I decided to write about another fall book today. This is one that I found at the library and paired with an art project for my toddler.
Fall Leaves Fall! by Zoe Hall is all about many people's favorite season... FALL! The book starts out with the season changing from summer to fall. It is the perfect book for the beginning of fall because it reminds you of all the fun things you can do with leaves! You can collect leaves, rake leaves, crunch leaves and of course jump in piles of leaves! The words are so simple and the paper cut out illustrations paint a scene that goes right along with the words. They are so detailed that this book can spark great conversations about fall.
To get even more in the fall mood here is a little art activity that goes along with the book.
Materials
- Paper
- Brown, yellow, orange, red and green paint
- paint brush
1) Paint the bottom of your child's foot and press onto the middle of the paper.
2) Paint the palm of your child's hand and press onto the paper at the top of the foot.
3) Let your child dip their fingertip into the different fall colors of paint and press onto the hand print. This will make the leaves of the trees.
Here is what you will get! My kiddo had such a great time painting that he wanted to make two!
What are some of your favorite reading and art projects?
This week's Throwback Thursday I am going to give you a new twist on an old classic. I am pretty sure almost every child out there has Bill Martin Jr.'s Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? on their bookshelf. On the same note, I am almost just as sure that parents tire very quickly from reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear over and over again (DISCLAIMER!!! It is very good to read the same book to your child over and over. It helps them to develop several pre and early reading skills like tracking, memorization and one-to-one correspondence so even though it is boring to you your toddler loves it!). So I decided to spruce up on of my copies of Brown Bear, Brown Bear to help my 17 month old with his color recognition.
What I did was very simple and everything I needed I had at home.
Materials
- the book Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You Hear?
- brown, red, yellow, green, blue, purple, white, black and orange construction paper cut into small one inch circles
- contact paper
-velcro
Instructions:
1) Cut out a circle about one inch in diameter of each of the colors mentioned above. I used a water bottle cap to trace.
2) "Laminate" the circles by covering them in the contact paper. Cut the circles out.
3) Put a piece of soft velcro on each colored circle and a piece of the rough velcro on each animal.
4) Attach the colored circles to the matching animal.
5) Viola you have just taken a classic children's favorite and transformed it into an activity that will keep your child entertained for HOURS! Okay who am I kidding what toddler is entertained for hours in anything- but it does keep them busy for a little bit!
Here are some pictures of my finished product:
Here you can see the brown circle velcroed onto the bear's leg.
Same with the frog.
Here are all the colors laid out ready to be matched to the correct animal.
So far my little boy has really enjoyed pulling the colors off each of the animals. We are slowly working on matching the colors. Of course I model for him how to put the right color on the right animal, but right now he just likes playing with the colors and feeling the velcro which is fine with me! Because of this easy revamp we can both enjoy reading a favorite once again!
The Global Read Aloud begins on Monday. Have you gotten your book yet? Don't worry if not you still have a couple of days. I just finished the recommended book for 4th grade and up Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. I think of all the recommended books for the Global Read Aloud this on was my absolute favorite. It spoke right to my heart.
Out of My Mind is the story of a 5th grade girl with cerebral palsy. She is very intelligent but cannot talk or control her body. The book tells the story of her struggles with trying to fit in with the "normal" kids in her inclusion classroom. The reader soon finds out that Melody is like any other 5th grader. She worries about her clothes, what other people think about her and she just wants to paint her nails and tell secrets! This book has so many wonderful life lessons tied to it that would be great for discussions with the Global Read Aloud.
I wanted to share with you some quotes that I pulled out that could lead to some great discussion among students. I had many more than just this but I wanted to narrow it down. I included some possible questions to get students thinking.
"After folks got finished making a list of my problems, they might take time to notice that I have a fairly nice smile and deep dimples- I think my dimples are cool." pg. 4
- Why do you think we always notice people's problems first?
- What can we do to start noticing people's strengths?
"Kids, who for the most part, ignore kids like me." pg. 28
- Have you ever ignored a kid like Melody? Why?
- Have you ever included a kid like Melody? Why?
"To people like Claire and Molly, I say, 'We all have disabilities. What's yours?'" pg. 168
- Do you have a disability? What is it?
"Mom nods in agreement. 'I know you're right, but- but... it's just so much harder for Melody.' 'No, it's harder for us. We have to figure out what's in her head.'" pg. 170
- What has Melody taught you?
If I had known about this book when I taught in a 4th and 5th grade full inclusion classroom it would have been number one on my read aloud list. Here is a list of a couple of other books and video clips that are on this same topic.
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick Rules by Cynthia Lord
Team Hoyt (goes with the video)
Don't forget to start the Global Read Aloud on Monday. You can use twitter, skype or blogs to participate. I cannot wait to hear how you decide to connect with other classroom!
Today is the first full day of my favorite season... FALL! It's time for picking pumpkins, apple cider, cool weather and leaves falling. What better way to celebrate the first full day of fall than with a fall read aloud?
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves by Lucille Colandro is one of her many books that is a play on the classic There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. In this version the old lady swallows all sorts of different fall items like pumpkins, leaves and hay. In the end it all makes her sneeze and out comes a scarecrow.
Kids really like the familiarity of this book. From the beginning they can begin to read along and say parts of the story. To engage in some pre-reading activities ask the child or children to guess what the old lady might swallow. Encourage them to use background knowledge like, what they know about this author and the season to make the predictions. For post reading discussion ask them to use their imaginations. What would you change about the story? Are there any fall items that the author did not include that you would have?
I hope you all have a great first day of fall. Perhaps take your read aloud outside today to enjoy the cooler weather!
Happy Reading!
Laura
PS I will be posting more fall read alouds throughout the season!
Talking about same and difference is something that we start doing at a very young age. We want kindergartners coming to school knowing how to compare and contrast different people, characters, numbers and so much more. I have come across a book that would be great to use when teaching same and different to kindergarten or younger It is called My Beak, Your Beak by Melanie Walsh.
The pictures and the words are simple enough that they can be used for talking about same and difference. For example, "Lions are big and have hairy manes. Kittens are small and fluffy but... they both have scratchy claws." At the same time most of the animals are familiar so the children could also infer and use background knowledge to come up with their own similarities and differences.
This book would be great for introducing Venn Diagrams. Read the first few pages of the book for enjoyment and then have several different Venn Diagrams already drawn on chart paper. Model for them at first how to label a Venn Diagram and then how to complete it. By the end of the book you can have students dictate the label to you or come up to label the Venn Diagram themselves! Below is what one might look like.
If its not enough that we have My Beak, Your Beak Melanie Walsh also has My Nose, Your Nose which follows the same text pattern!
Do you know of any good books for teaching same and different to younger children?
Today is my little sister's birthday so I have decided to dedicate this week's Throwback Thursday to her. Beverly Cleary is getting the honor today with her wonderful book about two sisters Beezus and Ramona.
Here is some thoughts from Beezus about sisters, especially little sisters.
"Beatrice Quimby's biggest problem was her little sister Ramona."
"You always get your own way, because you're the youngest!"
"She ought to like Ramona. Sisters always liked each other. They were supposed to. Like Mother and Aunt Beatrice."
"But even sisters are usually different."
"If Ramona were only bigger, things might be different; but since she was so much younger, she would always be... well, a pest."
"Everyone knew sisters were supposed to love each other."
"And now Mother and Aunt Beatirce, who had quarreled when they were girls, loved each other and thought the things they had done were funny! Maybe that was just they way things were with sisters."
My sister and I were a lot like Ramona and Beezus. There were definitely times when we were girls that we did not love each other. Like the time we argued so much we were given the name "The Bickersisters." Or the time that my sister got lost and we spent the entire day looking for her only to find her asleep in the linen closet covered in blankets. But now that I am older I know exactly what Beezus had discovered in the book, sisters are supposed to love each other and there is no one I love more than my sisters!
I can't say that I have enemies, but I know that kids always have someone who they just can't seem to get a long with. As caretakers (whether we are parents, aunts, teacher or babysitters) are always looking for ways to encourage our children to be kind and respectful to anyone. Well my friends- look no more! I have the perfect book for teaching (or perhaps tricking) kids into liking even their most hated enemy. The book is Enemy Pie by Derek Munson.
It was the perfect summer until Jeremy Ross moved into the neighborhood. Jeremy was on the enemy list for all the reasons that kids have enemies (strike you out at baseball, don't invite you to jump on the trampoline).
Then dad suggests to his son a way to get rid of his enemy, by making enemy pie. While dad makes enemy pie the speaker goes outside to collect works, rocks and leaves to put into the pie but dad just shakes his head and sends him away. When the pie is finished dad tells his son that to make sure enemy pie works you have to spend an entire day with your enemy.
The two boys spend the entire day together playing and having a great time. They jump on the trampoline, eat lunch together, throw boomerangs and have so much fun! He even lets Jeremy Ross into his tree house.
Then it is time for dinner. The boys eat together and then dad brings out enemy pie. The boy doesn't want Jeremy Ross to eat the pie anymore because he isn't an enemy anymore and he didn't want anything to happen to him. What a great lesson to teach to kids. Sometimes we just have to get to know someone to see how much fun they can be!
This book does not just offer a great story line but awesome pictures and the speaker has great voice. This is a book that was often read several times in my classroom.
If you don't have a copy of the book check out Storyline Online here they have a celebrity reading aloud the book.
What book do your kids always want you to read over and over?
If there is one book that I have used over and over again, across all grade levels and content areas it has been The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown.
Just like other great read alouds this book has a great rhythm and repeated lines. Each page of the book is a picture of a different everyday object (spoons, shoes, apples). For each object Margaret Wise Brown provides the main idea and detail in a very rhythmic fashion. For example when describing the spoon she uses the main idea that you eat with it. A few of her details are that it is like a shovel and you put it in your mouth. She ends the page with repeating the main idea, or in her words "the important thing." Kids, no matter what age, are always so attentive through this book. I think they like guessing what some of the details of the objects would be. The best is the end where students can feel special because "the important thing about you is that you are you!"
Like I said in my opening I have used this across all grade levels. In first grade we worked together to create a book for future first graders. It was titled, "The Important Thing About First Grade." When I worked in a self-containted classroom for kids with autism we made. "The Important Thing About Animals." Lastly, when I taught 5th grade social studies each student made their own book about their favorite Native American tribe we had studied. They had to include all the elements of culture in their book. If I can find my old examples I will be sure to post some pictures of these books.
If you are a teacher buy this book NOW! Not only does it teach an author's craft but it also helps students to understand main idea and details in a very concrete format,
What is your favorite book to use across grades and content areas?
One of the most fun genres to read aloud is poetry. Poetry is so fun because anything goes! There are no rules! Poems have silly words, rhyming words, made up words and sometimes they even tell a story. One must have for every children's book collection is a great poetry anthology and I have found one!
Read Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young is a collection of over 100 poems by a variety of authors. The poems were complied by Jack Prelutsky, who is an amazing children's poet himself. The book is nicely organized with a two page spreads featuring poems on the same theme or topic. You can find a poem about almost anything in this book. Some poems you might have heard before but there are several that are unfamiliar.
We like to read a couple of poems from the book every night before bed. My son already has his favorites! He really enjoys the poem "Holding Hands" which is about elephants that hold hands by holding tails and "Higglety, Pigglety, Pop!" a silly poem that is similary to "Hickory, Dickory, Dock."
I forgot to mention that each poem has an illustration paired with it that toddlers love to examine while reading! You will spend hours snuggling with your little one reading the poems in the book! Check it out now!
The book recommended for 1st grade and up for the Global Read Aloud project is Marty McGuire by Kate Messner.
Marty McGuire is the story of a girl named Marty who is a bit of a tomboy. She prefers catching frogs, digging in dirt and pretending to be Jane Goodall. When she starts 3rd grade her teacher announces that the class will be putting on the play The Frog Prince. Marty is not too keen on the idea, especially when her teacher asks her to be the princess. Marty does not do tiaras and frilly dresses. Marty does not do princesses. However, despite her unwillingness Marty's mom makes her participate in the play and Marty does her best job acting, "princessy," until her and the boy acting as the prince get an idea. They decide to switch out the stuffed animal frog for a real, live, frog and encourage improvisation in the play.
I really like this choice for the Global Read Aloud project not just because of the story line but also because the book really leans itself to being cross curricular. While reading this for Global Read Aloud you could also be hitting on biographies, especially ones about Jane Goodall. In science you could work on your animal unit (whether it be classification, food chains, anatomy, whatever the life science standards are in your grade). Lastly, there is a lot of drama specific vocabulary (improve, scenery) so take this opportunity to meet some of the drama standards.
Another reason I like this choice is because it is part of a series. Kate Messner has written two other books about Marty McGuire so if your class falls in love with Marty you already have your next two read alouds!
Don't forget that the Global Read Aloud starts at the end of THIS month. Sign up here and be thinking about how you will connect with other classrooms across the globe. Will you use twitter, skype, a blog? Let me know your plans!
We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen is a must have for every young child's library.
I am sure you have heard the story before- a family sets out on a bear hunt, they come to long grass. Can't go over it. Can't go under it. We've got to go through it etc. This scenario repeats over and over, just with different obstacles.
Eventually the family finds the bear, gets scared and has to run back through all the obstacles to their safe home. It is a great story full of imagination. But what makes this a classic book to read aloud?
First, the book has all sorts of repetition that older children will pick up on and begin reading with you while at the same time younger children will like knowing what to expect. Second, this book has silly words like squelch, squerch, splash, splosh and swishy, swashy. Kids love hearing those silly words being read aloud so much. Just the sound of them makes them giggle. Lastly, this book is great because motions and music can be added. What kid does not like a book with motions and music?
We're Going on a Bear Hunt has inspired countless of other authors to write their own version. Just a couple that I have in my own library are We're Looking for a Moose by Phyllis Root and It's a Tiger by David LaRochelle. What books do you have in your library that were inspired by We're Going on a Bear Hunt?
Happy Reading!
Laura
Here is Michael Rosen (author) performing the book. Watch to teach your kids the motions!
Here is just another reason we should read aloud to our children...
"Few children learn to love books by themselves. Someone has to lure them into the wonderful world of the written word; someone has to show them the way."
- Orville Prescott A Father Reads to His Children
Luring my son into the wonderful world of the written word.
Today is National Read A Book Day- what better way to celebrate than by finding your next read aloud right here!
Today I decided to share with you the book The Wednesday Surprise by Eve Bunting. This book is great to share, especially with older children (2nd grade and up) because of the plot and it is a little longer.
This story is about a grandmother and her granddaughter spending time together on Wednesday nights. Mom has to work late on Wednesdays, big brother Sam has basketball and dad is out of town driving his truck for work, so grandma comes and takes care of Anna. During their time together they work on a surprise for Dad's birthday. You get a few clues about what the surprise might be like Grandma brings bags of books and they spend hours reading, but you are not totally sure what Anna and Grandma are up to. You begin to think that Grandma is teaching young Anna to read.
Finally, it is time for Dad's birthday. The family eats dinner together and Dad opens up all of his presents. When all of that is through Anna brings out Grandma's bag of books, she pulls one out and it is Grandma that begins reading. The shock of the family and the reader is great, everyone is so proud that Grandma has finally learned to read after all this time and that it was Anna that taught her!
What better book for Read A Book Day- a book that is all about learning to read, no matter how old you are. I have a feeling that Anna did a lot of reading aloud to Grandma to help her finally learn to read!
What book are you reading today to celebrate Read A Book Day?
Today I want to share with you another great book to read aloud for Grandparent's Day. The Song and Dance Man by Karen Ackerman is a great read aloud for older children and could also be used as a writing mentor text.
The Song and Dance Man is all about a grandpa who used to sing and dance on the vaudeville stage. The story is told from his grandchildren's point of view. One day the grandchildren are over visiting their grandparents and grandpa takes them up to the attic. In the attic he gets out his old props from his vaudeville days and puts on a show for his grandchildren. They children love watching their grandpa and say, "it is better than any show on TV." They sing, dance and laugh and in the end grandpa tells them that he "wouldn't trade a million good old days" for the days that he spends with them. It is a very heart warming story about the good old days that I think many children will relate to.
The figurative language is great in this book. The sounds his tap shoes make are compared to woodpeckers tapping in a tree and is voice is compared to a canyon echo. Karen Ackerman uses a variety of author's crafts in this text. It would be great to use as a mentor text when writing memoirs or personal narratives. Mostly, it would be great just to listen to!
I told you that if you continue to follow this blog you will see more posts about Todd Parr's books. Today I am going to share with you 2 of his books that are perfect for celebrating grandparents!
The Grandma Book and The Grandpa Book have every type of grandma or grandpa imaginable. Each page describes a different grandma or grandpa by saying, "some grandma's have..." and then fill in the blank. Maybe the page is about grandma's having cats, playing bingo or driving slow. It is the same pattern in The Grandpa Book.
The text is so simple that any child can make connections to these wonderful books. I know my little boy would love the page that says, "Some grandpa's make you laugh," because his Papa is always being silly and making him laugh. After reading take the time to talk about the book and what your child's grandma or grandpa might be like. The book will definitely spark so great conversation with you child, because who doesn't love grandma and grandpa!
These two books are a must have for any family, in fact by 2 of each one for home and one to keep at grandma and grandpa's! Be sure to put a picture of your own grandma and grandpa in the back of the book.
Grandparent's day is coming up on Sunday so this week I wanted to share with you some books about- you guessed it- Grandparents!
One of my favorite books about grandparents is called the Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster, Maybe it is the wonderful illustrations by Chris Raschka but I think it is more the storyline- that reminds me a lot of my own grandparents.
The Hello, Goodby Window tells the story of a little girl who loves to visit her grandparents, who she calls Nanna and Poppy. The little girl tells about all the things that she loves to do with Nanna and Poppy and they all revolve around the kitchen window. She can see Nanna and Poppy waiting for her when she comes to their house. She can watch what is going on outside through the window. Her and her grandparents even play a type of peek-a-boo game in the window. The love that the little girl has for her grandparents is evident and relatable to many children and adults.
This book touches a soft spot in my heart because my grandma had her own hello, goodbye window. She loved to sit at her kitchen table and look at the window, and because of that she could always see when we were stopping by for a visit. I cannot wait for my son to be older and to read this book to him and share stories of my own grandparents.
Check back tomorrow for another great grandparent book!
