Book Of The Week: Jennie's Hat

Summary: Jennie's favorite aunt is sending her a hat, and when it arrives, it is not exactly what she expected.  Instead of a fancy, flowery, frilly hat, she receives a plain hat.  She tries to find a new hat: a basket from her house, a lampshade, and even a flowerpot, but they just don't work.  Feeling frustrated and disappointed, Jennie is surprised by some of her friends, and her dream hat comes true!

Vocabulary:
plain - simple; not fancy
expect - to hope or look forward to something
scatter - to toss everywhere
peep - to look secretly through a small opening
appear - to become visible
flutter - to fly with quick and light wing movements
swan - a large white bird with a very long neck that usually swims in the water
swoop - to suddenly come down from above
twitter - to make a series of short, light sounds
coo - to make low sounds like a dove or pigeon

Questions:
Who sent Jennie the hat?
What did does the author mean when he wrote, "Jennie blinked back her tears..." after she opened her a hat?
Why did Jennie try on the basket?
What else did Jennie try to wear as a hat?
How do you think Jennie felt when she fed the birds?  Is it the same way she felt when she opened the hat?
Why did Jennie peek out of the window?
What kind of hat did Jennie's mom have?
Where did Jennie wear her plain hat?
Why do you think the birds decorated Jennie's hat?
When the birds decorated Jennie's hat, the author wrote, "...she felt like she was walking on air."  What did he mean?

Extension Activities:

Jennie's Hat: Free Extension Activities

Jennie's Hat Game

Jennie's Hat Activities

Book Of The Week: One Fine Day

One Fine Day by Nonny Hogrogian

Summary: A curious fox sneaks milk from an old lady.  She becomes angry and cuts off his tail, only willing to sew it back on when he bring her milk.  The fox goes through great lengths to get his tail back, as he negotiates with the cow, the field, the stream, and the fair maiden among many others.

Vocabulary:

• lap - to drink by lifting up the tongue
• fair - to look nice or pleasing
• maiden - a young woman or girl who is not married
• peddler - someone who sells good in the street or from door to door
• fetch - to go somewhere, pick something up, and bring it back
• clever - smart
• desperate - having almost no way to escape or find a way out
• miller - a person who works on a mill which is a place to make grain into flour

Questions:

Where was the fox traveling?

Why do you think the fox was thirsty?

Why was the woman mad at the fox?  

What did the woman do to the fox when she discovered he drank her milk?

How did the fox feel when the old woman chopped off his tail?

What did the cow want the fox to do?

What did the field want the fox to do?

What did the stream tell the fox?

What did the fair maiden want from the fox?

What did the peddler want from the fox?

What did the hen want?

What did the miller do for the fox?  How was this different than everyone else?

What was the lesson you learned from this story?

Share three details in the story that the author uses to show that this story is nonfiction.

Extension Activities:

http://www.teacherjodieblack.com/Fox_s_Tail_Sample_lesson.pdf

https://books.google.com/books?

id=mrH1l3kVIXcC&pg=PA178&lpg=PA178&dq=one+fine+day+by+nonny+hogrogian+activities&source=bl&ots=CCFiakvbVC&sig=VA6PHaEGJwj_pvIaQoI9SXMd3Vs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj654O38bjMAhUFHB4KHcnGCB8Q6AEIVTAJ#v=onepage&q=one%20fine%20day%20by%20nonny%20hogrogian%20activities&f=false

Book of the Week: Farfallina & Marcel

Farfallina & Marcel by Holly Keller

Summary: Farfallina and Marcel were an odd pair of best friends.  Farfallina, a caterpillar, and Marcel, a gosling, did everything together.  One day, Farfallina didn't feel well and needed to rest.  Marcel waited and waited, and finally decided Farfallina would not return.  Weeks later, Farfallina emerged as a butterfly and realized Marcel wasn't waiting for her.  She waited and waited, only to find that he did not return.  By a chance meeting, the two friends reunited, unaware of who the other was until they discovered each other's true identities.  This is a beautiful story of enduring friendship despite time and change.

Vocabulary:

peer - to look closely at something

huddle - to move into a small spot to keep warm or dry 

drizzle - a light rain

fern - a plant with large green leaves shaped like a feather

lonely - to feel alone

glossy - looking smooth and shiny

confused - to feel like something is difficult or hard to understand

flutter - to quickly move back and forth or up and down

solitary - single

disappointment - feeling sad because of not getting or receiving something

brilliant - very shiny or colorful

to vanish into thin air - to disappear

Questions: 

Who is this story about?

Where do the characters live?

What did Marcel mean when he told Farfallina she was eating his umbrella?  

How do you know Farfallina and Marcel were thinking about teach other when they were playing hide and seek? 

Why do you think Farfallina uncomfortable?  

Do you think Marcel was patient when waiting for Farfallina?  Why or why not?

Why did Marcel beat his wings and swim round and round when Farfallina told him her name at the pond?

How did Marcel and Farfallina feel when they found each other again?

When the leaves turned red and gold, what was the author trying to tell you?  

With spring here, it would be a great time to sequence the life cycle of a butterfly!

thebutterflysite.com

The Life Cycle of a Butterfly Wheel

Butterfly Life Cycle Craft

Book of the Week: Peanut Butter and Cupcake

Peanut Butter and Cupcake by Terry Border

Summary: Peanut Butter was new, and he wanted to make friends.  He asked Hamburger to play, but he was too busy walking his dogs.  Cupcake was too busy building a sprinkle castle.  Meatball was too busy trying to set a record.  Everyone was too busy to play with Peanut Butter until he met another new person, Jelly!  This is a cute story about making friends and persevering with a lot of hidden humor! 

Vocabulary:

• balance - to keep something steady
• chuckle - to laugh
• you crack me up - to let someone know that they are funny

Questions:

How did Peanut Butter feel at the very beginning of the story?

Who was Hamburger walking?  Why is that funny?

What kind of a friend do you think Cupcake might be?  Why do you think that?

What did egg really mean when he said, "You're cracking me up!"?

Why didn't Peanut Butter want the egg to keep cracking?

What record do you think meatball was trying to set?

With whom did French Fries need to catch up?

What is funny about French Fries needing to "catch up?" (What did the author really mean?)

What did Peanut Butter and Jelly do at the end of the story that no one else did for Peanut Butter?

Extension Activities:

Teaching Friendship in the Classroom by TheHappyTeacher

Peanut Butter and Jelly Activities by Nicole Shelby

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sequencing Cards (Math and Literacy) by Heather Cacak

How to Make a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich by A Plus Classroom Creations

Book of the Week: Molly the Muffin Fairy

Molly the Muffin Fairy by Tim Bugbird

Molly makes muffins-very tasty muffins-until she has a bad bake day.  She loses her temper, tossing muffins and causing mayhem, until her and her friends find a solution to the rock-hard muffins she has created.

Vocabulary:

• grand - very important
• fray - a noisy fight or argument 
• fuss - to complain about something that isn't very important
• fume - to show anger
• hurl - to throw with a lot of force
• ping and pong - to go back and forth; move quickly
• to and fro - to move back and forth
• scamper - to run quickly
• gush - to flood out in large amounts
• silver lining - the bright side of a problem
• expand - to make bigger
• sunny side - the cheerful part of a situation

Questions:

Where did Molly the Muffin fairy live?

What kind of muffins did Molly make?

Who delivered the muffins?

How did they deliver them?  

What happened to the muffins on Molly's bad bake day?

How did Molly feel on her bad bake day?

What did Molly do to one of the muffins?

What did the muffin do?

What happened to Molly's pool?

What was Mel's idea to help move the truck across the wet ground?

What happened to the rest of the muffins?  

What did Molly, Mel, and Kerri do with the muffins at the end of the story?

What lesson did Molly learn?

Book of the Week: Martin's Big Words

Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Bryan Collier

Summary: 

This book shares about Martin's life, his response to seeing a "white only" sign at a young age, and his fight for civil rights.  The simple and direct language of the text provides students with an easy read while maintaining the integrity of King's legacy.  The full-color pictures help highlight the major events.  

Vocabulary:

• hymn - a song or poem written to praise
• preach - to present or talk about a religious subject
• minister - a person who can perform or help at a religious service or event
• citizen - a person who is a member of a country because of being born there or accepted by law
• arrest - to stop and keep someone from breaking the law
• blistering - extremely hot
• protest - a statement or action by a group of people who want something to be changed
• equal rights - the same rights for all people
• convince - to have someone believe or accept what you say
• segregation - separating people by groups, especially by race
• admire - to look up to someone; to have a lot of respect for someone
• Nobel Peace Prize - an international prize awarded every year in several different categories including peace

Questions: 

How did Martin feel when he read the signs that said "white only?"  What did his mother tell him?

What did Martin become when he grew up?

What did Martin say when others said "hate?"  What did he say when others said "separate?" What did he say when others said "war?"

What happened when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man?  When and where did it happened?  

What were some of the things Martin did with the black Americans to protest for equal rights?  

What was Martin's dream?

What did Martin Luther King Jr., win?  Why did he win it?

What happened to Martin when he went to Memphis, Tennessee to help garbage collectors who were on strike?

Need some MLK activity ideas?  Check these out!

Printable "I Have a Dream" mobile - Scholastic

MLK Foldable - Classroom Creations by Melissa

MLK Poster Activity - Curriculum Castle

MLK TimeLine and Activities - Kennedy's Korner

MLK Quotes to Illustrate - The Teacher Next Door

Book Of The Week: Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett

Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett

Summary: Sassy Gingerbread Baby lives in the bedroom of a boy named Mattie.  When Mattie has plans to play with his friends and working in the kitchen, Gingerbread Baby decides to find friends of his own.  He happens to find a bakery, where he cartwheels, leaps, and sings to get the attention of a sugar cookie girl, white swans in a sugar frosting sea, and others.  When no one acknowledges him, he gives up and leaves the bakery for home, only to be chased by a mouse, a cat, the baker, his wife, and a red fox.  Narrowly escaping their capture, he returns home to find Gingerbread friends waiting for him.

Vocabulary:

• scrumptious - tasty
• lane - a narrow road or city street
• peppy - full of energy
• gallant - brave
• elegant - fancy
• plucky - adventurous
• petticoats - a skirt worn under an outer skirt; a slip
• coattails - the loose back part of a coat that is below the waist; it is often times divided into two parts

Questions:
Where did Gingerbread Baby live?  Did he like living there?  Why or why not?
What happened when Mattie didn't spent time with Gingerbread Baby?
Where did Gingerbread Baby go when he left the house?
Who did Gingerbread Baby see at the bakery?  Did they want to be his friend?  How do you know?
Where did Gingerbread Baby go when no one wanted to be his friend at the bakery?
What happened to Gingerbread Baby while he slept?
Who followed Gingerbread Baby out of the bakery and to his house?
How did Gingerbread Baby feel when he made it home safely?
Who was waiting for Gingerbread Baby at home?
What do you think Mattie was doing in the kitchen before Gingerbread Baby even left the house for the bakery?

Extension Activities:
Board Game: http://janbrett.com/games/gingerbread_baby_board_game.htm
Gingerbread Description Writing: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Gingerbread-Description-Writing-Freebie-420894
Gingerbread Glyph: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Gingerbread-Glyph-143725
Gingerbread Holiday Activities: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Gingerbread-Holiday-FREEBIE-1564816
http://lessons.atozteacherstuff.com/358/book-unit-gingerbread-baby-by-jan-brett/

Online Stories: A Small Little Treasure

We LOVE books.  We LOVE stories.  We LOVE sharing our favorite books and stories.  (If you aren't familiar with our Book of the Week, check them out!  There are lots of ideas for you!)  We use them constantly in therapy whether with articulation, language, pragmatics, and even fluency.  We use them A LOT.  Sometimes we enjoy taking a break from reading and treating our students to other narrators, which is why we like Storyline Online.  It includes approximately 30 online books; you will recognize many of the titles if you are a book lover as well!

Storytime Online also provides about 100 books online, some of which link to Storyline Online.

We hope you find these sites as awesomely useful as we do!

Book Of The Week: Shelia Rae, The Brave

Sheila Rae, The Brave by Kevin Henkes

Summary:
Shelia Rae is not afraid of anything, or so she says.  She's not afraid of the dark, of monsters, or thunder and lightening.  She insists that her sister, Louise is a "scaredy-cat."  She boasts and brags until her bravery is tested.  Sheila Rae discovers what being brave is really about!

Vocabulary:
fearless - to not be scared of anything
attack - to hurt or destroy something
block - an area in a town with four streets around it; one of the sides is called a block
stray - lost or without a home
bare - to show something that is not usually seen
growl - to make a deep, grumbling noise to show anger
evil - to have very bad behavior
scaredy-cat - someone who is scared of almost everything
convince - to get someone to believe something
dash - to move fast

Comprehension Questions:
Who is Sheila Rae?  Name three words that describe her.
Who is Louise?  Name three words that describe her.
How are Sheila Rae and Louise the same?  How are they different?
Why does Sheila Rae think she is brave?  (Share three ideas.) Is she really brave? How do you know?
What happens to Sheila Rae?  How does she feel then?  How is this different than how she feels at the beginning of the story?
What were two things Sheila Rae did when she was lost that showed that she was scared.
How does Sheila Rate feel at the end of the story?
What lesson did Sheila Rae learn?

We just posted a book study and optional close reading activity pack that is on sale at our store for the next 24 hours.  Check it out here!

Book Of The Week: The Kiss That Missed

The Kiss That Missed by David Melling

Summary:
The little Prince misses his dad's hurried but royal goodnight kiss.  The kiss sails through his room and out the window.  The loyal Knight is summoned to retrieve the kiss through the wild woods filled with big and hungry animals.  His adventure continues on his mission to save the kiss!

Vocabulary:

• squawk-to complain loudly
• mount-to climb
• gallop-to ride a horse at full speed
• hot pursuit-following closely to catch someone
• swoop-to move down suddenly from above as if to attack
• leer-to look or smile in a sneaky and untrusting way
• lumber-to move in a clumsy way

Questions:

What were the characters' names?  Why do you think the author did that?

When did the story take place?  Use evidence from the illustrations.

Why do you think the King was always in a hurry?

Why do you think the King had the Knight follow the kiss instead of giving the Prince a new kiss?

What kind of knight was the Knight?  How do you know that?

Give two words to describe the dragon.

How would the story's ending have changed if the dragon was not friendly and helpful?

Extension activities:

Storyline Online

Sequencing (from Pitner's Potpourri)

http://www.kansasread.org/pdf/BMJ_2004/thekiss.pdf

Book of the Week: Aliens Love Underpants

Aliens Love Underpants by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort

This silly, light-hearted book, filled with rhyming text, brings aliens to Earth in search of underpants.  They love all types of colors and sizes...no pair is safe from their liking!  

Vocabulary:

• radar - using radio waves to find the places, distances, or speeds of far away objects
• delighted - having lots of enjoyment
• puma - a large wild cat with tan or gray fur 
• frilly - a border or ruffle around the edge of clothing
• competition - trying to win something
• elastic - something that can be stretched and then go back to the way it was before it was stretched
• fetch - going somewhere, pick something up, and then bring it back
• lurk - to hide and wait

Questions:

• Where do the aliens live?
• Where are they going?  Why are they going there?
• How do the aliens travel to Earth?
• Where do they find the underpants?  Whose do they find?
• What would you do if you discovered an alien using your underpants?
• Why do you think they like underpants so much?

Looking for extension activities?  Check these out!

Great for vocabulary, puzzles, design and describe!

More on TPT!

Kim Short, (writing), Learning Ahoy (rhyming), Crazy Kids Learning (noun cut and sort) 

Book of the Week: Silly Sally

Silly Sally by Audrey Wood

Summary: 

This book is packed with fun!  Silly Sally finds her way in to town with a parade of animals and a friend.  A cumulative story packed with rhymes and colorful pictures is a perfect read for young children!

Vocabulary:

• jig - a fast dance
• leapfrog - a game in which one player bends down and another jumps over him/her
• loon - a large black and white bird that that makes a loud noise that sounds like a laugh
• tune - notes that make up music; a melody

Questions:

Where was Silly Sally going?

How did Silly Sally walk?

Who did Silly Sally meet first?

What did Silly Sally and the pig do?

Who did Silly Sally meet second?

What did Silly Sally and the dog play?

Who did Silly Sally meet third?

What did Silly Sally and the loon do?

Who did Silly Sally meet fourth?

What did Silly Sally and the sheep do?

Who did Silly Sally meet at the end of the story?

How did Silly Sally wake up?

Would you want to be friends with Silly Sally?  Why or why not?

Could this story really happen?  Why or why not?

Why was Sally so silly?

Extension Activities

Color the characters and sequence them in the story.  Find the printable pictures here.

Speechtimefun has a fun /s/ articulation worksheet and a recall worksheet.

Silly Sally fun pack at The Paper Bag Teacher includes activities for colors, letters, numbers, and sentences.

Create a rhyming book at A to Z Teacher Stuff.

Practice character descriptions worksheet from All That Chit Chat.

Book of the Week: Hop on Pop

Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss

This book has been H-O-T in my house this week.  My daughter loves this book because she is "reading," AKA rocking the rhyming words!  I love that she loves books.  I love that she loves to rhyme.  I love that she loves to "read."  The speech-language pathologist nerd in me is shrieking with phonological awareness glee!  (Phonological awareness are skills that develop in later preschool years; it includes the awareness of rhymes, awareness that sentences can be broken down into words, syllables, and sounds, as well as the ability to manipulate sounds.  It is an important predictor of spelling, reading, and writing skills.)

This week I struggled with generating meaningful vocabulary and comprehension questions because I was so focused on the rhyming piece.  So this week, the book of the week is a little different; I created a Dr. Seuss-inspired rhyming game.  

Included is a game board, 72 receptive and expressive game cards, and two rhyming certificates.  The game cards were created for students who are different stages in their rhyming abilities: students who are working on discriminating whether or not two words rhyme and others who are working on generating rhyming words. 

I am so excited to use this more during the summer with my daughter.  I hope you find it useful, too!

We are offering it for FREE for the next 48 hours.  You can grab it here at our TPT store.  It's also a small thank you to our now 200 followers!

Book Of The Week" The Flea's Sneeze

The Flea's Sneeze by Lynn Downey

Summary:

This fun and light-hearted book is built upon rhyme, rhythm, and repetition, making it a great book for early literacy and phonemic skills.  As numerous barn animals attempt to sleep, a poor little flea has a cough, the sniffles, the sneezes but no tissue!

Vocabulary:

• tumbledown - broken down; ready to fall apart
• garble - to mix up or confuse
• plea - a call for help; to beg
• snoot - nose
• baffle - to confuse
• mutter - to mumble
• outrage - to be very angry
• holler - to yell
• fluster - to become confused and/or upset
• daunt - to be discouraged

This book provides a great opportunity to work on rhyming words, animal names, and animal sounds.  waddle-ah-chaa offers animal extension activities put to song!

Questions:

• Where do you sleep?
• What is a fowl?
• What is a hog?
• What sounds might you hear in a rickety, crickety barn?
• Where is a peaceful place that you like to go?
• What happens when you are sick?  Do you sneeze?  Do you cough?
• What other animals might you see on a farm?

Scholastic offers fun activities with puppets and instruments that you can check out here.

Book Of The Week: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin

Summary: 
Pete the Cat is wearing his favorite shirt with the grooviest four buttons.  Oops!  Pete's buttons begin to pop off, but does he cry?  Goodness no!  Pete's calm and care-free attitude is a perfect segue into summer break!

Questions:
Who is the story about?
What happened to Pete the Cat?
What did he do after he lost each button?
Where was Pete when he lost his buttons?
How many buttons did Pete have at the beginning of the story?  At the end of the story?
What color were the buttons?
Why didn't Pete become upset when he lost his buttons?
Have you ever lost something?  What was it?  How did you feel?
Would you want to be friends with Pete?  Why or why not?

The video can be viewed here (and is very entertaining)!

Book Of The Week: Gertrude McFuzz

Gertrude McFuzz by Dr. Seuss

Summary:

And yet another Dr. Seuss book this week!  Gertrude McFuzz.  The girl with one little feather on her tail.  Gertrude McFuzz just couldn't bear to see Lolla-Lee-Lou's beautiful tail.  Jealousy and greed get the best of her, and in the end, she realizes that she is perfect just as she is.

Vocabulary:

• droopy - to hand or sink down
• spy - to discover
• pout - to show unhappy feelings with expressions of the face
• absurd - silly; foolish
• tantrum - a noisy outburst of anger
• din - a loud, steady noise
• gnaw - to chew
• pluck - to pick
• twitch - to move or pull with a quick, sudden motion
• nibbles - to eat in small bites
• silk - a soft thread made by a certain insect
• swish - to move using a rustling sound
• squawk - to give a harsh scream

Questions:
Why was Gertrude so sad?
Why did she want more than one feather?
Why did Gertrude have a tantrum?  Have you ever had a tantrum?
Why did Gertrude eat more than one berry?
Why couldn't Gertrude fly home?
Who rescued her?

What three words can you use to describe Gertrude?

How did Gertrude's feelings about her tail change from the beginning of the story to the end of the story?
If Gertrude had been able to show Lolla-Lee-Lou her feathers, how do you think Lolla would  have responded?

What would you have done if you were Gertrude?  Would the outcome have been different?  How so?

What is the theme of this story?

Book of The Week: Yertle The Turtle

Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss

We can't help but continue posting Dr. Seuss books this month.  Whether it's the rhyme and rhythm, the ease with which his stories are written, or the remarkable themes embedded within his stories, we are HUGE fans!  And this book is one of my favorites!  As you may know, Seuss's character Yertle was a representation of Hitler, but coincidently, the dispute was not about the politics of the book but rather Mack's burp.

Summary: 

Yertle the turtle is king of the pond, but that isn't enough.  He wants more and demands that turtles stack themselves on each other so that he can sit on top of them and look around at what he owns.  While surveying his land, he notices that what he has is not good enough.  He continues to demand the turtles stack themselves higher and higher  Mack, the poor turtle at the bottom, begs Yertle for a rest; he is tired and pained, but of course, Yertle will hear none of it.  Suddenly, Mack burps, which shakes Yertle's "throne", and the turtle stack topples down.  Yertle is sent flying into the mud, resulting in the turtles' freedom.

Vocabulary: 

• throne - a seat used by a ruler or other important person for special events
• beyond - past the farthest place
• command - to lead and control
• view - the area that can be seen from a certain spot
• mule - an animal that has a horse as a mother and a donkey as a father
• marvelous - splendid; amazing
• faint - weak
• sigh - to breathe out with a long breath because of being tired or sad
• thunder - to say something in a very loud and forceful way
• bellow - to shout loudly in a deep voice
• bray - a loud and harsh sound

Questions:

What three words can you use to describe Yertle?

What three words can you use to describe Mack?

Do you think Yertle would ever find happiness on his throne?  Why or why not?

What would you have done if you were Mack?  What would the outcome be?

What is the theme of this story?  

Check out these cool extension activities!

Yertle the Turtle Opinion Writing

Yertle the Turtle Lesson Plan

The Life and Work of Dr. Seuss: A Nonfiction Text Structure Activity

Over the last few weeks, the students in our language arts intervention groups have been working on nonfiction text structure.  We have been working hard on increasing the complexity of text that we present to the students.  Initially, we started with simpler activities with a strong emphasis on visual supports and identifying clue words.  Our February 20th post, Non Fiction Text Structure, was a great example of this.  Next, we moved to task cards.  These cards included clue/signal words with a range of reading lexiles due to the tier 3 vocabulary.  The students were intimated by the lengthier passages, but they did fantastic!  (The passages were also used with our intervention group that was working on decoding multisyllabic words, another reason for the higher reading lexiles.)  They gained a lot of confidence reading the passages and discovered that their length had nothing to do with the actual content...and they rocked the content!  (If you're looking for this set of task cards, they are available here at our TPT store.)

Today, they were given another challenge.  I presented them with a full page of text, again, at a higher reading lexile for those students working on decoding.  They were excited to find that the text was about the life and work of Dr. Seuss.  Unintimidated, they started reading with confidence and excitement. After each paragraph, they were asked to determine what type of text structure was present and then provide evidence from the text to support their answer.  While I tried to be very pointed about the type of structure I embedded within each paragraph when wrote it, they were able to provide several great discussion points about the type of text structure they thought the paragraphs represented and why.  It was a much better activity than I anticipated! If you want to check it out, you can also find it at our TPT store.  It's free until this Wednesday at noon, so grab yours now!

Book Of The Week: Grace For President

Grace For President by Kelly DiPucchio

Summary: 

When Grace Campbell's teacher, Mrs. Barrington, takes out a poster with presidential pictures on it, Grace becomes very aware that there are no girl presidents!  Thinking about the absurdity of it, Grace decides to run for school president. Her excitement is short-lived when she finds out a student from Mr. Waller's class, Thomas Cobb, is also running for president.  Thomas's legacy of success has Grace worried but her worry turns into hard work and campaigning while Thomas continues to think about himself.  Down by one electoral vote and only one student left to vote, will Grace win the election?

Vocabulary:

• stew - to be worried or annoyed
• election - the process of choosing someone to be a part of the government by voting
• snicker - to laugh in a sneaky or sly way
• announcement - a public statement 
• democracy - a government in which people get to for for their lawmakers
• nominate - to choose someone for a position
• assign - to choose someone to do something
• electoral vote- votes given by each state in the United States Presidential election
• candidate - the person who wants to be elected or chosen for something
• campaign - a plan that someone makes and does to make something happen
• constituents - someone who allows someone else to represent him or her
• rally - a gathering to make people feel good about something
• beautification - the process of making something beautiful
• assembly - to join together as a group for a reason
• podium - a raised platform for a speaker
• slogan - a short phrase or motto used during an election

There is a lot of great vocabulary in this lesson.  I found that it was difficult for students with language needs, more specifically with vocabulary weaknesses, to comprehend the text, so I decided to make these simple "I have…who has…" cards to practice the vocabulary.  What a difference it made!  You can find them here at our TPT store.

Questions:

Why did Grace decide to run for president?  

Why did Grace think it would be easy to run for president at first?

What did the author mean when she said, "Grace's heart sank"?

What kind of a student do you think Thomas was?

Why did Thomas campaign differently than Grace?

What qualities do you think Sam saw in Grace that he did not see in Thomas?

Who would you vote for?  Why?

I also used this awesome freebie from Megan Mitchell.  It was the perfect addition to this book!

Book of the Week: Roses Are Pink Your Feet Really Stink

Roses Are Pink Your Feet Really Stink by Diane deGroat

Summary: It's almost Valentine's Day, and Gilbert is starting to write his Valentine's Day poems.  He remembers some not-so-nice things his classmates Margaret and Lewis have done to him, so he decides to write them mean Valentine's and then sign each other's names on them.  When Margaret and Lewis read their Valentine's, they are not happy.  It doesn't take long until they realize that they were missing a Valentine from Gilbert.  Gilbert needs to figure out a way to fix his problem before the Valentine's Day party is over!

Vocabulary:

• smiley eyes - nice and friendly eyes
• tweak - to pull or pinch
• tin - a metal container with a lid used to keep food in, especially cookies
• mitt - baseball glove
• nasty - rude
• to have rocks in your head - to not be very smart

This book lends itself well to practicing cause and effect.  You can access our cause and effect freebie here.  Our students were very successful with this activities.

Are you interest in other extension activities/  Check these out!

• Shawna Devoe has a free activity that looks at how characters change throughout the story.  YOu can find the activity on TPT or click here. 
• This activity pack includes math, writing, and comprehension activities!
• This teaching resource targets vocabulary and characters, setting, and story events.