If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff

Numeroff, L. (1985). If You Give A Mouse A Cookie. New York: HarperCollins. Grades PreK-1.

Subject Area: Language Arts

Genre: Fiction, Picture book

Summary: The boy in this story gives a mouse a cookie. With the cookie, the mouse needs to have a glass of milk. After that he needs to get cleaned up, but every thing that the mouse does, he fails to finish and gets distracted. He keeps starting something new without finishing the last. Eventually, the mouse wants another cookie but the boy is so exhausted that he falls asleep right on his desk.

Themes/Topics: Sharing, Clean-up, Friendship

Initiating Questions & Activity:

• Questions: What do you like to drink when you eat cookies? Does anyone have any pets? Would you give your pet a cookie?
• Activity: As a class, we will do an A-B-C brainstorm to figure out what we think might happen in the book given the title. We will also discuss the questions that are presented.
  

Culminating & Extending Questions:

• Questions: Did you like this book? Do you have a favorite part? Would you want a pet mouse like this one? Would you give him cookies if you knew he would tire you out this way?
• Activity: After reading this book, each student will come up with a different animal to base their own story on (like Numeroff will later do with her stories). Each student will come up with a story about giving a certain food to that animal and explain to us what will happen. This will take place in small groups. Students will be encouraged to draw a picture to accompany their story. 

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Stockett, K. (2011). The Help. New York: Putnam Publishing. Grades 10-12.

Subject Area: Language Arts
Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary: This novel is about a young college graduate who yearns to be a writer and a reporter. She takes a job writing a mediocre column as she awaits the opportunity to write something meaningful. During a time when racism was at its peak in our country, the girl decides to write what its like to be "the help" and exposes the ways that these women are being mistreated.

Themes/Topics: Culture, Racism, History

Initiating Questions & Activity:

• Questions: What is it that you already know about civil rights? What would you like to know? How do you think this book will end?
• Activity: In small groups we will discuss these questions. The students will be asked to list three things that they already know about civil rights as well as three things that they would like to know about civil rights. We will also brainstorm as a class about what we think might happen in the book based on the description given on the back cover.

Culminating & Extending Questions:

• Questions: What did you learn from the book? Did you have a favorite part in the book? What questions do you still have regarding civil rights?
• Activity: Being that a story such as this could have ended in several different ways, both good and bad, I will ask the students to individually write their own alternative ending to the story. We will then share our alternative endings in small groups.
• Activity: 

Little Blue and Little Yellow By Leo Lionni

Lionni, L. (1959). Little Blue and Little Yellow. New York: HarperCollins. Grades Toddler-PreK.

Subject Area: Language Arts

Genre: Picture Book, Colors

Summary: This story is about the color yellow and the color blue. They are the best of friends. One day, they can't seem to find each other. They search and search and eventually they find one another. They are so relieved to finally have found each other that they hug so tight that their colors mesh together and they turn into one, the color green.

Themes/Topics: Colors, friendship

Initiating Questions & Activity:

• Questions: What is your favorite color? Do you have a second favorite color? What would happen if you mixed those two colors?
• Activity: We will discuss and share with the class everyone's favorite colors and what that color reminds them of. We will also discuss and name one object that represents each color, giving every student an opportunity to contribute.

Culminating & Extending Questions:

• Questions: What do your two favorite colors make when they mix together? What does this story make you think of? Did you enjoy the story?
• Activity: We will actually take the opportunity to mix our favorite colors with painting stations. Each student will choose their two favorite colors and mix them together and  find what the resulting color will be. Each child will report to the class what they ended up with and tell us whether or not they like that color.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? By Bill Martin Jr.

Martin, B. (1996). Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? New York: Henry Holt & Co. Grades Toddler-PreK.

Award: IRA-CBC Children's Choices Award

Subject Area: Language Arts

Genre: Picture Book, Poetry

Summary: This book goes from page to page showing us different animals in order to gain familiarity for the children who are reading it. Animals such as the brown bear, the green frog, the red bird and many others are shown while using the rhyming poetry that helps the young reader to know what animal is coming next.

Themes/Topics: Animals, rhyming

Initiating Questions & Activity:

• Questions: Who has a favorite animal? What is your favorite animal? Can you think of one word that rhymes with the name of your favorite animal? Is this the kind of animal you can have as a pet?
• Activity: We will discuss the questions that are asked as a class and consider the different types of animals that could be in this book besides the brown bear. We will also discuss the types of animals we would like to see appear in the book.

Culminating & Extending Questions:

• Questions: What was your favorite part of the book? What was your favorite animal in the book? If you could take one of the animals home which would it be?
• Activity: We will create our own story much like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do you See? The difference between our story, however, will be that we will use each other in the story rather than using animals. We will sit in a circle and everyone will take turns saying someones name in the place of the animal. For example, "Jessica, Jessica, what do you see? I see Brandon looking at me." Each student will take a turn.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.

Martin, B. (1989). Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. New York: Simon & Schuster. Grades PreK-1.

 

Award: Kentucky Bluegrass Award Winner, Parents' Choice Award

Subject Area: Language Arts, alphabet

Genre: Picture book

Summary: This rhyming book has each of the letters of the alphabet climbing up to the top of a coconut tree. But is there enough room for all of the letters? "Chicka chicka boom boom" is the sound it makes when the letters fall from the top of the tree. Some are wearing bandages, some have black eyes but they all continue to march up the coconut tree.

Themes/Topics: Alphabet, Rhyming

Initiating Questions & Activity:

• Questions: Who knows all of the letters of the alphabet? Can you recite them? Do you need to sing a song in order to do so? Would it help to learn a new song?
• Activity: We will recite the original alphabet song that each of the students is already very familiar with. We will also discuss the questions that I have presented to the students before the reading of the book.

Culminating & Extending Questions:

• Questions: What was your favorite part of the book? Do you like this book or the original song that we sang better for learning the alphabet? Why did the letters keep falling down the tree?
• Activity: As a class we will make our own life-size coconut tree. Each student will be responsible for making one letter of the alphabet. With that letter, they will also have to come up with one word that begins with that letter. At the end of the activity we will tape the tree and letters to the wall to demonstrate the way they climbed the tree in the story.

Quake! A Novel by Joe Cottonwood

Cottonwood, J. (1995). Quake! A Novel. New York: Scholastic Trade. Grades 6-8.

Award: Young Readers Book Award (1998)

Subject Area: Language Arts, Science

Genre: Science Fiction

Summary: This book begins with two young girls who grew up together and had to separate after one of them moved away. They are eventually reunited right before the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake took place in California. Without their parents around, the two girls must rely on their instincts and knowledge of earthquakes in order to deal with this 7.1 Richter scale earthquake that damages everything around them. 

Themes/Topics: Earthquakes, friendship, survival

Initiating Questions & Activity:

• Questions: What do we know about earthquakes? Do earthquakes often happen in this area? Has anyone ever had to move away from a friend or had a friend move away from them? Did you remain friends?
• Activity: Together as a class we will review and discuss what it is like when an earthquake occurs. We will talk about what the Richter scale is and how bad earthquakes can be. We will also discuss any personal stories that can be shared about students who have been separated geographically from a friend or friends.

Culminating & Extending Questions:

• Questions: What was your favorite part of the book? Did you enjoy the book? What is one thing that you know about earthquakes now that you did not know before this book? Has anyone ever experienced an earthquake?
• Activity: We will use the fishbowl activity after reading this book which will have a small group in the middle of the classroom discussing the book. Several groups will rotate in and discuss similar aspects of the book or whatever aspects they prefer.

Always There For You by Sasha Quinton

Quinton, S. (2006). Always There For You. Indiana: Books Are Fun. Grades PreK-1.

Subject Area: Language Area

Genre: Fiction, Poetry

Summary: This story is about two bears that are wonderful friends. As the pages go on, the bears explain that they will be there for each other through all of the seasons. Through springtime, summer, autumn and wintertime and regardless of what troubles come their way, they will always be the best of friends.

Initiating Questions & Activity:

• Questions: Who here has a best friend? Do you have more than one best friend? What do you think it means to be a best friend? What is one thing that you do with your best friend?
• Activity: The students will answer and discuss the questions together as they are posed to them. We will also consider and brainstorm what a good best friend does within a friendship.

Culminating & Extending Questions:

• Questions: Does this book sound like a friendship that you have? Could this type of friendship exist between you and a family member? Can it exist between a group of friends or only two people?
• Activity: We will break the students up into four groups in order to represent all four seasons of the year that were described in the book. Each group will brainstorm and come up with ideas of fun things to do with their best friend during that season.