A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk

A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk
By: Deborah Ruddell
Illustrated by: Joan Rankin
Genre: Poetry
Ages: 4-8

A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk is a collection of poems all about the forest. The authors use humor in their poetry to grab students attention. Not only are the poems humorous, but they are also full of facts about the forest animals. Students will love the humor as well as the colorful and fun images!


Theme:
The forest is full of animals. Each animal plays a different role in the life of the forest. Poetry can be very informational.


About the author:
Deborah Ruddell write poetry for children. She gets her inspiration from nature and the world around her. She has a twin sister that also writes children's poetry. Her name is Robin Leubs.


Pre reading activity:
Brainstorm animals that live in the forest. What do they look like? What role do they play in the forest?


Post reading activity:
Students create their own forest animals. Students write a description of their animal as well as create a visual of what their animal looks like.


Source used:
http://www.deborahruddell.com/

Life in a Coral Reef

Life in a Coral Reef
By: Wendy Pfeffer
Illustrated by: Steve Jenkins
Genre: Nonfiction
Ages: 4-8

Life in a Coral Reef is a non fiction text that teaches students all about what life is like in the coral reef. The author shares with the readers information about animals such as the clown fish, lobsters and numerous plants. Students will love the vibrant images as well as the information about a day in the coral reef!


Theme:
The coral reef is the home to many sea animals. In order to keep these animals alive, we must keep the coral reef clean and safe!


About the author:
Wendy Pfeffer is not only a children's author, but has also written a book for adults. She is a former elementary and preschool teacher. She uses her experiences working with children as a guide to her writing. She likes to write informational books for children to inspire them to read and write.

Pre-reading activity:
What is the coral reef? Where can we visit the coral reef? Who lives in the coral reef?

Post-reading activity:
Students research information about the coral reef and the different types of organisms that live in the coral reef.

Source used:
http://www.author-illustr-source.com/wendypfeffer.htm

Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems



Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems
By: Joyce Sidman
Illustrated by: Beckie Prange
Genre: Poetry
Ages: 9-12

Songs of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems is a collection of poems that looks at animals, insects, and plants found in ponds. Each poem also gives alot of information about these living organisms. The author uses poetry to go through the different seasons of the pond as if you were the animals and plants themselves. Children will love the poetry aspect as well as learning all about the creatures of the pond!

Theme:
Poetry can be very informational. Poetry is not just about rhyming. We can teach and learn information by putting it in the form of a poem.

About the author:
Joyce Sidman has written over 100 books. Joyce Sidman has been writing since she was a little girl. She used to keep journals full of all her writings. She is known for writing about nature. She gets her ideas by taking long walks alone in the woods and by ponds. She likes to see the seasons change and she gets her ideas from her sights. She likes writing poetry because she feels it is a very powerful way to express your thoughts. She has received many awards, including a Caldecott Honor for Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems.

Pre reading activity:
Discuss how life is different for animals underwater. What do they eat? How do they
breathe? Have children draw a picture that shows what animals would need to live
under water.

Post reading activity:
Students write their own poems about an animal or plant mentioned in the book. Students use the information learned to help create their poem.

Source used:
http://www.joycesidman.com/

Officer Buckle and Gloria

Officer Buckle and Gloria
By: Peggy Rathmann
Genre: Fiction
Ages:

This is a story about a police officer who tries to teach people safety rules but people do not listen. When the police department gets a police dog the people want to hear the safety speeches and see the dog. The police man agrees to continue to give speeches and may even help the town from having its worst accident yet! Children will love the adventure this story brings as well as fall in love with Gloria!

Theme:
It is very important to learn about safety. When people try to teach us about safety we need to listen. We do not want to have an accident that could have been prevented if we listened! Today we will talk about school safety. Let’s be a team and make our school safe!

About the author:
Peggy Rathmann is a Caldecott medalist who has been writing books for children for many years. Peggy Rathmann also loves to illustrate books. Peggy has been writing for years and is still publishing work today!

Pre reading activity:
The school police officer and police dog will be invited to come into our classroom and speak to the children about school safety. The students will be encouraged to ask questions and share concerns.

Post reading activity:
As a class we will make a poster about different school safety rules we need to follow. The students will come up with rules that the police officer talked about and also ones they may think are important. The poster will be displayed in the classroom for all to see and follow.

Source used:
http://www.peggyrathmann.com/

Special People Special Ways



Special People Special Ways
By: Arlene Maguire
Genre: Fiction
Ages: 9-12

 Special People Special Ways is a book that uses rhymes to talk about the differences and disabilities some children have. The book infroms readers of various disabilities that are seen in the classroom and how to respond to them. The author does a great job of teaching students how to be tolerant and accepting of students with disabilities. Great images and great message!

Theme:
Different children have different needs. It is important for us to be tolerant and accepting of these students.

About the author:
Arlene Maguire is a fairly well known children's author. She is known for writing books that teach tolerance of students with special needs. She has a spot in her heart for those children with disabilities. We can all learn from the information she shares with us.


Pre reading activity:
Sitting in a circle, students share one thing that makes them special.

Post reading activity:
Students role play situations that call for them to be tolerant and accepting. Discuss what could be improved/what could be done to make the situation worse.

Source used:
http://www.amazon.com/Special-People-Ways-Arlene-Maguire/dp/1885477651

Fold Me A Poem

Fold Me A Poem
By: Kristine O'Connell George
Illustrated by: Lauren Stringer
Genre: Poetry
Ages: 4-8

Fold Me A Poem is about a boy who spends his whole day folding origami poems. The story is in the form of 32 short poems. For each poem there is an origami figure to go along. Children will love to see the origami figures as well as learn more about the Japanese culture.


Theme:
Origami is another way for the Japanese to express themselves. Haiku poetry originated in Japan. This poetry follows the 5-7-5 format.


About the author:
Kristine O'Connell George is famous for her children's poetry. She fell in love with poetry while taking a poetry class at UCLA taught by Myra Cohn Livingston . She studied with her until she died in 1996. Kristine now teaches poetry at UCLA as well as writes children's poetry.

Pre-reading activities:
Show students examples of origami. Discuss the background of origami in Japan. Students make their own origami to hold during the read aloud.


Post-reading activities:
Students write their own haiku poetry and share with the class during the "poetry reading."

Source used:
http://www.kristinegeorge.com/poetry_aloud.html

Fun with Roman Numerals



Fun with Roman Numerals
By: David A. Adler
Genre: Non Fiction
Ages: 4-8

Fun with Roman Numerals brings an old fashioned concept back to life with colorful and bold images and words. Roman numerals are everywhere we look. On clocks, on buildings, and in books. Many students can not read and understand these roman numerals. This book is a fantastic way to teach roman numerals and teach students how to read them. This is also a great way to incorporate literature into math. I highly recommend this book!


Theme:
Roman numerals was the number system used in Ancient Rome. They are still used in many places today and we need to know how to read and understand them.


About the author:
David Adler is a children's author of both fiction and non fiction works. He is often known for creating the Cam Jensen series. He is a former math teacher who loves to write books about math. He wants his young readers to enjoy math as much as he does. He also wants them to understand that math can be easy and fun too!

Pre reading activity:
Discuss with students where they have seen roman numerals. Write the roman numbers 1-5 on the board to see what students know already.

Post reading activity:
Students record the roman numerals 1-10 in their math journals. Every morning, introduce one more number so students can begin to see the pattern that occurs when writing roman numerals.


Source used:
http://www.davidaadler.com/bio.htm