Memoirs of a Hamster by Devin Scillian

Recommended Grades: 3-5

Seymour is a hamster who believes he has all he ever needs until Pearl the Cat comes along. 

Lesson Idea:  

Mentor Text, Voice: Read aloud Memoirs of a Hamster.  Ask students what they notice about the author’s craft?  Do they feel as if the hamster is really talking to them?  The author really seems to understand the hamster’s voice.  The reader gets the feeling that the hamster might actually speak that way.  It’s a fun read and a great mentor text to help you model voice.  Pair it with Memoirs of a Goldfish for extra fun!

©2013 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.

That is Not a Good Idea! by Mo Willems

Recommended Grades: 3-5

One day a very hungry fox meets a very plump goose.  A dinner invitation is offered.  Will dinner go as planned? Or do the plans involve a secret ingredient? 

Lesson Idea:  

Mentor Text, Organization: Read aloud That Is Not a Good Idea! and discuss the craft of the text.  How did Willems craft the story?  What do readers notice?  Point out the surprise ending and use this book as a mentor text for organization when teaching the Six Traits of Writing.

©2013 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.

In the Land of Milk and Honey by Joyce Carol Thomas

Publisher: Harper Collins

Date: September 18, 2012

Recommended Grades: 3-5

This is the true story of author Joyce Carol Thomas’s trip from Oklahoma to California in 1948, as a young girl.  Her journey is filled with excitement, hope, and promise. 

Lesson Idea:  

Mentor Text, Word Choice/Sensory Details: Read aloud In the Land of Milk and Honey and discuss the language choices the author makes.  Beyond the bay, mountains topped with ice cream snow. . ., the author uses lyrical language, similes and metaphors, and sensory details to describe a trip from flat lands, through desert and onward to the ocean.  Chart the language choices the author makes as part of a word choice anchor chart for students to borrow from when they are writing in writer’s workshop.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review by the publisher.

©2013 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.

Noah Webster & His Words by Jeri Chase Ferris

Recommended Grades: 3-5

From the beginning, Noah Webster knew he didn’t want to be a farmer like the rest of his family.  He wanted to be a SCHOLAR.  This is the story of how he made his dream come true.  

Lesson Idea:  

Mentor Text, Biography and Word Choice:   Read aloud Noah Webster and His Words as part of a unit on biographies.  Noah Webster wrote the first all American (instead of English spellings) dictionary after the American Revolution.  Noah studied twenty different languages and traveled around the world to fully research his dictionary.  In addition to a biography mentor text, Noah Webster and His Words is a fantastic model for the craft of word choice.  The author provided definitions for words embedded throughout the text, a great homage to Mr. Webster, but also a fun writing technique.

©2013 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.

Hoops by Robert Burleigh

Recommended Grades: 3-5

Hoops is not a book about basketball – Hoops is basketball.  How it feels to be a part of the motion, and a part of that moment – the longest moment – as the ball hangs in midair poised over the rim of the basket. 

Lesson Idea:  

Word Choice: Read aloud Hoops and discuss the beautiful language the author uses to describe the sport of basketball.  The author makes the reader feels as if he is part of the game.  Create an anchor chart that displays the language the author uses to describe the game.  Have students use the anchor chart to guide them to describe a sport they like using language similar to the author.

©2013 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.