The bear in the newsletter


We’re Going On A Bear Hunt

Author: Michael Rosen

This wonderful story is about a family that goes on a nature hike to find a bear. I love this story for a young reader because they are able to join in on the repetitive lines. This story is good to read to children in preschool or younger.

More from the newletter


The Baker’s Dozen

Author: Dan Andreasen

This story teaches your little reader numbers 1-13 with the baker. The book has pictures of the objects, the number written out and shown as numerically. It will teach your child numbers in different ways.

Mother Goose


Mother Goose and Friends
Author: Ruth Sanderson
This book contains a collection of Mother Goose nursery rhymes that so many of us remember from our childhood. There Was An Old Woman, This Little Pig, Three Little Kittens, Old King Cole, Peter Piper, Here We Go Round, Ring Around The Rosies, Little Bo-Peep, and Jack And Jill are a few of the nursery rhymes. This is great for young beginning readers.

Quotes about reading

The more that you read,the more things you will know.The more that you learn,the more places you'll go.~ Dr. Seuss ~


There is no substitute for books in the life of a child. (1952)~ Mary Ellen Chase ~


“Good children's literature appeals not only tothe child in the adult, but to the adult in the child.”
~ Anonymous ~

"So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install, A lovely bookshelf on the wall."
— Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory


"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents."
— Emilie Buchwald



"Reading aloud with children is known to be the single most important activity for building the knowledge and skills they will eventually require for learning to read."
— Marilyn Jager Adams


"There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all."
— Jacqueline Kennedy

More from my newsletter

Books for your little reader

Commotion In The Ocean Author: Giles Andreae
This book is a personal favorite of mine. It teaches your child an assortment of creatures that live in the ocean. Some of the creatures are sharks, octopus, crabs, polar bears, dolphins, penguins, stingrays, and whales.



Frog and Toad Are Friends Author: Arnold Lobel
There are five stories included in this book. I remember reading the stories about
these friends when I was younger and I still love them today. Some of the stories
included are: The Lost Button, Frog Gets Sick, and The Letter. This is a good story for readers
aged 4-8.



Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Author: Bill Martin and Lois Ehlert
This book is another of my personal favorites. It will teach your child the alphabet in this rhyming alphabet story. The letters race to reach the top of the coconut tree. This is a great story for readers aged 2-6.



Smelly Socks Author: Robert Munsch
This is a hilarious story about a girl that does not want to wash her socks will have your children eager to hear it repeatedly. Perfect for readers aged 4-8 years old.


Websites for parents
· Reading Rockets - http://www.readingrockets.org/
This site has strategies to help kids that struggle, techniques for teaching reading, book and author suggestions, tips for parents, and a list of articles from a to z.
· Rif Reading Planet http://www.rif.org/readingplanet/ - This site has an assortment of sections to choose from – a game station, activity lab, a book zone , and a express yourself section
· Reading is fundamental - http://www.rif.org/ - This site has a section for parents that contains tips and activity ideas to help you motivate your kids to read.

· Colorin Colorado - http://www.colorincolorado.org/ - Part of reading rockets that is a bilingual site for families and educators of English language learners
· U.S.Department of Education http://www.ed.gov/parents/read/resources/edpicks.jhtml?src=ln – This site has a Help My Child Read resource center. Some of the resources are helping your child become a reader, reading tips for parents, put reading first, reading programs, and a guide to promoting your child's reading success.

Parts of my newsletter

Reading Is Important

I have put out this newsletter this month to bring special attention to reading. This newsletter will give you tips on reading with your young reader. I have also included ten books that I believe your child will love and will want to read repeatedly. I have also compiled a list of websites that will be beneficial to you and your child.
Reading is an essential part of a child’s life. It helps them with their social skills, opens up new worlds and enriches their lives, books help children develop vital language skills, and it is important that you make time everyday to read with your child.
I hope that this newsletter helps and that I have given you some new ideas on reading with your child.

Tips on Reading



Talk about the new words that you encounter

Let your child have access to as many resources as possible

Read to and with your child each and everyday

Read their favorite books repeatedly

Ask open ended questions not just yes/no questions

· Make trips to the library
· Limiting the amount of time your family watches television
· While reading the story stop and ask questions or explain something to your reader
· Make a personal connection to the story
· Discuss what you have just read
· Let your child pick their own books to read
· Make the story appealing by changing your tone and voice

The last two stories - Bill Peet

Jethro and Joel is a story about a troll with one body but separate heads. Joel bored by living on the mountain and wants to be destructive. Jethro does not want to be but gives him one day. They go down to town and then to the castle where Joel throws a big rock through it. The knights come out to fight but Jethro does not want to fight and surrenders. They make a deal to rebuild the castle and then build castles for even the poorest of families for a sack of turnips as payment. I picked this story because when I was at the library it was the first book that I picked up that did not have an animal or a person on the cover but some other type of creature.






Dudley the rooster had a beautiful crow that the sun loved to hear. The only one that did not love his crow or him was Gunther a nasty goose. One day Gunther chased Dudley into the woods where he had to hide all night. The sun decided that he would not riser unless Dudley crowed. By the next morning the sun had not come out and they horse named Hector went to find him after finding out what had happened. He found Dudley and brought him back to the barn where he crowed and brought the sun up. Everyone was happy but Gunther who left the farm. I picked out this book because I liked the cover of the book. The farm is the main setting for this story.

























Bill Peet Stories




A turtledove named Myrtle finds a big pinkish, purplish, and bluish egg one day. She takes it home and waits for it to hatch. A griffin (half lion/half eagle) named Zeke hatches out of the egg and scares all the other birds but the turtledove away. One night wolves and foxes came to feast on Zeke. He wants to fight but the turtledove tries to convince him that fighting is not the way. One day when he is walking he finds a remote places and comes up with an idea. He scopes down and picks up the wolves and foxes and drops then off at the remote location and tells them if they come back again he will take them on an even longer trip. The turtledove is happy and all the other birds see that he is not a mean creature. I picked this book because I wanted to see what was going to come out of the egg. The acceptance of others is something that Peet likes to write about in his stories.





Pamela is an unhappy camel that runs away from the circus. She is sick and tired of being called dumb and mean. After walking for a while, she notices that the train’s tracks have been pulled up and knows that the train will crash if a train rolls over that part of the tracks. She hears a train coming and stands on the tracks in hopes that the train will stop. The train does stop and they realize that the train tracks are destroyed. Pamela goes back to the circus a star and lead the grand procession ever night. She will never be called stupid, dumb, or a bad-tempered beast again. I picked out this story because there was another story with the circus theme and I wanted to compare them. The circus and farm setting reappear in this book .
























Bill Peet books



Big Bad Bruce is a story about a bear that treats other animals unkind. He meets a witch one day who he angers. She makes a magical pie that she leaves out for the bear to eat. He goes to sleep and wakes up smaller than a quail. The animals that he upset before were now chasing him. The witch found him again and he was sure she was going to make him disappear. To his surprise, she took him home and took care of him. He made friends with her cat and wandered through her garden as if it were a forest. I chose Big Bad Bruce because I remember reading this story when I was a child. In every story he uses word that would be hard for a child to comprehend but is able to make the words meaning easy to comprehend.











This story is about five lions that get stage fright. The owner hires a lion trainer that scares them so bad that they roar all night long and no one can get to bed. The next day everyone is too tired to perform. The owner lets the old lion trainer try one more time and the lions put on a spectacular show because nothing can scare them as much as the mean trainer they had. I picked out this story because I had picked up another story that was also based out of a circus and I wanted to compare them. Again the elephants are all the same in all the books when they come from the circus. They are identical to the book Pamela Camel and Ella. He also loves to draw lions they appear in three out of the ten books. The circus theme again appear in this book. The theme of this book is to believe in yourself, which is another popular theme for his stories.

Jennifer and Josephine by Bill Peet


Josephine was a cat had made a home in Jennifer the car. Jennifer was an old touring car that lived in the junkyard until one day a man came in and bought her. Josephine decided to hide in the backseat because she wanted to stay with Jennifer. The man that bought the car was a horrible and fast driver after a number of accidents and narrow escapes he ran her off the road and towards the end of a ravine. The car was going to fall in and be washed away so she ran to find help. She found a boy that got his father and their horses to pull out Jennifer. The two then remanded at the barn and always rode together. I picked out his story because most of the other books had only animals on the cover. This book had a person on the cover. The farm setting shows up in this book. The main theme of this book is also friendship

Ella by Bill Peet


Ella is a story about a circus elephant that becomes spoiled because everyone wits on her. She one day decides she is too big of a star and that the circus is not treating her like thinks she should be treated. She decides to hide when everyone is getting on the train. She realizes that it is a mistakes right away but is sure they will realize she is gone and find her. As she is walking along she comes across a farm where a nasty farmer named Lucifer Kirk lives. He makes her work on his farm for one year doing all sorts of hard jobs. She one day hears the distinct sound of the circuses train whistle and breaks out of the barn and finds her circus friends. She now always pitches in to help and is no longer spoiled. I chose this story because I picked up another book with an elephant on the cover. In this story as well as the others his style of writing shines through in the vocabulary that he uses. He uses word in his writing that would be difficult words for a child but manages to somehow make the meaning easy to understand. Out of the ten books that I checked out from the library four of them had elephants. All of the circus elephants looked alike. The circus setting is in this book as well as others. The farm setting is another popular setting for his books.

Eli by Bill Peet

Eli is an old, lonely lion that comes to aid of a vulture one day. The vultures are so grateful that they start to follow Eli around wherever he goes. One day he is fed up and yells unkind things to them and says to leave him alone. They go but say that they will always be his friend and hope that they can help him one day. One day the vulture he helped was flying when he saw a tribe of men tracking Eli so they could kill him. The vulture flew ahead and found him and planned a scheme so the people would think he was dead. He had all of his vulture friends pretend to be peaking at his body so it looked as if Eli had died. The plan worked and the men walked away. After that, the friends were always close to one another. I chose this book because I picked out Randy’s Dandy Lions and it had lions too. The way that he does the friendship theme in his stories seems to be the same. It always shows up in an unlikely pair.

The Ant and the Elephant


The story begins when an ant is picked up by a gust of wind and dropped on a snag in the river. He sees a turtle and asks for a ride to shore. The turtle refuses and as he is walking away trips and is stuck on his back. The turtle asks for help from the Mrs. Bigbill who refuses and then has a problem herself. The giraffe does not help the bird and then becomes snagged in veins. The lion and rhino both refuse to help others and then find themselves in situations they cannot get out of by themselves. An elephant then comes along and helps the ant. The ant is very grateful. The elephant then goes on to help all the other animals none of which thank the elephant for his help. The elephant is very proud of the work that he has done and is happy that he is so big and will never have problems. Just as he says that he falls off a big cliff and gets wedged in a tight spot that he cannot get out of alone. Ninety-five thousand ants come to his rescue including the one he helped earlier. No matter what you do to help it could be big it could be small it is a big deal to the person that you help. I chose The Ant and the Elephant because it was a story that I read when I was younger. The elephant from this book was the only wild elephant and he had tusks the other three books that had elephant not one of those elephants had tusks. The friendship theme pops up in his books quite often.

Brochure on Scribd

I was going to put my brochure on scribds. I uploaded it and everything. When I was reviewing it I noticed that all my personal information - name, phone number, email was on it as well. I tried to resave but was unable because the only one that would pop up was the pdf version which I could not change so I deleted it. I did try.

Author Study- Culminating Activity

CULMINATING ACTIVITY
The fourth day into the lesson plan the students will find that the teacher has set up the room for a Gallery Walk. A gallery walk is when all of the students work is displayed for everyone to see. Next to each piece (project from lesson # 1, the stories created, and the illustrations created) there will be a sheet of paper and a pencil. The students will move around the room looking at the projects. If they would like to write a comment next to a certain project they are allowed to do so. The students beforehand are given instructions on how to move through the room. The students then walk back over and look at the responses they received on their cards and read them. The class will come together for one final discussion about the project, comment, the guiding question, and any information they would like to share.

Author Study - Lesson Plan # 3

LESSON PLAN # 3
1A. Sunshine State Standards:
The student will:
LA.2.4.1.2 - compose simple stories, poems, riddles, rhymes, or song lyrics.
1B. Goal 3 Standards
Standard 4 Creative and Critical Thinkers
2. Objectives (behavior, content, condition and criteria)
Students will:
Demonstrate their understanding of the author’s writing style by creating a story.(Application)
Demonstrate their understanding of the illustrator’s style by creating a storyboard. (Application)
Summarize what they have learned by writing in their reading logs. (Comprehension)


3. Assessment & Evaluation (related to language needs and its impact on academic performance)

Initial- The initial assessment will come when the teacher is asking the student questions about the author’s writing style.

Informal- The informal assessment will take place when the teacher observes the students working in their groups on the writing and illustration project.

Formal- The formal assessment will come from the finished stories and illustrations. The final reading log entry will serve as a formal assessment.

4. Introduction to Lesson:
The students will be shown a couple minutes of the Disney movie The Sword and the Stone.
5. Materials

· Disney movie – the Sword in the Stone
· TV
· DVD or tape player
· Computer
· Screen
· Images of storyboards
· Bell
· Paper
· Pencils
· Crayons and markers
· Reading logs
· Literacy center material


6. Technology Integration
· Television
· DVD or tape player
· Computer

















7. Teacher Presentation or Facilitation: (includes reviews and practice)
The teacher will ask the class:
Does anyone know what movie we just watched?
Does anyone know why I just showed you some of this movie? (if students do not know ask the next question)
Can anyone think of who was responsible for the illustrations/ images in the movie?
The teacher can then start into a discussion with the class on how Bill Peet was the only man at Disney that ever created a whole storyboard for a movie. The discussion can then turn to what a storyboard is after some students (if any) know/ try to answer. The teacher will then use the computer to show examples of a storyboard up on the screen for all to see. The teacher will explain that the storyboard is something that authors/illustrators use to put together their books. The teacher will then break apart the class into groups of five and tell the students that they will be working on short story that will follow the style of Bill Peet and after they have created the story they will need to create a storyboard for the book. The storyboard can be a two pages or longer. A discussion will start about what his style is like. The teacher will ask the students what they have noticed about his books (both the written story and illustrations).
Some questions the teacher could ask:
What were some similarities in his writing that they have observed?
What were some of the similarities that they discovered in his drawing?
What were some of the common themes in his writings? (Discuss the friendship, cooperation, understanding, acceptance, being happy with who you are, courage, and making the right choices themes)
Does he use the same type of animal in lots of his books?
Does he use the same setting/location or does he change it around?
The questions and answers will be written on the board for the students to reference.




Teacher Presentation continued…
The students will be told that they will have 30-35 minutes to work on their stories. The teacher needs to be walking around to the groups to check on their progress while they work on their stories to see if help is required. Make sure that the students are aware of the time. Tell them when they have 15, 10, and 5 minutes left. When the time is up the teacher will ring the bell to signal to the class that it is time to stop working and to direct their attention back to the teacher. The teacher will have the students start the work on the storyboards. The teacher will again tell the students that the pictures should be something that relates to their story and they should create at least two pictures. The teacher will tell the students that they can take the time that they will now be given to finish the work on the story or if they have already finished they can move onto the illustrations. When they finish the story move onto the illustrations. For the students that finish ahead of time they will be given a chance to go back to the literacy centers from the previous lesson. The students will be given 30 minutes to work on the illustrations. The teacher needs to be walking around to the groups to check on their progress while they work on their illustrations to check if the students understand the project. After the allotted time is up the teacher will ring the bell to signal to the students that it is time to direct their attention to the teacher. The groups will then present their stories and the illustrations. After all the presentations the teacher will tell the students to go back to their regular seats. The teacher will walk around and pass out the students reading logs for them to reflect on the lesson. They will have 10-12 minutes for this free writing and time to decorate the front of their reading log. After the allotted time the teacher, will walk around and pick up the reading logs. The teacher will respond in the student’s journal.














8. Differentiated Instruction (ESOL - Special Education - Diverse Learners)
The ESOL students will be paired into groups with students that are more capable. The teacher will also provide some extra help after the lesson if it is required. The teacher will provide directions for the student in their first language. If there are students in the classroom that speak the same language, they could be paired together to help one another.
The special education students will be paired into groups with students that are more capable. The teacher will also provide some extra help from the teacher after the lesson if it is required.
The advanced students will be paired with students that might need extra help. This will give these students the extra challenge without giving them extra busy work.
Multiple Intelligences
The Interpersonal students will benefit from the interactions they have with others during the group work and discussions, the class discussions, and the presentation part of the lesson.
The Intrapersonal students will benefit from the reading log, watching the video, and viewing the examples of the storyboard.
The Verbal-Linguistic students will benefit from the writing of the story, the discussion between group members, the discussions of the whole class, and the reading log.
The Bodily-Kinesthetic students will benefit by presenting their projects.
The Spatial students will benefit from the creation of a project especially the illustrations.

Learning Styles
· The auditory learners will benefit from hearing the group and class discussion and listening to the other presentation.

The visual students will benefit from watching the presentation, the video, and the examples of a storyboard. They will also benefit for creating the illustrations and the writings on the board.








Follow-up Reflection (completed after the lesson has been taught)


Content: What should I teach next or reteach?

Students: Who still needs support with this content?

Author Study - Lesson Plan 2

LESSON PLAN # 2
1A. Sunshine State Standards:
The student will:
LA.2.6.2.3 - analyze and select appropriate facts and communicate information in a simple report that includes, a title, a main, and supporting details
1B. Goal 3 Standards
Standard 1 Information Managers
2. Objectives (behavior, content, condition and criteria)
Students will:
Recall information from a previously lesson. (Knowledge)
Apply the information that they receive from the computer to create a biography. (Application)
Summarize what they have learned by writing in their reading logs. (Comprehension)

3. Assessment & Evaluation (related to language needs and its impact on academic performance)

Initial – The initial assessment will come from the discussion about what they remember from the last lesson.

Informal- The informal assessment will come from the discussion after literacy centers.

Formal- The formal assessment will come when the students create the letters to the author, the biographies about the author, and the reading logs.


4. Introduction to Lesson:
The teacher will point out to the students the literacy centers around the classroom. The teacher will tell the students that at each literacy center they will find fun and interesting things all having to do with the author and illustrator Bill Peet.
5. Materials
· Bill Peet books
· Posters
· Projects the students completed last lesson
· Read along books with cd/cassette
· Early illustrations done by Bill Peet
· 1 computer per group
· Reading logs
· Paper
· Pencils
· Bell



6. Technology Integration
Computers for the students to use to do research on Bill Peet.




















7. Teacher Presentation or Facilitation: (includes reviews and practice)
The teacher will ask the students some questions to see what they remember about him/his work from the last lesson.
Questions like:
Did Bill Peet write and illustrate all the books that they saw in the previous lesson?
Did he write non-fiction or fiction stories?
What were some of the books that Bill Peet wrote?
What did he like to write about in his stories?
Do they have anything else that they remember that they would like to discuss?
After the discussion, the teacher will break apart the students into groups of four and send them to different literacy centers. The literacy centers will contain books by the author, read along books with cd or cassette, students finished projects from the previous lesson, and illustrations he made in the early years. The teacher will give 10-15 minutes at each literacy center. Each literacy center will have different information about the author. There will be five literacy centers in total. When the teacher rings the bell it signals to the students to switch to the next literacy center. The teacher will ring the bell for the last time to signal that the class needs to come back together for a discussion. The teacher will ask the class some questions to get the discussion started.
Questions:
What they think that they learned about Bill Peet and his style of writing?
Did they notice any similarities in his stories?
What they found interesting?
What they liked about his work and what if anything they did not like?


Teacher Presentation Continued…
After the class finishes the discussion the teacher will have the students stay in their groups and use the computers (1 per group) to find information about Bill Peet on the internet. The students are to take the information that they acquire online and write a biography about the life of Bill Peet. It should include a title that they make up other than his name and important facts about his life.
The biography should at least include most of the following:
(the information below will be written on the whiteboard for the groups to see while working)
Anything from his childhood that influenced him into becoming a writer and an illustration.
When he started his career?
Where he gets his inspiration?
What are some things that you discovered about Bill Peet?
How old was Bill Peet when he started to write and illustrate?
What were some examples of works that he created?
What was his first job as a writer or illustrator?
Were there certain things that he enjoyed creating over others?
The teacher needs to be monitoring the group to see if any group needs assistance. After the groups have spent 20 minutes on the biography the teacher will ring the bell to signal to the students that their work time has ended and that they need to turn their attention back to the teacher. The teacher will have the students go back to their regular seats.

The teacher will tell the students know that they have all of that information they will be writing a letter to author. They can include anything that they wish but that each student needs to create their own letter. This is not a group effort.
Some ideas they could use can be:
· They can tell him how they feel about his work.
· They can tell him about charterers that they liked.
· They can ask questions about certain books.
· They can ask why he ended a book a certain way.

They are able to ask or say whatever they would like to while writing the letter.
(These ideas will be written on the board for the students to view)
After the students have spent 15-20 minutes working on the letter to the author the teacher will for the last time ring the bell and ask the students to remain seated. The teacher will go around and pass out the reading logs that they wrote in during the previous lesson. Tell the students that they will be writing in their journals and that it can be whatever they found to be interesting about the days lesson or facts that they learned about Bill Peet. It is their free time to write whatever they want as long as it pertains to Bill Peet. After the class has had 5 minutes to write in their journal the teacher will pick up the journals. The teacher will respond in the student’s journal.









8. Differentiated Instruction (ESOL - Special Education - Diverse Learners)
The ESOL students will be paired into groups with students that are more capable. The teacher will also provide extra assistance if it is required. The teacher will provide directions for the student in their first language. If there are students in the classroom that speak the same language, they could be paired together to help one another.
The advanced students will be paired with students that might need extra help. This will benefit them because they
The special education students will be paired into groups with students that are more capable. Pairing the special education students with other students will help to give them another understanding on the lesson other than the one the teacher has given. The teacher will also provide extra one on one assistance if it is required.
Multiple Intelligences
The Interpersonal students will benefit from the interactions they have with others during the group work on the biography and the discussions. They will also enjoy the literacy centers.
The Intrapersonal students will benefit from writing in their reading log and writing the letter to the author.
The Verbal-Linguistic students will benefit from the discussion with the class and writing the biography. They will also benefit from the reading log and writing the letter.
The Bodily-Kinesthetic students will benefit from the literacy centers. They will be able to move around the room while changing centers.
Learning Styles
The auditory learners will benefit from hearing the group and class discussion and listening to the audio books in the literacy centers
The visual students will benefit from the literacy centers.




Follow-up Reflection (completed after the lesson has been taught)


Content: What should I teach next or reteach?


Students: Who still needs support with this content?

Author study - Lesson Plan 1

LESSON PLAN # 1
1A. Sunshine State Standards:
The student will:
LA.2.2.1.2 - identify and describe the elements of story structure, including setting, plot, character, problem, and resolution in a variety of fiction.

1B. Goal 3 Standards
Standard 8 Cooperative Workers
2. Objectives (behavior, content, condition and criteria)
Students will:
· Show an understanding of the book by discussing it with their group. (Knowledge)
· Summarize the book in the project that will be created. ( Comprehension)
· Summarize what they have learned by writing in their reading logs. (Comprehension)



3. Assessment & Evaluation (related to language needs and its impact on academic performance)

Initial- The initial evaluation will come when the students are asking the teacher and the teacher is asking the students questions. This will allow the teacher to see who is having a difficult time understanding the lesson.

Informal - The informal assessment will come while the teacher is walking around and listening to the discussions of the group on the book and the project that they are creating.

Formal - The formal assessment will be the projects created by the groups and the reading log.


4. Introduction to Lesson
The teacher will assign the students to work in groups. After all of the students have been put into groups of 4, the teacher will ask one student from each group to come up and select a number without looking from the hat. The number the students pull out will correspond with the books that were on the front table for the main introduction to the lesson. The student will find the book that goes with their number and take it back to their group’s table.
5. Materials
· 10 Bill Peet books
· Pencil, Pens, Makers, Crayons – enough for each group
· Hat
· Reading journal for each student
· Poster board and construction paper
· Glue and tape
· Paper
· List of questions for the overhead

6. Technology Integration
Overhead













7. Teacher Presentation or Facilitation: (includes reviews and practice)
After each group has returned to their group’s table instruct the students to read the book and then to start brainstorming ideas because each group will be presenting their book to the class. There are around thirty pages (not including the pages with just illustrations) in each book. The students will be reading in small groups to one another. Each student will read two or three pages before passing the book to the next student to read. They will continue this pattern until the whole book has been read. The teacher needs to be walking around the entire time in case some students require assistance. After the teacher notices that, the groups have finished reading their books the teacher will get all of the group’s attention and bring them back for a class discussion. If they have not finished reading, their stories let them know that they can finish after the discussion. The teacher will tell the students that they will now be creating a project that they will present to the rest of the class. They need to teach their book to the class. They can create a poster, perform a skit, make puppets of the characters and put on a show, create sketches, discuss favorite parts of book, read from important part of the book, make items that represent things from the story, or anything that they chose to create. They must include something about the problem and the solution that was involved in the story. It should not be a word for word retelling of the story. Ask the class if there are, any questions that they would like to ask. When all questions have been answered tell the students to continue working on either finishing the book or starting the project. While the students work on this, the teacher needs to be walking around and checking on the students that are in need of help or have questions that need clarification. The teacher needs to keep a constant eye on the clock and let the students know when they get to the fifteen, ten, and five-minute mark. The students will be given 25 minutes to complete the project. Ask a group to volunteer to go first if a group does not volunteer take the hat back out and pick a number. The numbers that are taped to the front of book will indicate which group will go first. Continue this way until all of the groups have presented their projects. After all the presentations, the teacher will pass out reading logs to the students. The reading logs will be booklets made out of paper that will include around six separate entry forms for the students to write. The reading logs will be made prior to class. Tell the students that they will be decorating the front cover of their journal but not until the end of the unit so for now they should only be writing inside. Tell the class that they can write about anything that they would like about the lesson today. They can write about the book they read. Did they like or dislike the book and the characters. What sort of problems that arouse and the solutions that resolved the problem. They can write about the presentations. They can write about anything they learned today. Examples of some questions will be displayed on the overhead for the class to see in case they have a hard time thinking of questions to write about. After all of the students have finished writing in their reading logs have one student from each table collect them the journals and the Bill Peet books and put them on the table with the other books. The teacher will respond in the student’s journal.


8. Differentiated Instruction (ESOL - Special Education - Diverse Learners)
The special education students will be paired into groups with more capable students. The teacher will also provide extra help time on an individual basis if it is required.
The ESOL students will be paired into groups with more capable students. The teacher will also provide individual help if it is required. The teacher will provide directions for the student in their first language. If there are students in the classroom that speak the same language they could be paired together for assistance of one another.
The advanced students will be paired with students that might need extra help.
Multiple Intelligences
The Interpersonal students will benefit from the interactions they have with others during the group reading, discussions, and presentation part of the lesson.
The Intrapersonal students will benefit from the reading log.
The Verbal-Linguistic students will benefit from the reading, discussion between group members, and the creation of the project if it contains written sections.
The Bodily-Kinesthetic students will benefit by presenting their projects especially if they are acting the book out.
The Spatial students will benefit from the creation of a project.
Learning Styles
The auditory learners will benefit from hearing the group and class discussion, listening to others read, and the presentations.
The visual students will benefit from watching the presentation and looking at the books illustrations.


Follow-up Reflection (completed after the lesson has been taught)


Content: What should I teach next or reteach?


Students: Who still needs support with this content?

Author Study Intro- Bill Peet

One Man’s Thoughtful Contributions to Our World



Bill Peet

An Author Study
By: Elizabeth Brown







Introduction
I was walking through the children’s section of the library and was trying to think of an author that I knew from childhood that I remembered creating several books. I was just looking at the rows of books when I saw one authors name repeatedly so I picked up one of the books even though the name of the author was not one I remembered. By the time, I picked up the second book I realized I read this author as a child. That author was Bill Peet and I had actually read several of his books. I chose this author because I wanted to reacquaint myself with his works. He was an extremely talented author and illustrator that left the world with wonderful literary treasures. I think that his books would appeal to both the children and the parents reading them to their children. The intended audience for my lesson plan would be a second grade class. I will spend four days on the unit. The times I have included take into account transition times, activities time, and discussion times. The first day the students will spend one hour and fifteen minutes working on the lesson one. The second day the students will spend two hours on the second lesson plan. The third day the class will spend two hours on the lesson number three. The fourth day the students will spend 20 minutes on the unit.

Guiding Questions
What inspires Bill Peet to write the stories he writes?
Why does he create books mainly with animals?

About the Author
Bill Peet was born on January 29, 1915, in Grandview, Indiana. When he was three years old, his family moved from Indiana to Indianapolis. As a child, he found inspiration on his grandfather’s old farm. Animals were all around and he has said that they have always seen them as being special. He dreamed about becoming an illustrator of animal stories at an early age. By the time, he got to high school he was not drawing much anymore but was failing all of his classes but one. On the advice of a friend, he started to take some art classes and did very well in the classes. Bill Peet attended the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis on a scholarship. He was at the Art Institute for three years studying design, drawing, and painting for three years. Upon leaving school, he went to work for Walt Disney as a sketch artist. He married a woman named Margaret that he meet while attending John Herron Art Institute. His sons have said that he relied on her heavily. He used the bedtime stories he told his sons Bill and Steve as story ideas that he passed on to Disney but always did this with illustrations. He became Walt's top writer-illustrator. Bill was the only person working for Disney that ever created the entire storyboard for one of their feature films. Even more remarkable was that he did this for two of them. The Sword in the Stone and One Hundred and One Dalmatians were the two movies that he created entirely but also worked on eight others. Along with the animated feature films, he created five animated shorts and received two awards for his contributions to film. He stayed on at Disney for twenty-seven years but left to write and illustrate his own stories. The first book he wrote was Hubert's Hair-Raising Adventure, in the 1959. Bill wrote 35 stories all of which are still in print today with the exception of one. He was the author and illustrator on all of them. He has received thirteen awards one of which was the Caldecott Honor Book in 1990. Bill Peet died May 2002. He was 87 years old.
Websites for further research on Bill Peet.

· Bill Peet. Retrieved on July 4, 2008, from http://billpeet.net/PAGES/index.htm
· Bill Peet. Retrieved on July 5, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Peet
· Bill Peet - Author, Illustrator, Animator. Retrieved on July 4, 2008, from http://library.thinkquest.org/J0111400/index.htm
Introductory Lesson Plan
The teacher will direct the student’s attention towards the front of the classroom. The students will see 10 books by the author Bill Peet. The name of the author will be covered over by paper but the rest of the cover of the book will be visible. The book will also have a number taped to the upper right hand corner. Each book will be numbered starting at one and ending at ten. The students will be told that they are going to be taking a poll to see if they have read any of the displayed books. The teacher will instruct the class that when they hear their table number called that they are to walk along the front of the room and take a good look at each book to see if they have ever read it or seen it before. After all the tables have gone through the line, the teacher will ask the students to participate in the poll. The teacher will ask the students if they think that all of the books are created by the same author or by different authors by raising their hands. The students can vote one time for either one author or multiple authors. The teacher will count the number of hands both times and record the information on the board. The teacher will then ask one of the students that voted for multiple authors why they thought the books were created by various authors and if they have want to share how many authors they think wrote the books. There can be a discussion on why students think one author and why some students think multiple authors wrote the books. The teacher can ask the students that think it is one author who they believe it to be. The teacher will then hold up each book and ask the students that have read the story to raise their hands. Make sure that the students know that it is all right if have never read any of the books before. Record the responses. Then have different students remove the paper covering the names and read the name aloud.

Gallery Walks

A Gallery walk is strategy that works best with grade 3-5 and grades 6-8. The students and the teacher post the work of the class around the room. (walls/desks) The teacher then places a comment card next to each students work. The teacher explains that the student are free to write comments on the cards displayed in front of the works. The teacher will set a certain time frame for this activity. Everyone will not get to see/comment all of the works. The teacher will tell each student to get their card and return to their seat. The class will then have a discussion on the comment cards or answer any questions.

Final Annontated Biography

Elizabeth Brown Final Annotated Reading Log

Mother Goose and Friends
Ruth Sanderson
Collection of Mother Goose nursery rhymes (ex: There Was An Old Woman, This Little Pig, Three Little Kittens, Old King Cole, Peter Piper)
63
Fiction
Early

Mother Goose
I was surprised at how many nursery rhymes that I still knew. These are the classics that so many of us have grown up with.
This would be great to do with children to introduce them to rhyming sounds and patterns.

Kindergarten ABC
Jacqueline Rogers
Every page has a different letter that goes all the way from a to z. Every day is a different letter day at school and the reader has a list of objects to look for on the page.
(Ex: We draw and color dinosaurs on Dd day. – Look for desk, dime, doll, dot, drawer, drawings, dress, and dinosaur)
32
Kindergarten
Alphabet
I liked the book got the reader involved actively in the story instead of just listening.
You could have the reader look around the room that they are in and try to identify objects in the room that start with that letter. It helps the reader with the letter and sound.

The Baker’s Dozen
Dan Andreasen
Teaches numbers 1-13 with the baker (Ex: With fruit from mixing bowls he fills six jelly rolls. 6 )
It has a picture of 6 objects, six, and 6 - It shows the reader the number in different ways.
28
Young Reader – Preschool

Counting
I liked how the story did not just use things like cookies or cupcakes. The story teaches the reader about baking items they might have never tried. They have macaroons, tortes, strudels, and tarts.
Have the children draw items starting with one. They can make their own picture/number book.
Nonsense!
Sally Kahler Phillips
Gives nonsense scenarios and discusses the meaning of nonsense. At the end (What would you say if dogs grew on trees, if rhinos could fly…- “Nonsense!” you’d say.) At the end of story it says “what will you say if ever you’re told that you’re not good enough or you’re dim or too bold or… - What will you say in reply? Nonsense…”
24
Preschool
Kindergarten
1st grade
Concept
I loved how the story turned out to be more than just silly situations. The end theme of the story teaches the reader not listen to what others say. That they are not what others say but what they believe they are. “Only YOU can decide who you are”
Use this book as an opener about believing in one’s self. For the young students this could help with nonsense and real.

Carl Goes To Daycare
Alexandra Day
The story is about a dog-named Carl that goes to daycare with a little girl. The teacher is locked out and the reader sees what happens in the classroom. The dog opens the door for the teacher at the very end of the day right before it is time to go home.
28
Young Reader
Preschool
Wordless
A young reader would be able to understand the story by just looking at the pictures. Sometime wordless books are confusing to the reader. In this book, you can understand everything that is going on.
Have children come up with their own story and make it into a picture book. Use this book as an example.

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
Michael Rosen – retold by
About a family that goes on a nature hike to find a bear.
32
Preschool
Kindergarten
Predictable
I read this story with a preschooler that I care for and she loves to join in on the repetitive lines.
You could come up with your own nature hike scenario with a class. Discuss nature sights and sounds.



Books: Chapter 5 Due 5-19
An Orange in January
2007
Dianna Hutts Aston
The story is about the cycle of an orange. It starts out from when it very first blossomed and goes through every step that it takes to get it to a boy in January in cold state where it is snowing. At the end, it talks about how the orange had reached the end of its journey.
30
Ages 3 to 6
Picture book
(published in the last 5 years)
I liked the story because many kids that live in Florida year round may not think about what it takes to get that fruit such a great distance because they are here all the time. It is the same for children that live in colder climates. They might not know or understand where that fruit comes from.
This book would be a great way to introduce a discussion on fruits to young readers. They might not know where they come from or how they are grown. This book could spark the conversation. Well we learned were the orange came from and the journey it has to make. Does anyone else know some special facts about fruit? You could bring in pictures of some fruits or the fruits themselves and that would be the snack all week. Have some parents bring in the favorite fruit of their child. Trying for some unfamiliar fruits might ignite some interest from students. (star fruit, lychee, loquat)

Naruto
1999
Masashi Kishimoto
This book is in a series of books that follows the life of teenage classmates and ninjas in training. In this volume there is a curse put on one of the ninja friends.
183
Middle/ Secondary

Picture book
Diversity
I never read a book like this one growing up. I think that my exposure was limited to more of books that were created in the U.S. or at least that were somewhat similar to one another in format. It is good to introduce students to literature that they would see all over the world.
This would be a great book to introduce to an older class as an example of other cultures literature. Each student could be required to bring in a book that they found interesting. The class could vote on some of the most popular or the teacher could pick some and then break up the class into groups. Have them read the books as a group and then present a project to the class on the book.

The Moon is La Luna
2007

Jay M. Harris

The book has several silly rhymes in Spanish and English. At the end of the book, there is a Spanish pronunciation guide.

30

Elementary

Picture book
Diversity
(published last 5 years)

This is a wonderful way for students to start to have access to another language early on. I remember working with a tutor along with my sister that taught us Spanish when I was 6 or 7 and absolutely loving it. It is good for them to get that exposure when they are young.

The students could read this story and then create silly rhymes themselves. They could then find out what some of those words translate to in Spanish and change them from English to Spanish. The class could then compile all of their stories together. Each student could also work on this for part of the year and then have a number of different one that they have written.

You Were Loved Before You Were Born
2008
Eve Bunting & Karen Barbour
The story tells about all the people in the life of this baby before it is even born. (Aunt, Cousin, Grandfather, etc…) Then the baby is born and it says you were loved by so many people before you were born.
28
Young reader- K
Picture book
(published last 5 years)
It is a sweet story that tells kids about all the people that love them and how much they loved them before and will always love them. I would read it to some of the younger kids that I take care of.
Pre-K students could make a book of their family and write about who loved them before they were born.

The Tickety Tale Teller
2007
Maureen Haselhurst
The story is about the Tickety Tale Teller. The children in the town hang a flag outside their window with a special symbol to let her know what story they would like to hear. She became so busy every night that she tried to come up with new ways to be able to read to all the children at the same time. None of the methods worked until she handed out the stories to the parents and older children and told them to read the stories to the younger children until they were old enough to read them to others. She then moved on to another town to do the same.
20
Ages 5 to 8
Picture book
(published last 5 years)
I loved the illustrations in the book. Each page was brightly colored and wonderfully done. Something that kids that could not read yet would love to look thorough on their own.
The students can make flags that represent the type of story that they would want to hear. The teacher could then hang up all the flags. Every time a book was read from that genre, the teacher could take the flag done until all the flags were down.
(In the book, they would put out the star flag for a space book, a dragon flag for a fairy story, etc…)

Traditional Literature: Chapter 6 Due 5-19

The Korean Cinderella
1993
Shirley Climo
A girl named Pear Blossom is born but shortly after her birth, her mother dies. The father remarries a nasty woman that has a nasty daughter. She had to clean and cook all day and night. Magical animals start to help her with her chores. This made it possible for her to go the festival. On the way to the festival, the magistrate saw her and was struck by her beauty. She heard him yell but it scared her and she ran off. Her sandal fell in the water and he ordered his men to take it out. She ran all the way home. The bearers came to her house and announced they were looking for the one girl that was missing a shoe. The magistrate wanted her to be his bride. They were then married.
40
Diversity
Ages 4-9
Picture book
Diverse
I liked the author’s notes at the end of the book. I say that there are half a dozen versions of this story in Korea. Her name changes but she is always a good daughter that prevails over her stepmother and stepsister. Sometimes she loses a shoe but always gets to leave her miserable life. In one of these stories, she escapes by dying and climbs a rope to heaven.
This book would be great to read to children to show them no matter what culture they are from and they all have similarities when it comes to books.
The teacher could lead into a discussion about Korea from this book. The kids could learn where it is located and important information about Korea. They could look at the clothing in the story and then look at the clothing that has been worn in Korea. The students could read about the festival in the story and then find out rituals and festivals in Korea. They could create images/decorations that they would see if they were at these festivals and then display them in the classroom.

The Persian Cinderella
1999
Shirley Climo
Settareh’s mother died when she was born and her father was often too busy to see her. She had a stepmother, aunts, and stepsisters that all treated her rotten. They were all invited to the Royal Palace by Prince Mehrdad for No Ruz, the New Year. Her father gave everyone money to buy cloth for the festival but she bought a vase and gave the rest of the money to a beggar woman. She then decided she would not go because she would have nothing to wear. She sat with the vase and wished for flowers and then they appeared. She said that inside the vase was a pari (fairy). The jar gave her an outfit to wear. She dropped the diamond anklet she wore in the canal and ran home. The prince found it the next day and wanted to know who it belonged to. Everyone in the town tried it on but it only fit Settareh. The evil sisters wished to the jar for something to make their stepsister go away. The jar broke and scattered pins. They put the pins in her hair and she changed to a dove. The prince became upset and shut himself off for months with only the dove as company. The dove finally let the prince stroke her and felt the bumps and removed the pins. She then changed back into Settareh. The stepsisters became so angry when they got married their hearts burst.
30
Diversity
Grades
1-4
Picture Book
This author has written a number of Cinderella stories including the Egyptian Cinderella. I would like to see how many different cultures have a version of Cinderella because to be honest I never even heard of the story besides the way I heard it growing up.
This story could be read before the New Year celebrated in Persia (the first day of spring) and then the students could learn about ancient Persia and how they celebrated No Ruz, their New Year. What was done for the New Year? What traditions did they have? If they had, traditional food what is was. You could teach the class everything associated with their New Years.

Hansel and Gretel
1998
Moira Butterfield
The evil stepmother put the father under a spell and made him leave his children out in the forest. They overheard the plan and brought pebbles to find the way back and they did. The next time they used bread but the birds eat the crumbs. They found a house made of sweets. They were hungry and started to eat the house. The old woman (really the witch stepmother) put Hansel in a cage and made Gretel do chores. The witch tells Gretel to make bread but pushes the witch in the oven and lets out Hansel. The witch had jewels that the kids took back to their father. They made it home safe.
21
Ages 5-9
Picture book
I acted in Hansel and Gretel when I was in high school. The audience was a group of children from an elementary school and they seemed to enjoy it a lot.
I would use the book the way it is set up in the play format. They have a section on casting, reading the play, things to make (clothes, props, sounds, etc…) They also have the play written in different color bubbles so it is easy to tell what part belongs to who.




Modern Fantasy: Chapter 7 Due 6-2

Dragon Slayers’ Academy The New Kid At School
1997
K.H. McMullan
This book is about a young boy who is very compassionate and ridiculed by his family for being that way. One night a minstrel came to the door. Wiglaf asked if he could stay in the barn. The minstrel read his palm and told him that he was to become a mighty hero. The boy was in town one day when he saw an ad posted for Dragon Slayer Academy. Fergus his father sends him off to the school. At the end of the book, he fights Gorzil a dragon and defeats him by telling him bad jokes.
91
Ages 6 to 9
Modern Fantasy
I liked how the end of the book had him defeat the dragon by telling bad jokes. This author showed a great way to get away from the killing side in children’s literature. I think that it is becoming a common thing in many stories. I like the path that was taken in the story.
Each student could come up with his or her own ending for the book. Have them write an alternate ending. They can defeat the dragon any way they can except by slaying him with the sword.

The Littles Have a Wedding
1971
John Peterson
This story is about a family of little people (size of a pencil) that live in the wall the Bigg’s house. In this story the Little’s’ cousin Dinky gets married to Della Kett. It takes a lot of effort for the wedding to take place with all the big people and animals that can mess it up. The wedding does finally happen at the very end of the story.
95
Elementary
Modern Fantasy
I never read the Little story series when I was growing up and the first I actually ever hear of them was when I was working at an after school program and they had the movie. The books appear to be gentle books that do not have violence or bad nature.
The students
Coulkd write about an obstacle that the Littles would have a hard time with or something they would have to overcome due to their small size. They could write a short paragraph or a chapter. They could then write about people in our society that have daily problems that face them and how they try to overcome them.

Poetry: Chapter 8 Due 6-2

A Maze Me
Poems for girls
2005
Naomi Shihab Nye
The book contains poems for girls. There are five separate sections.
117
Age 12 and older
Published in the last 5 years
There are a number of wonderful poem in this book. One of my favorites is called Little Chair. It talks about how she did not mind growing up and out of something but to grow out of her turquoise Mexican chair hurt. She goes on to write about how she still kept it even though she no longer fit in it. I can relate to that and remember some of the things you have to let go along the way.
Have the students pick out various poems that are their favorite and read to one another in small circles. They could then use the poems as inspiration. They could write about something from childhood or locations (both lots of in the book).

Contemporary Realistic Fiction: Chapter 9 Due 6-16

Saddle Club
Horse Fever
1999
Bonnie Bryant
This book the 35th in a series that centers around a bunch of girls that all love to ride horses. This one is set in January when it is too cold for the girls to take the horses outside so they have to ride around in the indoor ring. They all become bored and are looking for something to do. All of the girls go through their own struggles throughout the book but they are always there to help each other out.
137
Age 9 to 12
Realistic Fiction
I never came across the problem of it being too cold outside to ride living in Naples. I have never even seen an indoor ring.
The students could read the story in groups or this could be one of the books the groups read and then other books for the other groups. This series has a number of different books to choose from. After the groups have read their stories, they can create a something to report to the class. They could write letters to the two main characters in the book or other types of writing assignments. They could also create something if they did not want to write. They could create a scene from the book or something else creative. They would then as a group present to the class.
Sandy Lane Stables
The Perfect Pony
1998
Michelle Bates
In the beginning of the story, you meet Alex and his sister Kate. Alex has not been spending as much time at Sandy Lane Stable because of soccer, football, and other obligations. He is trying to come up with a way to raise some money. They were going to have a local auction so he decided to buy a pony, train it, and then sell it for a profit after the summer. He went to the auction and watched as horse after horse went to higher bidders. A horse then came up for bidding that he could not really see but the price was good so he bid and won. When he finally sees the pony, it is thin and looks sick. The pony is checked out, is sick, and was treated poorly She flinches around people. The vet tells them if she does not get better in the next couple of days, they should think about putting her down. They let Puzzle the pony out to the field after some time and then weeks later had her on a lead in the ring. Alex then starts her riding and jumping. He then entered Puzzle into a horse show. They won the show and Alex was offered lots of money for Puzzle but did not want to sell. He was going to have to but at the end, his father decided that he would help with the boarding bill but he could then not go to the soccer camp. Alex was fine with that and so happy that he could keep the pony he so shortly before did not want more for than a profit.
112
12 and up
Realistic Fiction
I rode horses for many years and the same horse for a couple of those years so I know how hard it is to say goodbye to an animal that you care for so much.
I would do something similar to the group reading. I would have the students read the book and then change the ending chapter or create a completely new chapter for the end of the book and then present to the class.

Josefina Saves The Day
1998
Valerie Tripp
The story starts with Josephina and her family going to visit her grandfather’s rancho. She right away meets a man named Patrick whose father is a friend of Josephina’s grandparents. Patrick is a scout rider. He rides ahead of the wagon train. He has been sent to find fresh mules. He made a deal and took some of the mules from Josephine’s family. They later went to meet Patrick when the wagons came in. Patrick then told them he found traders to buy all the families mules. The girls wanted to trade their blankets for a violin for their father so they gave them to Patrick along with the mules. Later the three sisters went to the plaza to meet back up with Patrick and he never showed up. It turned out that he had to leave in the middle of the night but did not cheat them and had left their trades in the church and a friend dropped off the rest.
67
Age 7 and up
Realistic Fiction
Diversity
These are great stories that can introduce young readers to other cultures and other periods.
The students could write a story about a journey to town to trade something. What would they trade? What could happen along the way? This could be a short story.

Historical Fiction: Chapter 10 Due 6-16

Voyage on the Great Titanic
1998
Ellen Emerson White
This book is set up as a diary of one of the passengers on the Titanic. It starts out on March 28, 1912 and ends on April 20, 1912. The diary is written by a girl named Margaret Ann Brady. She is a thirteen-year-old girl that is leaving the A. Abernathy’s Orphanage for Girls located in London, England for a life in America. The story starts out for the first 40 some pages with her life at the orphanage. She boards the Titanic on April 10, 1912. She writes the story after the events have occurred. The rest of the story is about the time on board, the sinking of the Titanic, her time on the Carpathia, and then her arrival. She arrives according to her somewhere between Boston and New York and when she exits the ship, she meets up with her brother William who had to leave her at the orphanage five years ago after her parents passed away but now she would live with him. The end of the book goes over facts and has pictures and paintings of the Titanic.
179
12 and up
Historical Fiction
While reading this story I learned about a ship called the Californian that had its location question upon. Some believe that the ship was close to where the Titanic had sunk but did not come until much later.
The students could read the story and then create a timeline of events or each take a different part of the voyage to research. One thing could be the boat they almost collided with at the beginning of their launch. There is a lot of information like that I never knew. They could then present their findings to the class.

I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly
The Diary of Patsy, a Frees Girl
1997
Joyce Hansen
This book is a diary as well but I will not go into such an in depth summary on this one. This diary follows the life of Patsy a girl that has become free. It starts out in Mars Bluff, SC in April 21, 1865. The diary ends on January 2, 1866. Patsy goes from being a freed slave to a woman that really loves teaching. There are many facts throughout the book about slavery. You get to see how she learned to read and write.
197
12 and up

Historical Fiction
Diversity
These are the types of books I wished teachers would have assigned for me to read when I was younger.
This book can be used to teach about slavery to your entire class. The book can be read in groups or the students could read it themselves. Each member of the group could read a certain number of pages and then report on that section to the group. They could continue to do that until they have information on the entire book. They could then have a discussion on what parts were their favorites or have each student in the group assign a day or a couple days in the diary for other students to read that really stuck out to them.

Kirsten’s Surprise A Christmas Story
1986
Janet Shaw
This story follows the life of Kristen Larson and her family that have just moved from Sweden to America. They are going to be celebrating their first Christmas in the states but want to make sure that they keep some of their own traditions. Kirsten plans a special Saint Lucia celebration (church feast day dedicated to St. Lucy on December 13). Papa and Kristen have to go to town to pick up their trunks but on the way back run into a bad snowstorm. The storm got so bad that they had to stay in cave for the night. They finally make it home in the snow and are able to have their celebration.
62
Age 7 and up
Historical Fiction
Diversity
These stories are wonderful ways to teach young readers about other customs or traditions and other times without having the read a textbook that they might not in the end get as much out of.
The students could do research about life in 1854. What it was like for people to come over from other countries at that time? Was there a big population surge in certain parts of the US? What were some of the hardships faced at the time?
They could also research traditions of other cultures in the way that they celebrate holidays like Christmas.
Non-Fiction: Chapter 11 Due 6-30

Smart About the 50 States
A Class Report
2003
Jon Buller, Susan Schade, Maryann Cocca-Leffer, Joan Holub, True Kelley, and Dana Regan
This book was created from a classrooms assignment on the 50 states. The students write a little information about each state and enhance them with pictures.
60
Ages 6 to 9
Non-Fiction
Last 5 years
I think that a book or project like this is so important today. With so much attention to math and reading, these basic things sometimes fall through the cracks for students. These are things they will need to know for the rest of their lives.
You could show the class the book and then do something similar but tell them they are not suppose to copy it. They may write similar things like the capital but try for other bits of information about the state. The class can be divided into groups.

The Seminoles
2000
E. Barrie Kavasch
The book discusses the Seminoles way of life, religions, tradition, and ceremonies. It also gets into the family life, tribal life, and the contemporary life of the Seminoles.
48
Ages 8 to 11
Non-Fiction
Diversity
This book has many interesting facts that I never knew about the Seminole tribe. I learned about the Green Corn Ceremony that is held annually.
After reading about the Seminole tribe the class can pick a region of the US and then pick a tribe that is still around or is no longer in existence and do compare and contrast between the tribes and present to the class.

Discovering Cultures
Haiti
2007

Wil Mara

The first part of the book discusses where Haiti is located and about the region. The book goes into life in Haiti (rich to the slums), schools, sports, fun, celebration, their flag and money.

48

Ages 8 to 12

Non-Fiction
Diversity
Last 5 years

I like any story that gives the students information about a place that they might never of heard of before or do not know that much about. I think that Haiti is a place that is a good deal of the time forgotten about.

The students could learn more about Haiti. They could work in pairs, find out information, and write a short report. They could write about famous people of Haiti, important moments in Haiti’s history, or a topic that they choose. As long as it was not something discussed in great length in the book.

Biography: Chapter 12 Due 6-30

Benjamin Franklin
1996
Paul Joseph
This book follows the life of Benjamin Franklin. His early life, adult life, and the inventions he created.
26
Ages 8 to 11
Biography
I was surprised and happy to hear that Benjamin Franklin was a vegetarian. He read a book and that was what changed his mind about eating meat and that was the same way that I stopped eating animals.
Before reading the story, you could ask the students if what they knew about Benjamin Franklin and have them make a KWL chart. If the book did not answer a specific question the students could do research outside of this book.

Martin Luther King Jr.
Man of Peace
2001
Patricia and Fredrick McKissack
This book is about Martin Luther King, Jr. His life growing up, the questions he had about segregation, the protests, strike, the D.C. demonstration, jailed, Noble Peace Prize, death, and many more facts that are wonderful.
27
Ages 6 to 9
Biography
Diversity
It is wonderful to teach about a man that wanted to bring about change but wanted to do it in a nonviolent way. People in our country today are so quick to jump to violence to fix something and all that does is create more violence. We need more people that believe in peace ruling our country.
For a lesson, you could separate the class into two groups (segregation) and then favor one group. The students in the group being treated unfairly could revolt and try to bring about a change. Have a discussion about how they felt and why it is wrong to treat one person better than another.

Thomas Edison
1997
Paul Joseph
This book is all about Thomas Edison. It is about his early life, trouble in school, first job, family life, and inventions.
26
Ages 8 to 11
Biography
When he was 12, he had a job selling newspapers on a train that ran from seven in the morning to nine at night. He started to create his own newspaper that he printed right on the train. The London Times did a story on him. I found that to be so interesting that even at such a young age he had the desire to create something.
The students could work in pairs and create a presentation on one of his inventions to present to the class. It should be more than just a written report they should find a way to keep the classes attention and try to keep the presentation to no longer than 7 minutes. They can create a work of art (poster, etc…), power point, and skit, something for everyone to see.

Book Boxes Strategy

This strategy works best with grades K-2 and ELL Learners.

  1. The student reads a book
  2. The student picks a box, basket, bag, can, something to hold objects. They decorate it with the name of the book, pictures, and words.
  3. The students then place 3-5 objects/pictures in the box with a copy of the book. They include a paper saying why they put in the item they did.
  4. They share with others.

This can be done as:

  • Author boxes
  • Autobiography boxes
  • Poetry boxes
  • Biography boxes
  • Theme boxes

Allow for freedom of expression!!!

Teacher Resource Websites

· If you are looking for interesting discussions for the classroom, classroom exercises, group work, or a project to follow a reading assignment turn to this page for some help. Here you can find 100 fun things to do with books. The topics range from characters, settings, authors, the past, the future, comparison, presenting, drama, creative writing, literacy qualities, library projects, fun, and more. http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/resources/books.html
· The next website promises to give ideas that will spice up those traditional book reports that can lose the attention of the students. http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/resources/books.html
· The eThemes website will give you access to resources listed by titles. Say that you need to find information on Bud, Not Buddy you hit the letter L for Literature and then scroll down until you find the title. From there you have access to information about the author, activities, a discussion guide, study guides, quizzes, an interview with the author and then other information about the Great Depression and jazz music in America. If you know you want a certain theme you can search that way or by award nominees and winners. http://www.emints.org/ethemes/index.shtml

Websites for Children's Literature

I have located several websites that I have found to help me when trying to locate Children’s Literature.
· The first website is the HAISLIN Recommend Reading List. The librarians of the Houston Area Independent Schools Library Network have put together a list of 2008 recommended readings. The lists are arranged by grade level from Preschool up till 12th grade. This makes it easy to locate exactly what grade level you are looking for. The website is http://www.haislin.org/ReadingLists.htm
· If you are looking for books that have won awards or other literary prizes then http://falcon.jmu.edu/ramseyil/awards.htm is a wonderful website that has children’s book awards, multicultural awards, a best books list, a best sellers list, and has them also categorized by genre.
· Do you have some reluctant readers in your class. This Gander Academy website provides you with a list of books for those reluctant readers. This site also contains a booklist by grade, theme, and a interdisciplinary booklist. Some of the other sources are kids favorites, weekliy best selling books, and classics for young people. http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/langbr.htm

Great and unexpected things to do with books

  1. From the yellow pages of a phone book, pick out businesses you think the main character would be interested in and explain why.
  2. Discuss how the main character is like or unlike people you know.
  3. Describe an experience you've had that was like the experience of a character. Make a job application for the main character and fill it in.
  4. As a movie producer, explain why you will or will not make your book into a movie.
  5. Write a TV commercial for your book.
  6. Explain why your book should be included in a capsule to be dug up in one hundred years.

For more cool ways to spice up learning go to: http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/resources/books.html

Robert N. Munsch really knows funny!!!

  1. Makeup Mess - 2001
  2. Mortimer - 1998
  3. Smelly Soxs - 2004
  4. Stephanie's Ponytail - 1996
  5. MMM, Cookies - 2000



This website allows you to hear some of his books.
http://www.robertmunsch.com/booklist.cfm

Good books for kids 4-8 years old

  1. Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch
  2. Oh, The Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss
  3. Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
  4. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by John Archambault
  5. Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
  6. Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
  7. The Giving Tree - by Shel Silverstein
  8. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

5 Good books for your little preschooler

1. Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? by Bill Martin, Jr.
2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
3. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown Brown
4. The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
5.Corduroy by Don Freeman