If You Like This, Then You'll LOVE These

Why stop learning about reading, writing, and all things literature-loving here? There are a plethora of other book-based blogs out on the web, I'll even recommend a few for your intellectual pleasure.


1. Read and Explore; Succeed and Learn More
http://readandexploresucceedandlearnmore.blogspot.com

    

2. Lead_Learn_Love
http://leadlearnlove.blogspot.com/ 
   

3. Oh, The Stories You'll Read
http://ohthestoriesyoullread.blogspot.com 

   

4. Ms. Huhtanen's Novel Strategies
http://www.novelstrategies.blogspot.com/

     

5. The Book Nook
http://youngreadersbooknook.blogspot.com/

   

INDEX

Index

Two Newbery Award Winners
1. Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo and Illustrated by K.G. Campbell
2. The Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Rick Allen

Two Nonfiction Book
1. The Man Who Named the Clouds by Julie Hannah and Joan Holub
2. Handle with Care: An Unusual Butterfly Journey by Loree Griffin Burns and Ellen Harasimowicz

One Historical Fiction
1. Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Three Titles Reflecting Diversity
1. Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
2. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
3. Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman

One Poetry Collection
1. The Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Rick Allen

One Graphic Novel
1. El Deafo by Cece Bell

Two Read Alouds
Grades 3-4: The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Grades 5-6: Beholding Bee by Kimberly Newton Fusco

Two Titles from the Choice List
1. Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin
2. The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet

Posts That Used Web 2.0 Interface
 1. Bitstrip: El Deafo by Cece Bell
2. Super Duper Story Maker: Write On, Mercy by Gretchen Woelfle

Infographics
1. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
2. Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman

Voki
1. Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman

Blabberize
1. El Deafo by Cece Bell

Beholding Bee

(Image taken from Lexile.com)

Beholding Bee

Fusco, K. N. (2013). Beholding Bee. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 

Reading Level: 790L

Why Should You Read This Book?

- It is a read that incorporates World War One into its plot which would accompany a unit on the war.
- It introduces diversity, giving students a better understanding of what difference is and why it is important to include everyone.
- The book can be a good introduction to discussing special needs as a class.
- Bullying is addressed in this text and this book would also accompany a unit on bullying.
- The story is engaging and will capture students' attention and hold it.

I would love to read this book as a read aloud, however, it would take a couple weeks to finish.

Online Resources:
Kimberly Newton Fusco's website contains information about this book, an audio recording, an excerpt available online, and her contact information. Having the students write her a letter about what they liked in the book could be a beneficial exercise that would teach letter format and show the power of communication. 
http://www.kimberlynewtonfusco.com/book_03.htm

Understanding Kids Who Are Different: Activities for Teaching About Disabilities" opens with a poem about disabilities that can be read to students in a classroom. The site also contains helpful teaching links for teachers to aid in their approach to helping all students learn. 

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson115.shtml

Keywords
Historical Fiction, Diversity, Difference, Relationships, Individuality

Vocabulary:
Tempest: a violent storm
Parched: extremely thirsty

Progressive: advocating for change, improvement, and reform

Suffragist: an advocate for voting rights, especially for women

Solemn: a grave, sober, or dark mood
Vigorous: strong, active, and energetic
Wince: to draw back or make the body tense

Reading Strategy:
Before reading this story, ask the kids what they think difference means. What makes them different? What happens to people when they are different? How do we treat people who are different?
During reading, frequently stop and ask the kids what is resonating with them. This story is a great one in matters of empathy. Encourage the kids to feel for Bee.
After reading, hold a class discussion about the book. This can either be done as a whole class or in groups, however, I would take a whole class approach. In the discussion, address what the students learned and have them compare how people of the past who were different were treated in comparison to today.

Writing Strategy:
After reading the story as a class, have the students write letters to the author about what the book has taught them. This exercise will reinforcement the standards associated with formal English, and will either introduce the letter format or reinforce it for students. 

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

I'm Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

Image taken from Lexile.com

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

Litwin, Eric. (2012). Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. 

Reading Level: AD350L

Why Should You Read This Book?

- This book is fantastic for struggling readers due to its repetitive sentence structure.
- The book also comes with a song to help students remember the words and gain language.
- The book also incorporates simple math.
- The book discusses emotions, such as not needing to cry about simple issues that may be upsetting.
- This book would benefit English Language Learners because of its repetitive sentence structure.

This book would work very as a literature discussion for struggling readers or English Language Learners.

Online Resources:

Pete the Cat Video
I would use this video when working with  English Language Learners. I plan to bookmark videos that accompany books I have in my class. This way, English Language Learners can watch the videos and absorb the language.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N28PGdQ1e0k&list=PL7F8g0Mudakn-Co6CacxUSDOkp1w_lUwZ 

Reading Rockets
This website contains information on how to encourage struggling readers. 
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/activities-struggling-readers

Key Words
Emotions, Problem Solving, Feelings, Cats, Strength

Vocabulary:
Button: a small disk that fastens to clothing as a way of closing garments 

Rolled: to move along a surface by turning over

Simply: easily and plainly

Groovy: excellent
Belly Button: a part of one's belly that was attached to an umbilical cord.
Goodness: excellence of quality

Reading Strategy:
Before reading this story, I would go over "good reader behaviors" such as pay attention when a friend is reading, follow along, and participate. 
During reading, ask comprehension questions and pay close attention to the words students are struggling with, for it may require a phonological fix. 
After reading, go over words and sounds students struggled with and ask comprehension and literal questions. Inferential questions can also be asked, but students may struggle more with these.

Writing Strategy:
After reading the story, have students take a piece of paper and fold it into a six pieces to create a comic strip. In the comic strip, they can recall the main events from the story and draw illustrations. Once they make a comic strip for the book, they can make one up themselves. 

Snakes

Snakes

(Image taken from Lexile.com)

Snakes

 Bishop, Nic. (2012). Snakes. New York, NY: Scholastic. 

Reading Level: 850L

Why Should You Read This Book?

- The book has vivid photography.
- The captions state how many times magnified the images of the snakes are, which provides students with greater understanding of snakes and magnification.
- The captions in the book are very informative.
- The book is very interactive due to its expandable pages.
- The book contains an index, about the author section, a glossary, and a further reading section.

This book would make a marvelous literature discussion text.

Online Resources:
Encounters with Snakes
This website contains behind the scene information about Bishop's encounters with snakes. This website contains information about the close calls he has experienced.
http://nicbishop.com/snake-encounters.html

Science Kids
This website would be one I recommend for students who find a great interest in snakes due to its abundance of facts. There is also a link to learn more about verminous snakes that is embedded into this webpage, 
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/snake.html


Key Words
Reptiles, Animals, Snakes, Informational, Nature

Vocabulary:
Molt: to shed an outer layer occasionally
Venom: a poison that passes through a victim when bit or stung
Brumation: a form of hibernation that helps snakes survive cold weather
Ambush: to lie and wait before attacking
Predator: an animal that hunts another animal for food
Prey: an animal that is hunted by other animals for food
Chink: a crack or cleft

Reading Strategy:
Before reading, ask students to use a KWL to fill in what they know about snakes and want to know about snakes.
During reading, have students summarize what they read on each page in their groups.This will be beneficial because each page contains a significant portion of information and summarizing the information that was covered will help the reading group with comprehension.
After reading, have students fill in the learned section of the KWL chart. Students will then talk about what they have learned from the book and what they still would like to know. 

Writing Strategy:
After the book has been read, students will create an acrostic poem about snakes using facts they learned from their reading. 

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus

(Image taken from Lexile.com)

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus

Bryant, Jen & Sweet, Melissa. (2014). The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus. New York, NY: Ferdmans Books for Young Readers. 

Reading Level:  590L

Why Should You Read This Book?

- The front matter and back matter are actively used and is engaging to the reader.
- There are stimulating visuals and the author makes playing with words seem very fun.
- Timelines are integrated into the text.
- Interesting graphics, such as dialogue bubbles, are used.
- The book list synonyms for common words students use, which will help students expand their vocabularies.

This book would make a marvelous read aloud.

Online Resources:
Discussion Guide
This is a beneficial resource for educators. It contains before reading strategies and after reading strategies. It even contains activities that teachers can do in their classroom regarding this book.
http://www.jenbryant.com/pdfs/The%20Right%20Word_Discussion%20Guide.pdf

Thesaurus.com/Roget
Thesaurus.com is going to be the thesaurus that students are most familiar with. This link brings students to Roget's version of the thesaurus so they can use the type of thesaurus Roget created.
http://www.thesaurus.com/roget/

Key Words
Informational, Biography, Individuality, Dreams, Factual

Vocabulary:
Thesaurus: holds information about synonyms and antonyms of words
Clattered: to make a loud rattling sound
Latin: an old Roman language
Peppered: to sprinkle
Dandy: fine or excellent
Categorizing: a way of classifying or grouping
Fret: worry

Reading Strategy:
Before reading, show students a thesaurus and discuss what it is and why it is important.
During reading, point out the text structures. Language is displayed very creatively in this book and reading this story is a great opportunity for teachers to show students how fun language can be. 
After reading, have students partake in a word sort. Terminology from the book and other class vocabulary words can be added to the sort. 

Writing Strategy:
Students will write about how they would plan a birthday party for a certain vocabulary word. They have to take into consideration what the word they have chosen means when planning the menu, activities, and decorations. Once students have written about their own word, they will be put into pairs where they will have to plan a joint birthday party with another vocabulary word. This activity will give them a deeper understanding of their vocabulary words. Once the students have written about the party, they can present it to the class. 

Write On, Mercy!

Write On, Mercy!

(Image taken from Lexile.com)

Write On, Mercy!

 Woelfle, Gretchen. (2012). Write On, Mercy!. Honesdale, PA: Calkins Creek. 

Reading Level:  HL860L

Why Should You Read This Book?

- It gives students historical background on the Revolutionary War through ELA.
- Women rights issues are addressed in a student friendly manner.
- It contains excerpts of Mercy Otis Warren's writing.
- The book contains a timeline at the end to give students a chronological understanding of the events that took place.
- The book comes with a list of websites that students can investigate to learn more about Mercy.

This book would make a marvelous read aloud.

Online Resources:

History of American Women
This website contains background history on Mercy Otis. It gives information on her friends and family and important connections to politics. It contains decent information if students want more information about Otis or have interest in the time period.
http://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2008/11/mercy-otis-warren.html

Road to the Revolution Game
This is a game for students to gain knowledge about the Revolutionary War while having fun. Students answer questions and see a blinking light move all over the colonies when they get an answer correct.
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/road.html

Super Duper Story Maker
The free version of this app contains online materials for students to create stories with. They can chose from computer generated images and characters to fill their pages and can use their voice to narrate their stories. I would have students use this to present biography information with, because it requires them to gather factual information but lets them display it in a create form while integrating ELA activities.
https://www.superduperinc.com/products/view.aspx?stid=661#.VvngFOIrLIV 


Key Words
History, Biography, Women's Rights, Independence, Individuality

Vocabulary:
Loyalist: A person who supported Britain during the American Revolution.
Patriot: A person who supported a separate government from Britain in America.
Imposed: to force or set upon something.
Taxes: money a government demands to support the services it provides.
Assassin: Someone who kills people.
Hubbub: A loud confusing noise.
Domestic: relating to the home or family.

Reading Strategy:
Before reading, add the new vocabulary from this text to the word wall. Go over the definitions and vocabulary words as a class.
During reading, model comprehension by making asking yourself questions while reading, and making and asking for prediction from the class. 
After reading, have the students become writers like Mercy and search for found poetry in the text. The instructor can copy pages of the book and distribute them in class for the students.
Writing Strategy:
After reading the story, students can be divided into groups to write their own plays about a historical event. They can use the class computers to research an event and must include everyone in the dialogue and writing process.