Looking for Some Great Children's Books? Try This List!
A homeschooling site called Blessed Learners has created a list of 52 picture books to read in the elementary grades. Many of these are old favorites from my own childhood; others are more recent stellar contributions to children's literature. Here are the first 10:
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
Paddle to the Sea by Holling Clancy
The Story of Ferdinand by Robert Lawson
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
Check out the rest of the list at http://www.blessedlearners.com/52-picture-books-read-elementary-grades/
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
Paddle to the Sea by Holling Clancy
The Story of Ferdinand by Robert Lawson
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
Check out the rest of the list at http://www.blessedlearners.com/52-picture-books-read-elementary-grades/
SSR and Vocabulary
After the publication of the National Reading Panel Report in 2000, silent reading in school went out of fashion, but there is a movement to bring it back to the forefront, for good reason. Johnson (2014) tells us that "[w]ide reading is one of the most widely acknowledged (and incidental) ways of building students' general word knowledge." Oral reading in class just won't get the job done. Here's a way to combine silent reading and vocabulary learning that is relatively painless and may even be engaging.
First, a time is set aside in the classroom for silent reading of self-selected books. As the students read, they are instructed to make a list of words that are new, unusual, or interesting, along with the page number of the word. Later they may add the words to a vocabulary notebook, write their best guess of what the word means, then look up the word to check their prediction, and try writing a sentence with the word. Once a week students can meet in small groups to share their words and what they have learned about them.
An extension activity might include an digital vocabulary notebook. Presentation software may be used for this, and students may add images, videos, music, and even scan in their own illustrations of the words. Another effective strategy is to have the students record themselves reading their words and definitions; this deepens the learning and provides an opportunity to develop greater fluency.
Adapted from Reading, Writing, and Literacy 2.0 by Denise Johnson
After the publication of the National Reading Panel Report in 2000, silent reading in school went out of fashion, but there is a movement to bring it back to the forefront, for good reason. Johnson (2014) tells us that "[w]ide reading is one of the most widely acknowledged (and incidental) ways of building students' general word knowledge." Oral reading in class just won't get the job done. Here's a way to combine silent reading and vocabulary learning that is relatively painless and may even be engaging.
First, a time is set aside in the classroom for silent reading of self-selected books. As the students read, they are instructed to make a list of words that are new, unusual, or interesting, along with the page number of the word. Later they may add the words to a vocabulary notebook, write their best guess of what the word means, then look up the word to check their prediction, and try writing a sentence with the word. Once a week students can meet in small groups to share their words and what they have learned about them.
An extension activity might include an digital vocabulary notebook. Presentation software may be used for this, and students may add images, videos, music, and even scan in their own illustrations of the words. Another effective strategy is to have the students record themselves reading their words and definitions; this deepens the learning and provides an opportunity to develop greater fluency.
Adapted from Reading, Writing, and Literacy 2.0 by Denise Johnson
Treasure Hunt Book Display
In the July/August issue of Literacy Today, Jacqueline Witter-Easley makes some wonderful suggestions for "revitalz[ing] your classroom library with interactive book displays." Here's one of her suggestions:
"Delve into your classroom library in search of visually appealing picture books and create a display. Scan the illustrations in each book in search of a special object, making a list of each title and the corresponding object. Create an activity sheet with each book title and a clue to the special object. Encourage students to return to the display throughout the month until they've successfully located each one."
In the July/August issue of Literacy Today, Jacqueline Witter-Easley makes some wonderful suggestions for "revitalz[ing] your classroom library with interactive book displays." Here's one of her suggestions:
"Delve into your classroom library in search of visually appealing picture books and create a display. Scan the illustrations in each book in search of a special object, making a list of each title and the corresponding object. Create an activity sheet with each book title and a clue to the special object. Encourage students to return to the display throughout the month until they've successfully located each one."
PROFESSOR GARFIELD AT YOUR SERVICE!
Need some entertaining resources for teaching literacy? Professor Garfield's site may be the answer. The inimitable Garfield the Cat of comic strip fame has partnered with some prestigious educational organizations to provide teachers with a treasure-chest of literacy resources. Check it out here: http://www.professorgarfield.org/pgf_home.html
Need some entertaining resources for teaching literacy? Professor Garfield's site may be the answer. The inimitable Garfield the Cat of comic strip fame has partnered with some prestigious educational organizations to provide teachers with a treasure-chest of literacy resources. Check it out here: http://www.professorgarfield.org/pgf_home.html
Need something to liven up vocabulary work?
Vocab Twister looks like just the ticket!
Visit the Academic Vocabulary website at http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/vocab/TWISTER.html to find instructions and appropriate word lists by grade level for this game. But you can certainly develop your own word lists based on a subject area or theme you may be teaching. Lots of kinesthetic learning going on here!
The site has links to other vocabulary games as well. Check it out!
Vocab Twister looks like just the ticket!
Visit the Academic Vocabulary website at http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/vocab/TWISTER.html to find instructions and appropriate word lists by grade level for this game. But you can certainly develop your own word lists based on a subject area or theme you may be teaching. Lots of kinesthetic learning going on here!
The site has links to other vocabulary games as well. Check it out!