Oh my goodness- I can't believe we are almost to November. Time to trade in the jack-o-lanterns for turkeys... or maybe even Christmas trees? I love November and December in the elementary classroom- so much to do and so much fun. It's a great time for strengthening your classroom community with all of the opportunities for giving that occur during this time of year. I also love the crafts and celebrations that come with the holidays. Too often teachers feel the stress of the curriculum pacing guide and feel as if they can't or shouldn't do any crafts "just for fun", but I say shut that door and craft away! They are only little once... And I really LOVE the wealth of picture books that are holiday-themed. Students are so engaged and you can teach so many skills using picture books during your reading workshop time. Over the next several weeks my plan is to share some of my favorites with you! To start off November- I pa...
Holiday read alouds are the BEST! In the coming weeks I am planning on sharing some of my very favorites with you. First up is... The Trees of the Dancing Goats by Patricia Polacco. This is a touching book that really exemplifies the meaning of the holidays. I am a HUGE fan of Patricia Polacco. Several of her books would make it on my Top 10 Favorites of all time list. This includes some of her holiday books, such as the one I will be sharing with you today. This is a touching book about both Hanukkah and Christmas. I love how it celebrates and honors both holidays and their traditions in such a beautiful way. This book is based on a childhood memory of Patricia Polacco's. The main character, Trisha, and her family are all set to celebrate Hanukkah when an epidemic hits their little town. Trisha is exposed to scarlet fever after a visit to the neighbors, and fortunately no one in her family becomes ill. Many of her neighbors are not so...
New to the Thanksgiving read aloud scene this year is How to Catch a Turkey by Adam Wallace and Andy E llerton. What a FUN book- your students are going to love it! There are several books in the How to Catch a... series and this is one of the newest ones. (Look for the How to Catch a Snowman blog post after the first of the year!). There are several skills you could touch on with this How to Catch a Turkey Thanksgiving read aloud... I created an anchor chart that you could use for any of the word choice lessons- let your students lead the discussion with what jumps out at them with the authors' word choice. 1. Word Choice (Vocabulary): The book is written in rhyme. The authors choice of writing in rhyme really sets the upbeat, fun mood for this story. The vocabulary and the phrases are also spot on and a great teaching point for this read aloud. After reading the story through once, you...
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