Diverse Strong Girl/Strong Women Books

I Will Be Fierce written by Bea Birdsong and illustrated by Nidhi Chanani, tells the story of a young girl setting off on a quest. The quest is to conquer her day and take on feats such as "solving mysteries of the unknown," through reading books at the library. It's a simple book told with colorful pictures, a few poignant sentences and characters of varying backgrounds, without ascribing to any particular culture or background.

Books to Celebrate Ramadan

This year, in the United States, Ramadan begins on the evening of Sunday, May 5 and ends the evening of Tuesday, June 4.

Some books that teach and depict Ramadan, for elementary school students, include:

Lailah's Lunchbox which tells the story of a young girl from Abu Dhabi who is fasting for the first time and has recently moved to the United States.

Under the Ramadan Moon a beautifully illustrated book that describes a family celebrating during Ramadan.

Hena Khan writes the favorite character of Curious George into a board book for younger children, where George celebrates with his friend Kareem. It's Ramadan Curious George

Another popular author for younger children, Karen Katz, wrote a board book titled My First Ramadan which introduces toddlers to the holiday.

Scholastic members might like this lower level non fiction book with colorful photos from around the world. Ramadan

Biodegradable Pots

In honor of Earth Day and spring, we recently planted seeds with the children.  We made biodegradable pots using newspaper.  Here are directions to print and a link to a Youtube video showing the process.  Fifth graders were able to do the folding to create the pots, though they planted with their first grade buddies.

We then used popsicle sticks and paper from the recycling bucket to create flags for the plants.


Folding pots link video.

Another, easier variation on newspaper pots:  Rolling newspaper pots step-by-step directions.

Some books (there are SO many) to connect to this activity are:  

From Seed to Plant- by Gail Gibbons

Titch- by Pat Hutchins

Plant Package- by Susan Blackaby

The Carrot Seed- by Ruth Krauss

Sunflower House- by Eve Bunting

Teaching Circles with a Read Aloud

To teach circumference, radius, and diameter of a circle, I have a few lessons that I do.  One is to read aloud Sir Cumference and the Knights of the Round Table.  We chart the story as we go along.  (Helpful to have this done ahead of time). This is a fun book that gets the kids thinking about circles and tricks to remember the names of the parts of the circle (Lady Di of Ameter stretches her body across the circle, and the diameter is the measure of her toes to finger tips). 
Then we label a number of circles with diameter and radius.  The next day we discuss our charts and revisit the story.

Read Alouds for Teaching the Six Traits

I don't even remember where I got this list to reference it, and I think I've also added to it.  I use it every year that I teach writing though and love so many of the books on it!

Ideas and Content

• Miss Nelson is Back by Harry Allard & James Marshall

Suspense

• Everybody Needs a Rock by Bryd Baylor

• The Best Town in the World by Bryd Baylor

• The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown

• Take Time to Relax by Nancy Carlson

• The Armadillo from Amarillo  *

• Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney  *

• Goldilocks Returns by Lisa Campbell Ernst

• Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco

• Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox*

• On the Day You Were Born

• When Jesse Came Across the Sea

• Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story by Ai Ling Louie

• The Three Javelinas by Susan Lowell

• Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran

• The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

• Kafi and his Magic by Maya Angelou

• Verdi by Janell Cannon

Research to story writing connection

• I Hate to Read!  By Rita Marshall

• A Drop of Water by Walter Wick*

• Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters

• All the Places to Live

• Amelia’s Notebook  *

• The Other Way to Listen

• A Chair for My Mother  *

• If You Were a Writer

focus

• I’ll Always Love You

• Fireflies!  *

• Smoky Night  *

moment in time

• The Great Kapok Tree*

• The Beach Before Breakfast

moment in time

• The Paperboy

moment in time

• When I Was Young in the Mountains

moment in time

• I’m in Charge of Celebrations *

• Aunt Flossie’s Hats  *

Memory

• Owl Moon  *

 moment in time

• The Pain and the Great One

everyday experiences

• A Sweet Sound Basket

• The Story of Ruby Bridges

• Home Place

• Lightning

Expository

• Letters from Felix

• Grasper

Methaphors, writing + geopgraphy

• Go Home, River!

Own personal journey

• Benito’s Dream Bottle

Stretch imaginations through language

• Mississippi Beau

Use of research & info to inform and tell a story at same time

• A Street Called Home

• Panther Dream- wc

• Nurse Lughton’s Curtain

• My Mama Had a Dancing Heart

• Pink and Say- Patricia Polacco

• Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky

• The Relatives Came - Cynthia Rylant

• The Squiggle- Carole Lexa Schafer

• Where the Wild Things Are- Maurice Sendak

• Sheep Out to Eat- Nancy Shaw

• Pete’s a Pizza- William Steig

• Say Something- Mary Stoltz

• Jumanji- Chris Van Allsburg

• The Mysteries of Harris Burdick- Chris Van Allsburg

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone- J.K. Rowling

• Dear Mr. Blueberry- James Simon

• Whoever You Are- Mem Fox

• Fables- Arnold Lobel

• Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions- Selby Beeler

• A Drop of Water- Walter Wick

• Tree of Life: The World of the African Baobob- Barbara Bash

• The New Way Things Work- David Macaulay

• Magic School Bus at Waterworks- Joanna Cole

• It’s Disgusting and We Ate it- James Solheim

• Sweet Words So Brave- Barbara Curry

• Marvelous Math: A Book of Poems- selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins

• The Disappearing Alphabet- Richard Wilbur

• Motel of Mysteries- David Macaulay

• The Secret Knowledge of Grown Ups- David Wisniewski

• The Story of Ruby Bridges- Robert Coles

• Snowflake Bentley- Jacqueline Briggs Martin

• The Flag We Love- Pam Munoz Ryan

• My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother- Patricia Polacco

• Twister- Darleen Bailey Beard

• Messages in the Mailbox- Loreen Leady

• A Porcupine Named Fluffy- Helen Lester

• Officer Buckle and Gloria- Peggy Rathmann

• Today is Your Birthday- P.K. Hallinan

• Rotten Teeth- Laura Simms

• David Goes to School- David Shannon

Organization

• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day- Judith Viorst

ABC Structure

• Old Black Fly- Jim Aylesworth

• Alphabet City- Stephen Johnson

• Q is for Duck- Mary Etling & Michael Folsom

• Tomorrow’s Alphabet- George Shannon

Back and Forth Structure

·            Meanwhile Back at the Ranch- Trinka Hakes Noble

• When I Was Little- Jamie Lee Curtis

·            Fortunately- Remy Charlip

Circle Stories

·            If You Give a Moose a Muffin- Laura Numeroff

·            If You Give a Pig a Pancake- Laura Numeroff

Cumulative Structures

• Hey!  Get Off Our Train- John Birmingham

·            There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

Series of Snapshots

• It Looked Like Spilled Milk- Charles Shaw

• Look!  Look!  Look!- Tana Hoban

• Animals Black and White- Phyllis Limbacher Tildes

Voice

• I’ll Fix Anthony- Judith Viorst

• I Am the Dog I am the Cat- Donald Hall

• Whoever You Are- Mem Fox

• Rain- Manya Stojic

• The Night I Followed the Dog- Nina Laden

• Peach and Blue- Sarah Kilborne

• The Tenth Good Thing About Barney- Judith Viorst

Word Choice

• Sports Page- Arnold Adoff

poetry & sentence fluency

• Yeh-Shen, Cinderella Story

• My Mama Had a Dancing Heart

• Dancing in the Kitchen

• Night in the Country

• Brave Irene

verbs, vibrant images

• The Polar Express

descriptive language

• Owl Moon

descriptive language

• Stellaluna

descriptive language

• Teammates

• In November

Sensory details, to carefully observe the world around them

• Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World

• Crow Boy- Taro Yashima

Character’s coming to life

• Hey World, Here I Am

Character’s coming to life

• James and the Giant Peach (chap. book)

• Maniac Magee (chap. book)

• The BFG (chap. book)

• Wrinkle in Time (chap. book)

• Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughter

• A Wonderful Day to be a Cow

descriptive language

•  
• Sarah Plain and Tall

Figurative language

• Old Devil Wind- Bill Martin Jr.

• Top Cat- Lois Elhert

• Peace at Last- Jill Murphy

• A My Name is Alice- Jane Bayer

• Tough Boris- Mem Fox

• The Ghost-Eye Tree- Bill Martin Jr.

• Quick as a Cricket- Audrey Wood

• I Love You the Purplest- Barbara Joosse

• Night Noises- Mem Fox

• Things That are Most in the World- Judi Barrett

• The Magic Fan- Keith Baker

• My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch- Graeme Base

intriguing words

• Double Trouble in Walla Walla- Andrew Clements

• Today I Feel Silly and Other That Make My Day- Jamie Lee Curtis

• Some Smug Slug- Pamela Duncan Edwards

• Feathers and Fools- Mem Fox

• The Lotus Seed- Sherry Garland

• Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse- Kevin Henkes

• Antics!- Catherine Hepworth

• Bug Off!- Catherine Hepworth

• Amber on the Mountain- Tony Johnston

• The Giant Jam Sandwich- John Vernon Lord

• Swine Lake- James Marshall

• Edward and the Pirates- David McPhail

• Hallo-Weiner- Dav Pilkey

• Kat Kong- Dav Pilkey

• The Whales- Cynthia Rylant

• The True Story of the Three Little Pigs- Jon Scieszka

• Where the Wild Things Are- Maurice Sendak

• Caleb and Kate- William Steig

• Shrek!- William Steig

clever phrasing, vivid details

• Solomon:  The Rusty Nail- William Steig

• Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia- Peggy Parish

• A Series of Unfortunate Events- Lemony Snicket (chap. book)

• Voices of the Heart- Ed Young

• A Cache of Jewels- Ruth Heller

• Many Luscious Lollipops- Ruth Heller

adjectives, word choice, creative

• Hoops!- Robert Burleigh

• Up, Up, and Away! A Book About Adverbs- Ruth Heller

• Insectlopedia- by Douglas Florian

• Jazz- Morgan Monceaux

Crafted phrasing, wonderful choice of details on every page

• Duke Ellington- Andrea Davis Pinkney

• Possum Magic- Mem Fox

Rhyme, some alliteration, engaging rhythm

• Ashanti to Zulu- Margaret Musgrove
• Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma

Sentence Fluency

• Crocodile Beat- Gail Jorgenson

• Possum Came a Knockin’

• Nocturne- Jane Yolen

• Night in the Country- Cynthia Rylant

• Fireflies, Fireflies, Light My Way- Jonathon London

Conventions (this trait can be modeled with all books)

• Yo! Yes?- Chris Raschka

Teacher Resource

• Teaching the Youngest Writer- Marcia Freeman

     Maupin House (800) 524-0634

Cinderella Stories

·            Yeh-Shen