We read lots of Christmas books this week! Red and Lulu, Stick Man, Maple and Willow, Who Will Guide My Sleigh Tonight, Humphrey's First Christmas, Silver Packages, Click Clack Ho! Ho! Ho!, and It's Christmas David were some highlights.
RED AND LULU BY MATT TAVARES
This book is so beautiful. It tells the story of two cardinals whose tree is chopped down with Lulu still in the nest! Red can't believe it when he comes home after gathering breakfast to see their tree loaded on the back of a huge truck, which is driving away. He follows the truck to New York City, but he eventually loses sight of it. He can't believe his eyes when he is drawn to people singing Christmas carols around the huge, beautifully lit tree at Rockefeller Center and realizes that is HIS tree! He has a happy reunion with Lulu, and they stick around the area and make their home in Central Park. In the author's note, Tavares shares that the star on top of the Rockefeller tree weighs 550 pounds, and that it is decorated with over 45,000 lights! He also states that after Christmas, the tree is always donated to Habitats for Humanity to help build houses for those in need. Recycling at its finest!
BLIZZARD BY JOHN ROCCO
I read the book Blizzard by John Rocco to 3rd graders. It's a book about the author's experience during the Blizzard of 1978. I told them that I was their age when the Blizzard hit, and (like in the story) we missed over a week of school, lost electricity, and the roads were closed. BUT, we also had a blast playing in the snow, building snow forts, and sledding. It was a fun time to be a kid! Rocco said there was 40" of snow where he lived, so we measured how high that was and some of the shorter kids realized the snow was almost as tall as they were!
I also love Rocco's book Blackout about what a family and its neighbors do when the power goes out.
Because 5th graders are studying the pioneer days in social studies, I read Apples to Oregon: Being the Slightly True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries (and Children) Across the Plains. The story describes a family's experience of moving from Iowa to Oregon to settle and to plant the father's beloved fruit trees. The trees were just saplings, and it was very important that the trees survive the journey so they could be planted and prosper. The story was a a tall tale with plenty of fruit humor ("hailstones as big as plums," e.g.). The father loved his saplings (apparently more than he loved his children), and he even named his daughter Delicious.
RED AND LULU BY MATT TAVARES
This book is so beautiful. It tells the story of two cardinals whose tree is chopped down with Lulu still in the nest! Red can't believe it when he comes home after gathering breakfast to see their tree loaded on the back of a huge truck, which is driving away. He follows the truck to New York City, but he eventually loses sight of it. He can't believe his eyes when he is drawn to people singing Christmas carols around the huge, beautifully lit tree at Rockefeller Center and realizes that is HIS tree! He has a happy reunion with Lulu, and they stick around the area and make their home in Central Park. In the author's note, Tavares shares that the star on top of the Rockefeller tree weighs 550 pounds, and that it is decorated with over 45,000 lights! He also states that after Christmas, the tree is always donated to Habitats for Humanity to help build houses for those in need. Recycling at its finest!BLIZZARD BY JOHN ROCCO
I read the book Blizzard by John Rocco to 3rd graders. It's a book about the author's experience during the Blizzard of 1978. I told them that I was their age when the Blizzard hit, and (like in the story) we missed over a week of school, lost electricity, and the roads were closed. BUT, we also had a blast playing in the snow, building snow forts, and sledding. It was a fun time to be a kid! Rocco said there was 40" of snow where he lived, so we measured how high that was and some of the shorter kids realized the snow was almost as tall as they were!I also love Rocco's book Blackout about what a family and its neighbors do when the power goes out.
APPLES TO OREGON IN 5TH GRADE
Because 5th graders are studying the pioneer days in social studies, I read Apples to Oregon: Being the Slightly True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Grapes, and Cherries (and Children) Across the Plains. The story describes a family's experience of moving from Iowa to Oregon to settle and to plant the father's beloved fruit trees. The trees were just saplings, and it was very important that the trees survive the journey so they could be planted and prosper. The story was a a tall tale with plenty of fruit humor ("hailstones as big as plums," e.g.). The father loved his saplings (apparently more than he loved his children), and he even named his daughter Delicious.
During the reading, each student was responsible for recording details about the story (character traits, problem/solution, setting, figurative language, vocabulary, etc.). It was an enjoyable way to practice note taking skills and picking out story elements.
Comments
Post a Comment