Dawn Little's Blog, page 3

Hiawatha and the Peacemaker by Robbie Robertson

Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: September 8, 2015

Recommended Grades: 4-6

The story of Hiawatha and the Peacemaker was passed down to the author as part of the North American Indian oral tradition.  Hiawatha is a brave Mohawk warrior who has lost his family in battle and wants revenge against the evil Chief, who is inciting fighting among the five Iroquois tribes.  When the Peacemaker (prophet) appears one day to unite the warring tribes, he uses Hiawatha to communicate his message.  This message of peace not only changes the ways of the Iroquois people forever, but also transforms Hiawatha’s mind and heart.  

Lesson Idea:

Mentor Text: Biography/Traditional Literature: Read aloud Hiawatha and the Peacemaker as part of a unit on Native American culture.  The author’s note indicates that Robertson heard the story of Hiawatha from a Native American elder while visiting relatives at Six Nations of the Grand River when he was a child.  Hiawatha and the Peacemaker provides background as to how the Great Law of Peace came to govern the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy.  David Shannon’s beautiful illustrations complement the telling of Hiawatha and the Peacemaker nicely.  Pair Hiawatha with The Very First Americans.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review.

©2015 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Filed under: biographies, Hiawatha and the Peacemaker, traditional literature Tagged: Hiawatha and the Peacemaker, picture book biographies, traditional literature

Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton by Don Tate

Publisher: Peachtree Publishers

Publication Date: September 1, 2015

Recommended Grades: 4-6

George loved words.  But, he was unable to read or attend school because George was enslaved.  Through sheer determination, he learned the alphabet, then he taught himself to read.   George created poems in his head and recited them at a nearby college campus while selling fruits and vegetables for his master.  Soon, the students on campus were buying his poems!  George Moses Horton was the first southern African-American man to be published. 

Lesson Idea:

Mentor Text: Biography:  Pair Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton with Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave by Laban Carrick Hill, Light in the Darkness: A Story About How Slaves Learned in Secret by Lesa Cline-Ransome and Words Set Me Free: The Story of Young Frederick Douglass and discuss the resilience of African-American people during a time when African-American literacy was discouraged.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review.

©2015 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Filed under: biographies, Poet the Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton, teaching with picture books Tagged: biography mentor text, picture book biographies, Poet The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton, teaching with picture books

Fur, Fins, and Feathers: Abraham Dee Bartlett and the Invention of the Modern Zoo by Cassandre Maxwell

Fur, Fins, and Feathers: Abraham Dee Bartlett and the Invention of the Modern Zoo

Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: August 10, 2015

Recommended Grades: K-4

From the time he was a little boy, Abraham Dee Bartlett loved animals. He spent every night reading about animals and dreamed of working with them when he grew up. In 1859, Bartlett was asked to become the Superintendent of the London Zoo. His love and respect for animals led him to become a pioneer in veterinary medicine and to create an environment for animals in zoos as we know them today.

Lesson Idea:

Mentor Text: Biography: Driven by his lifelong interest in animals, Bartlett worked tirelessly to ensure that the animals in the London Zoo were happy and healthy. Read loud Fur, Fins, and Feathers: Abraham Dee Bartlett and the Invention of the Modern Zoo to your class prior to a field trip to the zoo, or as part of a study on animals. Readers learn about Bartlett’s meticulous attention to the science of animal care, why there are explanations at exhibits, the reason behind enclosures as we view them today, and especially his appreciation for wild animals.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review.

©2015 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Filed under: biographies, Fur Fins and Feathers, teaching with picture books Tagged: Fur Fins and Feathers, picture book biographies

Trapped! A Whale’s Rescue by Robert Burleigh

Recommended Grades: 3-5

A humpback whale travels along the Pacific coast, but hidden in the water is a forgotten fishing net.�� When the whale becomes trapped, the story, based on a true event, reminds us of the important connection between humans and animals.��

Mentor Text: Word Choice

Burleigh uses fantastic word choice and description in Trapped! A Whale’s Rescue.�� His use of sensory words to describe the whale���s journey are beautifully complemented by Minor���s paintings. When students write informative texts, useTrapped! A Whale’s Rescue

as a mentor text to model great word choice.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher for review.

��2015 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Filed under: mentor texts, Trapped A Whale's Rescue, word choice Tagged: mentor texts, Trapped: A Whale's Rescue, word choice

Separate is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh

Recommended Grades: 5-8

When Sylvia Mendez and her family moved to a new town in California, she was excited to attend her neighborhood school.�� But, she was told she had to go to the Mexican school instead.�� Sylvia didn ���t understand why ��� she was an American citizen who spoke perfect English.�� This is the story of segregated schools in California and one families fight to end it.��

Lesson Idea: Mentor Text: Civil Rights: Read aloud Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family��s Fight for Desegregation as part of a unit on civil rights.�� Segregation based on race was common throughout the United States in the 1940s and much of what we know about segregation comes from our knowledge of segregation in the southern states.�� In actuality, The Mendez v. Westminster School District case paved the way for the desegregation of schools in America.�� The landmark case Brown v. Board of Education desegregated schools in the entire country, seven years after the Mendez victory.

��2015 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Filed under: civil rights, mentor texts, Separate is Never Equal, teaching with picture books Tagged: civil rights, mentor texts, Separate is Never Equal, teaching with picture books

Violet and Victor Write the Best-Ever Bookworm Book by Alice Kuipers

Recommended Grades: 3-5

Violet Small is on a mission to write the best book ever.�� She enlists her twin, Victor ���s help, but he ���s only interested in worms.�� Together, though, Violet and Victor discover the magic of storytelling!��

[image error]

Lesson Idea: Mentor Text: Creating Readers and Writers: Read aloud Violet and Victor Write the Best-Ever Bookworm Book to model the magic of storytelling.�� Building a collection of books around reading and writing provides model texts for students as they become readers and writers themselves.�� Violet and Victor are great characters to encourage the budding writers in your room.

��2015 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Filed under: creating readers and writers, Violet and Victor Write the Best-Ever Bookworm Book Tagged: Creating Readers and Writers, Violet and Victor Write the Best-Ever Bookworm Book

Earmuffs for Everyone: How Chester Greenwood Became Known as the Inventor of Earmuffs by Meghan McCarthy

Recommended Grades: 4-6

Chester Greenwood didn’t actually invent the earmuffs, but he improved them and received a patent for the design. Today, he is known as the inventor of earmuffs and the state of Maine celebrates him every year on December 21!

Lesson Idea:

Mentor Text: Biography/Author Study: This is another great picture book biography by author Meghan McCarthy. Others include Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum and Daredevil: The Daring Life of Betty Skelton. Read aloud Earmuffs for Everyone!: How Chester Greenwood Became Known as the Inventor of Earmuffs as part of a biography unit or as part of an author study of Meghan McCarthy. Her use of interesting facts in the text and the back matter she shares in her books provides the reader with a great model for nonfiction writing. Our third graders participate in an inquiry study of inventors each year and Earmuffs for Everyone!: How Chester Greenwood Became Known as the Inventor of Earmuffs will be a fantastic resource to add to the study.

©2015 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Filed under: author study, biographies, Earmuffs for Everyone, Inquiry, mentor texts, teaching with picture books Tagged: author study, biography for kids, Earmuffs for Everyone, Meghan McCarthy

Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Recommended Grades: 1-5

We all have an inner exclamation mark.  The question is, how do we find it?  The story of the exclamation mark and how it took him a little time to figure out what he wanted to say and how to say it.

Lesson Idea:

Mentor Text: Conventions/Finding Your Inner Self:   Exclamation Mark is an excellent mentor text for two very different topics.  On a surface level, use Exclamation Mark as a mentor text when discussing conventions and end marks in particular.  The font size in the text makes for excellent discussion around the use of the exclamation mark.  On a deeper level, the Exclamation Mark is a metaphor for finding your inner self and sharing it with the world.

©2014 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Filed under: conventions, Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, six traits of writing Tagged: conventions, Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, teaching with picture books

I Am Abraham Lincoln by Brad Meltzer

Recommended Grades: 3-5

I am Abraham Lincoln is part of a (fairly) new biography series on people who change the world.  Abraham Lincoln was a kid who stood up to bullies and believed in fairness for everyone. 

Lesson Idea:

Mentor Text: Biography/Persistence:  Read aloud I am Abraham Lincoln (Ordinary People Change World) and discuss how his actions as a child created the adult he became.  How did having the trait of persistence lead to Abraham Lincoln’s prolific political career and guide his core beliefs as a child?

Note to Teachers: While the author provided some photographs as back matter, I’m not entirely sure of the historical accuracy of Abraham Lincoln’s childhood as portrayed in this book.  Use this information as a springboard for a discussion on how to use/determine if information is historically accurate or not.

©2014 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Filed under: Abraham Lincoln, biographies, I Am Abraham Lincoln, Perseverance, teaching with picture books Tagged: biographies, I Am Abraham Lincoln by Brad Meltzer, perserverance

The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

Recommended Grades: 4-6

 A fence separates the black side of town from the white side of town.  How does the fence bring two little girls together? 

 Lesson Idea:

 Mentor Text: Civil Rights/Character Development: Read aloud The Other Side and discuss how the characters change by the end of the story.  In what ways do the characters grow?  How does the time period effect change?  Discuss the symbolism of the fence.  What can the reader infer?

 

©2014 by Dawn Little for Picture This! Teaching with Picture Books. All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

Filed under: character development, civil rights, mentor texts, The Other Side Tagged: character development, civil rights, mentor texts, The Other Side