Back to School: Start the School Year with Kindness

As I start each school year I promote the idea of Bucket Filling.

I recently was introduced to a story, Each Kindness, that would be a great discussion starter for older students which covers the consequences of bullying.

The story introduces us to Maya, the new girl at school who is not accepted by the others.

She wears second hand clothes and eats weird food and her efforts at forming friendships are all but ignored. Then one day she is no longer at the school and the teacher shares a lesson on kindness to the class. Each student drops a rock in a bowl of water and witnesses the ripple which is like each little kindness we show towards others. This book doesn't have a happily ever after ending, which is a great lesson to discuss with students. It  can make them realize that we don't always get a second chance to make things right and that behaviors and choices have consequences.

After reading this book you might even want to keep a bowl of water and rocks to drop in to show ripples of kindness towards classmates.

~Denise

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Memoir Text

I read a wonderful memoir text to my students this week written by Lester Laminack. It's titled Saturdays and Teacakes which tells the author's memories of his Saturdays spent in the south with his mammaw. The book is filled with vivid vocabulary and descriptions of their "Every Saturday" events:

having hot biscuits with Golden Eagle Syrup, mowing the lawn, picking tomatoes for sandwiches, sitting in the glider that goes criick, crack (great for teaching onomatopoeia), and best of all making tea cakes. After reading and discussing the special relationship between Lester and his mammaw I showed my class this video retelling

A great follow up with this story is to share about the history and background of teacakes.

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Favorite Read Alouds in the Classroom

Here are my top 5 read alouds for the classroom. I'll share a snippet about each one in the order that I read them to my class this year.

First up is Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry

What a character Gooney Bird Greene is. She's quirky and fun and a master storyteller.

This book lends itself wonderfully to introducing the elements of a good story writing and telling.

This author has several other Gooney books that a well worth the read too.

You can check my original blog post for this book, which includes a video find and my Gooney Unit {HERE}

Next, is Lulu and the Brontosaurs by Judith Viorst.

Lulu is a spoiled brat who demands that she wants a dinosaur for a pet.

This is a quick read, but one my class adored.

I would hear them chanting in line like Lulu, 

" I"m gonna,  I'm gonna, I'm gonna gonna get a bronta, bronta, brontosaurus for a pet."

Then, we read James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.

A classic read about a lonely boy named James raised by his mean aunts.

He escapes his miserable life inside a magical peach with a crew of animated insects.

On to Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, a great tale of friendship between a little girl, a runt pig she raises and a spider.

We watched the video afterwards to compare the book to the movie.

My all time favorite I always end the year with is Dodger and Me by Jordan Sonnenblick

 The main character, Willie Ryan forms a friendship with an invisible, blue chimp in surfer shorts and his life literally changes. Cute, cute read. I originally blogged about this book {HERE}.

What are your favorite read alouds?

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Gooney Bird Greene - Read aloud Activities in the Classroom

I must say that I adore Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry!
And my class quadruple adores Gooney.

I just finished reading this to my class last week and this one little story has SO many good teaching points for mini lessons. Plus, Gooney Bird Greene models wonderful story telling!

Here's one teacher's take on all the teaching opportunities for this book.

I've made a packet of activities for Gooney Bird Greene
Take a peek. 

 

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Muggie Maggie Read Aloud

A great read aloud for third graders is Muggie Maggie, as she is the main character who refuses to learn to write cursive. By the end of the story Maggie has a change of heart and comes to like writing in cursive. Now, I've never had any students who did not itch at the chance to learn cursive. In fact, I use these wonderful animated cursive links as a learning tool for cursive.

Following my Muggie Maggie read aloud I do this reading response

Grab it {HERE}

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Mr. Peabody’s Apples Read Aloud and Story Craft

This is my Patchwork Apple bulletin board. The read aloud lead in to our apple art was the book, Mr. Peabody's Apples, which is one of my first week MUST reads. It has a wonderful moral lesson that teaches about integrity and responsibility, particularly around the idea of spreading false rumors and the consequences that come from it. It shows the importance of mutual respect and trust in relationships. 

Following the reading students used squares of solid and patterned red wrapping paper to decorate the apples. Easy and cute!  I keep this bulletin board up year round as a reminder of the message the book sends.

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 (Freebie ideas and giveaways are sometimes shared there!)

Favorite Read Aloud: Dodger and Me

One of my all time favorite read alouds is Dodger and Me.  I LOVE it and the students beg for me to read it! The blue chimp, Dodger, is a character with such irresistible charm.  The book has a baseball theme which boys love, as well as girls. It's a grand slam read across the board. Dodger becomes an imaginary friend to the main character Willie Ryan.  The flap excerpt reads:

What would you do if your best friend was:
     1. Imaginary?
     2. An oversize blue chimp in surfer shorts? (Potentially embarrassing, but hey, no one else can see him . . . right?)
     3. Proposing a plan to help you improve your life?
     4. Did we say imaginary?
     5. Driving you crazy?!?!
Now you have an idea of what Willie Ryan’s life is like when he meets Dodger. It’s the beginning of a lot of trouble—and a friendship you’ll never forget!

I found a chapter by chapter response packet online for it too.  What are your favorite read alouds?

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Favorite Back to School Read Aloud

One of my all time favorites to read to start the school year is Nobody's Mother is in Second Grade by Robin Pulver. It's a story about a mom disguised as a plant so she can go to school with her child. It's a great way to discuss the importance of being an independent third grader.

I created this literature prompt to follow my read aloud.  The student's responses are always good for a chuckle. This version posted is for 3rd grade, as that's the grade I currently teach. I just couldn't let this story go when I moved from 2nd grade. 

Enjoy!

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