Book Talk #9: Leaf trouble

Leaf Trouble!

As the leaves on the trees go from green to red and gold, two curious squirrels embrace the change of seasons.
When he wakes up one morning to find that his home tree is changing, the little squirrel is scared! Why are all the leaves falling off?
Quickly he corrals his sister and they gather up the leaves in colorful pawfuls. But try as they may to stick them back on the branches, it's hopeless: Yellow, orange, red, and brown, all the leaves keep falling down.
It's only when their wise mama explains what happens in autumn that the two little squirrels understand the seasons are changing. Green leaves will sprout anew in spring.

This book is great for kids beacause it teaches the theme not to be afraid of change. It also teaches kids a lot about the seasons, especially fall and what happens during this time. It could be used for a science lesson to show how the leaves change colors. Fall is a great time to do activities with children because there is so much fun artwork that can be done with leaves! This is a wonderful book foe a primary grade classroom!
Chekc out this great site: http://www.silkysteps.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10375

Book Talk # 8: Dooby Dooby Moo

Dooby Dooby Moo!

Kindergarten-Grade 3

When Duck discovers an ad in the paper announcing a talent show at the county fair (first prize, a slightly used trampoline), Farmer Brown's animals are unstoppable. The cows and sheep concentrate on their singing while the pigs work on interpretive dance. How the suspicious farmer could ever confuse all this noise with routine snoring is a bit of a stretch, but the hilarious late-night practice scenes inside the barn will help readers make the leap. At the talent show, the cows and sheep impress some of the judges, but lack of sleep has the pigs truly snoring when it is time to perform. Fortunately, Duck steps in to save the day with a winning version of Born to Be Wild. After the talent show, Farmer Brown suspects nothing until he hears boings coming from the barn. Comical watercolor illustrations provide the punch lines to many jokes within the well-paced text. Some of the sophisticated humor will go over the heads of most children, especially the witty footnotes that pepper the story.

This is such a fun story that the younger kids would absolutely love along with the other books taht this author writes. She has a great collection for the classroom!

 

 

Book Talk #7: Five Little Monkeys Sitiing In a Tree

Five Little Monkeys Sitiing In A Tree

Five little monkeys and their Mama walk down to the river for a picnic supper. While Mama takes a snooze, the five little monkeys climb a tree. Why? To tease Mr. Crocodile! "Can't catch me!" they shout, and Mr. Crocodile opens his big mouth: SNAP! Oh no! Now there are only four little monkeys! A second little monkey teases Mr. Crocodile, he snaps his jaws, and that little monkey also disappears-or seems to. The mischievous monkeys are up to their usual tricks in this second rhythmic counting book about their disappearances-and surprise reappearances.
This book is great for children to teach them the numbers 1-5 and also to teach them rhyme. I like it so much more than Five Little Monkeys Jumping on a Bed because it is filled with awesome illustrations and it is something different for the kids to listen to.
This is a cute link that shows what you can have your students do while singing this song. It gets them to use their fine motor skills and have a great time learning!
http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/crocodile/words.htm

Book talk #6: If You Give A Moose A Muffin

 

 

 

If a big hungry moose comes to visit, you might give him a muffin to make him feel at home. If you give him a muffin, he'll want some jam to go with it. When he's eaten all your muffins, he'll want to go to the store to get some more muffin mix. And so on and so foth, the Mooose begins to want more of the items you have in your home and you gain a freindship with this moose and have an enjoyable adventure with him

This book is absolutley adorable just as all the "If you give..." books are. They are a great collection for readers in the primary grades because they can teach these children the value of sharing and the importance of freindship. It is a great book for story time because the students can really get involved if you ask them questions like "what do you think the moose will want next?" or "what do you think the moose and his freind are going to do next?' Asking questions while reading a story is the best way to engage readers.

Here is an awesome activity I came up with that cone be done with the class:

You could have a classroom stuffed moose, a journal and a disposable camera. Send the moose with the students throughout the day to their different classes, lunch, the playground, etc. Have a students take turns to record their experiences in the journal through writing and a picture. When the day is over, another day can be planned out for the class to create their own moose book with the pictures and places the moose went.