The Three Pigs

Author/ Illustrator:  David Wiesner

About the Author:

David Wiesner was born in Bridgewater, New Jersey.  He attended Rhode Island School of Design.  He became an author/illustrator of children's books.  He has won many awards for his work.

Genre: Fiction
Grade Level: 2-4

Synopsis:

This is a story about the three little pigs.  It starts off with the traditional version, and then the story is told from the point of view from the pig.  The pigs did not get eaten by the wolf; and they travel through other stories, and live happily ever after.

Pre Reading Activity:

Questions: 

Who has heard of the 3 pigs?  Who are the pigs trying to get away from? What always happens to the pigs?

Activity: 

Have the class make a list of what they know happens in the story 3 little pigs.  Create a K-W-L chart to use before and after reading the story.

Post Reading Activity:

Questions:

Is that what everyone remembers about the 3 little pigs? Do they usually live happily ever after?  Why do they in this story?  What is different about this story?

Activity:

After reading the story, finish the K-W-L chart, have students get into groups and list the differences in the versions of three little pig stories they have now read.  Groups discuss whose point of view the book is from and why is it important for a story to be told from different perspectives.

Reflection:

I think this is a great way to show children there is more than one point of view in every story, even though you may not think from another perspective because the story usually is written to show you one point of view. There is always the other point of view.  I think we often read stories and only see the author's point of view, but it is refreshing when an author takes a different view from the norm. 

Bridges to Terabithia

Author:  Katherine Paterson                         

http://www.terabithia.com/

Illustrator: Donna Diamond

About the Author:
Katherine Paterson was born in China, where her parents were missionaries.  Through their work her family moved many times when she was a child.  She studied English and American literature in college, after college, she went to Japan to do missionary work, although her first choice was China, it was closed to Americans at the time.  Her life as a writer began in 1964.  Katherine Paterson believes children’s books should deal with contemporary, realistic themes.  She has written on death, foster care, and slavery.

Genre: Fiction
Grade Level: 4-6

Synopsis:
This is a story about a ten year old boy who becomes friends with a girl who moves to his school. Her family was considered strange, but she opened his eyes about imagination and learning, and changed his life.  Leslie created Terabithia, their secret Kingdom in the woods where they reigned supreme. When they were there, no one could defeat them. 

Pre Reading Activity:

Questions:

Have you ever met someone new?  Were you nervous? How did you get to know them? 

Activity:

Have each student write down three things that they like and three things they do not like.  Have the students go around the room until they find one person with a like and one person with a dislike the same as them.  Have students record who has the same like and same dislike as they do.

Post Reading Activity:

Questions:

Is it good to have an open mind when meeting someone new?  What could happen if you judge a book by its cover when meeting someone for the first time? What are some good things that can happen when meeting new people?

Activity:

After reading the story, divide the class into small groups.  Have the students list five things that are positive about meeting someone new, five feelings that would be attached to meeting someone knew, and why those feelings are present.  List five things that they could do to make a new person in their class feel welcome.  

Reflection:

I think this book would be a great way to start the beginning of a school year, when students are meeting new classmates and a new teacher.  I think it would create a positive atmoshphere by talking about meeting new people, and having an open mind.  When you meet someone new, even if they do not seem the same as you, you should keep an open mind to their way of life. Try and learn what you can from them, it might change your life in a positive way that you did not think was possible.   I think with the bullying that is happening in and out of our schools, this book can show the students that what we may think about someone, could be wrong and we can learn from all people. 

The Hershey's Milk Chocolate Fractions Book

Author/ Illustrator:  Jerry Pallotta

http://jerrypallotta.com/

About the Author:
Jerry Pallotta was born in Boston, Massachusetts, he was from a very large family.   When he was growing up he had 72 first cousins.  He never wrote anything for school, no journals, or newspapers, it wasn't until he was married and had children of his own, when he began to read his children stories he thought he could write ABC and counting books. 

 

Genre: Non-Fiction
Grade Level: 3-5

Synopsis:

 

This is a story about fractions and using a Hershey chocolate bar to show the relationship to a whole bar and breaking it up into its small pieces.  When you break a Hershey chocolate bar into 12 equal pieces, you can show what it looks like to have 1/12 of the chocolate bar or 1/4 or 1/2, etc. 

Pre Reading Activity:

Questions:
Who has ever eaten a Hershey’s bar? How could you divide it up equally to share? Would it be easy to divide a Hershey’s bar into equal pieces?

Activity:

Have the class get in to groups with two students in each group. Give each group a Hershey bar, and ask them to divide it up so each person in the group gets the same amount of the chocolate bar.  Continue using the chocolate bar having students show how many other ratios or fractions they can come up with between the students. Example: 1/2, 3/4, etc.

Post Reading Activity:

Questions:

Did you know that when you divided up the chocolate bar you were using fractions? What other things can you think of that would be easy to make fractions with? How could you use a pizza to show fractions?

Activity:

After reading the story, use another hands on lesson by having a pizza party to show fractions by using the slices of pizza.  Have students take a slice of pizza, record the fraction for each student as they take their slice of pizza.   

Reflection:

I love how this story can be used in the classroom.  Children learn best when teachers create has for them.  This book allows teachers to incorporate Hershey bars into their classroom, something the students can relate to.  When students can make connections to their lives, they will often gain a deeper understanding of the content being taught.

Subtraction Action

  

Author/ Illustrator:  Loreen Leedy                    
http://www.loreenleedy.com/

About the Author:

Loreen Leedy was born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1959. She majored in art in college but didn't know what kind of artist to be, instead she made polymer clay jewelry and chess sets and sold them at craft shows. The pins, earrings, and chess pieces were whimsical pigs, cats, dragons, and other animals. At age 25 she began turning her jewelry into book characters.  She has written and illustrated about 40 picture books.

Genre: Non-Fiction
Grade Level: 1-3

                                                                                                                                                     
Synopsis:

This is a story about a teacher, Miss Prime who takes her class to the school fair, to solve problems using subtraction.  Some of the students subtract seconds to figure out if the obstacle course record had been broken.  Miss Prime used subtraction as magic and the kids loved it.

When kids use something they can relate to in their own lives, they understand it better.  Kids can learn the basis of subtraction and use it in real life situations.  They learn that subtraction really does make a difference.

Pre Reading Activity:

Questions:

What do you do if you are sharing a snack with the class and you give someone an extra snack?  How do you fix the problem of someone having an extra one? What do you call it when you take away something from something else?

Activity:

Pass out same amount of pipe cleaners to each student, give some extras to some students, then ask a student to make sure each student has the same number of pipe cleaners. If there are some students who have more they have to go to the front of the room.  Have students decide how to make everyone have the same amount using subtraction. 

Post Reading Activity:

Questions:

How did Miss Prime and her class solve some problems at the school fair?  How many students have been in an obstacle course? Is it easier to understand subtraction when it is real life examples?

Activity:

Have the students enter a race in the classroom, the teams start out with the same number of pipe cleaners,  teams must make their way through the obstacle course by stopping at each station and subtracting the number at the station from their total.  The first team to complete the obstacle course and has the correct number of cleaners left, wins!

Reflection:

I love this book for teaching children not only subtraction but that it has real life uses.  So often teachers present information to students and they do not teach the relevancy as well.  When children can see the use of what they are learning, it stays with them longer, and they get a deeper meaning.  I like the way this book introduces terms without students knowing, like the teacher's name; Miss Prime.  Prime being a math term, and vocabulary that students need to be familiar with.  The more students hear and use vocabulary, the more they will understand it.

The Polar Express

Author/ Illustrator:  
Chris Van Allsburg                                                               


About the Author:
Chris Van Allsburg is from Grand Rapids Michigan, where he and his family moved to different houses when he was growing up.  He never took art classes in high school, but was accepted in the University of Michigan's art school.  After graduating he began sculpture work and did some drawings in his spare time.  His wife convinced him to draw for children's books. Since then, he has written and illustrated 15 books and has illustrated three others that were written by Mark Helprin.

Genre: Fantasy/ Fiction
Grade Level: 1-3

Synopsis:

This is a story about a boy who after the town is sleeping gets on a train called the Polar Express.  He visits the North Pole where Santa offers him any gift he wants, and the boy chooses a bell from one of the reindeer’s harnesses.  On his way home the boy looses the bell, but on Christmas morning he finds the bell under the tree. 

The mother of the boy that received the bell thinks the bell is broken, but only believers of Santa and the magic of Christmas can hear the sound of the bell.

Pre Reading Activity:

Questions:

Who comes on Christmas Eve?  What does he drive? What pulls Santa’s sleigh?  Where does Santa live? How do you think people get there? Who has heard of the Polar Express?

Activity:

Have the class draw pictures of Santa and his reindeer, and the North Pole.

Post Reading Activity:

Questions:

Would you like to ride on the Polar Express? Would you like to have one of Santa’s reindeer’s bells?  Do you think you would be able to hear the bell?

Activity:

After reading the story, have the students write a letter to Santa, asking him for a bell from his reindeer’s, address it, and “send it” this would be done around Christmas, then as a gift for each student before Christmas, leave a bell on each of their desks from Santa. 

Reflection:

I think this is a great story for children to discover at anytime of the year, but especially around Christmas.  I think as adults we sometimes forget the true meaning of Christmas, I think children have the ability to see hear things that adults can't.  Like Santa's bells on his reindeer.  I think adults become too consumed with busy schedules, which cloud their senses sometimes to what life/ Christmas should really be about.  I love the spirit this book brings to the reader.

The Giving Tree

Author/ Illustrator:   Shel Silverstein

About the Author:

Shel Silverstein started writing when he was twelve years old.  He was not familiar with any styles of famous poets, so he developed his own style.  He enlisted in the armed forces and served in the Korean War.  While he was in the military, he worked as a cartoonist for "Pacific Stars and Stripes."  In 1963, he was convinced to begin writing for children.  Where the Sidewalk Ends, Light In the Attic and The Giving Tree, to name a few, were all popular pieces for him.




Genre: Fiction
Grade Level: 1-4

Synopsis:

This  story is about a tree who loved a little boy.  The boy would always visit the tree, he would eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk.  This made the tree very happy.   

As the boy grew older, he wanted more from the tree each time and the tree gave him what he wanted.  The tree always gave what she could to the boy, because she wanted him happy.  When the boy was happy, she was happy. The last time he came to see her, she was sad; she had nothing left to give him. The boy said he didn’t need much now, just a place to rest, so the tree gave him a place to rest.

Pre Reading Activity:

Questions:

What does it mean to give something?  What do you think the giving tree does in this book? What do you think the little boy is doing on the front of the book?

Activity:

Have the class each draw a tree their own giving trees and write a few sentences about what they want and what the tree could give them.

Post Reading Activity:

Questions:

How do you think the tree felt when the boy didn’t come back to play with her after she gave him something? Why didn’t the boy ever say thank you to the tree when she gave him something?  Should you say thank you when someone gives you something or does something for you?

Activity:

After reading the story, have the students write a letter from the tree to the boy.  Ask them to imagine that they are the tree and have given all those things to the boy.  Ask them to imagine how they would feel if they were the tree.

 

Reflection:
The Giving Tree is a wonderful story, it shows how much people can take for granted the things they are given.  Sometimes people do not realize what someone or something gives them unless it is material things.  The Giving Tree gives all of herself to the little boy, and he takes it.  I felt even in the end, the tree was sad she had nothing left to give to him, even though he just needed a place to rest, he never said thank you to her.  I think in real life this happens many times, someone gives so much of themselves and it often goes overlooked.   For a book that was published in 1964, I think it is very relevant to our time today.

The Great School Lunch Rebellion

Author:   David Greenberg

About the Author:
David travels to schools and conferences around the country speaking about writing and education.  He reads his poetry and participates in writing workshops and education forums.  David was raised in New York and currently lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife Sharon, sons Justin and Ryan.  He also lives with Snout and Snowy, his furry family members.

Illustrator:  Maxie Chambliss
Genre:  Fiction
Grade Level: 4-7

Synopsis:

This story is from the student's perspective about what their lunch looks and tastes like.  Students often wonder why teachers always bring their lunch and do not buy from the school.  The kids start a school lunch rebellion with a food fight.  They make a mess, disobey the lunch lady and principal.  The next day they are punished by being suspended from eating the cafeteria food for the rest of the year.  They had fun with their food fight and were happy with their punishment. 

Pre Reading Activity:

Questions: Who eats school lunches?  What is your favorite school lunch? 

Activity: Using chart paper around the room, have students move to different paper recording what they could do if they did not like the school lunch, what are the rules in the cafeteria and if they like or dislike cafeteria food.

Post Reading Activity:

Activity: Students will write one paragraph explaining what would have been a better punishment for the students who were in the food fight.  Students will write two paragraphs explaining what the students could have done different if they did not like the school lunches.

Reflection:
This book was a great way to see what kids think about the school luches they are given to eat and what they would love to do about it.  It shows a different light on punishment for students.  Punishments might not seem to be a punishment to students if they get what they wanted unintentionally through the punishment they received.  This book is a great way to talk to kids about solving problems and ways they can use their voice.