Hero vs Celebrity and Some Picture Books

I am currently working on putting together a new unit for my 4th grade literacy class.  I've basically been given free reign to do what I want as long as I can align it with common core.  It is almost a hindrance to have such free reign because I have been having so much difficulty coming up with a theme that would work with the materials I have available. 

Then, while on hall duty last week, I listened to two fifth graders have a conversation about Justin Beiber.  The girl has a huge picture of him in her locker.  The two were talking about his recent misdeeds.  The conversation was a full-on recap of the drunk driving, resisting arrest, the foul language he used, his use of marijuana, and now being out on bail. It was a conversation I would hope two ten year olds would never have to have.  The part of the conversation that was most disturbing to me was towards the end when one of the students said she didn't care what he did.  He was still cute and will always be her hero.  Hero.  Yes, she said hero.  Now, I know this is ten year old thinking, but it is still disturbing to know that this is her thinking and probably the thinking of many preteens. 

It was then and there that I decided my literacy unit was going to center on the theme of heroes.  And, an important part of the unit was going to be a lesson on the difference between a hero and a celebrity.  In looking for some resources, I came across this quote:

"A sign of a celebrity is that his name

is often worth more than his services."

by Daniel Boorstin, Historian

 

 

Such a true statement.  If you think about it, the deeds of a hero are greater and longer lasting than their name while the name of a celebrity is usually greater than their deeds.  A hero's deeds will usually transcend time and spark a change in thinking, innovation, or behavior for the greater good of many in society. 

 

This is not to diminish the contributions of a celebrity, but I believe there needs to be a distinction between what makes someone hero as opposed to being a celebrity.  Another quote I came across that I feel explains that distinction well says, "A hero creates himself.  A celebrity is created by the media."  Hmmm, tell me that doesn't make you think of the Kardashians!

I would like anther part the unit to focus on the idea of children that are heroes.  I've ordered the book The Barefoot Book of Heroic Children by Rebecca Hazell.  I don't know much about the book, but it looks promising.  Here's the blurb on it from Scholastic:  "This collection of stories focuses on the heroic lives of twelve exceptional young people throughout the course of history. Each story has a positive outlook, even when the situations are negative, and shows how even a child can change the world." 

 

I think seeing how children can be considered heroes will be of great interest to my 4th graders.  Once I get the book, I will do a full review for you.  For now, I'm still pulling it all together.

 

Speaking of picture books, here's a true contrast in what is out there.  I was in Barnes and Noble the other day and was stopped in my tracks by this book:

 



 

I honestly couldn't believe they made a book based on the YouTube viral video.  I thought, no.  There must be more to the book.  Nope.  It's just the song lyrics.  The illustrations are okay, but I really couldn't find anything that would make me buy this book.  It might have to do with the fact that I'm not a huge fan of the song! But, if you have a child that loves the song or are looking for just a silly book, this is it!

 

So, let's flip the coin.  

 

What would be the exact opposite of a silly, fun picture book? 

How about Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting. 

 

 

Can I tell you that I cry every single time I read this book.  It is about a boy, around 4 years old as best I can tell, and his father who are homeless and live in an airport.  It tells the story about how they live day to day.  The father is working, but simply can't make enough money to afford an apartment.  The title comes from a bird that is trapped in airport and catches the attention of the boy.  The bird is trapped for days and eventually finds his way out, a symbol of hope for the boy and his father.  Honestly, I'm teary just typing this.  For some reason, this book just gets me every time.  Published in 1991, it isn't a new book.   However, if you aren't familiar with it, I've linked below to a reading of it from YouTube.

 

   

 

Your reaction will probably not be as emotional as mine always is, but you can't help but feel something when reading this book.  Fly Away Home is a great book to introduce important topics such as homelessness and types of families.  It's not What Does the Fox Say? but you  might want to read that after this for a smile!

Day 2 - Wrapping Paper

It's Day 2 of the December School Day Photo Challenge!

Day 2 - Wrapping Paper

Well, this one is kind of obvious.  Wrapping paper makes great bulletin board background paper!  The picture up top shows a bulletin board a fellow teacher made using shiny, blue wrapping paper as her background.  With so many dollar stores around, getting wrapping paper for any occasion doesn't have to cost a lot.  Plus, you can customize it for almost any holiday or season.

The bottom half of the picture shows wrapping paper used to cover textbooks.  One things for sure, kids won't mix-up whose book it is when the wrapping papers can be so distinct.

One idea I had for wrapping paper and school comes from the idea of wrapping 25 different Christmas books as a countdown to Christmas.  Your child gets to pick one a night, unwrap it, and have it read as their bedtime story that night.  This would so easily apply to school!  Think of those last couple of weeks of school.  You could wrap ten books that have summer themes in summery wrapping paper.  Put them all in a basket and have a student pick one book to unwrap each day for a read aloud.  You could do this for Halloween, too.  Wrap Halloween themed books and put them in one of those plastic cauldrons you can also usually pick up at the dollar store. The kids could open and read one a day to countdown to Halloween. Actually, it would work for any holiday or event where you want to do a countdown of some sort.  It is a total hook to get them into a book, and who doesn't like to unwrap a gift?!  If you have certain books you want to read on certain days, you could number them rather than having the kids randomly pick.

                                               

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The picture above is from the Clean Mama blog.  She has a great site (not an education blog, but more homemaking) where she offers a free download of the numbers shown in the picture above. She also explains how she does a Christmas Advent countdown with books.  As a person who loves things to be organized, I love that she also has lots of tips for organizing pretty much everything!

So, back to wrapping paper and school. . . here are a couple of other quick ideas for using wrapping paper in school.

• Line the back of your bookshelves with strips of wrapping paper using some double stick taper for a pop of color.
• Wrap a few books from your class library that you know are great reads but have uninviting covers.  As much as we say don't judge a book by its cover, you know they do!  Cover a few of the books like the textbooks above are covered. Put them in a basket with a sign that says, "Don't Judge a Book by its Cover!" and encourage your friends to try one.  If you wanted, you could even write the title and a brief description on an index card, and tape it to the cover. This would be a chance to sell the book in a quirky or funny way.

Okay, that's all I have for wrapping paper!  If you have any ideas, please feel free to share in the comments.

Day 1 - Giving

It's day one of the December School Day Photo Challenge!

Day 1 - Giving

I come from a school full of amazingly generous children and adults!  The photo above shows just four giving programs currently going on in my school.

The bags full of groceries are some of the Thanksgiving dinner donations brought in by the children and staff.  It's part of the Pick A Feather program run by out PTO.  In our office is a big construction paper turkey with lots and lots of construction paper feathers.  With parent permission, students go down to the office and pick a feather off the turkey.  On the back of each feather is a food item which the students then bring back to school.  Our PTO organizes the food into GIANT care packages that are donated to local families.  It's a great program that really helps out many families, and the kids love going down to pick a feather.  This program coordinates with a meat drive done by our Student Council.  Parents are given a window of time during the school day in which they can drop off donations of turkeys, hams, etc.  It's run like a little drive through in the school parking lot. Parents don't even have to get out of the car!  These are also donated to the families in conjunction with the groceries.

Some classes recently got together to run a charity event for Alex's Lemonade Stand, an amazing charity that fights childhood cancers.  The classes ran a lemonade stand during our lunch periods for two days and collected over $600!  Parents volunteered to come in and help, but the kids were front and center.  It was a huge success!

Pop Tabs!  Our school is one of many that collects pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald Houses. The tabs are recycled and the money is given to Ronald McDonald House Charities which distributes the funds to a local Ronald McDonald House.  In addition to helping others, our kids are practicing recycling.

Every holiday season, our school does a toy drive for a local charity.  The kids enjoy seeing the toys pile up in the front lobby the weeks before the holidays.

Those are just a few of the school wide giving programs that happen in my school.  I've always felt it is important for students to learn the importance of helping others.  When I was a homeroom teacher, I actually did a few things with my class to try and instill this idea.

One thing my kids always did that didn't cost a penny is Free Rice. This is a great site for kids in upper elementary through high school.  Free Rice is a web site that quizzes children on the subject you select; English vocabulary, geography, multiplication practice, grammar, and more.  The topics even include an SAT prep question category.  For every question a student answers correctly, ten grains of rice are donated through the World Food Programme to help end world hunger. When you sign up, you can actually track how much rice you have earned but you can also play without signing up.   If you think ten grains of rice isn't a lot, think again!  In fact, this is a great site to use in conjunction with the book One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale by Demi.  This is an awesome book!

Set in India, it tells the tale of a raja that hoards all the rice harvested in his village. Not a problem until one day there is a shortage and the villagers are hungry.  He is reluctant to give the rice to the people, but a young village girl tricks him into giving away a billion grains of rice by simply asking for one grain of rice, then for thirty days the raja agrees to double the amount each day.  Thinking doubling the amount each day will come to nothing, he agrees.  The raja is, as your students will be, astounded to see how quickly doubling adds up!  In the back of the book there is a great chart that shows just how the concept works.  If you would like to preview it, below is a reading of the book. Not the most exciting of readings, but it will let you experience the book.

And, in the spirit of Day 1 Giving, in the end (Spoiler Alert!) the young girl ends up with all of the raja's rice.  When he asks her what she will do with it, she replies that she will share it with all the hungry people.  She also leaves a basket of rice for the raja.  This is a great book for any teacher's bookshelf.

What giving things are your school or classes doing?

Do You Know Library Mouse?

Today, I'm sharing a picture book that is probably better suited to the younger set, but was one I used with my summer school friends who did not see themselves as writers at all.  Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk is the story of a mouse, Sam, that lives in a library. Sam also loves books and loves writing books.  In fact, he finds some scrap paper and writes several books that he displays in the library.  They become a huge hit with children and adults.  Everyone wants to know, "Who is the author?"  Eventually, Sam makes a "Meet the Author" box.  He put it out one night, and the next morning everyone took a look in the box to meet the author.  Here's the catch. In the box is a mirror. You are an author! Next to the box, Sam leaves a bunch of mini booklets like the ones he writes in for the children to author their own books.  This is a great book for teaching children that they are indeed authors.

If you don't know the book and are interested in it, here is  a video of a librarian reading it aloud. They do a good job of letting you see the text and illustrations as she reads.  You should know she has an English accent which actually makes it sound maybe kind of cool.  You should also know she has a puppet that helps her introduce the book.  I found the puppet to be a bit creepy! Why is its mouth always open?! Once you get past her intro, the book reading goes well.

Library Mouse is just the first in a series.  Daniel Kirk has written several books staring Sam, our friendly mouse.

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There's Library Mouse A Friend's Tale  in which Sam does some collaborative writing with a child.  Library Mouse A World to Explore  introduces us to Sam's friend Sarah who isn't much on writing but is in to research and exploring.  In Library Mouse A Museum Adventure,  Sam and Sarah go on an adventure that combines research and journaling.  Finally, there is Library Mouse Home Sweet Home which is due out in September 2013. Amazon has a release date of September 3rd. This book continues the adventures of Sam and Sarah when the library is under renovation and they must find a temporary home.  I haven't read it, but it sounds like this one could be good for a social studies/community tie in as they make an igloo, a castle, a modern house, and more.

As I wrote, I think these books are better suited for the younger set, but my 3rd going into 4th graders enjoyed Library Mouse very much.  And, the message that they are authors certainly hit home.  In fact, to really make an experience of the book you could easily make the "Meet the Author" box that Sam makes.  Just put a small mirror in a tissue box, wrap the box leaving the top hole open, and make a "Meet the Author" sign.  It would be a fun way to introduce writer's workshop at the start of the year.

You can also make some mini books for your kids to write their own story or a mini "About Me" book as a back-to-school activity.  Here's a quick video on how to make an 8 page mini book using one piece of paper and no staples.  It looks just like the mini book Sam makes!

I linked to Daniel Kirk's author page earlier in the post.  If you explore his web site, you will see that he also has an activities page where you can print out book marks, posters, and coloring pages.  There's a cute poster of Sam saying, "Be Kind."  There are also suggested academic activities for his books.

Library Mouse isn't a brand  new book, but it is a good one! Plus, Daniel Kirk is a New Jersey author. How could I not brag about a fellow New Jerseyan?  If you live in the area, Daniel Kirk does paid author visits. His web page also notes that he does FREE twenty-minute Skype visits for classes doing an author study, schools with limited funds, and those too far from New Jersey.  Did I mention FREE? :-)

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One off topic question for you!  Does anyone out there use Remind 101?  I've downloaded the app, but I am hesitant to use it.  Just wondering if anyone else has used it and how it works.

Bookmark Freebie and Picture Books

Yesterday was the last day of summer school, and I could not be happier!  I love teaching, but I am ready for some time off!  Today, I have a bookmark to share with you. It was one of the projects my summer school friends completed.

Let me explain two things that prompted me to create the bookmark.

1. I may have mentioned that the summer school program in my district is focused on literacy.  Students who would benefit from extra literacy instruction over the summer are invited to attend.  This year, I had friends who are entering fourth grade but reading anywhere from 1.5-2.5 years below grade level.  
2. One of the things all students in our district are required to do is keep a reading log over the summer and turn in the log and a reading project to their new teacher in September.  The projects are quite varied in both type and level, so there is something on that list that every child would be able to complete.  

Now, here's how they come together.  My summer school friends, for the most part, are not independent readers.  They are not picking up a lot of books over the summer.  Many are struggling writers, as well.  So, the tasks of keeping a reading log and completing a reading project without any teacher guidance is a daunting one.

To ease the pain, we read A LOT of fun picture books this summer, both together and independently.  We even did a mini author study of Margie Palatini's books.  Three favorites were Lousy Rotten Stinkin' Grapes, Bedhead, and Piggie Pie!  All were major crowd pleasers!  

Lousy Rotten Stinkin' Grapes is a fun twist on the Aesop fable The Fox and the Grapes.  Great problem/solution story.  Reading all these picture books gave my friends a nice start on their summer reading logs. I know they now have something to turn in when they go back in September even if they don't read another book all August.   Fingers crossed they will!

                                            

Then, there was the issue of the required project.   I wanted them to independently reflect on a book of their choosing and have a simple, completed project to take home and turn in with their reading log.  My goal was to keep it simple considering the range of reading and writing abilities.  To accommodate all, I created a very basic bookmark.  The front has room for title, author, and an original illustration.  On the back, there was space to tell their favorite part (and why!) as well as their favorite character and why.  Finally, at the bottom is a little space to tell what their illustration on front shows. I made a model bookmark using the book A Bad Case of Stripes so they could see just what to do.  Here's some of what my friends came up with:

They aren't perfect, but I can tell you a lot of little kid heart and soul went in to getting them done. Below is a picture of the form I made. Remember, I wanted to keep this simple and easy.  The picture is crooked, but I promise the printable is not. 

Each friend was given a copy of the form to draft.  After revisions, mostly trying to get them to add more information and proofreading, they were given a copy I had printed on card stock to do a final copy. When they finished, we folded the paper in half and glued it together.  To finish it all, we hole-punched the top and added some ribbons.

You can print out your own copy of this bookmark by clicking HERE. I have added this bookmark as my first item on Teachers Pay Teachers.  You can still download it for free by clicking HERE! I think this would also make a great center activity.  Just print it out on plain paper and once your friends finish it, they can just fold and glue. You don't have to put the ribbons on top. It would also be a good back-to-school activity where they could create a bookmark to share with the class telling about their all-time favorite book.

That is all! :-)

2 Picture Books for Writing Lessons

HAPPY SPRING BREAK!

I could not be any happier to be on break this week! 

There is a serious case of  Spring fever bouncing in my brain. My plan is to enjoy the heck out it.  Having free time is such a welcome novelty when you are a teacher.  Sadly, we had a snowstorm yesterday.  Who asked for snow on Spring Break?  Whoever you are. . . STOP IT RIGHT NOW!  It turned out to be more annoying snow than accumulating snow.  But, what to do on a Spring Break Snow Day?  Head to Barnes & Noble!

As you can see from the sign, they too have Spring fever!  I headed over to the children's section to see what was new in picture books.  I saw many familiar favorites, but there were two in particular that caught my eye.  Both books seem perfect for writing lessons.

The first book is Exclamation Point by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld.  Before I tell you more, let me just say I find it ironic that two people who write a book about punctuation choose to have their proper noun names in all lowercase letters on the cover. Thankfully, all the writing in the book follows the rules.

Exclamation Point is a dual purpose book.  It obviously teaches end marks, but it is also a great book about being yourself.  This little exclamation point tries to be a period and a question, but in the end it must be itself - a loud, proud exclamation point!  And, it is only once it decides to be itself that it is happy and admired by the other end marks.  What a great lesson to pass on to our friends.

I like the book as a good way to introduce sentence types and end marks.  For those friends who continually leave off those end marks in their writing, it would make a fun mini-lesson on how important it is to include them.  Below is a snapshot from the book.  Every time a certain end mark speaks, their sentence ends in their end mark.  Another cute point about the book is that its pages are ruled like primary writing paper.  Something our friends are very familiar with.

I might love this book simply because I am notorious for overuse of the exclamation point.  I'm also very guilty of using more than once even though I teach my friend that just one does the job!!!!!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The other book I found and loved is One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo.  Since my pocketbook limited my purchase to just one book, I had to make a choice between the two.  This is the book that won my heart and my cash. :-)  I must have been living under a rock where this book is concerned because not only is it a 2013 Caldecott Honor book, it was on the New York Times best seller list of children's picture books back in February of 2012.  Where was I when all this was going on?

I love so much about this book!  First, I love that the author, Toni Buzzeo, is a former English teacher and school media specialist.  I also love that  David Small, is the illustrator of this book, but we also know him well from his many, many other illustrated books.  The Gardener, The Library, and So, You Want to be President? are some of my favorites.

One Cool Friend is a fun and surprising story of a little boy, Elliot, and his father who visit the aquarium.  While there Elliot asks his father, "May I please have a penguin?"  Thinking he would like a stuffed souvenir  the father hands him $20.  Little does he know that Elliot means a real penguin.  The story is wonderful.  I promise it will engage your friends of all ages.  There is even a surprise ending that tells us Elliot and his dad have a lot in common. :-)

So, where is the writing connection?  It comes in how the David Small chose to illustrate the dialog.  Take a look at a couple of pages.

Notice how the dialog is bubbled.  Perfect for teaching how to punctuate dialog.  Notice that the second line shows connected dialog. In the picture below, what Elliot is thinking is bubbled differently from actual dialog.
A great way to show the use of internal dialog to your friends. Notice the tags in both pages are different.  In one the father "announced" while Elliot "said."  You could easily use this to teach how to use different tags for dialog, even having your friends change the ones in the book.  This would be a good book to use with a document camera so your friends can get the full effect.

Right before I was going to publish this post, I thought to do a quick search and see what was out there on it.  I found something wonderful!  Toni Buzzeo has a six-trait writing guide available for free for  ALL of her picture books.  I guess once a teacher, always a teacher!  You can go directly to the download via THIS LINK, or you can get there through Toni Buzzeo's web site.  As I looked over her writing guide, I found that her idea for a convention lesson is exactly what I wrote about, the dialog bubbles!  However, her guide gives you a bunch of other good lesson ideas to use with the book.

I would say One Cool Friend is a must buy.  If your pocketbook allows two, don't forget Exclamation Mark.  Both books would serve you well as teaching tools, but both are also just great books to read and enjoy.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Coming. . .

. . . and I need to get ready!

I thought I would share few resources I have come across and/or used in the past.

Let's begin with some video links!

Well, maybe a book/video link?

Do you know the book Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport?  It is a truly amazing book that tells the story of Dr. King's life with a focus on some of his most thought provoking quotes.  It can be read by/to most elementary ages lending itself to discussions that can be appropriate for all ages depending on how in-depth you want to go.

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Sample page:

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Read Write Think has a lesson (for grades 3-5) on the book, and part of the lesson includes this template  which lets your kids type and print their won "Big Words" page.  They select words that are significant to them and type in an explanation of the word.  You can also print out the template if you want them to write instead.

The best is that Teacher Tube has a video reading of Martin's Big Words.  That link will take you to the Teacher Tube video.  Below, I have linked it from You Tube, but it's the same video.

Another great video found on You Tube is MLK - The King and His Dream.  From the information on the page, it seems this video was a school project.  It is beautifully done and gives a very nice overview of his life while touching on some of the most significant Civil Rights issues.  It is appropriate, in my opinion, for all elementary ages.  You can watch it here:

The last video link I will touch on is from a source we probably all know, Brain Pop.  While you usually have to subscribe to this site, they have a great video on MLK you can watch for free.  If you are already a subscriber, they have a lot of related content connected to the video.

Okay, now on to one of my favorite places, Teachers Pay Teachers.  I was looking around to see what they had available, and there is a lot!  You will be sure to find something you can use in your classroom, all created by fellow teachers.  I've chosen to highlight four I found that happen to be free.

• The first is a set of four picture posters you can print. They were created by R. J. Fox.  Each poster has a quote by MLK and a photo.  These would be great to hang in your classroom.  
• The next is a great activity for upper elementary, but can be tweaked for the younger crowd.  It's Just or Unjust? by Sally DeCost who has a blog called Elementary Matters.  I really like this one!  After studying MLK and discussing how he fought to make a more just/fair world, students use the different idea cards and sort them into just or unjust piles.  It can lead to some very interesting conversations.  For that reason, if you do use this I would suggest reading all the cards and think about where those conversations might go.  You might want to use some and not others or add some of your own.
• This is a great activity for anytime, not just MLK Day but it does compliment.  It is an Act of Kindness and Justice Wall by Rainbow City Learning.  Students are given a brick wall page and record their acts of kindness towards others.  As the pages fill, you hang them up and create a wall of kindness in your classroom.  This would be nice to do on-going throughout the year.  It's also a great activity for a class meeting.
• This last activity/lesson is wonderful for incorporating some writing and test taking strategies.  It's MLK-Quotes-Writing-Practice-RACE-Strategy by Teacher Sol.  This activity has four different quotes.  Each quote comes with writing pages that have the students tell what the quote means to them using the writing response strategy of RACE (Restate the questions, Answer the questions, Cite or give an example that supports your answer, Extend the answer with detail or Explain how your example supports your answer.)  This is great for the older crowd and works nicely if you watch the Martin's Big Words video or read the book first.

For the free links above, I've also linked to the author's TpT store via their name.  If you like what they have for free, imagine what wonderfulness you could buy from then! Overall, there is a lot more available on the site for free and tons more available at VERY reasonable prices. These links are just the tip of the iceberg of what is waiting for you at TpT.  The best part is you can spend just a little bit to support a teacher and get some great resources.  Hmmm, I think I have suddenly somehow veered off into a TpT commercial! :-)

I'm going to stop here because this post could be a mile long with different resources!  I was prompted to write this post because  I will be in school  on MLK Day.  We usually have the day off in observance  but is one of our many make-up days due to Hurricane Sandy.  We always do something in school to mark the day and explain the history but being in school on the actual day this year means we are stepping it up a bit!

Hopefully these resources will be helpful to you as you celebrate the day.

Hello September!

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Hello September!  

When did that happen?!!!!  I know many of you have started school, but here in NJ the festivities don't begin until later this week.  I start on the 4th and my friends report for their first day of school on the 6th.  

Posting has been light as I've been juicing every bit of fun I can out of these last two weeks.  In fact, today I did the .NJ Color Run.  Did anyone else from Jersey do this today?  It was soooooo much fun!  I was a mess at the end. If you ever do it, be prepared to be messy!  I don't ever post pics of myself as I do this blog somewhat anonymously, but here is a picture of the back of my head after the run.

Thank goodness it all washed out.  You can't begin to imagine what the rest of me looked like.  I can't wait to do it again next year!  In the spirit of fun, this Labor Day weekend before school starts is going to be filled with fun things.  That includes The Color Run, the beach, friends, family, barbecues, and lots of frozen watermelon margaritas!  But, not a lot of posting on the blog.  I plan to get back in full swing once I'm back to school.  There's always plenty to post about then.

In the meantime, I will leave you with this little nugget.  Remember the post I did a while back about one of my favorite books by Patty Lovell, Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon?  

It is a great book for the beginning of the school year.  It's great to read as an example of how everyone is special in their own way.  If you click on the link, it will take you to the post I wrote and explain more about the book and how I use it.  The good news is that there is finally a new Molly Lou Melon book coming out!  It's called Have Fun Molly Lou Melon!

The book is due out on October 25, 2012, so I haven't read it yet.  Here is the blurb from the Amazon site:

• The long-awaited return of an irresistible bookseller favorite!   Molly Lou Melon's new neighbor, Gertie, has all the latest toys, a cell phone and the biggest TV ever. But even after playing with all of them, she's still "bored, bored, BORED!" Luckily for Gertie, Molly Lou Melon has something even better: her grandma taught her how to make her own fun! With her elaborate homemade toys and imaginative backyard games, Molly Lou shows Gertie a whole new way to play.  This award-winning author-illustrator pair celebrates a trend that readers of all ages can get behind--good ol' fashioned imagination!

Just from the blurb, I'm thinking this book would be good for kicking off a creative writing piece.  "What homemade toy or backyard game can you invent?"  It could be used to kick off an expository piece for a how-to or description.  Your friends could explain their invented game or toy.  I especially like the theme of this book.  The idea that you don't need to have all the latest and greatest things out there to have fun is something all kids need to learn!  Even if you don't do a blessed thing other than use it as a fun read aloud, you will love it.  The illustrations are fantastic and you get to revisit Molly and her teeny, tiny grandmother.

As I wrote, I will be back to regular posting once the school year starts.  Until then. . . 

Enjoy Labor Day Weekend!

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If you want to know a bit about the history of Labor Day, CLICK HERE. 

 It's not just about beach and barbecue!

A Rainy Day at Barnes & Noble

Summer in NJ can sometimes mean spells of unpredictable thunderstorms when its been really hot.  This past week or so has been one of those times.  Last week I was out shopping when a big, angry storm rolled through.  Since I wasn't gong out in the crazy rain, I decided to pop into Barnes & Noble to wait it out and look at some of the new children's books.  Surprisingly, the main display was full of books geared toward intermediate readers.  It must be all the required summer reading lists because this section is usually filled with new picture books.  I decided to wander over to the picture book section and see what was out.

When looking at picture books, I tend to look for books that work with lessons I do with my 5th graders.  This time, while I did keep an eye out for that, I wanted to just look and see what was available in general.  I came away with a list of great books.  I even ended up purchasing a picture book I really have no use for myself, but I had to have it!  Since I found all these gems at Barnes & Noble, I thought it only right that I link to them.  I've also included some blurbs about the books from their pages.

Let me share with you a couple of brand new books that are out.  The first one is by Patricia Polacco.  That should be enough to sell you on the book right there!  There isn't a book of hers that I don't just love, this one included.  Her newest book is The Art of Miss Chew.  It's publication date is April 12, 2012, just a little over three months new!

Here is the blurb from B&N web page:
  After spending the summer with her artist grandmother, Trisha knows she wants to be an artist, too. She's thrilled when her sketches get her into Miss Chew's special art class at the high school. A substitute teacher tells her she's wasting time on art when she should be studying - but fortunately, this is one battle that Miss Chew and Trisha are up for!

What the blurb doesn't tell you is that Miss Chew realizes Trisha has a reading problem and takes her to a reading specialist.  They find that Trisha just sees words differently and one of the modifications they make is to allow her more time on tests.  You also see what extraordinary talent she has as an artist.  What a great book to read to your friends to show that reading "problems" can be helped and that we all have different talents.  I won't even go into the subplot of her teacher's father.  Yes, even picture books can have a secondary story!

The other new book I found was Rocket Writes a Story by Tad Hills.

While The Art of Miss Chew is fantastic for your older friends, this one is really perfect for beginning writers.  It is a sequel to the book How Rocket Learned to Read.

In How Rocket Learned to Read, a little yellow bird captures Rocket"s interest in reading by reading him a book about a dog looking for a bone.  However, she leaves him hanging and Rocket must come back to hear what happens next.  Finally, Rocket joins the little yellow bird's school where he learns to read.  Here is one of the pages from the book.  If you click on it, it will pop up larger.

In Rocket Writes a Story, Rocket has trouble thinking of a writing topic.  The same yellow bird from the first story encourages him to look around.  In the end, Rocket is able to find ideas and details for his writing from the world around him and his daily life.  It might be a bit simplistic for older friends, but it is a perfect intro on idea gathering for beginner writers.  Also, a perfect book for how to add details to a story.

This book couldn't get any newer!  It was just published on July 24, 2012.  I went to my local library to borrow it (sorry Barnes & Noble!) and it wasn't even done being processed for the shelves yet.  However, if you teach beginning writers, I think this is a must buy.

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While at B&N, I took a picture of one display in particular as a few books caught my eye.  I circled them for you.  Three of the four are classics (in my mind, anyway!) that I use in my classroom every year.

The three books I use are:

1.  Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett  I use this book for teaching word choice and descriptive language.  I got the idea from WritingFix.com.  That link will take you to a full lesson plan using Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs as your mentor text.  If you don't know WritingFix.com, be prepared to spend a ton of time going through their site.  It is a goldmine for lessons using picture books that incorporate the six traits.

2. Click! Clack! Moo! Cows That Type! by Doreen Cronin  I use this in my persuasive writing unit.  I came across this book while snooping around WritingFix.com a while back.  THIS LINK will take you to a great lesson on using persuasive techniques.

3.  The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry  I also use this book in my persuasive unit. In addition to being a great example of the persuasive techniques pathos, logos, and ethos, it is well written and has amazing illustrations.  I mentioned this book once before in this post I did about schema.

The fourth book is Rat and Roach, Friends to the End,  This is another new book, just published on July 5, 2012.  I didn't get a chance to read it and know nothing of it other than what the Barnes & Noble page for it says.  I bring it to your attention because of the conversation I heard two moms having while I was looking at the books.  One mom picked it up and read it silently, laughing the entire time.  She took it over to her friend, telling her she had to read it.  The other mom read it and also laughed out loud.  I thought it must be a pretty good book.  The second mom then said, "This is too good to be wasted on a kid!  It's so funny!  They should put it in the adult area."   Wasted on a kid?!!! Hmmm, I wonder how she thinks adult readers begin?  I guess I should just be happy she was in a book store buying books for her kid!  

Anyway, those are some of my picture book finds.  I have many more I will share in another post to follow.  Not tomorrow!  But, soon!  By the way, if you are familiar with any of the new books I shared, please feel free to share how you use them in the comments.  More ideas for all!

Stocking Your Classroom Library

Summertime means time to read!  As an avid reader, I love that in the summer I have the time to really indulge with some good books.  However, this is a habit that can quickly get expensive if you read as much as I do.  This is where the public library comes in.  I am lucky enough to have a great one near me.  One of the things I like best about it is the Friends of the Library Book Room.  This is a small room in the library where they sell donated and discarded books.  It is one of the ways I have been able to stock my class library on the cheap.  Here's a peak at the children's section of the book room along with the prices  my library charges.

Yup, those are all children's books for sale! 

And, yes, they did look at me oddly as I was taking these pictures.

You can't beat those prices!

Here's a sneak peak at some of the shelves.

 These are from the shelves for older friends. If you click on the picture, you will be able to read the titles.   The smaller shelves to the right in the top picture are full of books for the younger set.  Luckily, they always tend to have good books for sale, books that are current and in great shape. 

The book sale room is one of my first stops whenever I visit the library. Today was no different. Even thought I won't have a class next year, I couldn't stop myself from buying a little today.

  Here's my haul!

• Oscar, Cat About Town and Smudge, the Lost Little Lamb both by James Herriot.  I am not a fan of James Herriot's adult books, but I love his picture books.  They have a rich text which is great for teaching word choice, complex sentences, and mood.  The illustrations by Ruth Brown are amazingly beautiful.

• The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson  This is just a fun book.  I like it for introducing a character sketch. 

• Another copy of My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss  One of my favorite Seuss books.  I used it to do a fun poem activity with my friends this year.  One of the great things about the library book sale is that when I see a book I love and already own, the cheap prices lets me buy it anyway and pass it on to another teacher.

I couldn't pass up a couple of good non-fiction books.  I know eventually I will have friends to read them!

• Albert Einstein a DK Biography     This is a really interesting book at a perfect level for my 5th grade friends.

• The White House by Hal Marcovitz    I think I might donate this one to our school library.  With the upcoming presidential election, all things presidential tend to become book reports or classroom projects.  I'm sure this book will be used well.

All told, these six books cost me $5.50 at the library sale.  If I had purchased them new, in the formats I did, it would have cost me $50.79 based on the Amazon links.  That is a huge savings, and the books are all in great condition.

If your library has a book sale room or section, I really suggest visiting it throughout the summer.  You will find great deals.   I will say that one con to this is that different volunteers price the books.  This means that sometimes I will find multiple copies of the same book with different prices.  But, all prices are still cheap!  Also, about twice a year, my library holds a huge book sale where prices are even cheaper.  Often, they will do a bag of books for $5.  If you can, the summer is a great time to stock up on books.

I should mention that my libary also has a big section of books for adults for sale too.  It lets me buy good paperback books cheaply that I can take to the beach and not worry when they get full of sand and sunblock!

If your library doesn't do book sales, there are other options for stocking your classroom library inexpensively.

• Yard Sales:  I've gotten good books this way, but I do find that these books are usually a little more worn than the ones I find in the library.
• Thrift Shops:  My local Goodwill has a great book section.  Their prices are even cheaper than the library sale prices.
• Your Students:  At the end of the year, send a note home to parents asking them if they would like to donate any books from home to the class library. I find that parents are happy to make some room on their bookshelves and donate.  I know, a little late for this tip.  Sorry!
• Your Neighbors: If you have neighbors with kids, most likely they will have books they are ready to donate.  Don't forget, these are the same people who have those yard sales!  Get a jump on it and just ask if they have any children books they would like to donate to your classroom.
• Scholastic Points:  Every month that I did a Scholastic book order, I used some points to get two or three new books for our classroom library.  This keeps a constant flow of books coming into your room, but it if you do it right, you will do something even nicer.  I was one of those kids when I was little.  I loved books, but my family couldn't afford to buy them.  Every month, I would bring the form home, but knew my parents really couldn't afford the extra money to buy books.  It was always a little sad to see the other kids getting books when the delivery came.  I know that I have friends in my class in the same situation.  What I always try to do is make those two or three books I order every month a book I know those particular friends would enjoy.  This way, they can borrow them from the class library right away.  It's like getting a new book, and it always puts a smile on their face.
• Other Teachers:  Do a book swap!  It's great to do if you have teachers who are transferring grade levels or have multiple copies of books.  Just swap out with other teachers.



How do you stock your classroom library without breaking the bank?

If you have any other ideas, please share in the comments.  

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