Build Background
Read the title of the book. Ask students to explain how they feel when they smile or someone smiles at them. Discuss the positive messages a smile can convey (amusement, approval, happiness, enjoyment). 

Discuss poetry's rhymes and rhythms. Write the word you on the board. Invite students to identify words that rhyme with you. Write these words on the board. Remind students that not all ending sounds of rhyming words are spelled the same. (For example, you and two rhyme but have ending sounds that are spelled differently.) 

Point out that this poem is also a song, which is a poem made up of verses and refrains set to music. Read pages 5 and 6 in the book aloud to students. Explain that these words are part of a refrain, or a group of lines that repeat in certain places throughout the book. The rest of the words in the book make up the verses. 

Preview the Poem
Show students the front and back covers of the book. Discuss the pictures. Turn to the title page. Discuss the photo and the information on the page (title of book, author's name). Ask students to explain what this poem might be about based on the photos and what they already know about smiles and smiling. Explain to students that thinking about what they already know about the topic will help them understand and enjoy the book. 

Remind students about the rhyme that is present in some poetry. Read pages 3 and 4 with students. Ask students to tell you the two rhyming words at the ends of the first and second lines (you and two). Explain that these two pages make up the first verse of the poem. 

During Reading
Have students listen as you read the poem. Tell them to clap or raise their hand whenever they hear the second word of a rhyming pair. Read the book expressively and emphasize the words that rhyme in each pair of sentences. 

Use think-aloud strategies to remind students to use what they already know to help make sense of the poem. React to parts of the poem with facial expressions and gestures. Point out the verses and the refrain while reading. 

Allow students to stop and ask questions during reading, especially if they do not understand something. Invite them to share how they connected to prior knowledge while reading or listening to the poems. 

After Reading
Reader Response
Ask students what they thought of the poem. Have volunteers summarize the poem or describe their favorite part. 

Comprehension
Ask specific questions that allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the poem.

• How do you create a circle of smiles?
• Why do you think a smile is considered a gift?
• What is the message(s) conveyed in a smile?