tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7163015478237039522024-03-13T09:28:15.484-07:00Curriculum and CrayonsCreations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-13465530589004369162021-01-18T08:40:00.002-08:002021-01-18T08:42:11.094-08:00Multistep Word Problem Steps to Solve<p> <span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">Word problems can be hard for kids. First off, they have to be able to read and comprehend the problem, they have to be able to determine the operation, and then they have to be able to compute correctly. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">Throw the word <span style="color: red;">MULTISTEP</span> in and it makes things <u>so</u> much harder! </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">Today I want to share some STEPS with you that might make solving multistep word problems a little easier for your students. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sy1AUoOBw3Q/YAW38TUH29I/AAAAAAAABqg/21Buh8JmlvIA4BOF_JEBPv039bk1PkL2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1650/huge.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="1650" height="494" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sy1AUoOBw3Q/YAW38TUH29I/AAAAAAAABqg/21Buh8JmlvIA4BOF_JEBPv039bk1PkL2QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h494/huge.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">1) Read and reread. Stress, stress, stress the importance of reading the problem all the way through one time, then going back and rereading it one more time </span><u style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">BEFORE</u><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";"> beginning any problem solving strategies. Make this your mantra and ask students what they will do first (READ and REREAD) every time they begin work on word problems. You can make this a little chant... teacher: what will you do first? students: READ and REREAD!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">2) After students read and reread, they need to determine what the problem is asking. This is a KEY to solving a multistep problem. Students will want to underline, highlight, or box the question. I think it is also valuable to have students go ahead and write their answer statement (or phrase) with the label, drawing a blank for the actual answer.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">3) If students can visualize the problem, this will aid in their comprehension and help them when solving. When working through problems with your kids you can have them close their eyes to visualize while you read the problem aloud. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">4) Students need to identify the information that has been given. They can highlight, underline, circle, or box the information.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">5) Next students will need to determine what information they need to be able to solve the problem. In multistep problems this is where things can start to get TRICKY! If students have gone through all of the steps above... hopefully this step will be easier for them. When students are beginning multistep problem solvers it can be helpful to scaffold support by giving them the number of steps needed to solve. You can have them make boxes in which to solve each step.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">For example...</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multi-Step-Word-Problems-FREE-4414479" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yOe5YO06I_8/YAWrN_zskiI/AAAAAAAABqU/R2QngN7SSh0f-G6OjcU-qc96VCWP9b1yQCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/Multi-Step%2BWord%2BProblems%2BFREE.005.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Multi-Step-Word-Problems-FREE-4414479" target="_blank">(If you would like this set of FREE Multistep Word Problems, you can grab them here!)<br /></a><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">6) Students need to show and label all of their work. With multistep problems it is really important for students to label everything, otherwise it can get very confusing as to what all of the numbers mean! </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">7) When students have found their final answer, they need to go back to the word problem and reread the question determined in Step 2. Does their answer match what is being asked and does their answer <u>make</u> <u>sense</u>?</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">8) Students will write their final answer with the LABEL! (Or fill in the final answer if they already wrote an answer statement- Step 2). </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">Hopefully these steps will help your students become multistep problems solving masters! </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">If you are in need of additional multistep word problem resources for your students you might want to check these out! </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/MULTISTEP-Word-Problems-January-3930479" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="770" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9zG4sCk6NiM/YAW4fqa9M8I/AAAAAAAABqo/EdD0uv6uVX8KEefFo6T9Z0D2HyN99dBpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Jan%2BMultistep%2BWP%2BCOVER.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/MULTISTEP-Word-Problems-February-3591385" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="770" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G84MoNZcmiY/YAW4hpFUl9I/AAAAAAAABqs/b9u7mdqIB6IshU4tk5kDkPesfSKnt8s5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Feb%2BMS%2BWP%2BCOVER.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">Hope you have a great week! </span><p></p>Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-52397654645172679732020-10-05T11:37:00.001-07:002020-10-05T11:37:04.997-07:00Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away is the Perfect Personal Narrative Mentor Text<p><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"> Have you read this beautiful book by Meg Medina? Not only does it have gorgeous illustrations (by Sonia Sanchez), but it is a wonderful story about the power of friendships. As I read this book I couldn't help but think back about the friendships of my childhood and they were such sweet memories! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic; font-size: large;"><b><u>Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away</u> by Meg Medina is the Perfect Mentor Text for Personal Narrative!</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Century Gothic";"><br /></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAmU4rTpQ9Y/X3thG04ScOI/AAAAAAAABlg/Ao7EK4EwkVEHb7XwDqBO0dos7zjL4moHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Script%2BStationers%2BBlog%2BBanner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAmU4rTpQ9Y/X3thG04ScOI/AAAAAAAABlg/Ao7EK4EwkVEHb7XwDqBO0dos7zjL4moHwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h360/Script%2BStationers%2BBlog%2BBanner.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">The story chronicles the last afternoon that the narrator (Daniela) has to play with her best friend Evelyn before Evelyn moves away. The language choice creates vivid images for the reader, but it is written in a way that children will be able to connect with. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">One area to focus in on when reading the story is the sequencing. The story starts during the day and moves through the afternoon and into the evening. Sometimes when students are new to writing personal narratives they tend to jump around, rather than having an understandable sequence. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">I also love how the author focuses in on the little moments that make the story really shine. The detail she adds really bring the words to life. Be sure to point that out as you read, even having students close their eyes to visualize before showing them the illustrations. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">This would be an excellent book to have on hand for any personal narrative writing unit! (This book is available online at both Amazon and Barnes and Noble, no affiliate links, just trying to be helpful!)</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">I do have a really engaging Fall Personal Narrative Writing Project that kids love available in my store if you are interested! It walks kids through the writing process (including writing leads and endings) in a fun way!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fall-Personal-Narrative-Writing-1437019" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-soHj5UDj3WA/X3taUJn03mI/AAAAAAAABlU/yt_G1-_IFNkAcm7bH2-goxcJpYpXEVwWgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h400/Fall%2BMoments%2BCOVER.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fall-Personal-Narrative-Writing-for-Google-Distance-Learning-5947940" target="_blank">(The Fall Writing Project is also available in a Google Slides version.) </a></div></span><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">I also have this FREE Fall Opinion Writing resource if you are interested!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://adept-builder-2005.ck.page/a57c44403f" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="763" height="156" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j-F1iKllp-A/X3tmyIGZiRI/AAAAAAAABls/Lj_feHOu1Pgw8DNkP1E5YroE2p86Tn_TACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h156/Fall%2BEmail%2BList%2BOpt%2BIn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><br /></span><p></p>Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-29506272567120250492020-09-28T15:19:00.002-07:002020-10-12T07:39:30.950-07:00Celebrate Smiles and Books About Kindness<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> Did you know that World Smile Day™ </span><span style="font-family: arial;">will be celebrated this year on October 2? I am thinking that this is a great day to celebrate, especially in 2020! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This day was invented by Harvey Ball, the man that invented the smiley face. This special day is celebrated on the first Friday of October each year for the purpose of focusing on smiles and acts of kindness throughout the world.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MJCQA7L2LdE/X4RqfuZaxcI/AAAAAAAABl4/vt9SvadwDv04BLrmW0pRqbYYR0AD8zONACLcBGAsYHQ/s1100/Blog%2BSlider%2BImages.003.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1100" height="290" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MJCQA7L2LdE/X4RqfuZaxcI/AAAAAAAABl4/vt9SvadwDv04BLrmW0pRqbYYR0AD8zONACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h290/Blog%2BSlider%2BImages.003.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><span><a name='more'></a></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In honor of this day I want to share a few of my favorite books about kindness with you and I have a FREE math game to celebrate SMILES to share with you! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">😀 </span><u style="font-family: arial;">Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch</u><span style="font-family: arial;"> by Eileen Spinelli (one of my all time favorite books!)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://curriculumandcrayons.blogspot.com/2014/10/somebody-loves-you-mr-hatch.html" target="_blank">You can check out my blog post here for additional info and activities that go with this book!</a></span></p><p><br /></p><p>😀 <span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Kindness is Cooler, Said Mrs. Ruler</u> by Margery Cuyler</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This book celebrates acts of kindness that students can do at school and at home.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">😀</span><u style="font-family: arial;"> Have You Filled a Bucket Today?</u><span style="font-family: arial;"> by Carol McCloud</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Of course I have to mention this one to celebrate kindness!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">😀 <u>Enemy Pie</u> by Derek Munson</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.storylineonline.net/books/enemy-pie/" target="_blank">This book is available on Storyline Online (free) here... Enemy Pie</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I love this book and how it is twisty and not about enemies at all! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">What books would you add to this list?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Also... here is your FREE All Smiles Race to the Top game board(s)! In this printable I have share 4 different game boards for you to choose from- addition mixed practice, subtraction mixed practice, multiplication mixed practice, and division mixed practice. Enjoy! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i-7w6Z49UqJ5g0YpbeTJMV_s4Ciu-Kky/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QseLCw6dQYQ/X3JW0KashvI/AAAAAAAABkY/Sh19orIBXbIjZNiegj0lKN88gwk7qAj1gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h400/Smiles%2BCOVER.001.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A couple more things... if your students LOVE the game I do have many versions available in my store. Here are a couple examples...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Math-Games-Halloween-Addition-and-Subtraction-Race-to-the-Top-5733885" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="801" height="199" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FwBXwa4R9ys/X3JXgYzj8_I/AAAAAAAABkg/sog5G5vrbHcXk_r6mU6VlHH010i7UxelQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h199/Halloween%2BAdd%2Band%2BSub%2BRace%2Bto%2Bthe%2BTop%2BCOVER.jpg" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Halloween-Math-Games-Division-Race-to-the-Top-5742506" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="798" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Qi3QmOZOsw/X3JXi_dE06I/AAAAAAAABkk/TxsrOuVgJ3o-8b24_sD0NgGbTdw8hXZhgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/Halloween%2BDivision%2BRace%2Bto%2Bthe%2BTop%2BCOVER.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Halloween-Math-Games-Multiplication-4916543" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="796" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TwYS2iu0-Xw/X3JXldl66RI/AAAAAAAABko/PPemc0E2T6gNVmT-RHBLcxDwl-FOK_H0gCLcBGAsYHQ/w199-h200/Halloween%2BRace%2Bto%2Bthe%2BTop%2BCOVER.jpg" width="199" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">I also have a FREE set of Fall Opinion Writing Prompts that you can grab when you sign up for my weekly newsletter</span>! <div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://adept-builder-2005.ck.page/a57c44403f" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="764" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G-lH-bY0S4A/X3JYlTmMiGI/AAAAAAAABk8/ialXAQa5oEQGoSZ7H4z1Ny30efEl_2jdgCLcBGAsYHQ/w399-h400/Fall%2BOpinion%2BWriting%2BCOVER%2BOpt.jpg" width="399" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Have a fabulous week! </span></div><br /><p><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p></div>Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-77234916764905872752020-09-21T11:28:00.002-07:002020-10-12T07:42:28.995-07:00Trombone Shorty Mentor Text<p><span style="font-family: arial;">Hello! Hope all is going as well as can be expected for you- whether you are teaching in person, hybrid, or distance learning. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Today I am going to share another reading activity utilizing the Storyline Online free resource. Using Storyline Online is a perfect option for any situation because it is free and anyone with internet access can use it! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The story I am sharing is a really good one! It is an autobiography called <b><u>Trombone Shorty</u></b>. It is written by Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and is read by Angela Bassett. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.storylineonline.net/books/trombone-shorty/" target="_blank">CLICK HERE to access the Trombone Shorty video on Storyline Online</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N1Bts-A7QQ8/X4RrHiP3wkI/AAAAAAAABmA/dBFY5sKnhlgKWmEkUb4zZpVxoy-kqu0OQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1100/Blog%2BSlider%2BImages.002.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1100" height="290" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N1Bts-A7QQ8/X4RrHiP3wkI/AAAAAAAABmA/dBFY5sKnhlgKWmEkUb4zZpVxoy-kqu0OQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h290/Blog%2BSlider%2BImages.002.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This story is full of vivid language, rich illustrations, and heart. There are many teaching points that you could pull out including...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">making connections</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">figurative language</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">point of view</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">theme</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">how the setting contributes to the story</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">personal narrative</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I also love the life lessons that this book encourages, such as following your dreams and working hard to achieve them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am including a free story questions activity for you (in print format and Google Slides format), but there is also a great point of view activity in the Teacher Notes on the Storyline Online site. <a href="https://www.storylineonline.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/TromboneShorty_TeacherActivityGuide.pdf" target="_blank"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tG5BFTffudo8_ap7i3bSU0XgxZ5TZCL7/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Here is the link for the FREE story questions...</a></span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tG5BFTffudo8_ap7i3bSU0XgxZ5TZCL7/view?usp=sharing" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="792" height="309" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UBx2URv0Khg/X2jtMyLzeWI/AAAAAAAABkA/ze7nCdgj-1Ul6SwSnPvoC2cwek-TiJ1dQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h309/Trombone%2BShorty%2BActivities.001.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Another great story to use for teaching many of the same skills is <u>Owl Moon</u> by Jane Yolen. If you are interested in story activities for O<u>wl Moon</u>, you can click on the cover below ↓.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Owl-Moon-Activities-2681409" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="767" height="399" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-putHj_CCwNA/X2ju7PSDPrI/AAAAAAAABkM/BmaGCEojR90x9D0Oyv5NQ6awSRWcmlJYwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h399/Owl%2BMoon%2BCOVER.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Take care! </span></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p>Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-22988235987113679172020-08-31T08:19:00.002-07:002020-10-12T07:43:55.063-07:00A Tale of Two Beasts Read Aloud Introduction for Perspective and Point of View<p><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"> Storyline Online is a great resource for teachers! Whether teaching in person or virtually- this is a site that you should be utilizing! The activity I am sharing with you this week goes with a book read by Sarah Silverman on Storyline Online. It is called <u>A Tale of Two Beasts</u> and it is written by Fiona Roberton. I have designed a few free activities to use with this book and am providing them in both a printable version and a Google Slides digital version. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IwI9LqJXOi8/X4RrgT-pEqI/AAAAAAAABmM/7HTEJkxXL9Ewotj-y0Xtz0WdexgaNMZbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1100/Blog%2BSlider%2BImages.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1100" height="290" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IwI9LqJXOi8/X4RrgT-pEqI/AAAAAAAABmM/7HTEJkxXL9Ewotj-y0Xtz0WdexgaNMZbQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h290/Blog%2BSlider%2BImages.001.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a cute story to share that is perfect for a few different purposes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1.) This story works really well to introduce perspective/point of view. The story is told in full from both the little girl's perspective and then from the squirrel's perspective. This lends itself so well to comparing the events in the story and how each character views those events. One of the activity pages designed to go with the story emphasizes this teaching point from the story. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2.) Another area of focus to use with this book is the idea that there are two sides to every story. Discussing this idea with students can help them learn to be more empathetic. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can find the story read online here: <a href="https://www.storylineonline.net/books/tale-of-two-beasts/" target="_blank"><b><u>A Tale of Two Beasts</u></b> by Fiona Roberton</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can find the story activities here (the PDF includes the printables and a link to the Google Slides version): <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cvDd01w0sJehM4wYzbr839-iAU0Xc7er/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">A Tale of Two Beasts link to PDF</a></div><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">Another Storyline Online book that I have created FREE activities for is The Hula Hoopin' Queen. It is great for teaching figurative language. <a href="https://curriculumandcrayons.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-hula-hoopin-queen-figurative.html" target="_blank">Take a look at the blog post here!</a></span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://adept-builder-2005.ck.page/a57c44403f" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="763" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ECsgUq7Qmrk/X0wVxYqLhaI/AAAAAAAABjI/7Zif_4nb39UI6UbWxzTUnDoVmoeiwzG4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Fall%2BEmail%2BList%2BOpt%2BIn.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">Have a great week!</span> </div><br /><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><br /></span><p></p>Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-66388901346328887202020-03-02T18:04:00.002-08:002020-08-30T14:59:11.739-07:00Magically Delicious Graphing Practice! <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kids love any classroom activity with food involved! This activity uses Lucky Charms (but could be used with many different types of cereal or candy). You could also complete the activity with the focus on different types of graphs- picture graphs, bar graphs, etc. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This activity focuses on students labeling and completing a bar graph. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8b9hnnHmWQ4/Xl25SelISaI/AAAAAAAABgo/28RhVDa0MEEKl4FAgb0PNWqjbeGldxO7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Cereal%2BGraph%2BBlog.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cereal Bar Graph Project" border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1070" height="342" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8b9hnnHmWQ4/Xl25SelISaI/AAAAAAAABgo/28RhVDa0MEEKl4FAgb0PNWqjbeGldxO7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Cereal%2BGraph%2BBlog.001.jpeg" title="Cereal Bar Graph Project" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #202020; font-size: 16.799999237060547px;">Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step "how many more" and "how many less" problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Students will need:</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 cup of Lucky Charms type cereal per student</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">snack size zip top bag per student</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 sheet of 12 x 18 white construction paper per student</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ruler (to create the graph) OR 1 </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">blank graph per student (FREE copy included)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">pencil</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prepare a snack size bag for each student with 1/2 cup of cereal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Student Steps:</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Give each student a sheet of 12 x 18 white construction paper. Students will fold the paper into four sections (hot dog fold, then hamburger fold).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next the students need to sort out the marshmallow shapes from their bag of cereal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The shapes in Lucky Charms are as follows (if you use a different kind of cereal you will want to determine all of the shape possibilities):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hearts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">stars</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">horseshoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">clovers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">blue moons</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">rainbows</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">red balloons</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">unicorns </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Students will sort, group, and glue the marshmallows in the first square of their paper (Be careful displaying these on a bulletin board... one year someone apparently pulled off the cereal pieces and ate them!). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I let my students eat all of the oat pieces left in their bags while they work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the next square students will create a tally chart to record the number of each type of marshmallow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next students will need to create their bar graph. You can choose to allow students to make their own using a ruler... (😱) or you can download the blank bar graph I have for you here! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Gyq2gAtPPVWnpv6jApMNR3fbBv8oDtBV/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">FREE Blank Bar Graph</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After students create the bar graph they will need to write 2 questions that can be answered by looking at their data. You can give students a sticky note to cut and place over the top of the answer if you would like! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a really fun project! Hope your students ENJOY! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-65079582582957324232020-02-10T16:50:00.001-08:002020-08-30T15:00:48.549-07:00Quick and Easy Valentine's Day Treat Idea!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today I want to share a <b>quick</b> and <b>easy</b> <b>Valentine's Day treat idea!</b> My kids have loved this treat in the past! </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gvYR9xhO9LQ/XkH06eORLiI/AAAAAAAABf0/akYef7D3b-0nwYXBiezdlLCFbDbfyKb9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Valentine%2BTreat%2BBag%2BTags.002.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Valentine's Day Treat Idea" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gvYR9xhO9LQ/XkH06eORLiI/AAAAAAAABf0/akYef7D3b-0nwYXBiezdlLCFbDbfyKb9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Valentine%2BTreat%2BBag%2BTags.002.jpeg" title="Valentine's Day Treat Idea" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ingredients are easy to find and the assembly is quick!</span><br />
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Ingredients:</div>
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small cups with lids (Walmart carries these)</div>
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clear small cups</div>
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frosting</div>
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Teddy Grahams (or something similar)</div>
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sprinkles</div>
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clear cellophane bags and ribbon (optional)</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rZUeLXqNHZQ/XkH09OumrLI/AAAAAAAABf4/o4bpDM36yTsi-a9-Bkm6mys661rK2g6agCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Valentine%2BTreat%2BBag%2BTags.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Valentine's Day Treat Idea" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rZUeLXqNHZQ/XkH09OumrLI/AAAAAAAABf4/o4bpDM36yTsi-a9-Bkm6mys661rK2g6agCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Valentine%2BTreat%2BBag%2BTags.001.jpeg" title="Valentine's Day Treat Idea" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Add some Teddy Grahams (or something similar) to the larger cup. Put a tablespoon of frosting in the mini cup and then add some fun seasonal sprinkles. Put the lid on the mini cup and nestle the mini frosting cup in the larger cup with the cookie dippers. You can also put the treat cups in a cellophane bag and tie it up with ribbon or yarn and add the tag, or if you are serving these quickly you can skip this step. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">These treat cups work so well for any holiday or season, just use sprinkles that go with the holiday! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">One year several of my students called this their Teddy Graham hot tub as they dipped the cookies in the frosting! It was very funny! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I have free treat tags and Valentine's Day bookmarks for you if you would like to use them!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-DIthBh1BMlTp5IZRNZWrxiScG4466RB/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">CLICK HERE for free Valentine's Day Treat Tags and Bookmarks!</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Open Sans, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">If you are looking for additional easy prep Valentine's Day Activities your students will LOVE, you might want to check these out...</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-Math-Games-Multiplication-Race-to-the-Top-5172517" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="795" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--TpsKiH7418/XkH4aFOyXFI/AAAAAAAABgU/W5VVSbVY-XkRYYqL7TGPJIy9e1waNV43QCEwYBhgL/s320/Valentine%2527s%2BDay%2BMultiplication%2BRace%2Bto%2Bthe%2BTop%2BCOVER.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hope you have a great week! </span></div>
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Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-32228359836301107932020-02-03T15:16:00.004-08:002020-09-28T15:20:01.184-07:00The Hula Hoopin' Queen Figurative Language Mentor Text<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just love the book I am going to share with you today! <u>The Hula Hoopin' Queen</u> by Thelma Lynne Godin and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton is a delightful book full of great figurative language. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WxmuzVS8wY4/XjiY3e_DfXI/AAAAAAAABfM/ngHerdew1DcnBe41vtf4uHDQ4FBllZWfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/The%2BHula%2BHoopin%2527%2BQueen%2BBlog.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Hula Hoopin' Queen is a great mentor text for figurative language." border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1070" height="340" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WxmuzVS8wY4/XjiY3e_DfXI/AAAAAAAABfM/ngHerdew1DcnBe41vtf4uHDQ4FBllZWfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/The%2BHula%2BHoopin%2527%2BQueen%2BBlog.001.jpeg" title="The Hula Hoopin' Queen is a great mentor text for figurative language." width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>The Hula Hoopin' Queen</u> is available on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble, but a video of the book read by Oprah Winfrey is available for FREE on Storyline Online (Screen Actor's Guild Foundation project)!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.storylineonline.net/books/hula-hoopin-queen/" target="_blank">Click Here for the Link to The Hula Hoopin' Queen read by Oprah Winfrey!</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just love the main character in the story. Her name is Kameeka and she is full of spunk. I also love the sense of community that you feel when you read this book. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This book is GREAT for teaching figurative language. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>There are examples of onomatopoeia in the story...</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">honk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">tappin'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">snappin'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">swish</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">roar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>There are examples of alliteration in the story...</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">swish, swiggle, swish is repeated many times throughout the story</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>There are examples of similes...</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mama stands still as water in a puddle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">streetlights shine like stars</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">heart is racing as fast as the roller coaster at Coney Island</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">noddin' her head like a spring robin looking for a worm</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>There are examples of metaphors...</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">sidewalk is cooler than a spring rain</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mama is madder than a hornet,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a quick Figurative Language organizer that you can use with this book if you would like to! Grab it for free here ⇩</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LknpY_N7y8fJOPdTA5ALM2VGfrWTr2td/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Click Here for the Link to The Hula Hoopin' Queen Figurative Language Organizer</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4n3lS67Qk1U/XjilqD1E4GI/AAAAAAAABfY/-Pi2CVSIViQJ3k6B2GJb4O-1YvpljcDewCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Mentor%2BText%2BActivity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Hula Hoopin' Queen FREE figurative language activity." border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="782" height="210" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4n3lS67Qk1U/XjilqD1E4GI/AAAAAAAABfY/-Pi2CVSIViQJ3k6B2GJb4O-1YvpljcDewCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Mentor%2BText%2BActivity.jpg" title="The Hula Hoopin' Queen FREE figurative language activity." width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You could also check with your P.E. teacher for hula hoops. You could take your students to the playground or gym (during an open time) to have their own hula hoopin' contest! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can click here to sign up for my newsletter and get this free Test Prep Resource with ideas for test prep and testing vocabulary posters for FREE! </span></div>
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Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-38612084924297630812020-01-27T17:29:00.001-08:002020-08-30T14:59:27.111-07:00Poetry Books Your Third Graders Will Love!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Does the thought of teaching poetry to your third grade students fill you with dread? Poetry can feel scary for teachers and for students. Today I want to share two poetry books that your students will love... PLUS a poetry writing activity that will be engaging for your students! </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UvxDXkMJgU/Xi-Jzj8jkII/AAAAAAAABeg/7lI7H8VyyMMqaWQDgW0ap0WR7umlqQTpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Petku%2BBlog%2BPost%2BPhoto.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Free haiku poetry activity!" border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1070" height="342" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UvxDXkMJgU/Xi-Jzj8jkII/AAAAAAAABeg/7lI7H8VyyMMqaWQDgW0ap0WR7umlqQTpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Petku%2BBlog%2BPost%2BPhoto.001.jpeg" title="Free haiku poetry activity!" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">First up we have </span><u style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Dogku</u><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> written by Andrew Clements</span><br />
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<u style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dogku</u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> is a story about a stray dog who finds a family and each page is written as a haiku. Haiku is a Japanese style of poetry that contains a total of 17 syllables. The first line contains 5 syllables, the second line 7 syllables, and then the last line 5 syllables. A haiku does not rhyme.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am a huge fan of Andrew Clements, <u>Frindle</u> is one of my favorite read alouds, and this book does not disappoint! The illustrations are perfect and most kids love books about dogs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The activity I have for you today is based off of <u>Dogku</u>. Students will be writing a PETKU poem (ha! ha!). Students can write about a pet that they have, or they can write about a pet they would like to have. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JKnkpfUTf6S9KFTQxotN4avdrWuwWoE2/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">CLICK HERE to grab your FREE HAIKU ACTIVITY!</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JKnkpfUTf6S9KFTQxotN4avdrWuwWoE2/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tScJRcAzSts/Xi-KuJ363MI/AAAAAAAABes/1u8xIOOp1DUwXA96TmSb9KVgrlfZkIRvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Petku%2BBlog%2BPost%2B2.001.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another great poetry book that is filled with poems is called <u>Name That Dog! Puppy Poems from A to Z</u> by Peggy Archer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This book is filled with loads of rhyming poems. You could read a poem each day from this book and your kids will love hearing them! The illustrations by Stephanie Buscema are also so fun to look at! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are preparing for an upcoming poetry unit- you might be interested in checking out this resource I have available in my TpT shop...</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Poetry-Unit-3704619?utm_source=Curriculum%20and%20Crayons%20Blog&utm_campaign=Dogku%20Poetry%20Blog" target="_blank"><img alt="Reading and Writing Poetry Teachers Pay Teachers Activity available!" border="0" data-original-height="765" data-original-width="766" height="398" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o1mwcjxzNNg/Xi-MjwXplRI/AAAAAAAABe4/1pauypWOWl0dhfeEziIdX8Wl4AHVAfSCQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Reading%2Band%2BWriting%2BPoetry%2BCOVER.jpg" title="Reading and Writing Poetry Teachers Pay Teachers Activity available!" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You might also want to sign up for my weekly email! I send free resources, ideas, teaching tips, and more every Monday! Click the link below!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope you have a wonderful week! </span></div>
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Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-28170153461391026132020-01-20T14:08:00.000-08:002020-02-03T15:33:10.393-08:00Chinese New Year Ideas<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do you teach your students about Chinese New Year? This year Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, falls on January 25th. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today I am going to share a few quick ideas for you to use this week with your students. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IfL0-taaCV8/XiYU2pwziaI/AAAAAAAABds/4qoCaNAoJg4HDj9nMcGSMbyXW2JyWutKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Chinese%2BNew%2BYear%2BBlog.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="easy ideas to teach your students about chinese new year" border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1070" height="342" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IfL0-taaCV8/XiYU2pwziaI/AAAAAAAABds/4qoCaNAoJg4HDj9nMcGSMbyXW2JyWutKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Chinese%2BNew%2BYear%2BBlog.001.jpeg" title="easy ideas to teach your students about chinese new year" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is so important for students to learn about different cultures and celebrations so they can learn to respect them. Here are some simple ways to teach your students about Chinese New Year. A read aloud is a great way to kick things off!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. Read a Chinese New Year Story to Your Class-</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here are a few read alouds you might choose from...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Chelsea's Chinese New Year</u><i> </i>by Lisa Bullard</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I really like this book! It is an engaging story about how Chelsea's family celebrates Chinese New Year. On each page there you will also find factual information about Chinese New Year. (This book is available to purchase on Amazon, but it is also free if you are an Amazon Kindle Unlimited member.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Chinese New Year Wishes: Chinese Spring and Lantern Festival Celebration</u><i> </i>by Jillian Lin </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This book has good information and the text is written in both English and Chinese.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. After a Read Aloud, Compare and Contrast New Year Celebrations-</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After a read aloud (or video, or teacher-guided lesson) about Chinese New Year, students can compare and contrast different New Year celebrations. Students should think about the foods they eat, family traditions they might have, etc. I have included a FREE printable organizer for you to use to compare and contrast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/17UwJwleA2e8N3C8dc7DWjjTwBjyrh3yQ/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Click HERE to grab your FREE Chinese New Year Compare and Contrast Organizer</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kt5Ozl7zABI/XiYWqjFlU7I/AAAAAAAABd4/dnAqE4sZeYU1695WK769FMRoYUHfAN-qACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Chinese%2BNew%2BYear%2BCompare%2Band%2BContrast.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="easy ideas to teach your students about chinese new year and free compare and contrast organizer" border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1070" height="342" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kt5Ozl7zABI/XiYWqjFlU7I/AAAAAAAABd4/dnAqE4sZeYU1695WK769FMRoYUHfAN-qACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Chinese%2BNew%2BYear%2BCompare%2Band%2BContrast.001.jpeg" title="easy ideas to teach your students about chinese new year and free compare and contrast organizer" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Clean the Classroom-</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One tradition for Chinese New Year is for families to clean their houses to clean out all of the previous year's bad luck. Use this as an opportunity for students to clean out desks, organize their supplies, and help clean up the classroom! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. Red Envelopes- </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gift each of your students a Chinese New Year red envelope. Red envelopes filled with money are often given to children by their parents, grandparents, family, and neighbors. Instead of filling the envelopes with real money, you could put stickers, classroom currency (if you use it), a classroom coupon to eat lunch with the teacher, a few pieces of candy or chocolate coins, etc. (In the FREE download above I have included 2 coupons you might choose to use if you do the envelopes for your kids.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://adept-builder-2005.ck.page/96dc91b507" target="_blank">If you are interested in teaching tips, strategies, and FREEBIES in your inbox each week- click to sign up for my newsletter and get this Test Prep Strategies to Use All Year Long resource for free! </a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hope you have a great week! Check back next week to see what's new! </span></div>
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Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-33911178753618253852020-01-13T08:31:00.000-08:002020-02-03T15:33:26.292-08:0020 Read Alouds for 2020 (Part 2)<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This week I am sharing my 10 favorite chapter book read alouds for 2020! <a href="https://curriculumandcrayons.blogspot.com/2020/01/20-read-alouds-for-2020-part-1.html" target="_blank">(Last week in Part 1 I shared my 10 favorite picture book read alouds.)</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I absolutely love reading aloud. It is my favorite part of the day in the classroom!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have always loved having read aloud right after lunch, but another great time is at the end of the day after students are packed up for dismissal. Read aloud at the end of the day is a great motivator for students to quickly get packed up and ready to go so that they can hear more of the story! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here are 10 of my favorite chapter book read alouds- in no particular order. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. <u>Henry and Ribsy</u> by Beverly Cleary</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. The Sisters Grimm Book 1: <u>The Fairy Tale Detectives</u> by Michael Buckley (If your students love this one as much as mine have, you may end up reading more of the series aloud!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. <u>Bunnicula</u> by James Howe (There are additional books in this series, as well.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. <u>The Year of Miss Agnes</u> by Kirkpatrick Hill</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5. <u>The Mysterious Benedict Society</u> by Trenton Lee Stewart (Although this is a long book, it is totally worth it!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">6. <u>Frindle</u> by Andrew Clements (I really love everything by Andrew Clements, but this is a great introduction to the author.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">7. <u>The Chocolate Touch</u> by Patrick Skene Catling</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">8. <u>The Trouble with Chickens</u> by Doreen Cronin (This chapter book is written by Doreen Cronin, an author students may be familiar with- she wrote <u>Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type</u> and <u>Diary of a Worm</u>.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">9. <u>Third Grade Angels</u> by Jerry Spinelli</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">10. <u>Thomas and the Dragon Queen</u> by Shutta Crum</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On a different note... if you are starting to think about test prep, you might want to check out this FREE resource- Test Prep Strategies To Use All Year Long! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope you have a great week! </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-79822045846514745132020-01-06T07:33:00.000-08:002020-02-03T15:33:36.877-08:0020 Read Alouds for 2020 (Part 1)<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My very favorite part of the day in an elementary classroom is read aloud time. (You can read about my passion for read aloud and why I think it is so important here... </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://curriculumandcrayons.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-importance-of-read-aloud.html" target="_blank">The Importance of Read Aloud</a>.)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This week I am sharing my 10 favorite picture book read alouds for 2020! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://curriculumandcrayons.blogspot.com/2020/01/20-read-alouds-for-2020-part-2.html" target="_blank">Next week in Part 2, I will be sharing my 10 favorite chapter book read alouds.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The books I am sharing aren't necessarily new books, but books I think are wonderful for a variety of reasons. While all of these books work really well as mentor texts to teach a variety of skills, they are also just fabulous to read aloud to your kids for no other reason than they are wonderful books.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This list isn't in any particular order. Take a look and see if you might want to add any of these to your list!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. <u>Duke the Dairy Delight Dog</u> by Lisa Campbell Ernst</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I absolutely 💜 this book, but truthfully there are several Lisa Campbell Ernst books that would make my top 10. She is one of my favorite authors.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. <u>Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch</u> by Eileen Spinelli</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. <u>Tops and Bottoms</u> by Janet Stevens</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. <u>A Castle on Viola Street</u> by DyAnne DiSalvo (I also love <u>City Green</u> by the same author.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5. <u>For the Love of Autumn</u> by Patricia Polacco</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Patricia Polacco has so many wonderful books, but this one speaks to my animal-loving heart! (<u>The Junkyard Wonders</u> is another favorite of mine!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">6. <u>The Good Egg</u> by Jory John and Pete Oswald</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">7. <u>We are the Gardeners</u> by Joanna Gaines and Kids</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love the illustrations in this story and it has a beautiful message of perseverance and not giving up!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">8. <u>The Wednesday Surprise</u> by Eve Bunting</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a sweet story with an unexpected twist! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">9. <u>A Chair for My Mother</u> by Vera B. Williams</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">10. <u>Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend</u> by Melanie Watt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love all of the books in the Scaredy Squirrel series. Reading one book from a popular series often times gets kids excited to check out and read the rest of the books! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Are any of these on your list of favorites?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also want to share with you the link to sign up for my weekly newsletter- when you do you can grab this set of <a href="https://adept-builder-2005.ck.page/218b8eb44c" target="_blank">5 Winter Opinion Writing Prompts</a> for FREE! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hope you have an awesome week! Be sure to check back next week for part 2 of my list of read alouds... I will be sharing my favorite chapter books! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-46814325680177870352019-12-30T17:40:00.002-08:002021-01-15T12:46:05.885-08:00A Winter Hodgepodge and Free Snowman Activity<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Today on the blog it is a little bit of a hodgepodge! I want to share a few of my favorite winter read alouds with you PLUS I have a free snowman fraction activity I would like to share with you!</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">When I was a little girl I was obsessed with the Little House on the Prairie books (and television series). As a teacher, <u>The Long Winter</u> by Laura Ingalls Wilder is a favorite read aloud (even though it takes a looooong time to read).</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I was very excited when I discovered the My First Little House Books series that were so appropriate for my third grade readers. I love that these picture books can be shared as read alouds to build student interest in the characters and the series.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Two of my winter favorites are...</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><u>Winter Days in the Big Woods</u> adapted from Laura Ingalls Wilder</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><u>Dance at Grandpa's</u> </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">adapted from Laura Ingalls Wilder</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><u>Winter Days in the Big Woods</u> is especially terrific for comparing how winter was then with how winter is now. </span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><u>Discussion Ideas for Comparing:</u></span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">preparing for winter</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">playing in winter</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">winter chores (or chores in general)</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">types of toys</span><br />
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">entertainment</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">*There is also a Little House on the Prairie beginning chapter book series available.</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Now for the SNOWMAN fraction activity! This activity would work well as an introduction to fractions OR as a review. Your students will love the snowman theme!</span><br />
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<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_UMcyLzJtmSHifGap8Sa_JCwsqnJkGZS/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Click here for your FREE Snowman Fraction Activity!</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JHumhrK3-EM/XgqmCElVk6I/AAAAAAAABcg/SQeA3aLRDnwe3Pjio_aAzPzQAvoTi4z1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Snowman%2BNewsletter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="free snowman fraction activity" border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="788" height="462" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JHumhrK3-EM/XgqmCElVk6I/AAAAAAAABcg/SQeA3aLRDnwe3Pjio_aAzPzQAvoTi4z1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Snowman%2BNewsletter.jpg" title="free snowman fraction activity" width="640" /></a></div>
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Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-46565962119828905372019-12-16T13:01:00.000-08:002019-12-30T17:42:00.779-08:00A Christmas Book Activity For YOU! <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Merry Christmas! It's the most wonderful (and hectic) time of the year. Not only are you trying to wrap things up in the classroom while managing a group of very excited children, but you probably also have a list of things you are trying to finish up for your homes and families! My wish for you is a totally <strike>crossed off</strike> to-do list and a cozy, relaxing winter break! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This week I want to share a free, easy, last minute Christmas activity that only requires you to copy a page for your students! This activity can be used with ANY book! Students will be "decorating" a Christmas tree based on the book (or book character). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hMNEfu-uWE4/Xfemi59_4PI/AAAAAAAABbI/x3H1MgdwftYfb2oMkWQtSRNoeAMybvUAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Christmas%2BTree%2BBlog%2BPost.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="FREE Christmas activity that can be used with any book" border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1070" height="342" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hMNEfu-uWE4/Xfemi59_4PI/AAAAAAAABbI/x3H1MgdwftYfb2oMkWQtSRNoeAMybvUAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Christmas%2BTree%2BBlog%2BPost.001.jpeg" title="FREE Christmas activity that can be used with any book" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You could choose to do this activity with a read aloud book, or students could choose a book to read independently and then complete the activity. It is a little easier for students to use a book they have read independently so that they can look back at the book for ideas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A few examples...</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LW23YZc_V88/XfeisPgLJtI/AAAAAAAABa4/lGqz6FpYsEUob6P0684jyf4gnWZceLUOwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/final.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="FREE Christmas activity that can be used with any book" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LW23YZc_V88/XfeisPgLJtI/AAAAAAAABa4/lGqz6FpYsEUob6P0684jyf4gnWZceLUOwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/final.JPG" title="FREE Christmas activity that can be used with any book" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GyS23Gvtm28/XfeisA_p2nI/AAAAAAAABa0/XQwsD7E8URM34vKSGfSCp2lHzuJqm_dmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/final.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="FREE Christmas activity that can be used with any book" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GyS23Gvtm28/XfeisA_p2nI/AAAAAAAABa0/XQwsD7E8URM34vKSGfSCp2lHzuJqm_dmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/final.JPG" title="FREE Christmas activity that can be used with any book" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KATAsJ3vCmN10QCgfO9HQkxAr7WDwHrn/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">You can grab the FREE Deck the Tree printable here!</a> </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">💜 This is an activity that I previously sent to my newsletter subscribers... if you are interested in signing up for my newsletter and grabbing this FREE Test Prep Strategies to Use All Year Long resource, just click below! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have a Merry Christmas! I will be back next week with some ideas for winter! </span></div>
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Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-23918659817854654212019-12-09T09:28:00.003-08:002019-12-30T17:42:10.831-08:00The Broken Ornament<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have you read <u>The Broken Ornament</u>? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is such a sweet Christmas story with a wonderful message! It is written by Tony DiTerlizzi, the author of The Spiderwick Chronicles series and <u>Ted</u>, among others. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IpyOjpIwSE8/Xe5_vjZaLWI/AAAAAAAABZ0/FlhwYoKyz7IeMtwTxOO2CB29xWzVm83bQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/The%2BBroken%2BOrnament%2BBlog%2BPost.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Broken Ornament Blog Post and FREE Activity" border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1070" height="342" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IpyOjpIwSE8/Xe5_vjZaLWI/AAAAAAAABZ0/FlhwYoKyz7IeMtwTxOO2CB29xWzVm83bQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/The%2BBroken%2BOrnament%2BBlog%2BPost.001.jpeg" title="The Broken Ornament Blog Post and FREE Activity" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>The Broken Ornament</u> is the story of a little boy named Jack who wants more of everything for Christmas, more decorations, a larger tree, more presents... but in his quest for more Jack breaks a special ornament. The events that follow help Jack see things a little more clearly and he feels the true spirit of Christmas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This would be a great story to discuss the following standard:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3<br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="font-size: 16.799999237060547px;">Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jack is the perfect character to examine: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #202020;">At the beginning of the story Jack wants to have the best Christmas ever, and to him this means MORE of everything Christmas related. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #202020;">By trying to have MORE, Jack does not listen to his mother and makes a big mistake.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This triggers a series of events in which Jack realizes the importance of his mistake and causes him to try to make the mistake up to his mother. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the end, Jack feels the true spirit of Christmas in his heart. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also love the illustrations in the book! They add so much to the feeling of the story. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/11LMLanay8DVTTUISGa5VhiRk0_Yf5F-E/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">I have included a FREE printable to use with this story! Click to download here! </a></span></h4>
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<img alt="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EJxQl-CawxIJZMF_DcL-YYIo3v5LhTtt/view?usp=sharing" border="0" data-original-height="1246" data-original-width="1600" height="311" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BkGxv8uB6WY/Xe6CLSrL3BI/AAAAAAAABaA/riYVuocma9UtyExDnYOmK1Z87n9qjsTmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ACS_0074.JPG" title="The Broken Ornament Free Christmas Book Companion" width="400" /></div>
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You might also be interested in...</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Math-Games-Multiplication-Race-to-the-Top-5059443?utm_source=Curriculum%20and%20Crayons%20&utm_campaign=The%20Broken%20Ornament%20Blog%20Post" target="_blank"><img alt="Christmas Multiplication Race to the Top Paid Resource" border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="799" height="199" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gJe67LmAuWg/Xe5mAKFIc2I/AAAAAAAABZg/Mps6kFJQX6MylyBrwdG4YwviBOX6YiBCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Christmas%2BRace%2Bto%2Bthe%2BTop%2BCOVER.jpg" title="Christmas Multiplication Race to the Top Paid Resource" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Math-Task-Cards-Making-Change-Holiday-Shopping-1562723?utm_source=Curriculum%20and%20Crayons%20&utm_campaign=The%20Broken%20Ornament%20Blog%20Post" target="_blank"><img alt="Christmas Making Change Paid Resource" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="798" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-To8zMUYiJjE/Xe5mFl12pmI/AAAAAAAABZk/SDaJXPv1i4cw3qO6oaubXIdrJo8aHjJdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Christmas%2BMaking%2BChange%2BTask%2BCards%2BCOVER.jpg" title="Christmas Making Change Paid Resource" width="199" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope you have a great week! </span></div>
Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-62545033342818677462019-12-02T07:22:00.000-08:002019-12-30T17:42:22.986-08:00Cranberry Christmas<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Happy December! Ready for a month filled with love, Christmas cheer, and excited children? There is nothing like an elementary classroom during the holiday season, so much excitement and anticipation!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today I am sharing a Christmas read aloud favorite of mine...</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Cranberry Christmas</u></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I just love the Cranberry book series by Wende and Harry Devlin </span><a href="https://curriculumandcrayons.blogspot.com/2017/10/cranberry-thanksgiving.html" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(you can see my Cranberry Thanksgiving post here)</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LO0zUkuPe2s/XeFvCAfpUNI/AAAAAAAABXU/vaMP-s8T4FkThQEqzZuyy3xF9q6HzOWzACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Cranberry%2BChristmas%2BBlog%2BSlider%2BImage.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="Cranberry Christmas Read Aloud Recommendation plus FREEBIE" border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1070" height="342" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LO0zUkuPe2s/XeFvCAfpUNI/AAAAAAAABXU/vaMP-s8T4FkThQEqzZuyy3xF9q6HzOWzACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Cranberry%2BChristmas%2BBlog%2BSlider%2BImage.001.jpeg" title="Cranberry Christmas Read Aloud Recommendation plus FREEBIE" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This book lends itself well to several standards, but especially... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RL/3/7/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.7" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373737; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7</a><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #202020;" /><span style="color: #202020;">Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting)</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are so many places you can point this out in the story, but I am going to highlight a few of my favorite spots to stop and discuss this particular standard. You may want to use a sticky note to mark the pages in the book, that has always been helpful to me as it is so easy to get caught up in the story and read right through the discussion points! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">➜ To begin, on the first two pages of the story the mood is set. The text says Mr. Whisker's is "deep in gloom" and the illustrations reflect this. The color tone is muted and dreary, the plant is </span><span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">drooping, the </span><span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">room looks messy, there is food stuck on the side of the pot sitting on the stove, Mr. Whiskers is slumped over the table with his head in his hand.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DKAkklSw504/XeUo7ra2OzI/AAAAAAAABYU/2HFPQ4lLgJM1WtODe6NBxsWr6Mmub1-9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ACS_0068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cranberry Christmas Read Aloud Recommendation plus FREEBIE" border="0" data-original-height="1061" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DKAkklSw504/XeUo7ra2OzI/AAAAAAAABYU/2HFPQ4lLgJM1WtODe6NBxsWr6Mmub1-9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ACS_0068.JPG" title="Cranberry Christmas Read Aloud Recommendation plus FREEBIE" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As we turn the page we discover the cause of Mr. Whiskers' gloom... his neighbor Cyrus Grape. Ask students to describe Mr. Grape and his disposition by just looking at the illustration. We are able to discover quite a bit about Cyrus Grape just from the picture.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1V1U0AGvd8k/XeUp-hwCOsI/AAAAAAAABYw/74TSO9MDHPIe1rHrHe6-scf-9_7CsiLEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/ACS_0072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cranberry Christmas Read Aloud Recommendation plus FREEBIE" border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="1600" height="257" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1V1U0AGvd8k/XeUp-hwCOsI/AAAAAAAABYw/74TSO9MDHPIe1rHrHe6-scf-9_7CsiLEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ACS_0072.JPG" title="Cranberry Christmas Read Aloud Recommendation plus FREEBIE" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">➜ Next, take a close look at the illustrations (shown below) as Sarah, Mr. Whiskers' sister, arrives at his home on Christmas Eve. What kind of mood do you feel as you look at the outside of the cabin, and then on the next page the inside of the cabin? Has the mood of the story changed from the beginning of the story to this point? How has the mood changed, and what has caused this change?</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tUSK3yVBduM/XeUo7e9Hc_I/AAAAAAAABYo/MLiAQslrdR8_PwJv4SjxAfANBSxv4coLACEwYBhgL/s1600/ACS_0069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cranberry Christmas Read Aloud Recommendation plus FREEBIE" border="0" data-original-height="1051" data-original-width="1600" height="262" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tUSK3yVBduM/XeUo7e9Hc_I/AAAAAAAABYo/MLiAQslrdR8_PwJv4SjxAfANBSxv4coLACEwYBhgL/s400/ACS_0069.JPG" title="Cranberry Christmas Read Aloud Recommendation plus FREEBIE" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0j2pIxuoJAo/XeUo76fjJTI/AAAAAAAABYo/7moWLtpwnuETckgOpzQFKUNdxDmGEYXywCEwYBhgL/s1600/ACS_0070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cranberry Christmas Read Aloud Recommendation plus FREEBIE" border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="1600" height="258" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0j2pIxuoJAo/XeUo76fjJTI/AAAAAAAABYo/7moWLtpwnuETckgOpzQFKUNdxDmGEYXywCEwYBhgL/s400/ACS_0070.JPG" title="Cranberry Christmas Read Aloud Recommendation plus FREEBIE" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">➜ You might also want to point out the simile that is used describing Mr. Whiskers as he skated "like a great black-whiskered bird". I love how this illustration conveys the meaning of the text perfectly.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IEP84pql7T8/XeUo8DgH2qI/AAAAAAAABYk/5r3RQFavLV4owX71eDNTUfMq1pXx9OmtwCEwYBhgL/s1600/ACS_0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cranberry Christmas Read Aloud Recommendation plus FREEBIE" border="0" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="1600" height="255" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IEP84pql7T8/XeUo8DgH2qI/AAAAAAAABYk/5r3RQFavLV4owX71eDNTUfMq1pXx9OmtwCEwYBhgL/s400/ACS_0071.JPG" title="Cranberry Christmas Read Aloud Recommendation plus FREEBIE" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W8q35SEN7-OJKjmlx3QHKvUJ6VAIcoza/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Click here to grab the FREE Cranberry Christmas Reading Response Activity!</a></span></h4>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4d79s9qUOyQ/XeFvcRsK6bI/AAAAAAAABXc/xohNZJXiKGcqJE0tSvlCprRh4GoSIdYMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Cranberry%2BChristmas%2BBook%2BCompanion.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cranberry Christmas Read Aloud Recommendation plus FREEBIE" border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4d79s9qUOyQ/XeFvcRsK6bI/AAAAAAAABXc/xohNZJXiKGcqJE0tSvlCprRh4GoSIdYMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Cranberry%2BChristmas%2BBook%2BCompanion.001.jpeg" title="Cranberry Christmas Read Aloud Recommendation plus FREEBIE" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you are looking for additional Christmas activities for your classroom, you might be interested in these...</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Math-Games-Multiplication-Race-to-the-Top-5059443" target="_blank"><img alt="Paid Christmas Race to the Top Multiplication Resource" border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="799" height="199" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rh9Vv1oEr9E/XeF2K5lH_wI/AAAAAAAABXw/rssYlhyiMz42_3DWH2P6Cuxx6FV183ItwCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Christmas%2BRace%2Bto%2Bthe%2BTop%2BCOVER.jpg" title="Paid Christmas Race to the Top Multiplication Resource" width="200" /></a><span id="goog_1482414583"></span><span id="goog_1482414584"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Math-Game-Addition-and-Subtraction-with-Regrouping-1552272" target="_blank"><img alt="Paid Christmas Battle Addition and Subtraction with Regrouping Card Game Resource" border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="797" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PLpYDZ6Mc84/XeF2Nwpj2bI/AAAAAAAABX0/IaRFdrW-OG8m-ldRPdTs8JpDndRdB7tawCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/Holiday%2BBattle%2BCards%2BGames%2BCOVER.jpg" title="Paid Christmas Battle Addition and Subtraction with Regrouping Card Game Resource" width="199" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hope you have a festive week! Check back next Monday for</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">another Christmas book recommendation! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-61434543017299744602019-09-22T10:04:00.003-07:002020-10-05T10:11:03.017-07:00The Golden Acorn Mentor Text Recommendation<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love the books <u>Too Many Carrots</u> and <u>A Loud Winter's Nap,</u> both written and illustrated by Katy Hudson. Her latest book might be my favorite... maybe because I am obsessed with squirrels!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>The Golden Acorn</u> by Katy Hudson</span></h2>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rufN0A2oJdc/XYeiGnPUqGI/AAAAAAAABTU/EoIP6ylfSfUvCPcmRU1EptN3XYwwxNXJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/The%2BGolden%2BAcorn%2BBlog%2BPic.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Read Aloud Recommendation The Golden Acorn" border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1070" height="342" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rufN0A2oJdc/XYeiGnPUqGI/AAAAAAAABTU/EoIP6ylfSfUvCPcmRU1EptN3XYwwxNXJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/The%2BGolden%2BAcorn%2BBlog%2BPic.001.jpeg" title="Read Aloud Recommendation The Golden Acorn" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a terrific book for any time of year, but I think would be especially fun to read aloud in the fall! This book lends itself really well to analyzing character and how a character changes throughout the course of the story. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The illustrations in this book are AMAZING! During your read aloud you will want to stop and look at all of the illustrations because they will contribute to the ideas your students will form about the characters. Be sure to pore over the illustrations on the pages with the publishing information- the books on the bookshelves and the items on the shelves and walls tell a great deal about Squirrel. Your students can start to analyze Squirrel before even meeting her! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have included a reading response sheet for your students to think about how Squirrel changes as the story goes along. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cxdPY9VDQh4pAUHr_PXoekVkG_EKI4CL/view?usp=sharing">The Golden Acorn Reading Response- </a></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cxdPY9VDQh4pAUHr_PXoekVkG_EKI4CL/view?usp=sharing">Grab it for FREE here!</a> </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the story Squirrel also learns a lesson about what is important in life. Be sure to focus on the lesson she learns- which can start laying the groundwork for when students begin learning about the theme in a story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you are working on character and setting in your reading workshop- you might want to take a look at this mini-unit I have in my Teachers Pay Teachers store! It uses the mentor texts <u>Make Way for Ducklings</u> and <u>John Philip Duck</u> to explore character, setting, and text to text connections.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Using-Make-Way-for-Ducklings-and-John-Philip-Duck-to-Teach-Comprehension-3097329"><img alt="Teachers Pay Teachers Resource for Teaching Character, Setting, and Text to Text Connections" border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="766" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-biH13sgzFc0/XYenw6csKjI/AAAAAAAABT0/Ifq_1YO6LaUcaNBU7Hg-qi9H-JsHpIJPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Ducks%2BCOVER.jpg" title="Teachers Pay Teachers Resource for Teaching Character, Setting, and Text to Text Connections" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also have a post about Katy Hudson's book <u>A Loud Winter's Nap</u> here...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://curriculumandcrayons.blogspot.com/2019/01/winter-book-recommendation-loud-winters.html">A Loud Winter's Nap</a></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Sellers-Im-Following/Add/Creations-By-Kim-Parker">Please click here... CREATIONS by KIM PARKER... if you would like to follow my Teachers Pay Teachers store! Followers see new resources- which I discount 50% for the first 48 hours after posting! </a></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have a great week! </span></div>
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Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-67441399423521635742019-09-01T15:50:00.005-07:002020-09-28T15:20:18.503-07:00The Someone New Book Recommendation PLUS New Student Tips<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I visited Barnes and Noble the other day and found two new books that I fell in love with! I am going to share one today and one a little later this fall. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>The Someone New</u> by Jill Twiss</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is the perfect book for anytime of the year. Its message of friendship and overcoming your fears is perfect for all ears- young and old. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The story is a sweet one and the illustrations are gorgeous (illustrated by EG Keller). </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFoRUz-JeqQ/XWxCdiyP2HI/AAAAAAAABS0/GqnJ9sLdimM698aq5V66DGfOFggt6_gcQCLcBGAs/s1600/The%2BSomeone%2BNew%2BBlog%2BPhoto.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Someone New book recommendation and book activities." border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1070" height="342" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dFoRUz-JeqQ/XWxCdiyP2HI/AAAAAAAABS0/GqnJ9sLdimM698aq5V66DGfOFggt6_gcQCLcBGAs/s640/The%2BSomeone%2BNew%2BBlog%2BPhoto.001.jpeg" title="The Someone New book recommendation and book activities." width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kids will really relate to the feelings that Jitterbug experiences- the quiver in her tummy and the nervousness she experiences thinking about something (or someone) new. I also love how Jitterbug's friends gently point out to her that she was wrong in the way she treated Pudding. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This book could be an anchor for talking to kids about how we want to treat someone new to our classroom. One extension activity after reading this book could be to have students write welcome notes and then as you have new students join your class during the year you could pull out a few of the welcome notes and place them on the new student's desk to open when they arrive. Here is a FREE note template you could use with a cute chipmunk to remember Jitterbug and how she faces her fears to welcome Pudding...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/11FNAMnyxMVwiiiz91l9m_hBSpi4Rnw2B/view?usp=sharing">FREE Welcome to Our Class Note Template</a></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another fun way to welcome a new student could be with a Starburst treat for the class and a sign on the new student's desk. You can purchase a big bag of Starburst and then pull the bag out whenever you have a new student added. This way everyone can celebrate having a new student in class! Here is an editable certificate you can use (I have included a KeyNote and Powerpoint version- just click in the text box and add the student's name). You could print the certificate and give it to the student, or you could project the certificate on a white board. </span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P9qgGDZeDm16HoI5BV_t0HPDXf8NVaWx/view?usp=sharing">FREE New Student Certificate</a></span></h3>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jCCDj34gCN4/XWxCnkIzfKI/AAAAAAAABS4/2vMTdStL7lEUDAh0OliOA7gUXmO1cndRACLcBGAs/s1600/The%2BSomeone%2BNew%2BCertificate%2BPhoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Free New student Welcome Certificate! " border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="650" height="308" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jCCDj34gCN4/XWxCnkIzfKI/AAAAAAAABS4/2vMTdStL7lEUDAh0OliOA7gUXmO1cndRACLcBGAs/s400/The%2BSomeone%2BNew%2BCertificate%2BPhoto.jpg" title="Free New student Welcome Certificate! " width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This book is available at Barnes and Noble and on Amazon. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">TEACHER TIPS: New Student Prep</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do you prep ahead for any new students that are added to your classroom during the year? I am sure we have all received a message from the office about 30 minutes before school starts telling you that you have a new student starting that day! Panic sets in as you try to pull everything together quickly... well with a little prep ahead of time you can ease that panic and welcome that student with open arms! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Tip 1:</u> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Collect the basic supplies- 2 sharpened pencils, a box of crayons, some scissors, and some glue and place in a storage bag or supply box. All you need to do is pull out the box and your new student is ready to go. Later in the day when you have time to go through their supplies with them they can return the duplicate supplies and keep any they need. This allows you to keep with your regular morning routine, rather than having to help a new student unpack while other students are arriving. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Tip 2:</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Make new student sets of all textbooks, folders, notebooks, etc. and stack together in one spot so all you have to do is grab a set, rather than having materials all over the place to collect. You can even store these in spare desks around the room (if you have spare desks in your classroom). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Tip 3: </u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Any items you create for your students (desk tags, book bin labels, etc.) that are computer generated put in one file on your computer so that you can just pull up the file, add names, and print- again no searching to find the files that you need! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These tips are simple and easy to implement, but can really be a time and stress saver in the middle of the year! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Sellers-Im-Following/Add/Creations-By-Kim-Parker">Please click here... CREATIONS by KIM PARKER... if you would like to follow my Teachers Pay Teachers store! Followers see new resources- which I discount 50% for the first 48 hours after posting! </a></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have a great week! </span></div>
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Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-38308740997320742652019-04-17T11:46:00.001-07:002019-12-02T07:36:35.674-08:00A Drop in the Ocean: The Story of Water is a FANTASTIC Water Cycle Read Aloud<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;">If you are preparing to teach a unit on the <span style="color: blue;">WATER CYCLE</span> you have to read this book... </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>A Drop in the Ocean: The Story of Water</u> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">written by Jacqui Bailey and illustrated by Matthew Lilly</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This book really covers every part of the water cycle that you would want to teach to your third or fourth grade students. It is written in a very student-friendly way. The illustrations really work well and your students will love all of the little extras (like the speech bubbles) the illustrator has added. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The story begins with the water in the ocean (evaporation) and follows the water cycle through condensation and precipitation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The story then follows what happens to the water (after precipitation) as it makes its way back to the ocean- where it all started! 

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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Students will learn about how we get clean water to use from a reservoir. It also follows what happens to the water that swirls down our drains. 

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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Students will be intrigued to learn that the water that they drink today is the same water that a dinosaur may have drunk! 

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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At the back of the book your students will learn more fun facts about water- plus there is an experiment that would be easy to try in a classroom! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have created a Ways We Can Conserve Water craft that you could use after reading the story, although the craft can stand on its own- you could use the craft with any water cycle or water conservation book!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_us8WPjaMQPKxry4lrcKVgoZnI9IgBL2/view?usp=sharing">If you are interested in this FREE Ways We Can Conserve Water Craft- CLICK HERE! </a></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vFYPLEQ_6Yw/XLdo-9xSNnI/AAAAAAAABPA/gxpn1fA9v-I_0i6h0mh89c9JfLvwMk-HACEwYBhgL/s1600/Water%2BConservation%2BCraft.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ways We Can Conserve Water FREE craft! " border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="426" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vFYPLEQ_6Yw/XLdo-9xSNnI/AAAAAAAABPA/gxpn1fA9v-I_0i6h0mh89c9JfLvwMk-HACEwYBhgL/s640/Water%2BConservation%2BCraft.png" title="Ways We Can Conserve Water FREE craft! " width="476" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope your students will learn bunches from this interesting book! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you are looking for additional materials to use during a water cycle unit- you might want to take a look at the Water Cycle Interactive Notebook Pages resource I have available in my Teachers Pay Teachers shop! </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Water-Cycle-Interactive-Notebook-Pages-2500310"><img alt="Water Cycle Interactive Notebook Teachers Pay Teachers Resource" border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="579" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LJBIfbWNh4U/XLdpzDVLgLI/AAAAAAAABPM/EOk6P3XBT7Ikc-BK4Dtjw5CN8c3KIr8GwCEwYBhgL/s320/Water%2BCycle%2BCOVER.jpg" title="Water Cycle Interactive Notebook Teachers Pay Teachers Resource" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have a great week!</span> </div>
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Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-34326331484398480232019-03-27T10:25:00.000-07:002019-12-02T07:36:05.668-08:00We are the Gardeners Book Recommendation <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let me count the ways I <span style="color: red;">LOVE</span>, <span style="color: red;">LOVE</span>, <span style="color: red;">LOVE</span> this new book by Joanna Gaines and her kids. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>We are the Gardeners</u> is the perfect read aloud! </span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This book is full of science (plants) content and has a fantastic message about GROWTH MINDSET!</span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I just happened to see that Joanna Gaines was releasing a new kids book- <u>We are the Gardeners</u> that she wrote with her children. I couldn't wait to pick it up, so I ran to Barnes and Noble and purchased a copy. I generally take a minute at the bookstore to read through a picture book before I buy it, but I was on a tight schedule so I just grabbed it and headed to the cashier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As soon as I got home I cracked the book open. The first thing I noticed were the lovely illustrations. Julianna Swaney illustrated this book and I love the sense of calm she brings out with the illustrations. As a long time Fixer Upper addict- she captures the Gaines family so beautifully. Even baby Crew and shiplap walls are included! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While it seems that this book is about gardening, the <span style="color: red;">heart</span> of this book is the theme of how PERSEVERANCE and BRAVERY can lead us to success. That we mustn't give up when we fail or when things seem hard. The good, important stuff in life is hard work!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This book is also full of tips on taking care of plants. The Gaines family learns how to care for their plants and garden through trial and error and through looking information up at the library. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love how the family works together in this story! They sit down together to create a plan for their outdoor garden. They work together to plant, solve problems, and harvest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This would </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">also be a great book to read for Earth Day! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some fun activities to go along with this book might be...</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>1. Plan out a garden of your own. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Show students the illustration in the book of the garden diagram. Give students a </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> ask students to draw a diagram of their perfect garden, including fruits and vegetables</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> that they love to eat. Students could even research some plants and their requirements,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>2. Create a list of gardening tips from the story.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Work with students to chart a list of the growing tips that were included in the story. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Students could create a poster, booklet, or list of the tips. (I have included a blank </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> mini-booklet </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">that students could use to write and illustrate the tips in the free resource </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> packet.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Tips could include don't overwater, find out how much light your plant needs- look to the</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> keep the animals out, etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>3. Create a theme bookmark for this story.</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> I love the theme in this book! It is so important for all humans- big and small. I have </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> included a bookmark for students to complete in the free resource packet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Encourage your students to think about the moral, message, or lesson from the story that </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Joanna </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gaines wants </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to stay with them. What lesson did the characters in this </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">story </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> learn?</span></div>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Wt78DBtJnQ63T2pPrCOH_1DzpBFaXMEo/view?usp=sharing"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">💚 Grab the FREE activities to go with this book HERE! </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">💚</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you happen to be learning about plants when you read this book, you might be interested in this Plants Unit I have available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Plants-Interactive-Notebook-Study-Guide-and-Assessment-1424436"><img alt="Teachers Pay Teachers Plants Unit" border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="583" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6-pCcDpMF10/XJup4eICPMI/AAAAAAAABN4/xljbfkVu1_4KlkIw342-SEwnosxqbEJ1QCLcBGAs/s200/Plants%2BCOVER%2B4%253A27.jpg" title="Teachers Pay Teachers Plants Unit" width="197" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope you will check <u>We are the Gardeners</u> out and love it as much as I do! </span></div>
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Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-49985038037628126272019-03-14T16:04:00.003-07:002019-12-02T07:35:36.507-08:00Top 4 Mystery Picture Book Read Aloud Recommendations<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This past week I was working on completely overhauling my <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mystery-Reading-Unit-1666688?utm_source=https%3A%2F%2Fcurriculumandcrayons.blogspot.com&utm_campaign=Mystery%20Book%20Recommendations%20Blog">Mystery Reading Unit</a> resource for my Teachers Pay Teachers store. While working, I was able to reread some of my favorites and I even discovered a new mystery read aloud book. I just <span style="color: red;">love</span> this selection of books and I want to share them with you!</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Top 4 Mystery Picture Book Read Alouds</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This list is in no particular order. I thought about ranking them from 1-4, but it was just too tough to put them in any sort of ranking. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. <u>Detective LaRue: Letters from the Investigation</u> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">written and illustrated by Mark Teague</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This book is written as a series of letters and newspaper articles. Ike, the dog, is the main character in this story and he is so amusing and he has a great vocabulary. I also really enjoy how the author portrays the characteristics of dogs and cats in the story. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. </span><u style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast: The Case of the Stinky Stench</u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Brendan Kearney</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is one of the new mystery books I discovered. <a href="https://curriculumandcrayons.blogspot.com/2019/02/lady-pancake-and-sir-french-toast-read.html">(A few weeks ago I recommended another one of the Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast books on the blog- you can find it here!)</a> Not only is this book written in rhyme, but it is super funny. Your kids will love it! </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In this book you will find elements of a good mystery, including a "red herring", both literally and figuratively! 😂 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. </span><u style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The Mystery of Eatum Hall</u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> by John Kelly and Cathy Tincknell</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love reading this book aloud to students. There are so many clues in the pictures that are fun to point out. It's a great one to use to model and encourage students to become the detective in the story trying to solve the mystery. Be sure to really examine the illustrations closely- there are loads of picture clues! Oh, and it doesn't hurt that the illustrations are really beautifully done.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. </span><u style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The Web Files</u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> by Margie Palatini</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This book is written in the Dragnet radio/television show style. It is a really fun read aloud if you get into it and read it with the same styling as the radio/television show. Be sure to teach your kids the "dum de dum dum" and they can chime in when you give them a cue. The Theme from Dragnet is available on Amazon, Pandora, and on </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mBDS0FsqmI" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">YouTube</a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This story has all the elements of a good mystery- detectives, a crime that has been committed, suspects, witnesses, and evidence. Your students will also love spotting all of the nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters that are included in the story. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you are looking for resources to teach your mystery unit- you might want to check out my UPDATED Mystery Reading Unit! It contains loads of components...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mystery Student Page- Key Terms</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mystery Student Page- Types of Plots</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mystery Student Page- Characters in a Mystery</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mystery Student Page- How To Read a Mystery</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mystery Student Page- Mystery Sidekicks</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mystery Student Page- Sidekicks Chart</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mystery Book Sampler Graphic Organizers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mystery Summary Sheet</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Explore a Mystery Series Graphic Organizers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mystery Story Map</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mystery Bookmarks</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mystery Writing Project</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mystery Vocabulary Poster Project</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mystery Words Definition Posters (Key Vocabulary)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mystery Student Slideshow</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Mystery-Reading-Unit-1666688?utm_source=https%3A%2F%2Fcurriculumandcrayons.blogspot.com&utm_campaign=Mystery%20Book%20Recommendations%20Blog"><img alt="Mystery Reading Unit Teachers Pay Teachers Resource" border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="577" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ch9RLQPI3vs/XIrQ3-vbs1I/AAAAAAAABMo/Hv5M08v0HhgB_9APvLMRTBU1WqA6cSKyACLcBGAs/s320/Mystery%2BUnit%2BCOVER.jpg" title="Mystery Reading Unit Teachers Pay Teachers Resource" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Please leave me a note in the comments of your favorite mystery picture book read aloud! </span><br />
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Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-71538103878873808052019-03-06T09:43:00.001-08:002019-12-02T07:34:57.607-08:00The Good Egg Book Activity<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I recently purchased <u>The Good Egg</u> by Jory John as part of a promotion at Barnes and Noble and I am so glad that I did! Just a few pages into the story I realized what a gem this book is! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Good Egg sends such a positive message about self-care! While written for kids, it is obviously a great message for adults, too! </span></h3>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lwwhYbnGVOM/XH_-mHjVUZI/AAAAAAAABLg/tAdBo5ONTdoM_CYjfl7Fv_JtoVRnkNYUACLcBGAs/s1600/The%2BGood%2BEgg%2BBlog%2BSlider%2BImage.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Good Egg is an excellent read aloud to help kids understand self-care and how to deal with pressures." border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1070" height="342" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lwwhYbnGVOM/XH_-mHjVUZI/AAAAAAAABLg/tAdBo5ONTdoM_CYjfl7Fv_JtoVRnkNYUACLcBGAs/s640/The%2BGood%2BEgg%2BBlog%2BSlider%2BImage.001.jpeg" title="The Good Egg is an excellent read aloud to help kids understand self-care and how to deal with pressures." width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The first thing I noticed about this book are the illustrations by Pete Oswald. The muted colors are so calming. I love how the illustrations are not too busy- his style is so fun. It is amazing how he can convey the emotions of the eggs through his style. And the eggs are SO CUTE!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While the illustrations are the first thing that I noticed, the <span style="color: magenta;">MESSAGE</span> in this story is what really shines! Helping children understand how to deal with their feelings is such an important job for parents and teachers. Sharing stories like <u>The Good Egg</u> will help open the discussion with kids about what we can do to take care of our mental health. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most kids understand how to take care of their physical health- eat nutritiously, sleep, wear a helmet when biking, cleaning a scraped knee and putting a bandaid on, etc., however, we don't teach kids how to take care of their mental health. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In <u>The Good Egg</u> Jory John gives real examples of things we can do when we feel pressures weighing us down causing "cracks" and "scrambling" our heads. Discussing self-care strategies for kids and creating a class anchor chart to leave up in the room would be a great idea after reading! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have included a book extension activity that you can download for FREE here...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eo8GuzvhSlILKaOwp1NeJsxq0NMGXmZ7/view?usp=sharing">The Good Egg FREE Extension Activity</a></span></h4>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eo8GuzvhSlILKaOwp1NeJsxq0NMGXmZ7/view?usp=sharing"><img alt="Grab a free book extension activity for The Good Egg!" border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="576" height="520" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b-vhss_EAY4/XH_262gQiwI/AAAAAAAABLM/sTFOeviGnRARYE40BPQKMbCqU_3YLwGNwCLcBGAs/s640/Good%2BEgg%2BBlog%2BPhoto%2B2.jpg" title="Grab a free book extension activity for The Good Egg!" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This writing craft has three different options that you could choose from. Students will create their own EGG and then complete the writing activity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Option 1:</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"When I Feel Anxious or Overwhelmed I Can..."</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Students will write or list different things that they can do to find peace when they are feeling stress.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Option 2:</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Test Prep Strategies"</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">This one </span>would<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> be great during this time of year. Test stress is a very real thing. Students can </span>list<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> different strategies for feeling calm and confident during testing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Option 3:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I have left this one with just handwriting lines for you to use any way </span>you<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span>would<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> like! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">This activity would make such a cute bulletin board! </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t2sKcSsNY8E/XIAEt_ayqqI/AAAAAAAABL0/lNEloOgZTUEjjtvGSemFFkEO2n0FKhr-gCLcBGAs/s1600/The%2BGood%2BEgg%2BBlog%2BPin%2B1.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Good Egg is a great read aloud for self-care and how to deal with pressure. Grab a free book extension activity." border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="576" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t2sKcSsNY8E/XIAEt_ayqqI/AAAAAAAABL0/lNEloOgZTUEjjtvGSemFFkEO2n0FKhr-gCLcBGAs/s640/The%2BGood%2BEgg%2BBlog%2BPin%2B1.001.jpeg" title="The Good Egg is a great read aloud for self-care and how to deal with pressure. Grab a free book extension activity." width="425" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have not yet read </span><u style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The Bad Seed,</u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> also </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">by Jory John, but it is on my list to read now!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hope you have a great week! </span><br />
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Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-12875607711261777332019-02-25T16:37:00.001-08:002019-12-02T07:34:20.523-08:00Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast Read Aloud Recommendation and Opinion Writing Activity<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While browsing at Barnes and Noble the other day I came across this funny book! I was not familiar with the author Josh Funk, but now I want to read all of his books! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><u>Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast</u> by Josh Funk </b></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">has me hooked!! </span></h3>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gkDSALG9sOU/XHSHNUFu-XI/AAAAAAAABKY/NHDOMc6R-p4VdZIPFsI1dKz8ZK4na1cVgCLcBGAs/s1600/Lady%2BPAncake%2Band%2BSir%2BFrench%2BToast%2BBlog%2BSlider.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast read aloud recommendation with a bonus FREE opinion writing activity!" border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1070" height="342" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gkDSALG9sOU/XHSHNUFu-XI/AAAAAAAABKY/NHDOMc6R-p4VdZIPFsI1dKz8ZK4na1cVgCLcBGAs/s640/Lady%2BPAncake%2Band%2BSir%2BFrench%2BToast%2BBlog%2BSlider.001.jpeg" title="Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast read aloud recommendation with a bonus FREE opinion writing activity!" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This book is so much fun- your students will 💜 it! The story is written in rhyme- which your students will notice right from the beginning. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The setting of the story is a refrigerator! Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast go on quite the adventure to try to be the first one to get to the last drop of syrup. There are so many places to pause in the story to </span><u style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">really</u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> get students engaged. You could ask students whether they like or have tried the various foods in the story- things like brussel sprouts, chickpeas, tofu, brie (Miss Brie), linguini, beets, etc. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also love the way that the author uses the items in the refrigerator for other purposes- celery used as a ladder, lettuce leaf parachute, rappelling down a rope of linguini... You could encourage your students to come up with some ideas of their own of things in the refrigerator that could be used in other ways. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The author's word choice is in this story is fabulous. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Your kids will learn new words in a fun context. Be sure to stop and discuss the words Josh Funk uses as you read.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> A few examples of vocabulary to point out... conversed, plummeting, rappelled, bleak, vaulted, slathered, reemerged, legumes, aghast, sneer, just to name a few! 😊</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Josh Funk also has two other books about Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast. Books 2 and 3 would be great to add to a mystery book unit! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Book # 2 is called <u>The Case of the Stinky Stench</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Book #3 is called <u>Mission Defrostable</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast</u> would also work well as a springboard to an opinion writing activity. After reading, you could have your students write about whether they would choose pancakes, french toast, or waffles (another character in the story is Baron von Waffle) for breakfast. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ma9UZK9Oc3ecBghboCHcTzH955I2wNfC/view?usp=sharing">I have included an OPINION WRITING activity page you could use with the story- click here to grab it for FREE! </a></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you have not read </span><u style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs</u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> by Judi Barrett to your students- that would be a great book to read as a follow-up to this story. It would provide a good opportunity to compare the two books, noting similarities and differences.</span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ElQMgVsqmR4/XHSHNZH-S0I/AAAAAAAABKk/g2URalsPPrUjJxob_Puck2dZ8qtqLhLoQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Lady%2BPancake%2Band%2BSir%2BFrench%2BToast%2BBlog%2BPIN.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast read aloud recommendation with a bonus FREE opinion writing activity!" border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="576" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ElQMgVsqmR4/XHSHNZH-S0I/AAAAAAAABKk/g2URalsPPrUjJxob_Puck2dZ8qtqLhLoQCEwYBhgL/s640/Lady%2BPancake%2Band%2BSir%2BFrench%2BToast%2BBlog%2BPIN.001.jpeg" title="Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast read aloud recommendation with a bonus FREE opinion writing activity!" width="425" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you are looking for any additional opinion writing prompts- you might want to check out the following resources.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Opinion-Writing-Prompts-10-Prompts-Ready-to-Print-and-Write-1055530"><img alt="Opinion Writing Prompts Teachers Pay Teachers Resource" border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="577" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yPeWiaNn4xo/XHSH5EvLyrI/AAAAAAAABKo/Kd16NxkvSu4Gm6XRqSlNomOurwfAWz54QCLcBGAs/s200/Opinion%2BWriting%2BPrompt%2BCOVER.jpg" title="Opinion Writing Prompts Teachers Pay Teachers Resource" width="198" /></a> <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Opinion-Writing-Prompt-Task-Cards-1706199"><img alt="Opinion Writing Task Cards Teachers Pay Teachers Resource" border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="584" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ixptkAALPvo/XHSH8RJqKQI/AAAAAAAABKs/RDgRo2gJfvUAL7YkkE9-HuAjdjtgB41XACLcBGAs/s200/Opinion%2BWriting%2BTask%2BCards%2BCOVER.jpg" title="Opinion Writing Task Cards Teachers Pay Teachers Resource" width="197" /></a> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hope you have a great and productive week! </span></div>
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Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-14065732361563035672019-02-19T14:57:00.000-08:002019-12-02T07:33:42.863-08:00Blueberries for Sal Mentor Text Recommendation<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh my goodness... I am in the midwest and it seems as if winter is going to go on FOREVER! So today I am going to share a book with you that makes me think of warmer times! It also happens to be a classic (published in 1948) - and I 💜 vintage books! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Do you remember reading </span><u style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Blueberries for Sal</u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> when you were in elementary school, </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">or have you shared it recently with your students?</span></h4>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6nrDNVmRpbU/XGxz9BaIzDI/AAAAAAAABJM/-h45mkXBL0AyKUEKw07ndX_qMivmw9pXQCLcBGAs/s1600/Blog%2BSlider%2BImages%2BBlueberries%2Bfor%2BSal.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Blueberries for Sal is a great mentor text for teaching figurative language." border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1070" height="342" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6nrDNVmRpbU/XGxz9BaIzDI/AAAAAAAABJM/-h45mkXBL0AyKUEKw07ndX_qMivmw9pXQCLcBGAs/s640/Blog%2BSlider%2BImages%2BBlueberries%2Bfor%2BSal.001.jpeg" title="Blueberries for Sal is a great mentor text for teaching figurative language." width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This book is written by Robert McCloskey, who also wrote <u>Make Way for Ducklings</u> , another favorite of mine. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This is a simple story about a mix-up! Little Sal and Little Bear get separated from their mothers while picking/eating blueberries, but don't worry, they are eventually reunited. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">You will probably want to discuss what is means to "<i>take the berries home and can</i>" them. Many students will not be familiar with this concept. Some of your students may have been berry picking before and may want to share their experiences. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">This book is also perfect for pointing out the use of figurative language (onomatopoeia)...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;"> "kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk", "caw, caw, caw", "gulp",</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">and others are used in the story. I have an onomatopoeia lesson for <u>Blueberries for Sal</u> in a larger unit focusing on integrating reading and writing (other mentor texts in the unit are <u>Sylvester and the Magic Pebble</u>, <u>The Wednesday Surprise</u>, and <u>The Wump World</u>). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/11akrHmOoDJtMwiRe_pTuCyIhExfuCyzV/view?usp=sharing">Today you can grab that specific ONOMATOPOEIA lesson from my Integrated Reading and Writing Unit- Visualization and Word Choice for FREE! CLICK HERE!</a></span></h4>
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/11akrHmOoDJtMwiRe_pTuCyIhExfuCyzV/view?usp=sharing"><img alt="Grab this free onomatopoeia activity to use with Blueberries for Sal." border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="576" height="398" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-43IHKMcYfHA/XGx09uEA9UI/AAAAAAAABJY/y4ME3rirSmUmCOcE93x06itd-5w0lGD5gCLcBGAs/s400/Blueberries%2Bfor%2BSal%2BBlog.jpg" title="Grab this free onomatopoeia activity to use with Blueberries for Sal." width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The illustrations in this book are also interesting- they are done in a dark navy ink (reminding you of blueberries) and white- so they are very visually appealing. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iP--9CncDWw/XGyaCxo8SQI/AAAAAAAABKE/Ud23x8CtNvYoY6CxorV5FkJP1utZb9CIACLcBGAs/s1600/Blueberries%2Bfor%2BSal%2BBlog%2BPin.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Blueberries for Sal blog post with free figurative language activity!" border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="576" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iP--9CncDWw/XGyaCxo8SQI/AAAAAAAABKE/Ud23x8CtNvYoY6CxorV5FkJP1utZb9CIACLcBGAs/s640/Blueberries%2Bfor%2BSal%2BBlog%2BPin.001.jpeg" title="Blueberries for Sal blog post with free figurative language activity!" width="425" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Here is the resource that includes this <u>Blueberries for Sal</u> activity. I also have a comprehension resource in my Teachers Pay Teachers shop that uses <u>Make Way for Ducklings</u> by Robert McCloskey and <u>John Philip Duck</u> by Patricia Polacco. Check them out if you are looking for mentor text activities for your reading instruction! </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Visualization-and-Word-Choice-Lessons-2356595"><img alt="Visualization and Word Choice resource for sale on Teachers Pay Teachers." border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="576" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XkbVyfse6kQ/XGx1y-C0VyI/AAAAAAAABJg/VNd1gTu_UnMhYKUvAkFI4BuKzKugcWkFwCLcBGAs/s200/Visualization%2Band%2BWord%2BChoice%2BCOVER.jpg" title="Visualization and Word Choice resource for sale on Teachers Pay Teachers." width="198" /></a> <span id="goog_1165128332"></span><span id="goog_1165128333"></span><a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Using-Make-Way-for-Ducklings-and-John-Philip-Duck-to-Teach-Comprehension-3097329"><img alt="Character, Setting, and Text to Text Connections resource available for sale on Teachers Pay Teachers." border="0" data-original-height="587" data-original-width="583" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-am0t7X8UsKA/XGx13rnrSWI/AAAAAAAABJk/_7ndIWFiSFQ4exWd3_UpPt6e6DKDBryfACLcBGAs/s200/Ducks%2BReading%2BComprehension%2BCOVER.jpg" title="Character, Setting, and Text to Text Connections resource available for sale on Teachers Pay Teachers." width="198" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">you find this activity helpful! Stay warm wherever you are at... hopefully spring is just around the corner! </span><br />
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Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-716301547823703952.post-89068980796905219282019-01-14T13:03:00.003-08:002020-08-30T15:00:20.579-07:00Brave Irene Winter Book Recommendation <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I just love sharing classic children's books </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and </span><u style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brave Irene</u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> by William Steig </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is the one I am sharing today! This book is all about perseverance and setting your mind to something and doing it- a great message for kids (and adults, too)! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have you read </span><u style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brave Irene</u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> to your students this winter?</span></h4>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4Sk-WFyk7jQ/XDztqpLFtCI/AAAAAAAABIk/kILvZjfn8OoRcQbI8btOE95m6aj7Cs8egCLcBGAs/s1600/Brave%2BIrene%2BBlog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Brave irene by William Steig is a great winter read aloud that focuses on character traits and motivations. Be sure to grab the free activity!" border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="875" height="312" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4Sk-WFyk7jQ/XDztqpLFtCI/AAAAAAAABIk/kILvZjfn8OoRcQbI8btOE95m6aj7Cs8egCLcBGAs/s640/Brave%2BIrene%2BBlog.png" title="Brave irene by William Steig is a great winter read aloud that focuses on character traits and motivations. Be sure to grab the free activity!" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This book was published in 1986- so it is a little over 30 years old. Your kids will be excited to know that this book is written by the same author who created Shrek. A few of his other popular stories are <u>Sylvester and the Magic Pebble</u> and the Dr. DeSoto books.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u>Brave Irene</u> is available on Storyline Online (free site) read by former Vice President Al Gore... you can find it here: <a href="https://www.storylineonline.net/books/brave-irene/">Brave Irene Storyline Online</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(<u>Sylvester and the Magic Pebble</u> by William Steig is also available on Storyline Online here: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.storylineonline.net/books/sylvester-magic-pebble/">Sylvester and the Magic Pebble Storyline Online</a>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is such a great book for discussing character. </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If your state follows common core (or even if they don't, I am sure you have a similar standard) ...</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><a class="identifier" href="http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RL/3/3/" name="CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.3" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Lato Light"; font-size: 11.760000228881836px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;">CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3</a><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Lato Light"; font-size: 16.799999237060547px;" /><span style="font-size: 16.799999237060547px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is such a perfect book for pointing out all that this standard encompasses! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">character traits ✔</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">motivations </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">✔</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">feelings </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">✔</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">explain how actions contribute to a sequence of events </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">✔</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think it is also very important to discuss Irene's motivation- why does she make the choices she makes- it all comes down to her relationship to her mother. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is also a perfect <span style="color: #0b5394;">WINTER</span> book since the wind and snow are really treated as characters in this story. You will also want to be sure to point out the importance of the setting in this story as you read. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have a FREE story comprehension worksheet and character trait activity for you here...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EsiqaFP7gdkcKzajZzdOS3EmIyAGyxl6/view?usp=sharing">FREE Brave Irene Story </a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EsiqaFP7gdkcKzajZzdOS3EmIyAGyxl6/view?usp=sharing">Activities</a>!</span></h3>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qioK3sCTYnQ/XDz2qeYtwQI/AAAAAAAABI4/yOYHZd8CvbYAGPX6TmMaOWkJF6nrvnatgCLcBGAs/s1600/Brave%2BIrene%2BPin.001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Brave irene by William Steig is a great winter read aloud that focuses on character traits and motivations. Be sure to grab the free activity!" border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="576" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qioK3sCTYnQ/XDz2qeYtwQI/AAAAAAAABI4/yOYHZd8CvbYAGPX6TmMaOWkJF6nrvnatgCLcBGAs/s640/Brave%2BIrene%2BPin.001.jpeg" title="Brave irene by William Steig is a great winter read aloud that focuses on character traits and motivations. Be sure to grab the free activity!" width="425" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I just love <u>Brave Irene</u> and I hope that you will, too! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have a great week! Check back again next week for another book recommendation and activity! </span></div>
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Creations by Kim Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03301150997412537697noreply@blogger.com0