Stuff!: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Stuff!: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle by Steven Kroll (Author) and Steve Cox (Illustrator) begins…

Pinch was a pack rat. He kept everything.

Conventions Mini-lesson
Primary/Intermediate: Ask students to write their own “recycling” story. Remind students to check their stories to make sure they added quotation marks to the dialogue.

Poetry Month Blog | Inservice Clock Hours | FREE Virtual Author Visit Drawing
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Little By Little

Little By Little by Amber Stewart (Author) and Layn Marlow (Illustrator) begins…

Otto was making a list.
An I CAN DO list and an
I CAN’T DO list.

Organization Mini-lesson
Primary/Intermediate: Ask students to write their own “I can do it” story. Use the Sequence Chart graphic organizer to plan the story. (Begin with the “I can’t do it” problem and move toward the “I can’t do it” solution.)

Poetry Month Blog | Inservice Clock Hours | FREE Virtual Author Visit Drawing
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Hen Hears Gossip

In Hen Hears Gossip by Megan Mcdonald (Author) and Joung Un Kim (Illustrator), things are not as they appear…

Hen put her ear
up to the fence.
“Psst. Psst. Psst.”
Cow whispered something to Pig.

Conventions Mini-lesson
Primary/Intermediate: When people talk to one another, (even if it’s gossip!), the dialogue has quotation marks. Ask students to check their own “gossip” stories to make sure they added quotation marks to the dialogue.

Poetry Month Blog | Inservice Clock Hours | FREE Virtual Author Visit Drawing
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Nonfiction Monday: Space Day Giveaway

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and Children’s Book Week, I’ll give a FREE Virtual Author Visit to one class on Wednesday, May 13, 2009. We’ll read my book, Man on the Moon.

Email me to enter your class in the drawing. I’ll draw the winner’s name on Space Day, May 1st!

This week’s Nonfiction Monday Round-up is here at Picture Book of the Day! Here’s what the kidlitosphere is reading and writing this week…

1. Sarah N. (Mary Anning)
2. Kim @Wild About Nature 
3. Abby the librarian (Unite or Die)
4. Lori Calabrese Writes (How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate)
5. Kid Lit Kit (Space Day)
6. Great Kids Books (Life in the Sea)
7. Wrapped in Foil (I Heard It From Alice Zucchini)
8. msmac (River of Words)
9. A Patchwork of Books (S is for Save the Planet)
10. Wild About Nature (S is for Save the Planet)
11. Jennie from Biblio File (books about China)
12. 100 Scope Notes (Dinosaurs in Your Backyard)
13. Wendie’s Wanderings (Do You Know where Your Water Has Been?)
14. caribookscoops (A Very Touching Book)

Poetry Month Blog | Inservice Clock Hours | FREE Virtual Author Visit Drawing
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Poetry Friday: Splitting A Herd

Splitting A Herd by Trudy Harris (Author) and Russell Julian (Illustrator) begins…

Miss Emma had a problem
with the cattle on the range.
They were restless, roving critters,
always looking for a change.

Organization Mini-lesson
Primary/Intermediate: Ask students to write their own math story. How will they divide a pizza or a cake or ?? Use the Sequence Chart graphic organizer to plan the story (first the confusion and then the solution).

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Lisa’s Blog.

Poetry Month Blog | Inservice Clock Hours | Virtual Author Visits
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

The Imaginary Garden

In The Imaginary Garden by Andrew Larsen (Author) and Irene Luxbacher (Illustrator) Poppa moves out of his house with a garden.

Poppa’s new apartment didn’t have a garden.
“Are you going to put flowers out here on the balcony?” asked Theo one day.

Conventions Mini-lesson
Primary/Intermediate: Ask students to write their own “imaginary garden” story. Remind students to check their stories to make sure they added quotation marks to the dialogue.

Poetry Month Blog | Inservice Clock Hours | Virtual Author Visits
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Scaredy Squirrel at Night

Scaredy Squirrel at Night by Melanie Watt begins…

Scaredy Squirrel never sleeps. He’d rather stay awake than risk having a bad dream in the middle of the night.

Ideas Mini-lesson
Primary/Intermediate: Some parts of of this book are written as a comic. Students can make their own comics with ReadWriteThink’s Comic Creator.

Before they go to the web to create the comic, ask students to make a practice comic strip. What will their character do? What will he say?

Poetry Month Blog | Inservice Clock Hours | Virtual Author Visits
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

A Carousel Tale

A Carousel Tale by Elisa Kleven begins…

Ernst, a young blue crocodile, loved the carousel in the park.

Organization Mini-lesson
Primary/Intermediate: Ernst solves his problem in an unusual way. Ask students to write a story where they solve a problem. Use the Story Map 3 graphic organizer to plan the story before writing.

Poetry Month Blog | Inservice Clock Hours | Virtual Author Visits
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Nonfiction Monday: Think Happy

Think Happy! by Nancy Carlson begins…

Feeling sad? Cheer up! Life is a lot more fun when you think happy!

Ideas Mini-lesson
Primary/Intermediate: Ask students to make their own version of this book. What can they do to make themselves happy? Use the Persuasion Map graphic organizer to make a list of examples.

This week’s Nonfiction Monday Round-up is at Mommy’s Favorite Children’s Books.

Poetry Month Blog | Inservice Clock Hours | Virtual Author Visits
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Poetry Friday: Ocean Wide, Ocean Deep

Ocean Wide, Ocean Deep by Susan Lendroth (Author) and Raul Allen (Illustrator) begins…

Oh, ocean wide, ocean deep,
will you rock Papa to sleep?
He sailed tonight on the evening tide–
please keep him safe, oh, ocean wide.

Ideas Mini-lesson
Primary/Intermediate: Ask students to write a poem about waiting for their father to come home from work. Use the Describing Chart graphic organizer to create a list of words to use.

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Becky’s Book Reviews.

Poetry Month Blog | Inservice Clock Hours | Virtual Author Visits
Copyright © 2009 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.