Nonfiction Monday Round-up

The Nonfiction Monday Round-up is at SimplyScience January 19 and 26. I’ll be back February 2, 2009.

Learn how to write a children’s book.
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Watching the Awards…

I will be offline until February 2, 2009, but I don’t want you to miss the awards, so here is the scoop:

The American Library Association will announce the 2009 Youth Media Awards on Monday, January 26.

You can follow the ceremony LIVE two different ways:

1. View the webcast at the Unikron website.
2. Follow the ceremony via Twitter.

Tune in at 7:45 a.m. MT (Mountain Time).

Learn how to write a children’s book.
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

The Child Cruncher

In The Child Cruncher by Mathilde Stein (Author) and Mies van Hout (Illustrator) a girl is so bored…

Then one evening, a big, hairy hand lifted me off the ground. I was thrilled! At last, some one to play with!

Voice Mini-lesson
Primary/Intermediate: This story is written in first person point-of-view, the “I” voice. Ask students to write a first person story about what they would do if the child cruncher tried to eat them!

Learn how to write a children’s book.
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Book Activities for Homeschoolers

My Activities for Homeschoolers pages went “live” at Lee and Low Books’ new Homeschooling microsite today!

Happy creating!

Learn how to write a children’s book.
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Oliver Has Something to Say

In Oliver Has Something to Say by Pamela Edwards (Author) and Louis Pilon (Illustrator) no one gives Oliver a chance to speak…

Oliver opened his mouth and his big sister, Margaret said, “No, he doesn’t want anymore.”

Sentence Fluency Mini-lesson
Primary/Intermediate: Ask students to write about something they like. After they write a draft, ask them to read it aloud to see how the sentences flow (and rewrite as needed.)

Learn how to write a children’s book.
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

The Dog Who Belonged to No One

The Dog Who Belonged to No One by Amy Hest (Author) and Amy Bates (Illustrator) begins…

Once there was a small dog with crooked ears. He belonged to no one.

Voice Mini-lesson
Primary/Intermediate: Ask students to write their own abandoned pet story. Will they pretend they are the pet and write their story in the first person point-of-view? Or do they want to write about what they see the pet doing, using the third person point-of-view?

Learn how to write a children’s book.
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Nonfiction Monday: Muchas, Muchisimas Rayas De Cebra / Lots & Lots of Zebra Stripes

Muchas, Muchisimas Rayas De Cebra / Lots & Lots of Zebra Stripes by Stephen Swinburne has the most amazing photographs of patterns in nature.

Patterns are lines and shapes that repeat.

Ideas Mini-lesson
Primary/Intermediate: Ask students to create their own pattern books. Where will they find patterns? Use the Idea Wheel graphic organizer to brainstorm ideas.

Learn how to write a children’s book.
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Nonfiction Monday Round-up

Welcome to the Nonfiction Monday Round-up!

Here’s what the kidlitosphere is reading this week…

1. Picture Book of the Day (Zebra Stripes)
2. The Miss Rumphius Effect (Ice Bears)
3. Kid Lit Kit (Inauguration Special)
4. Open Wide, Look Inside (The Arctic Life)
5. A Patchwork of Books (Encyclopedia of the End)
6. MsMac (Martin Luther King, Jr. books)
7. 100 Scope Notes (All About Sleep)

Learn how to write a children’s book.
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Poetry Friday: Red Sled

Red Sled by Patricia Thomas (Author) and Chris Demarest (Illustrator) is a shape poem inside a picture book.

Nightime climb.
Steep leap.
Slide ride.

Word Choice Mini-lesson
Primary/Intermediate: Ask students to write their own winter poem. Use the Observation Chart graphic organizer to make list of words for the poem.

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is here at Picture Book of the Day!

Here’s what the kidlitosphere is reading and writing this week…

1. John Mutford (Elaine Woodward and Robert DeNiro)
2. Marietta at The Bookworm’s Booklist (Moon Theme with books and poems)
3. Mary Lee (Winter Trees)
4. David Stoner (more)
5. Stacey from Two Writing Teachers (Color Poem)
6. Sara Lewis Holmes (Hinged Double Sonnet by Sean Nevin)
7. Janet (Madeleine L’Engle’s “Sarah: before Mount Moriah”)
8. Laura Salas (Shocking)
9. Laura Salas (15 Words or Less: My Eye)
10. Shelf Elf (Alley Cat)
11. Jama Rattigan (Hula Lullaby)
12. Diane of The Write Sisters (A Challenging Year Ahead)
13. Linda (Empty Nest)
14. Stenhouse Publishers (At the Pond)
15. MsMac (William Stafford)
16. cloudscome (Rumi)
17. Wild Rose Reader (A Home for the Seasons: An Original Poem)
18. Blue Rose Girls (A Poem by Philip Appleman)
19. Jennifer Knoblock (Poetry Friday for Nobodies)
20. Kim (The Months)
21. Kelly Fineman (Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal, Now the White)
22. Little Willow (The Foresters)
23. Tricia (In a Wood)
24. Fiddler (Cat on a Night of Snow)
25. Lorie Ann Grover (Thoughtlessness)
26. Jill Corcoran(Haiku Happens)
27. readertotz (In Marble Walls)
28. Tiel (More Ephemeral than Snow) 
29. Kiddos and Books (Plowing Out Our Town)
30. Liz in Ink (Ronald Wallace sestina)
31. Jennie at Biblio File (Hearth and Fire)
32. Becky (Review of Questions for Little Hearts)
33. Lisa@Passionately Curious (Winter Acrostics)
34. Laura at Author Amok (Twilight & Mary Oliver’s “Bats”
35. Julie Larios (Fleda Brown’s Non-Inaugural Poem)
36. Becky (Pooh’s Philosophy on Poetry)
37. Schelle @ Brand New Ending
38. Daniella Briseno (Mr. Nobody)
39. Holly Cupala – Come To The Edge
40. Sylvia (poetry contest)
41. Tracie Zimmer (Morning from Steady Hands)
42. Nandini (Brahma – Emerson)
43. Kelly Polark (a haiku)
44. Notes from the Windowsill (Come and Play)
45. Susan Writes (LOST by David Wagoner)
46. Angela Cerrito (Almost Twelve)
47. A Patchwork of Books (Loose Leashes)
48. Suzanne :: Adventures in Daily Living :: (Where Children Live)

Learn how to write a children’s book.
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Marveltown

Marveltown by Bruce McCall begins…

Sky-skiing! The very idea would buckle the knees of most people. Not us Marveltown kids! In fact, we invented sky-skiing.

Ideas Mini-lesson
Primary/Intermediate: Ask students to think of a new invention for Marveltown. What would they invent on Saturday at the Invento-o-Drome? Use the Idea Wheel graphic organizer to brainstorm ideas.

Learn how to write a children’s book.
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.