Cranberry Thanksgiving Read Aloud
This lesson incorporates two of my favorite teacher things- picture books and Post-It Notes! The picture book this time is… CranberryThanksgiving by Wendy and Harry Devlin and it is a real gem. I LOVE using “vintage” picture books with kids. This book was written in 1971- and the message in the story is just […]
Point of View Mentor Text: The King’s Taster
This book was brought to my attention several years ago. It was a KC3 Award Nominee (an award sponsored by The Greater Kansas City Association of School Librarians). There is a list of about 10 books each year and students in third grade read or listen to the books and then are able to […]
Teaching Theme Mentor Text: A Castle on Viola Street
When I was at the library the other day I happened on two “new to me” books. First I picked up A Castle on Viola Street by Dyanne DiSalvo. I was familiar with Dyanne DiSalvo’s work, as her story City Green was one that I really enjoyed in our reading anthology. I stood in the […]
Books to Teach Food Chains
Do you teach food chains? I have compiled a list of books you might want to check out! This first one would be GREAT to kick off your unit- it is a fiction book that is filled with humor… Carnivores by Aaron Reynolds This book tells the story of three lonely carnivores who […]
Attention Pet Lovers- this Book is a Must Read!
The public library is one of the spots I frequent. I always like to browse through the children’s area after I have finished getting the specific books I made the trip for. Yesterday when I was browsing I came upon a real GEM, especially for anyone that loves pets… Yoda The Story of a Cat and […]
The Importance of Read Aloud
Do you read aloud to your kids everyday? Once upon a time in my classroom, read aloud was something I did if I had time, not a regular part of my schedule. I had all the reasons for skipping it- we had too much to get done, we had to get prepared for “the test”, etc., […]
Back to School- Science: The First Week of School
Back to school is an exciting time! As a teacher, I am always ready to jump right in and get started! Of course, it is so important to take the time to establish routines and procedures and those things tend to fill up a majority of my time the first few weeks. So… as a […]
Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch
Another book that I love to use to teach character is Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli. Not only does it have a strongly defined main character, but it is such a sweet book with a wonderful message. I read it to my class every year and they always love it. This year […]
Focus on Characters: Miss Penny and Mr. Grubbs
In my class we are continuing our study of characters. I want to share with you another great picture book with two very contrasting characters. This book is also by Lisa Campbell Ernst (as I’ve said before- one of my favorite authors!). It is really a sweet book… I read the story to my students and […]
Focus on Characters: Squirrel Park
During Reader’s Workshop we have been focusing on character. For the first portion of our unit I read the novel From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. What a great story to teach character- the main characters Claudia and Jamie are so distinct and have such personalities that my students could really envision the characters and […]