Llama Llama and the Bully Goat

By: Anna Dewdney

Citation: Dewdney, A. (2013). Llama Llama and the Bully Goat. New York, NY: Viking Juvenile

Summary: Llama Llama is in school and loves it. He has many friends. But there is one boy in his class that is not so nice. Gilroy Goat is a bully and is mean to Llama Llama and his friends. Llama Llama tells his teacher about Gilroy and she talks to Gilroy about being nice to everyone. Now Gilroy is a good friend.

Lesson: This book can be used to talk about bullying in all different grades. I would use it with kindergarteners to talk about friendship. I would use this book in class to open up a discussion on how to be a good friend. It would be a good opportunity to read the book and after make a class poster on how we can all be good friends. As a class we could also make a poster on what to do if someone is being a bully (1). I would do this activity in the beginning of the year because it is important for each child to know how to be a good friend and what to do if someone is being a bully. A whole group would be the best for this because it is important for all the children to participate (2). After making the poster I would have the whole class sign it to make it a friendship contract

Standards: 1) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. 2) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.6: Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly

Duck! Rabbit!
By: Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld
Citation: Krouse Rosenthal, A., & Lichtenheld, T. (2009). Duck! Rabbit! San Fransico, CA: Chronicle Books LLC. Summary: This book starts out with a picture of something that can be seen as a duck or a rabbit. Throughout the book there is an argument about whether the picture is of a duck or a rabbit. Each side of the argument adds different details in the picture to support their side.

Lesson: I would use this book in kindergarten to talk about difference in opinion. This book would be good to have the students get into a debate on whether the picture is of a duck or rabbit. It is also a good book to start a discussion on how people see things differently. I would say to the students See we are all looking at the same picture but some of us see a rabbit and some of us see a duck. But neither of us is wrong. I would then give each child the picture and have them draw the background and make it match whether they think the picture is a duck or a rabbit (1). For example if I believe that the picture is a rabbit then I would draw grass and a carrot and maybe a whole where it lives (2).

Standards:
1)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.1: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is...).

2)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.7: With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

3)

How Rocket Learned to Read

By: Tad Hills
Citation: Hills, T. (2010). How Rocket Learned to Read. Random House Children's Books.

Summary: Rocket is a dog that loves to play outside. One day he meets a bird who becomes his teacher. The bird reads Rocket stories and teaches him his letters. When the bird leaves for winter Rocket continues to practice by writing letters in the snow and spelling anything and everything. When the bird comes back in the spring Rocket is able to read and reads stories to and with the bird.

Lesson: After reading out loud the book I would ask the children to think about what they thought Rocket liked about reading? And then I would ask them what they like about reading (1). I would have them write down both and then draw a picture to go along with their explanation (2). This would help children connect to Rocket and why he likes to read. This book would be a good book to read in kindergarten because they can relate to Rocket learning how to read.

Standards:
1)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.1: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is...). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.

2)

The Family Book

By: Todd Parr
Citation: Parr, T. (2003). The Family Book. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Summary: This book goes over all the different kinds of family. It talks about how some families look alike, some families have two parents, and others only have one. It even talks about families that have two moms or two dads. The book goes through all the different types of families and at the end explains how they are the same.

Lesson: I would use this book in Kindergarten and have the students draw their family and label who each person is. I would then ask them to write a little bit about their family (2). After doing that as a whole group each child will describe their family (1). While each child is sharing I will make a chart of all the families that are present in the classroom. We will look at the chart and discuss which categories have more and less (3). This will help us discuss and see all the types of families we have in our classroom. In doing this activity it will help the children understand that there are all different types of families and even though they all look different they are all still families (4).

Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.4: Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail. 2) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.2: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic. 3) CCSS.Math.Content.K.MD.A.2: Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has more of/less of the attribute, and describe the difference. For example, directly compare the heights of two children and describe one child as taller/shorter. 4) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
1)

The Day the Crayons Quit

By: Drew Daywalt
Citation:

Critical literacy

Daywalt, D. (2013). The Day the Crayons Quit (O. Jeffers, Illustrator). Penguin Young Readers Group.

Summary: Duncan gets to school one day and finds a pile of letters on his desk written to him by his crayons. Each letter is from a different crayon and talk about their complaints. For example blue is tired of being used to much and feels stubby. Yellow and Orange are fighting over who is the real color of the sun. After reading all the letters from the crayons Duncan comes up with a solution, and draws a picture with all the colors together.

Lesson: For younger children in kindergarten I would have them fill out this worksheet. It is a letter to a crayon on why they should not quit. They would color the top crayon in with which ever color they would like. Then they would draw or write about why they need that color crayon.

Standards:
1)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.5 Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.1 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is...).

2)

For older children I would have them write about how they think Duncan felt when he found all the letters from his crayons. I would have them think about his perspective because it is not talked about in the story itself. They should add any dialogue and descriptions they think should be in their story. This would be critical literacy because the children have to think about the story from a different perspective. I would have them all share Duncans side of the story with the class to see the different stories everyone came up with.

Standards:
1)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3b: Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations.

2)

The Way I Feel

By: Janan Cain
Citation: Cain, J. (2000). The Way I Feel. Parenting Press, Inc.

Summary: This book is about different feelings. It talks about each feeling and why we feel them. The pictures in the book show the facial expressions and body language of someone with each emotion. Some emotions described in the book are sad, mad, scared, disappointed, frustrated, bored, and jealous.

Lesson: As a whole group I would talk about the different emotions discussed in the book. I would ask children if they have ever experienced any of the emotions. Then as a group we would make a poster of the different emotions and the way that students should act upon the emotions. For example if someone is feeling mad it is not ok to hit or kick someone else but it is ok to stomp your feet. This is a way to show children that everyone experiences these emotions and there are ways in which we can show them. I believe this would be a good book to read to kindergarteners because they are still young and trying to figure out how express different emotions. I would read this book in the beginning of the year and tell the children that in our classroom there will be a place where if they are feeling a certain emotion and they need a way to express it, they can do so. I would use the worksheet to the right. The child can draw in the rest of the face and draw the eyes and mouth to match the emotion they are feeling. They then can fill in how they are feeling in the line provided. When the child is done they may either hang the picture up on the emotion wall or take the picture home with them.

Standards:
1)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

Missing Math: A Number Mystery

By: Loreen Leedy
Citation: Leedy, L. (2008). Missing Math: A Number Mystery. Marshall Cavendish.

Summary: In the town where the animals live all of the numbers disappear. The animals cannot use phones, calculators, or even send mail. The detective of the town goes around the town to try and find out what happened to all the numbers. Once he finds the number thief has stolen all the numbers in town to try to create the longest number he tells him he must return all the numbers. The number thief agrees and returns all the numbers back to the town. The animals lives go back to normal because all the numbers are back. The judge gives the number thief a punishment of putting all the numbers in the phone book back in order.

Lesson: To enforce the idea that numbers are essential to everyday life I would have my students go on a scavenger hunt to find examples of people using numbers and math. It will be a whole class scavenger hunt. First they would practice with the room we are in. After reading the book I will send the children around the room to find as many numbers and uses of math as they can. They will either write it down or draw it on a piece of paper to keep track. We would then come back to the carpet and discuss what we found. We would write a list of number uses down and count how many there are (1) (2). Then for the rest of the day their job will be to see, who else uses numbers and how? The next day we would come back to this question and just like the day before write down what everyone found and count in together (1) (2). After counting all the places we found numbers we will discuss what would happen if someone stole all the numbers from our town. I would use this book for kindergarten because it shows them that math is important and that numbers are all around us. Standards: CCSS.Math.Content.K.CC.B.4b: Understand that the last number name said tells the number of objects counted. The number of objects is the same regardless of their arrangement or the order in which they were counted. 2) CCSS.Math.Content.K.CC.B.5: Count to answer how many? questions about as many as 20 things arranged in a line, a rectangular array, or a circle, or as many as 10 things in a scattered configuration; given a number from 120, count out that many objects.
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Hello, Bumblebee Bat By: Darrin Lunde

Citation: Lunde, D. (2007). Hello, Bumblebee Bat (P. J. Wynne, Illustrator). Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

Summary: This book is a factual book about Bumblebee Bats. It is a good question answer book because for each fact a question in asked first. In this book it explains where this animal lives, what it eats, and how big it is. It asks questions such as, How small are you? What do you look like? How do you see at night? And where do you live?

Lesson: This book is good to have a lesson about questions and is why I would use this book in Kindergarten. I would read though the book one time without stopping. After I have read it all the way through I would ask the children if they noticed the questions in the book. I would then read through the book again this time stopping at every question and asking about how it starts. I would right down the way the questions start each time there is a new one. For example if the question starts with How I would write How on the chart. Then as a class we would make an example for each starting of a question. An example for How would be, How old are you? How many circles are there? This poster of how questions start would then be displayed in the room so the students can reference it if they want to write a question in their writing.

Standards:
1)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.K.1d: Understand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how).

Randy Rileys Really Big Hit By: Chris Van Dusen

Citation: Van Dusen, C. (2012). Randy Riley's Really Big Hit. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

Summary: Randy Riley loves a few things. He loves robots, space. He also loves and plays baseball, but he has never been able to get a hit. One day after his game he decided to look into his telescope and saw that a meteor was coming towards earth. He tried to warn his parents but they did not believe him. He decided to take matters into his own hand. One day, a few weeks later, the man on the radio called a state of emergency because a meteor was coming. Randy Riley knew just what to do. He had been building a robot all along for when the meteor would come. Randy Riley walked his giant robot up to a building and took the stack off. The robot then got ready to swing and hit the meteor back into space. Randy Riley was a hero and had hit the greatest hit of all.

Lesson: After reading this story I would tell the children Randy Riley made a robot who played baseball. If you could create a robot what would it do? Your job for writing today is to use the blocks at your tables and then draw what your robot would look like and then write about what it would do (1). I would have my students draw a picture of their robot. I would then have them write as much as they can about what their robot can do (2). After they have all finished I would have them share it with the class. I think making them into a book to add to the class library would be nice. I would use this book for Kindergarten because it is a way to mold math and writing and also make a fun and interactive activity.

Standards:
1)

CCSS.Math.Content.K.G.B.5 Model shapes in the world by building shapes from components (e.g., sticks and clay balls) and drawing shapes. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.2 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.

2)

Wild Colors
Citation: Wild Colors. (2010, September). National Geographic Young Explorer. Retrieved from http://ngexplorer.cengage.com/ngyoungexplorer/1009/readstory.html

Summary: This is an online magazine specifically made for young readers. The issue I chose is called Wild Colors. There are three sections to the magazine. The first section talks about what colors you see in the wild and what they can mean. For example in nature if you see a bright blue frog it probably is poisons and we should stay away. The next section talks about world parties. The last section talks about shapes in nature. It gives examples such as a mountain looks like a triangle. I would use this article for Kindergarten not only because it is a perfect topic for them but also because when it is looked at online the text can be read out loud.

Lesson: I would make an activity with the idea of animals have different colors and shapes. It would be like a find it. Have them find the shapes and color them different colors. For example have a scene with a house in the woods with all different animals and in the picture are different shapes. The children must color each shape a specific color. For example have the triangles be colored in red, the circles in green and the squares brown (1). Then must then draw, label, and count how many of each shape there is. After coloring in all the shapes I would give the children a partner and blocks, of the same shape that are on the coloring page, that they must sort. Each child would get a check list for each item. Finding each object they must identify the shape and sort and count them in the columns provided (2) (3).

Standards:
1)

CCSS.Math.Content.K.G.A.2: Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size. CCSS.Math.Content.K.MD.B.3: Classify objects into given categories; count the numbers of objects in each category and sort the categories by count.1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.K.5a Sort common objects into categories (e.g., shapes, foods) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent.

2)

3)