Satchel Paige by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Recommended Grades: 4-8

Another great picture book biography, this one details key moments in the life of Satchel Paige.

Lesson Idea:   

Biography Mentor Text/Civil Rights: Read aloud Satchel Paige.  Discuss the implications civil rights had on baseball.  Was Satchel Paige able to overcome the restrictions placed on him as a black man?  Pair this with We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

©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.

Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne

Recommended Grades: 3-5

Jacques was born and raised in France.  As a young boy, he fell in love with the sea.  He longed to become a manfish.  This is a beautiful biography of Jacques Cousteau

Lesson Idea:  

Inquiry Ideas Mentor Text: Read aloud Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau to help students develop ideas for inquiry studies.  In the book, Jacques wonders about the ocean as a child and begins to develop his own resources as a result of his inquiries.  After reading aloud, discuss what Jacques wondered about and what he did to develop answers to his wonders.  Provide time for students to develop a list of wonders in their Wonder Notebooks.

©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.

Fly Guy Presents: Sharks by Tedd Arnold

Recommended Grades: 2-4

Fly Guy is heading over to the aquarium with Buzz.  While there they learn all about sharks and share their knowledge with the reader. 

Lesson Idea:  

Writers Workshop Mentor Text: This could be a really fun mentor text for students! Read aloud Fly Guy Presents: Sharks and discuss how the author combined elements of fiction writing with nonfiction writing.  Use this book as a model for students to borrow author’s craft to write about a topic of study.  Or use it as a mentor text for scrapbook writing of informational material.

©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.

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.

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.