Picture Book of the Day

In Minji’s Salon by Eun-hee Choung, Minji imitates her mother at work and gives the family dog a salon treatment!

Good morning, madam.
What would you like today?

Teach the traits of organization and sentence fluency as students write their own “job” story. (Also available in Spanish: El salon de Minji/ Minji’s Salon )

Six Trait Author Programs and Classroom Writing Workshops

Rabbit & Squirrel by Kara LaReau (Author) and Scott Magoon (Illustrator) is subtitled “A Tale of War and Peas.”

“Though Rabbit and Squirrel
lived right across the way from each other,
they kept to themselves
and never offered each other vegetables
or even bothered to say hello…

Teach the traits of ideas and organization as students write a story about a misunderstanding.

Six Trait Author Programs and Classroom Writing Workshops

Elizabeth Leads the Way by Tanya Lee Stone (Author) and Rebecca Gibbon (Illustrator) is the life story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of the leaders of the 19th century women’s rights movement.

What would you do
if someone told you
you can’t be what you want to be
because you are a girl?

Teach the traits of organization and conventions as students write about what they think needs to change.

Six Trait Author Programs and Classroom Writing Workshops

At Gleason’s Gym by Ted Lewin tells the story of Sugar Boy Younan, the 2006 National Silver Gloves Champion (at age nine!)

Sugar Boy heads up the concrete stairs to the second floor of an old loft building. He pulls open the big steel door that says GLEASON’S GYM…

Teach the traits of organization and ideas as students write about a sport they play.

Six Trait Author Programs and Classroom Writing Workshops

How Tiger Got His Stripes by Rod Cleveland (Author) and Baird Hoffmire (Illustrator) is a folktale from Vietnam.

Tiger was not afraid of my animal in the jungle, except Water Buffalo. Water Buffalo was big and strong. He had powerful horns on his head. One morning Tiger saw Water Buffalo hooked to a plow and made to work in the fields. Tiger was confused.

Teach the traits of conventions and organization as students write their own tiger stories.

Six Trait Author Programs and Classroom Writing Workshops

Outside and Inside Mummies by Sandra Markle (Author) is filled with inside and outside photographs of mummies!

This is a mummy, the preserved body of a person who lived long ago. Unlike a skeleton, a mummy still has skin and sometimes muscles and internal organs.

Teach the traits of ideas and organization as students follow the directions in the back of the book and make their own mummy from an apple. Ask the students to create a life story for their mummy.

Six Trait Author Programs and Classroom Writing Workshops

When the Shadbush Blooms by Carla Messinger with Susan Katz (Authors) and David Kanietakeron Fadden (Illustrator) is two books in one. Each page has text that applies to the Lenape Indians in the 1600s (shown on the left page) and today (on the right page.)

In early spring when the shadfish blooms like a white lace veil, we go fishing. Dad smiles when my brother or I catch a shad. We roast the fish, and everyone enjoys it, especially the dog.

Use this cycle of a Lenape year to teach the traits of ideas and organization as students write a “then and now” story.

Six Trait Author Programs and Classroom Writing Workshops

In Phooey! by Marc Rosenthal, a boy kicks a can and shouts

Phooey!

Why is he upset? Because…

Nothing ever happens around here.

The art, however, shows otherwise!

Teach the traits of ideas and organization as students write and illustrate their own cause and effect stories as a comic. They can do it the old fashioned way, with a pencil and paper, or create a comic online with Read-Write-Think’s Comic Creator. (After students create the comic they can print it out. The comic will not be saved online.)

Six Trait Author Programs and Classroom Writing Workshops

Big Smelly Bear by Britta Teckentrup is the story of an itch…

Big Smelly Bear never washed.

Teach the trait of ideas and organization as students write their own animal stories.

Six Trait Author Programs and Classroom Writing Workshops

Grady the Goose by Denise Brennan-Nelson (Author) and Michael Glenn Monroe (Illustrator) tells the story of goose number twelve, Grady, who is always late.

When it was time for their first swim, Momma and Papa lined up their babies and counted them.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11…
There were all there–all but one.
“Where is Grady?” Momma asked.

Teach the traits of organization and conventions as students write their own “late” story.

Six Trait Author Programs and Classroom Writing Workshops