New Book News
August/September/October 2003
Excerpt
Book
The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
Candlewick, 2003 32p. (all ages)
A teacher helps a child discover her creative spirit in this fable of teaching and learning.
Idea
The book dedication is to a teacher who challenged the author to "make his mark." Encourage students to identify the "mark" they want to make this year. They can describe their intended "mark" on a watercolor dot like the dot on the cover of this book.
Teachers may also want to identify the "mark" they would like to make on their students this year, either on individuals or on the class in its entirety. This is a way to identify goals for the new school year.
Idea
Book marks are used to keep a place in a book. Readers can make book marks for books they want to keep in their lives, books they always want to remember. When students read a book that left its "mark" on them, they can write the title and author of the book on one side of an exclamation point along with a summary of the contents of the book. On the reverse side of the exclamation point, they write how and why the book impacted them so much.
Idea
Make several gold frames to display student work. Then, throughout the year, students can identify the work they complete that they think is worthy of framing and display it proudly. Both teacher and students can indicate why the particular work deserves a frame and belongs in the "Museum of Art."
Strategies for the following books are also included in the August/September/October issue
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- Almost Late to School & More School Poems
- by Carol Diggory Shields. (gr. K-6)
- Because I Could Not Stop My Bike and Other Poems
- by Karen Jo Shapiro. (gr. 1-8)
- Dinosailors
- by Deb Lund. (gr. K-3)
- The Essential Worldwide Monster Guide
- by Linda Ashman. (gr. 1-6)
- First Day
- by Dandi Daley Mackall. (gr. K-2)
- First Year Letters
- by Julie Danneberg. (gr. 2-6)
- A Frog in the Bog
- by Karma Wilson. (gr. K-2)
- Hands Can
- by Cheryl Willis Hudson. (gr. PS-3)
- Harry's Box
- by Angela McAllister. (gr. K-2)
- Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush
- by Will Hillenbrand. (gr. K-2)
- Hey, Pancakes!
- by Tamson Weston. (K-3)
- How I Became a Pirate
- by Melinda Long. (gr. K-3)
- I Dream of Trains
- by Angela Johnson. (gr. 1-5)
- I'm a Manatee
- by John Lithgow. (gr. K-6)
- Mathematickles!
- by Betsy Franco. (gr. 2-6)
- Mucky Duck
- by Sally Grindley. (gr. K-2)
- My Momma Likes to Say
- by Denise Brennan-Nelson. (gr. 2-5)
- One Witch
- by Laura Leuck. (gr. K-2)
- Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?
- by Bill Martin, Jr. (K-4)
- Punctuation Takes a Vacation
- by Robin Pulver. (gr. 2-5)
- The Ravenous Beast
- by Niamh Sharkey. (gr. K-3)
- Sahara Special
- by Esmé Raji Codell. (gr. 3-6)
- The Sheep Fairy
- by Ruth Louise Symes. (gr. K-3)
- Some Dogs Do
- by Jez Alborough. (gr. K-3)
- Stuart Goes to School
- by Sara Pennypacker. (gr. 1-3)
- Sword of the Rightful King
- by Jane Yolen. (gr. 5-8)
- The Tale of Despereaux
- by Kate DiCamillo. (gr. 2-6)
- What Do You Dream?
- by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel. (gr. 1-5)
- Yikes! ! !
- by Robert Florczak. (all ages)
To search for a specific title, see the Title Index
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