Me I Am! by Jack Prelutsky

Recommended Grades: K-5

A Jack Prelutsky poem displayed in picture book form.          

Lesson Idea:  

Building Community: Read aloud Me I Am! at the beginning of the year to help build community.  Have students write their own poems to describe the “me” they are at the beginning of the year.  At the end of the year, revisit the poem, and have students write another poem to describe the “me” they are then.  Compare the poems.

©2012 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Press Here by Herve Tullet

Recommended Grades: 2-5

Press the yellow button.  Go on, press it!  It will take you into an imaginary world full of whimsy and color.  A fascinating concept book, Press Here takes the reader on a journey page by page. 

Lesson idea:

Writers Workshop: Read aloud this book and discuss how the author created an interactive reading experience using simple written directions.  Discuss how the pictures change from page to page depending on what the reader does (following directions).  As a class, choose a similar activity as press here to use as a stimulus for a shared writing piece.  Using Press Here as a model, have students contribute directions and illustrations to create a class book.

This could be a fun shared writing experience at the beginning of the school year to build community as well!

©2011 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Two Bobbies by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery

Recommended Grades: 2-5

Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival is the true story of Hurricane Katrina, friendship, and survival. . . of a dog and cat.  Bobbi and Bob Cat are left behind when the hurricane hits.  Never leaving each other’s sides, they overcome many obstacles, living on the streets of New Orleans for four months before being rescued.  With a surprise twist, this is a true tale of the power of friendship.     

Lesson idea:

Building Community: Read aloud this book in the first month of school as you work to build your classroom community.  Discuss how the two Bobbies worked together to overcome adversity.  Compare how the greater community came together to assist the people and pets of New Orleans after Katrina and how the classroom community can work together to have a successful year.  Discuss other literary dynamic duos (real or fictional) that demonstrate the power of friendship and create a class list of models that students can turn to (or you can read aloud) as you all work to build a classroom community.

Click here to find more resources on building a classroom community.

©2011 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Previously by Allan Ahlberg

Theme: Creating a Classroom Full of Readers and Writers

Writer’s Workshop: Organization/Getting to Know Students

Recommended Grades: 3^rd -5^th grade

Previously by Allan Ahlberg is a neat little book I found at the library.  The inside cover states, “Every story, every person, and every thing started somewhere.  Find out what all of your favorite fairy tale characters were up to. . . PREVIOUSLY.”

Lesson Idea: Read aloud this book.  Discuss the word, “previously” and how the author used the word to organize the book.  At the beginning of the year, use it as a model to teach students how to write about themselves.  Model for students using your own life first, _________ was a fifth grade teacher, previously she ____________.  Work backwards to describe specific details of your life.  Then, ask students to do the same.  A fantastic writing model to learn more about your students!

©2010 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Dotty by Erica S. Perl

I am so happy to be part of the Connect with Dotty: The Erica Perl Blog Tour which is going on right now!  In addition to ways you can use Dotty in the classroom (here!), you can also read about ways to make imagination part of your child’s everyday, by the author herself, at Literacy Toolbox today!  I’m also offering a GIVEAWAY at Literacy Toolbox! One lucky reader will win a copy of Dotty!  So after you read about Dotty here, head over to Literacy Toolbox and check out what Erica has to say!

Theme: Creating a Classroom Full of Readers and Writers

Writer’s Workshop: Organization/ Varied Endings

Recommended Grades: 3^rd -5^th grade

Dotty is a fantastic new book by Erica S. Perl.  Ida brings her imaginary friend, Dotty to school with her each day.  When her friends begin to tease her, she finds an unexpected ally in a surprise ending.

Lesson Idea: Read aloud this book at the beginning of the year to help build your classroom community. Discuss with students how imagination can be an important part of our daily lives and how imagination can help us become better readers and writers.

Writer’s Workshop Lesson Idea: You can use this book in Writer’s Workshop to teach students how to write varied endings.  Dotty has a special surprise ending and I think students will love it!  Use this as a model, but incorporate other models of surprise endings as well, such as The Old Woman Who Named Things and Night in the Country, both by Cynthia Rylant.  After providing students with plenty of models of books with surprise endings, ask them to write their own surprise ending to a writing piece.

©2010 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.