Pass It On

Pass It On

By Marilyn Sadler

Blue Apple Books, 2012

Grades: PreK, K, 1, 2

Synopsis: When Cow gets stuck in the fence, Bee turns to the other farm animals for help. As the message gets passed along, however, it gets garbled and no one realizes that Cow is in trouble! Eventually the animals work out the message and help Cow, but not as soon as if they had been really listening to what their friends had to say.

Jump: Before reading the book, play a classic game of telephone where all participants sit in a circle and one starts by whispering a secret phrase to his/her neighbor and it continues around the circle until the message is said out loud at the end - usually completely mangled! After reading, discuss how the game of telephone was similar to what happened in the story. Create a list together of ways to be a better listener to use as an anchor chart. Play the game again, hopefully with better results. This story and game combination would be good for the first few days of school.

All in One Hour

All in One Hour

By Susan Stevens Crummel

Marshall Cavendish, 2003

Grades: K, 1, 2

Summary: At six o'clock in the morning, a mouse wakes up a cat, who runs past a dog, who catches the eye of a dog catcher and starts a town-wide ruckus that slowly builds through the hour. As the pattern of the text builds (similar to "The House that Jack Built") the time slowly ticks by on analog clocks hidden in the illustrations.

Jump: Because the clock in the background displays the time that each event happens and there is a digital clock at the beginning of the text, the two parts could be separated and then students could match the illustration and text using both the time clues and the content clues. The way each clock looks (in digital and analog) can be used to help students understand how the minute hand and hour hand move through an hour. A similar matching activity can be done with a classroom narrative - students can match 10:05 bathroom break with an analog clock stating the same time. These pictures and clocks could also be used to practice sequencing.

My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks

My Dog is as Smelly as Dirty Socks

By Hanoch Piven

Schwartz & Wade Books, 2007

 

Grades: 1, 2, 3

Synopsis: When asked to draw a picture of her family, a young girl decides that just drawing them with a pencil is not enough - she needs to really make people understand what her family is all about. So for her very playful dad, she adds a top for a nose. Her big brother, who is sneaky, has a snake for a mouth. And of course, her smelly dog has tuna fish cans for feet and an onion for tail!

Jump: Students can be introduced to the similes that are everywhere in this book. Then, they can write about a family member or classmate and think of their characteristics, using a simile to describe each. If time allows, students can also emulate the illustrator to create 3-D portraits to match the writing.

The Shape of Things

The Shape of Things

By Dayle Ann Dodds

Candlewick Press, 1996

Grades: PreK, K

Synopsis: Each page starts with a shape and asks readers what it could become. The square turns into a house, the triangle into a boat, and the oval into an egg. At the end a carnival and beach scene are shown and readers are invited to find as many shapes as they can.

Jump: Aside from introducing the basic shapes and their names, students can be encouraged to look for shapes in their own environment. After looking around the room, the class can take go on a shape hunt and walk through the school or outside to find particular shapes or as many as they can. This activity correlates with the Common Core State Standard K.G.A.1.

The Hungry Thing

The Hungry Thing

By Jan Slepian

Scholastic, 2001

Grades: PreK, K

 

Synopsis: One day a strange creature comes to town, and the townspeople can tell it is hungry but cannot figure out what it wants to eat! As the creature asks for crazy, unheard of things someone realizes that the thing is rhyming! Finally able to understand, the town helps the hungry thing to feed its appetite.

Jump: This book, full of silly rhymes for words students will recognize, is a great way to introduce or practice rhyming skills. As the creature continues to ask for food, students may solve the problem before the town does. Students should be encouraged to guess the item aske for by the Hungry Thing. After reading, students could play as the Hungry Thing and provide rhymes for their favorite food as the others guess. Silly rhymes could also be given for student names - this is a favorite in my class!

Gingerbread Man: Loose in the School

The Gingerbread Man: Loose in the School

By Laura Murray

Penguin Group, 2011

Grades: 2, 3

Synopsis: When a newly baked gingerbread man is left in the classroom when the students go to recess, he embarks on an adventure through the school to find them. He visits the gym, the nurse's office, the art room and the principal's office. When he finally makes it back to the classroom, he realizes the students have been looking for him, too!

Jump: Throughout the story, as the Gingerbread Man searches there is a map of the school as a part of the illustration. After reading, students can create their own school map using the illustrations as a guideline. This can also be extended to have students write their own Gingerbread Man story, set in their school, and focusing on their favorite rooms in the building.

Zero, Zilch, Nada: Counting to None

Zero, Zilch, Nada: Counting to None

By Wendy Ulmer

Sleeping Bear Press, 2010

Grades: K, 1

Synopsis: Harry has the best job in the world - he is working at a balloon factory. On his first day, he has the job of blowing up 100 balloons. As he slides the strings into the holders though, he is not sure if he has 100 so he finds many different ways to count them. As he counts each balloon, he pops it to make sure he doesn't count it again. When Harry finally gets done counting, he realizes he has no balloons left and has counted back to zero!

Jump: Students will love how silly Harry is as he counts out the balloons, and they will realize much sooner than he does the problem he is creating. Because Harry tries to count his balloons in so many ways, this book could be used as an introduction to skip counting by tens, fives, and twos as well as counting backwards. Students can play a game following Harry's rules and stand in a circle. One student starts the game by saying "one" and then the next student says "two", etc. Each time the number ten is said, that student sits down until there is only one "balloon" left standing. The game can also be played counting by tens and the student who says "one hundred" must sit down or with many other counting variations!

When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry...

When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry...

By Molly Bang

The Blue Sky Press, 1999

Grades: K, 1

Synopsis: Sophie is playing with her stuffed animal when her sister comes and takes it away. Sophie tries to get it back, but her sister will not listen and her mom insists it is sister's turn. So, Sophie gets angry -- really, really angry. She stomps and shouts, and then runs out of the house. The illustrations, especially the outline colors of Sophie, complement Sophie's mood perfectly.

Jump: While reading the story, students will recognize that Sophie's behavior is not always what she should be doing to help herself calm down. After reading and recognizing that Sophie calmed herself down by leaving the situation, students can then add more ideas to the list of good ways to deal with anger.

In addition to learning how to deal with anger, the illustrations can be used to focus on the range of emotions Sophie feels throughout the book. Because she is outlined in yellow at the beginning and then changes to orange to red to very thick red, students can talk about how the illustrations help show what the words say. A discussion could be had to talk about why the author chose red as an angry color and what the students think Sophie was feeling when she was yellow. Students can then choose a color that they think of as happy/sad/angry to illustrate and then write to tell a story about a time when they felt that strong emotion.

The Family Book

The Family Book

By Todd Parr

Little, Brown and Company, 2003

Grades: PreK, K

Synopsis: Todd Parr is a master at making diversity understandable for younger children and The Family Book is no exception. The reader is introduced to animal and human families of every shape, size, and character. Throughout the book the idea that every family is alike but different persists: all families like hugs and like to celebrate, though some have step-parents or siblings or two moms or two dads, and some like to be noisy while some like to be quiet.

Jump: Not only could this book be used to discuss diversity on a PreK-friendly level, but it can also be a way to introduce the idea that numbers can be broken down in different ways. Students can create a picture of their house showing all the people who live there. On the door, they write how many people live in the house. On the side, they count and write how many girls and how many boys are in the house. When all students have the numbers for their house written down, then these numbers can be shared. Starting with one "door" number at a time, drawings and number sentences can be made to show each house (4 people = 2 boys + 2 girls and 4 people = 3 boys + 1 girl). Students will be able to make the connection between families being made of different people and numbers being made in different ways as well!

Picture a Tree

Picture a Tree

By Barbara Reid

Albert Whitman & Company, 2011

Grades: PreK, K, 1, 2, 3

Synopsis: Through beautifully detailed clay-like illustrations the author challenges readers to see trees in many different ways. Not only can a tree look like a skeleton in the winter, but a forest can look like a green ocean, and if you look closely a single tree could be a "high-rise" for many different critters. The book cycles through all the seasons starting in winter and going through until the following spring.

Jump: For younger students, this book can be used as a great introduction to trees, their life cycles, and the seasons. Using the illustrations, students can be asked to sort the pictures where the trees look similar. The pictures could then be put in order as a sequence of the seasons. Other photos or illustrations of trees could also be used and then categorized along with those in the book.

For older students, this book could be used as an introduction to metaphor. The author has trees wearing snowsuits and behaving as umbrellas or tunnels. The illustrations show the comparison between the tree and the "picture" presented. If you look closely at the illustration of the "high-rise" there is also a clear parallel between the animals in the tree and the people in the apartment building behind.

The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman

The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman

By Darcy Pattinson

Harcourt, Inc., 2003

Grades: 2, 3, 4

Synopsis: When Uncle Ray can't go visit his niece, Tameka, he sends his wooden friend Oliver instead. As Oliver travels across the country both Tameka and Ray recieve letters from the people he rides with. He travels from South Carolina to California throughout the summer stopping in Tennessee, Arkansas, Utah, and Nevada along the way.

Jump: This book, similar to Flat Stanley, is a great introduction to letter writing. Some of the correspondants write postcards, some write letters with the proper heading and greeting, a few even add a post script. After discussing each part and its purpose, students can be encouraged to write a letter to someone they know, or to pretend to be someone else and write a letter the way the author did in this book. Each character Oliver encounters has a very different voice and students could be encouraged to try using a new "voice" for their writing, too!

Benny's Pennies

Benny's Pennies

By Pat Brisson

Random House Children's Books, 1995

 

Grades: PreK, K

Synopsis: Benny has five pennies to spend and he asks his family for suggestions of what to buy. Each of them has a different idea - something beautiful, something to eat, something to wear. As Benny travels around town that day, he finds the perfect item for each and comes home after he spends all his pennies.

Jump: As Benny trades his pennies for the work of his friends (a cookie, a rose, a paper hat, a fish, and a bone) children are introduced to the idea that money is used in exchange for goods. The penny could be introduced and described and then a center or station set up for students to "buy" one item at a time. These items should be labeled with how many pennies they cost - both number and pictures, or cents notation if desired. Use play food as your groceries and allow students to rotate being the shoppers and cashier.

Kindergarten students could also use this book to begin writing simple number sentences. The story could be written in subtraction sentences to match how many pennies Benny has left after each transaction, or it could be used to show the varied ways to make five (ex. five pennies and zero objects, four pennies and one object, etc).

The Chicken Problem

The Chicken Problem

By Jennifer Oxley + Billy Aronson

Random House Children's Books, 2012

Grades: 1, 2, 3

Synopsis: Peg and Cat are all set for a picnic. They have a piece of pie for each of them and one for their new friend Pig, but they also have one extra little piece. Peg decides the extra piece is just perfect for the tiniest chicken. Unfortunately when she lets out the tiniest chicken, the other ninety-nine get out too - and now they all have a much bigger problem! How do they get the chickens back into their coop so they can enjoy the picnic and pie?

Jump: As Peg and Cat attempt to get all of the chickens back into the pen, students can write and solve number sentences to match their antics. The page numbers are also written in number sentence form: "9 + 1 = 10" and there are number sentences that match the story hidden within the illustrations. This story could also be used as a concrete introduction to division. Students can use "pieces of pie" to divide a number into equal groups. These can be groups like in the story where there is more pie than people thus prompting a discussion of remainders (and what to do about that problem!)

The Thingamabob

The Thingamabob

By Il Sung Na

Randomhouse Children's Books, 2010

Grades: K, 1, 2

Synopsis: One day, elephant finds a thingamabob but he is not quite sure what it is or how to use it. He asks his friends, but no one knows.  He tries to fly with it, sail in it, and hide behind it but none of these seem to be the thingamabob's purpose. It isn't until it starts to rain and elephant notices it is a perfect rain shield that he discovers the thingamabob is really an umbrella.

Jump: To practice visualizing, cover the book with paper or newsprint so the students are not able to see the illustration on the front. During reading, students should be encouraged to visualize what the thingamabob might look like or what it might be. After reading, students should guess what the thingamabob was before the illustrations are displayed during a second reading. Students could then create their own thingamabob and give good clues as to how it would be used. To hide their own illustrations, a piece of paper could be folded in half and the description/story placed on the outside while the illustration is placed on the inside.

11 Experiments That Failed

11 Experiments That Failed

 

By Jenny Offill

Schwartz and Wade, 2011

 

Grades: 2, 3, 4

 

Summary: The very ambitious main character creates and executes 11 different experiments ranging from living on ketchup and snow to using perfume to water seeds. The results are never quite what she expected and sometimes don't answer the questions, but are always humorous. She is careful to document her question, hypothesis, process and results for each (failed) experiment.

Jump: Students will find the main character's antics engaging, and her process quite thorough. After reading through the book, the steps of the scientific process could be identified. Then, students could be asked to create and execute their own experiment (with parent and/or teacher approval). These experiments could be documented in the same way as the book and displayed as experiments that failed - or didn't!

Zero

Zero

by Kathryn Otoshi

KO Kids Books, 2010

Grades: K, 1, 2, 3

Synopsis: Zero is upset because she doesn't count the same way the other numbers do. She cannot line up with them, she has no value, and feels like she is empty inside. Although the other numbers try to help her become more like them, she realizes she can only be the best "zero" she can be and find a way to count.

Jump: Like Otoshi's book One, this book promotes the idea that "everyone counts." Zero must look oustide her normal role and buddy up with friends to make the biggest difference. Using these two ideas as a starting point, students can come up with ways to work together, and outside of their usual tasks, to make a difference in the classroom or community. This could easily lead into an Earth Day or service project.

At the younger grades, Zero also provides a lesson about the numerical value of numbers and cardinal counting. Once all the numerals are used up, the progression must start again and count in a different way. This could be paired with Zero the Hero by Janet Holub which takes a more humorous look at zero's role.

Taking a Bath With the Dog and Other Things That Make Me Happy

Taking a Bath With the Dog and Other Things that Make Me Happy

by Scott Menchin

Candlewick Press, 2007

Grade Level: K, 1

Synopsis: The main character in this book starts out having a tough day. Her mom asks what would make her happy, but the little girl is not sure and decides to ask everyone she knows from her mom, to her dog, to her neighbor. By the end of the book, she realizes that many things can make people happy, and she has a lot of happy thoughts, too!

Jump: There is a great variety of ideas in this book to give even the pickiest writer some thoughts to start with. Use a four square model for brainstorming after reading. Have the students divide their paper into four quadrants or create a template for them to use. Each student can then draw four things that make him or her happy (one in each box) and then label or write a sentence about each. This could also be used around Thanksgiving for thankful ideas.