? Is it a compound word? Cover up parts of the word with your finger so the student sees the base word.
2. Sound out the word phonetically. Use your phonogram memory and apply 		blends.
3. Look for context clues.  What words surround the unknown word? Make it a 		game.
4. Pronounce the first syllable.
5. Keep giving clues: the word has 2 syllables, it starts with a “r”, it is in the sky 	when it rains, it is a compound word.  Let the child shout out the word, 			“RAINBOW”.  Let the child be successful, as it builds self confidence.  Watch the light bulb go on, and celebrate them with with Aloha.
6. Ask a friend.
Tips to create a successful learning environment:
1. Always have a glass of water nearby. Water is as essential as a pencil. Children think better when hydrated. “When children are dehydrated, they lose concentration and focus,”  according to Carla Hannaford PhD, author of Smart Moves Why Learning is Not All In Your Head, pages 150-156. Dr. Hannaford began her research in Kailua Kona, on the Big Island, and now resides in Montana.
2. Watch the child’s eyes. If they continuously struggle when looking at a word. It might be wise to get their eyes checked by a behavioral ophthalmologist. The eyes have to mature to have the capacity to work together to read. This is called eye teaming.  If they are not tracking (tracking means following the words in the sentence from left to right, there may be a visual block). One stratgety is to use Brain Gym movements or any physical activity that crosses the midline of a child’s body. In Brain Gym these are called Lazy Eights.  See our YouTube channel for a quick video. https://www.youtube.com/@customizedcurriculumbykris3018
You need three visual abilities to learn to read: the ability for the eyes to work
together (eye teaming), the outer muscles of the eyes to move left to right (track
ing), and the inner muscles for the eyes to focus from far-sighted to near-sighted
(foveal vision).
If you notice a challenge, another easy teaching tip is to use large print. Use one
or two sentences on a page (keeping content relevant and on grade level).
Schools and libraries have large print books.  Also, the text in online books can
be enlarged. Use a bookmark blocker so that the student sees one line at a time.
3. Lighting is critical. Use natural light, not fluorescent lighting.  Fluorescent lights
flicker rapidly and cause agitation, hyperactivity, and aggression.  Poor lighting
causes distraction between the eye and brain, leading to reading, writing, and
behavioral challenges. Lamps with a warm glow are attractive, even in the daytime because they mimic a camp fire.  Everyone loves sitting around a campfire.
4. The room needs good-quality airflow, not AC. Overhead fans are fine.
5. Encourage keiki to be barefoot. In our experience over the years, their working
memory, body awareness, balance, calmness, and comfort all are enhanced when they are barefoot. It also saves your carpeting.
6. Kids need an average of 10 hours of sleep per night. If they fall asleep when reading let them sleep. If that is not an option use a brain break where their head is lower than their heart.
7. Limit screen time.
We design our lessons to guide keiki to become whole-brain learners. Learning needs to be a joyful experience. Otherwise, students have difficulty integrating information.  Integrated means both sides of the brain are optimally working together. When children are happy, they learn better. Their hearts are open, and they Learn with Aloha.
Teacher Tips
by Rex Dubiel Shanahan
Rex has taught on the North Shore of Oahu at Sunset Beach Elementary.
She has 37 years, and counting, of experience in Elementary Education.
Teacher Enrichment Extensions for lessons with Book B
1. Have the student look at the vocabulary section and write their own sentence using one or all of the words. Another activityis to ask them, “Who wants to find the vocabulary in the story and write down the page number and definition?”
2. Homophone charades- after the kids find the homophones in the book and are
familiar with them divide the class into two groups for homophone charades.
They must spell the word correctly on a whiteboard to win the point. As a followup the students can write the homophone and draw a picture in their journal.
3. Make a chart and divide it into two to eight columns. Label each column with a part of speech. Then find the parts of speech in the story and write them in the proper column. Have the students share their findings with the class.
4. Sentence starters - with a partner, begin your own creative sentence with each one of the eight parts of speech. Use comedy or action in your new sentence.
5. Write a paragraph. What you would wish for if you had found Byaku Ban? You need a topic sentence, three supporting detail sentences, and a closing sentence from the story.
6. Create a diorama of a favorite scene from the book.
7. Build a sculpture with newspaper and masking tape of a favorite cat character.
8. Reading comprehension: make stick puppets for each character and retell the
story.
Vocabulary:
If a student has more than five unknown vocabulary words in a book, they may lose comprehension and be unable to follow the story or
“Make the Movie” in their mind.
Use synonyms when they come to a vocabulary word they don’t understand.
Some words in the book that may not be understood and possible synonyms:
Feline - Cat
Fragrant - Smells Good
Burgundy - Dark Red
Physique - Body
Maneuvers - Actions
Occasion - Happening
Conversation - Talk
Stealthfully - Carefully
Strewn - Thrown Around
Haste - Quick
Latin and Greek Roots:
Location:  “loc” means a place.
Spectator: “spec” means to look at, view, to see. Phonics:
1. The letter B makes the /b/ sound, not the /buh/ sound. We need to be careful so the vowels after the B can be clearly heard. Examples in the story include “Brotu”, “bay”, boys”, “biting”, “broke”, and “began”. Can you find more?
2. If a word ends in “mb”, the “b” is silent. Examples in the story include “combed”, “climbed”, “thumb”, “bomb”, “doubted”. Can you find more?
Sentence Starters: Create a sentence.
1. Starting with a noun: Brotu, Brycen, Fish, Magic, etc.
2. Starting with a preposition: aboard, after, at, before, beside, during, except, following, from, in, near, on, over, to, under, until, within, without, etc.
3. Starting with an adverb ending in “ly”: quickly, slowly, daily, rarely, extremely, annually, etc.
4. Starting with a verb ending in “ing”: fishing, sleeping, reading, listening, cooking, hiding, etc.
5. Starting with a transition word: when, while, where, as, since, if, although, etc.
6. Concise sentences: Sentences containig only 2 - 5 words: “They are inseparable.”
How many examples can you find for each one?
Homophones: Homophones are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently with different meanings. In Latin homo means same and phone means sound, therefore meaning same sound.
Bee 	There is a bee on that flower
Be  	He loved to be near the ocean
Bear  	There was a bear in our yard last night
Bare  	They jumped in with their bare paws
Blue  	She wore blue shorts to the beach
Blew  	The wind blew the sand everywhere
Board  	He took his surf board out for a ride
Bored  	I was bored from sitting in class all day
Beat  	I beat my sister in a game
Beet 	We found a rotten beet in the garden from last summer
Break  	Everyone needs a break from working
Brake  	Use the brake when you are driving too fast
Buy  	Don’t buy too much food!
Bye  	Say bye to your friends when they leave
By  	I stood by the waves and watched the water
Examples in the story are “be”, “but”, “by”, “been”. Can you find more?
Parts of Speech:
Nouns: Persons, Places, Things, Ideas, Activities
Proper Nouns (always capitalized):
Persons: Brotu, Brycen, Bossy Brent, Byaku Ban
Places: Hawaii, Big Island, Kona
Things: Hawaiian Cat Tales
Common Nouns:
Places: cave, harbor, boat, beach
Things: fish, surfboard, wish, fortune
Ideas: magic
Activities: swim, surf, bodyboard
Plural Nouns (more than one):
Things: cats, boys, wishes, holes, minutes, friends, clues
Possessive Nouns (show ownership):
Singular: Bossy Brent’s, Brycen’s, Boisiden’s
Plural: the brothers’ boat
Pronouns: Generic words that replace a noun
Pronouns: he, she, us, you, I, etc.