Incorporating More Picture Books in the Middle School Classroom

Here's the beginning of an ongoing project...

Using picture books in daily lessons serves many great purposes. The activities are endless.  Any well-written picture book can serve as a mentor text throughout the entire year for a multitude of lessons.  They enable you to do minilessons, using multiple examples in a short period of time.  Also given the wide range of picture books, you can choose different levels for the wide ranges of abilities in the classroom.  The possibilities are limitless...

Irony

Activity: Using Wicked Big Toddlah by Kevin Hawkes, read through without showing the illustrations.  Then read through giving ample amount of time to look at the illustrations. 

Idea Development:  

Activity:  Have students read a picture book and then develop the main idea into a full-length paragraph or a full-length story. 

Activity:  Read the students MOST of the story.  Then, have them write the ending.  This fun activity lets them use their knowledge of conflict resolution to solve the puzzle that’s spinning in their heads.  This is a sure way to get students thinking.

 Transitions:

Activity: Read through and omit the transitions.  Then reread the book in its entirety. Talk about the importance of transitions.

Point of View:

Activity: Read a familiar picture book.  Then rewrite the picture book using a different point of view. 

Word Choice:

Activity:  In groups, read through a picture book, and then go through again, changing words they feel would make the story more exciting, powerful, effective, etc.

Activity:  Choose a book that is several levels below the reader.  Allow them to rewrite the book, making the story suitable for their level.

Alliteration:

Activity: Read several of these books to illustrate the concept of alliteration.  Have other examples to read at anytime.  Have them write their own pieces.

Animalia - Base

Dinorella - Edwards

Faint Frogs Feeling Feverish - Obligado

Four Famished Foxes - Edwards

Some Smug Slug - Edwards

Wacky Wedding - Edwards

What Pete Ate from A – Z – Kalman

Worrywarts - Edwards

Chicken Little by Steven Kellog

If You Were A Writer by Joan Lowry Nixon

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

Shrek by William Steig

Allison’s Zinnia by Anita Lobel

Princess Prunella and the Purple Peanut by Margaret Atwood

Bashful Bob and Doleful Dorinda by Margaret Atwood

Rude Ramsay and the Roaring Radishes by Margaret Atwood

Foreshadowing

Activity: Go through examples and put post-its on points in the story where they find foreshadowing.  Make cause and effect chart.

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen


Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say


Ruby the Copycat by Peggy Rathman


The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

Idioms:

Activity: Using Amelia Bedelia  series by Peggy Parish as mentor texts, students will create their own humorous stories.

Letter Writing:

Activity: Using Armadillo from Amarillo by Lynne Cherry as a mentor text, have students take imaginary road trips documenting their stops with postcards to a friend. 

Activity: Using A is for Abigail by Lynne Cheney, and other similar books as mentor texts, make alphabet books of their own.

Activity: Using Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, and other similar books as mentor texts, make a diary of another animal showing the life cycle.

Great websites:
http://teachwithpicturebooks.blogspot.com/

Picturing Books: A website about picture books at <http:// picturing books. imaginarylands.org/#anatomy

Pictures Books... not just pretty to look at

It's been much too long... I took a slight hiatus from reading chapter books and read wheel-barrels full of picture books.  We had our annual book fair and I attempted to read as many books as I could to be able to recommend appropriate books for our students and their loved ones.  I've always said picture books have a very important place in our middle schoolers' educations.  I plan to work on a project of sorts using specific examples of books that would be beneficial to any classroom.  I recently attended the Reading Round Up in Augusta (I'll talk about that in another post) where Helen's Big World was awarded the Lupine Award.  We were privileged to have the author, Doreen Rappaport send a video talking about the book and then the illustrator, Matt Tavares spoke about the book as well.  This book could be used for all ages.  There's so much to learn, not just from the content, but the process as well.  Fortunately, more and more children and adults are realizing the benefits, but sadly they are still being underutilized.

To skim or not to skim....that is the question

Remember when I said I was overwhelmed by the countless books that were coming home taunting me from the dining room table every time I turned around?  No?  Well, they are.  Don't get me wrong, I love to read and I love being given books to read, but when they turn out to be disappointing stories with very little redeeming qualities, I think about the two nights time I could've been reading from my personal pile of books that await me.  I could've been laughing and gasping at Cornelia Funke's sequel to Inkheart, Inkspell or finishing George RR Martin's A Dance with Dragons. I continue to plow through this pile of books that seem to grow not shrink the more I read.  Just when I'm about to give in and start skimming through books like numerous people have suggested I do, I find a gem.  True Colors by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock has been highly enjoyed by not just myself but my 10 year old daughter as well.  We laugh out loud every time we pick up the book.  We've taken turns reading aloud to each other and despite our promise to wait for each other to read ahead, we've both been guilty of sneaking a peak or two of the next chapter.  I've never liked hearing synopses of books or even looking at covers of books for fear it will give away too much.  Imagine if I had chosen this book to start skimming?  I would've been 3-4 chapters deep before realizing how good this book was and then the first few chapters would've been ruined.  I'll blame this book for the ever increasing pile of books on my table, but I'll be sure to recommend it to anyone who will listen to me :)

Letter to a former teacher

Dear Mr. Floyd,
It's been 17 years, but I still remember the day you approached me about my US History mid-term.  I was in the hallway about to use the phone when you asked me where I had learned to write.  My insecure self assumed you meant it was terrible.  My look of confusion as you handed me my essay with a 97 on it must have confused you as well.  I was literally speechless.  Unfortunately, I always felt I had to dumb myself down all through elementary and middle school.  Expressive vocabulary came naturally to me as I was writing or speaking.  I had learned to suppress it for fear of standing out or being teased.  I had done it for so long, I believed as my teachers had, that I wasn't very bright.  When I reached high school, I struggled.  My automatic nature was to be lazy and dumb it down.  I soon realized if I didn't pick it up I would flunk out.  Surrounded by all these people that I believed were smarter than I was, my self-esteem began to suffer even more.  When you asked me where I learned to write and said that it was a brilliantly written essay, I, for the first time, felt good about my schoolwork. I began to try harder.  I left academic probation behind and never left the honor roll.  You may not remember that short conversation in the hall, but it made a huge difference in my life.  Thank you for taking the time to recognize me.

Sincerely,
Brianne Lolar
Class of 1997

It's writing time....

I've always believed I was a "writer"... I write only when required and am insecure about sharing... I'm taking a course on writing and the teaching of writing, so I'm going to have to step out of my comfort zone for awhile and hope one day it won't come as such a struggle for me.

What makes writing easy for me:
When I know nobody else will see it
When I'm writing about something I love and feel passionate about
When I have a multitude of things to write about
When I have a comfortable space, lots of writing supplies, music in the background
When I'm able to talk aloud, reading back what I've wrote without others around

What makes writing hard for me:
I am very self-conscious and concerned way too much with what others will think when I "let loose."
Not enough time
Self-fulfilling prophecy... never thought of myself as a writer
I "dumbed down" my writing for so long, it became difficult to trust my writing
I could write all day trying to make excuses for my writing... or lack thereof...but essentially it all boils down to my self-consciousness.  Writing isn't the only area in my life it has grossly affected
The pressure alone gives me writer's block

Mini me joins the blogging world

On a super exciting note, my daughter has joined the blogging world!  She's seen me attempt my hand at blogging numerous times for various classes, but never took a whirl.  Many of the books I read is as a result of her, and often times we read books together and discuss along the way.  I think she may have already surpassed me with her mad blogging skills.  My goal is to write a few hundred of these posts and then hopefully have the hang of it.  She already has great voice and detail discussing some of her favorite books.   It's very exciting!  Hopefully, we'll make it a regular thing blogging about our favorite literature.  Since we read a lot of the same books, it'll be neat to hear both perspectives.

Working in the library

I'm currently working in the library part-time... I absolutely love it!  I'm exposed to so many more books than I normally would be... I just wish there was more time!  The list of books 'd like to read grows everyday coupled with all the books the head librarian hands me each day to read.  This has it's pros and cons.  As it is I can't keep up with my own list of books so I struggle when a book like Stolen, A Pony called Pebbles by Wendy Orr & Patricia Castelao, is given to me to read.  I've never been a fan on ponies, and I'm not certain but I suspect Wendy and Patricia may have just celebrated their 10th birthdays.  On the upside, I never would have read that book had it not been put on my desk.  I'm being exposed to another genre.  Who knows, maybe they'll grow on me.