 Back
to School |
Reading aloud picture books during the first days of
school provides wonderful opportunities to build a
classroom community; create a sense of wonder about
reading and open doors to the writing process. |
Amber on the Mountain by Tony Johnston (reading
/writing) *pencil
If You Were a Writer by Joan Lowry Nixon (writing
process) *pencil
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn (missing home)
*Hershey's Candy Kiss
Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard (humor)
Thank you, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
(reading; relating to dyslexic students) *graham
cracker with honey
Book by Ella George Lyons (reading) *book die
cut or bookmark
First Day Jitters by Julie Dannenberg (humor;
relating to students)
How I Spent My Summer Vacation by Mark Teague (a
fun twist on "what did you do for summer vacation"
stories) |
Paired Texts |
This
is a list of texts that compliment one another for
teaching text to text connections and compare /
contrast. It's important for students to make
connections across various texts that go beyond a
shallow level. Students should be able to compare and
contrast characters feelings and actions, setting,
theme, plots and information. State tests often ask
questions that require students to make these
comparisons. |
Ben's Dream by Chris Van Allsburg and Just a
Dream by Chris Van Allsburg
Stellaluna by Janeel Cannon and Bats: Night
Fliers by Betsy Maestro
Hoops by Robert Burleigh and Salt in His
Shoes: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream
by Deloris Jordan *small package of salt
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very
Bad Day by Judith Viorst and Today Was a
Terrible Day by Patricia Reilly Giff
Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor and If
You Find a Rock by Peggy Christian *small
rock
|
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Cause and Effect |
The
listed texts make provide you with plenty of cause and
effect relationships to help students understand this
important reading skill. The "cause" is "what happened"
and the "effect" is "why it happened." |
A
Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon *small piece
of striped cloth
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
*cookie to eat and cookie cutter as a treasure
If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroof
*silver dollar pancake
If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff
If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff
*movie ticket stub
The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes
Noble *small plastic snake
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
*cottonball
Pierre by Maurice Sendak
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
*small red pebble |
Text to Self |
Good
readers make personal connections with the text
throughout the reading. Good connections helps readers
to use what they already know (prior knowledge; schema)
to help them understand the text and create vivid mental
images. Good readers use their connections to help make
predictions throughout the reading of the text. |
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes *small
Chrysanthemum plastic flower
Mud Is Cake by Pam Munoz Ryan
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
Koala Lou by Mem Fox *koala sticker |
|
Text
to World |
Good
readers learn how to read deeper and more meaning when
they make real-world connections to the text. Strong
world connections deepens readers understanding of the
text and helps them to become critical thinkers. |
Whoever We Are by Mem Fox
Smoky Night by Eve Bunting |
|
Questioning |
Good
readers think of questions before and during the
reading. They ponder the unanswered questions after
reading. Questioning gives readers a purpose for
reading, helps them to make predictions, and helps them
to become critical thinkers. |
The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry |
|
Visualizing |
Good
readers make pictures in their minds while reading. The
pictures move like a movie and help bring the words to
life in the mind of the reader. Making mental images is
active versus passive and helps enrich the the text and
supports understanding and meaning making. |
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert
Frost |
|
Plot/Sequence/Summary |
Good
readers can follow the sequences or plot of the story
and then summarize the story in a logical order. |
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
The Pumpkin Blanket by Deborah Turney Zagwyn
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig |
|
Character Traits |
Good
readers understand the traits (personality) of the
character. They also understand the difference between
how they feel about something and how the character
feels. They can identify the cause and effect of the
characters actions and distinguish between their own
beliefs about what the character should do versus what
the character actually does. |
Sleeping Ugly by Jane Yolen
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini |
|
Setting |
Setting is the time and place in a story. Good readers
understand the time, the time sequence, change in time
that occurs throughout a text. Good readers also connect
to the setting and understand it's visual power to bring
the characters to life and give the story deeper
meaning. |
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
Night Tree by Eve Bunting
Koala Lou by Mem Fox
Encounter by Jane Yolen
The Pumpkin Blanket by Deborah Turney Zagwyn |
|
Main Idea (Nonfiction) |
Good
readers can determine the main idea in nonfiction and
distinguish the main idea from the supporting details.
This determination helps the reader get the "gist" of
the text and makes meaning clearer. |
City of Snow: The Great Blizzard of 1888 by Linda
Oatman High
Artic Lights, Arctic Nights by Debbie S. Miller
The Boy on Fairfield Street by Kathleen Krull
How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning by Rosalyn
Schanzer
When Marion Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan |
|
Context Clues |
Good
readers use context clues to help them figure out
unknown vocabulary words. They realize that they words
around the unknown word act as clues and can help them
make meaning even though the unknown word is unfamiliar
to them. |
Piggins by Jane Yolen *fake plastic diamond
A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry *small clear
aquarium pebble |
|
Predictions |
Good
readers make predictions, confirm or adjust their
predictions before reading and during reading. They are
constantly adjusting their thinking throughout the text
as they receive more information. |
Just
a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg
Ben's Dream by Chris Van Allsburg
Keepers by Jeri Hanel Watts
Koala Lou by Mem Fox
|
|
Drawing Conclusions / Making Inferences |
Good
readers understand that there is meaning to be made in
the text that is not written directly in the text, but
instead, "between the lines" of the text. Good readers
draw conclusions and make inferences based on the
evidence in the text and their own prior knowledge that
they bring to the text. They combine their own thinking
with the written words to read and understand what is to
be assumed rather than directly stated. |
The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles
The Art Lesson by Tomie dePaola
Tough Boris by Mem Fox
Koala Lou by Mem Fox
Knots on a Counting Rope by Bill Martin, Jr.
Stellaluna by Jannell Cannon
The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg
The Wretched Stone by Chris Van Allsburg |
|
Foreshadowing |
Sometimes authors clue readers into what is about to
happen using a technique called foreshadowing. Authors
may use their words to provide hints and sometime
illustrators use their pictures to provide the reader
with hints. Good readers should be open to these clues
to help them make predictions. |
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Encounter by Jane Yolen
The Z Was Zapped: A Play in Twenty-Six Acts by
Chris Van Allsburg |
|
Point of View |
Good
readers can step into a character's shoes and understand
their point of view. Point of view is a critical
thinking skill that helps readers to understand
viewpoints different from their own. |
Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg
Encounter by Jane Yolen |
|
Faction |
When
an author combines two or more text structures within
one book (both fiction and nonfiction), it is called
faction. It's important to learn how to navigate this
different type of text in order to create meaning and
understand the different structures and the viewpoints
they provide. |
Magic School Bus (series) by Joanna Cole
Snowflake Bentley by |
|
Determine Importance |
Good
readers distinguish between the literal meaning of a
text the deeper, more thoughtful meaning of a text. They
know how to draw out the themes and big ideas and
connect to those ideas. They move beyond shallow
references to more insightful thinking. |
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