Using Mentor Text to Study Folktales

The Inuit people inhabited the Arctic regions of Alaska, Greenland, Siberia, and Canada. During the long, dark winters, families would play games and tell stories. The stories were about animals, strong hunters, and the supernatural. The Polar Bear Son: An Inuit Tale, retold and illustrated by Lydia Dabcovich, is a story that has been handed down for generations. It's a tale about an old woman who finds a polar bear cub and raises it as her son. Even though the old woman sends the polar bear away, he remains faithful by continuing to supply her food.

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Design an Ugly Christmas Sweater With Google

Have you ever gone to a Tacky Christmas Sweater Party? I've probably gone to parties not knowing my sweater was even tacky! Designing an ugly Christmas Sweater is a fun activity that involves creativity, writing, and computer skills.

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Fall Activities With "Sophie's Squash" and Freebie

If you haven't read Sophie's Squash, I highly recommend it. This Ezra Jack Keats Honor Book is the sweetest book about a little girl who finds a new friend... a squash. There are several life lessons your can learn when reading Sophie's Squash.

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Teaching Inference With Mentor Text

Author Elvira Woodruff was inspired to write The Memory Coat after a visit to Ellis Island Immigration Museum. She came across an exhibit of clothing worn by the immigrants and was touched by the story of one piece of tattered clothing. After doing research, Elvira learned about the plight of Russian-Jews coming to America in order escape the cruel treatment. With this information and her imagination, the story came together.

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Flip Flops, Beach Chairs, and Teaching With Mentor Texts

School is out for most of you and I'm sure you've encouraged your students to read, read, read during their summer vacation. I always recommend books on the Texas Lone Star Reading List and other award winning books. This year's Caldecott winners are amazing. They teach life lessons about diversity, emotions, and friendship. 

I came across Last Stop on Market Street and immediately fell in love with this sweet book. There are so many lessons to learn in this award winning book by author Matt de la Pena and illustrator Christian Robinson. In fact, it won both Caldecott and Newbery Awards this year. 

A little boy named CJ is not happy about riding the bus across town with his grandmother. He wonders why they don't have a car like his friends and questions things he sees while riding on the bus. CJ's grandmother wants him to appreciate the world and people around him. Nana finds the beauty in unexpected places. The author even uses visualization as a passenger plays his guitar and a blind man talks about using his other senses.

I suggest introducing the book by talking about the different ways students get from one place to another. Ask students if they have ever taken a bus or some type of public transportation other than their car?

1. What are some things they notice about taking this type of transportation?

2. Do they study the people traveling? Wonder where they are going?

3. Do they notice things outside?

4. Would they rather ride in a car or enjoy public transportation? Why or Why not?

5. Do they ever get upset because they don't have things that other friends have?

Draw the students' attention to the inside cover. It's filled with pictures that are seen throughout the book. How is this different from other books? Ask the students if they can visualize how these may be used within the book. Hand out the picture cards. Ask the students to listen to the story as it is read. When they hear the word of their picture bring it to the front of the class. The pictures can be displayed on the board or anchor chart. 

Tell the children that this book is about a little boy who rides with his grandmother on a bus to the last stop on Market Street. He's not happy because they don't have a car. He notices things that others have and he doesn't. Listen as the book is read to see how the boy changes and begins to appreciate the world and people around him. 

1. Discuss the difference between physical traits and character traits. Students will write all of the physical traits of CJ and his nana, then write all of the character traits. 

2. Not all traits are written. Students can infer the traits from reading the text. Students can write the quotes of CJ and then write the trait they infer from the reading.

3. Sometimes characters change from the beginning of the book. Students can list the events that may have influenced the ways CJ changed after his nana helped him appreciate the beauty around him.

Creating mental pictures is important for reading comprehension. As students read, they create mental pictures. In the book, a man plays a guitar and people close their eyes. CJ closed his eyes and visualized things he saw while listening to the music. Students have their own unique pictures as they visualize during their reading. They can draw what they visualize from reading the book and compare drawings. 

The last stop on Market Street was at a soup kitchen where CJ and nana were going to volunteer. Visit with students about different ways they can volunteer. They may volunteer through their community, church or other organizations. Your students may even come up with ideas for their class to volunteer.

For your free resource, just click on the image below.

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Growing Readers and Writers by Teaching with Mentor Texts

Spring Mentor Text Lessons - Character Traits

We've had a warm winter and the wildflowers are beginning to bloom. Spring has to be my favorite time of the year in Texas because of all the beautiful colors. The most popular wildflower is the bluebonnet. The bluebonnet resembles the bonnets early pioneer women wore to protect themselves from the hot Texas sun. It's also the state flower of Texas.

I can't think of a better book to read in the spring than The Legend of the Bluebonnet. Tomie dePaola has written this beautiful folktale about a courageous Comanche girl who sacrifices her precious doll to save her tribe from the drought. This very lonely little girl has lost her parents to the drought and her doll is her only connection to her family. As a result of her sacrifice, the gods covered the ground with beautiful bluebonnets and rain. Tomie dePaola also brings in the customs of the Comanche culture through his writing and illustrations.

Teaching characterization is not an easy skill to teach because the authors usually don't give word by word descriptions of the characters' personalities in the book. Readers may have to infer from the character's actions or what the character says. By reading the text, students can determine if a character is courageous, determined, fearful, anxious... I've provided three different graphic organizers for studying character traits. Each activity is different.

I would suggest that you begin the lesson by reading the story as a whole group and then use an anchor chart as you visually discuss the main character's physical traits and personality. Then, break into small groups to reread the story, discuss the character's unique traits, and complete the graphic organizers.

As your students read the story, they can ask themselves these questions:

1. What words in the text describe the character?
2. What do you infer about the character after reading the text? 
3. What cultural experiences have an effect on the character? How does the character handle these experiences?
4. How does the character change through events or conflicts in the story? Why do you think these events changed the character?
5. How did people influence the character? What traits do you think the character has because of the influences?

Students can compare their own character traits to the character in the book. There are several websites I've listed for you to visit if you want your students to learn more about character traits. If you want to learn more about wildflowers, the National Wildflower Center is located here in Austin.

• Read Write Think - Inferring How and Why Characters Change
• Read Write Think - Trading Card Creator
• Scholastic - Teaching Character Traits in Reader's Workshop
• National Wildflower Center

Here's a sample from my Legend of the Bluebonnet product.

The complete product includes The Legend of the Bluebonnet and The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush. Both wildflowers are popular in the Texas Hill Country.

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Reading Christmas Legends: The Baker's Dozen FREEBIE

This holiday, I'm sharing a beautiful legend called The Baker's Dozen A Saint Nicholas Tale by Aaron Shepard and Wendy Edelson. Aaron Shepard is an award winning author who wrote The Sea King's Daughter, The Legend of Lightning Larry and The Adventures of Mouse Deer. His website is known for being a resource for folktales, storytelling and reader's theater. You can visit his website at  www.aaronshep.com. Aaron has even been published in Cricket magazine. 

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Flipping For Fall Hop - Inferencing

Even though I live in Texas, I can already feel the crispness in the air. Fall is my favorite time of the year because it's football season, I love delicious fall foods and the beautiful colors of the autumn leaves. The school year is underway and our local elementary is preparing for its school carnival. Students and families get so excited about the fun activities.

Cam Jansen: The Mystery of the Carnival Prize

I chose inferencing as a target skill for this fun mystery book. Making inferences is an important skill and can sometimes be difficult for struggling readers. Cam Jansen Mysteries are favorites of students as they learn basic concepts in reading mysteries and making inferences.

Lesson Introduction

I suggest that you begin the lesson by asking students if they have ever been to a school carnival or carnival in their area. This always leads into a great discussion. "Today we're going to begin reading a book about the Mystery of the Carnival Prize..."; "Have you ever won a prize at a carnival?..." "How do you feel when you don't win?"; "What do you think this mystery will be about?..."; "We're going to study the skill of making inferences or drawing conclusions from reading text... Finding clues in solving the mystery is an important part of making inferences."

Good readers ask questions and make inferences before, during and after reading:

- What questions do I have about the topic?

- What does the author mean?

- What was I thinking as I was reading the text?

- What was the big idea from my reading?

and,

- What clues from the story/passage help me understand the meaning?

** Inferring means to go beyond the words of the text and make judgements about what is not there but implied. ** (Guiding Reading and Writers)

In reading a mystery, students have to read closely and go beyond the words of the story so they can find clues and make judgements.

- Discuss characteristics of Cam and how she has a photographic memory. Explain how she snaps a picture of things. She stores clues in her head so she can remember them and solve the mystery. "What do you infer from the characteristics of Cam?"

Working with the Text

I have two different activities in this freebie. 

I Wonder...
- Because we want students to ask questions before, during and after reading, I provided a lesson for students to complete as they read the book. This can be used as students read each chapter. Answers can be written as the students read. Doing this activity helps lead into inferring. (You have flexibility in how you want to implement the activity.)

Making Inferences
- This activity uses what characters say or do in making inferences. Students will first write down what the text says. Next, students will write what they already know, and then write their inference from reading between the lines.
- For your literacy center, I've added task cards for students to read and then write their inferences. These task cards contain excerpts from the book. (Answer key is given.)

A little more about mysteries and inferencing...

If you'd like to extend your study of mysteries and making inferences, take a look at the additional products that I've provided. The Case of the Missing Monkey by Cynthia Rylant is part of the High-Rise Private Eyes series. Graphic Organizer Detectives is a combination of different graphic organizers with a detective theme. Mystery Genre is collection of posters, graphic organizers, and vocabulary in studying a mystery. The Cam Jansen Mystery Lapbook can be used with any Cam Jansen book.

     

     

     

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Poetry Blog Hop - Poetry and Nature

I love teaching poetry during the spring. Students can just see and experience the beauty outside and come up with inspirational and creative ideas for their poems.

- Begin a poetry unit with a nature walk. Students can use their senses as they take in colors, smells, sounds and all of the things they can feel. Students can record words that describe what they see, feel, smell, and hear. Try giving groups of your students a digital camera to take pictures of items in nature. Then, use those pictures in writing their poems.

- Read different poems about nature and colors. I've provided different books that are for emergent readers, read-alouds and about different elements of nature. The website provides examples of nature poems by famous poets. http://www.poemhunter.com/poems/nature/

- Study different styles of poems.  Click on the image below to get your free poetry templates. Your free product contains a shape poem, poem in your pocket, diamante, color poem and autobiographical poem. Website and app resources are also provided.

Click on the image above for your FREEBIE.

- Visit different online poetry websites and download poetry apps. 

Websites

1. Magnetic Poetry 

2. Ken Nesbitt's Poetry for Kids

3. Classical Poems for Kids

4. Children's Poetry Websites

5. 12 Best Poetry Websites for Kids

6. Free Verse Poetry

iPad Apps

1. Word Creativity Kid 

2. More Poetry iPad apps

Now on to the next stop, "I'm Lovin' Lit."

Credits

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The Gift of Reading

Welcome to Sweet Integrations! I've joined 15 fabulous bloggers to share our Gifts of Reading. I'm sharing a wonderful Christmas book by Jan Brett called The Wild Christmas Reindeer. Jan Brett writes beautifully illustrated Christmas books that students love. I purchase one each year for my granddaughter to enjoy. 

In The Wild Christmas Reindeer, Teeka is given the task of rounding up Santa's reindeer for Christmas Eve. Teeka is new to this job and a bit nervous so she handles the reindeer in the wrong way. Then, she learns how kindness and patience works with the out-of-control reindeer.

Click on the image below for your FREE product. 

Enter my raffle to receive a great addition to The Wild Christmas Reindeer. After reading the book, students can learn more facts about reindeer or caribou and enjoy fun holiday activities.

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Wildflowers and Lady Bird Johnson

I've seen glimpses of bluebonnets around Austin over the last few days. In a few weeks, the hill country will be covered with all different types of wildflowers. People will have their cameras out taking pictures of their children surrounded by the bright colored flowers.

I deeply appreciate the contributions made by Lady Bird Johnson in bringing the beauty of flowers to the cities and countrysides around Austin. Lady Bird's love of wildflowers was instrumental in establishing the Wildflower Center in Austin. The mission of the center is "to educate people about the environmental necessity, economic value and natural beauty of native plants." The Wildflower Center is also a living laboratory. Scientist from around the country conduct their research there.

I was given a beautiful book Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers...How a First Lady Changed America by Kathy Appelt. I will always cherish this book because of my love of wildflowers and the book was given to me from one of Lady Bird's granddaughters. Lady Bird found comfort with the wildflowers when she was lonely. She wanted every child to enjoy the beauty of flowers in order to become better caretakers of our environment and better citizens. During her time in Washington, Lady Bird had more cherry trees planted and daffodils planted along the Potomac River.

I highly recommend this book to read to your class. Your students will love it. You will, too.

For wildflower activities, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

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