How to Babysit a Grandpa.

I'm excited to link up with Stacia and Amanda, the Collaboration Cuties, to share this hilarious text.

The first Sunday's link up is dedicated to mentor texts for Language Arts, 

and How to Babysit a Grandpa is my choice for today!

"Babysitting a grandpa is fun--if you know how. 

When your grandpa rings the doorbell, what should you do?"

(this is how it starts! so cute!)

Quick summary: Grandpa comes over to the little boy's house because his mom and dad are going on a date. The little boy has some insider tips about how to be a good sitter when taking care of your Grandpa. Some of his tips include what to feed Grandpa at snack time, how to play with Grandpa, and how to take him on a walk!

To take a peek inside the book, check it out on Amazon by clicking the cover above!

This sweet book is a unique perspective and I bet many kiddos can relate! I've never really considered a child's perspective when a babysitter comes over, but it makes sense that they would want to be "host" or "hostess." It's their house! The boy's point of view provides a refreshing and pretty hilarious look at babysitting a Grandpa, and the illustrations are like icing on a cake!

I plan on using this book when writing how-to's, making ordered lists, and writing procedurally. You could also use this book to create concept webs and brainstorm ideas (how to...ride a bike, make a PB&J, be a good friend, etc.).

Kid-wise, it is most appropriate for the younger kiddos (Pre-K to 2nd). Older students might think it's a little cheesy, but hey, I'm all about the cutesy with a purpose. 

:)

One of my favorite parts is when the parents leave and the little boy pats Grandpa's hand and says, "don't worry, Grandpa. They'll be back!" Eeeeks, so sweet!

 It contains some great little lessons and adults will find it appealing, too! I bet Grandpa's would love it.

And guess what?!? 

Grandparent's day is September 8th. 

Alllllright!

If you have a language arts mentor text that you love to use, link it up {here}!

You can also follow that link to read about other teachers' favorite texts!

Happy Sunday, teacher friends!

Children's Lit & Mathematics.

Hi sweet bloggy friends! 

I sure hope that you have felt loved and appreciated this week, because you deserve a HUGE HUGE thank you for doing what you do!!!!! Also, thank you so much for supporting me through downloading and purchasing my materials!! I am continually overwhelmed and super encouraged. :)

I have been super M.I.A. this week---finals got the best of me, I'm afraid!!

I'm back today, though, to talk about one of my favorite things:

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE.

I love love love books and think that they are a powerful way to engage our students.

One of my favorite things about children's literature is that in can be incorporated at all levels, 

in any subject! 

:)

Here are a few books that I've really been loving lately (can totally be adapted for each grade level) when learning about/reinforcing mathematical concepts: 

Font, Font, Images

Click each title below to check it out on Amazon!

Quack and Count

12 Ways to Get 11

How Much, How Many, How Far, How Heavy, How Long, How Tall is 1000?

When a Line Bends A Shape Begins

The Greedy Triangle

Measuring Penny

Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is?

The Great Graph Contest

The Button Box

P.S. I didn't include any books from one of my very favorite authors because I would have listed every single one. Ha! Stuart J. Murphy's books are WONDERFUL. He has tons of ideas and a whole downloadable activity pack to accompany his books {here}! 

Not all books are of great quality and suitable for the elementary mathematics classroom, though,

 so here are a few things to think about next time you're searching! 

1. Is the book of high quality from a literary perspective?

2. Does the book present content that is mathematically sound and grade-level appropriate?

3. Does the book provide opportunities to introduce or reinforce mathematical symbolism?

4. Is the book effective for supporting students to think and reason mathematically?

5. Will the book help build students' appreciation of both mathematics and literature?

The list is provided by Marilyn Burns in an article that she wrote about using children's literature in mathematics. You can read it {here}!

**Update 5/12/13**
I just linked up this post with a mentor text linky that Amanda and Stacia host each Sunday!
Click their button to check out some more great reads like the Sir Cumference series, Counting on Frank, and so many more (this week just happened to be mentor texts with a math focus! what 
perfect timing!! :))!!

What do you think about using picture books in your mathematics time?
Are there any absolute favorites that I should know about??
Please share! I love stocking my library!
:)

A Book on Perseverance.

I smiled on the inside when I received this email the other day from Creative Teaching Press:

The character trait for the month of April is perseverance, 

and I just so happen to have a book I want to share with you today!!

Vincent Maestro just published his first book, Aesop's 1st Book of Childhood Adventures.

The book is a collection of three different fables and provides a myriad of teachable moments and simple life lessons--the main theme being perseverance. 

The two main characters in this collection of fables are Aesop, a young raccoon, and his precious grandmother. Aesop is all kinds of curious about the world and his very favorite question is "why?" His grandmother will never give him an answer to his questions, though, and insists that he must find out for himself. In each fable, he ventures out to find an answer and ends up meeting familiar characters along the way (such as the tortoise and the hare!!). 

Each fable is written from the little raccoon's perspective, taking a refreshing spin on some familiar fables. Our primary kids will relate to Aesop's loyalty, bravery, and perseverance in this book because they'll be able to picture themselves as the curious little raccoon. 

Something that I find unique about this collection is that all of the fables have the same beginning and end--dialogue and everything. Before reading each story, I wasn't sure how I would feel about the "alikeness." Now, I LOVE it. The fables are really cohesive and the repetition is powerful, especially for our primary kiddos. 

To describe the book in three words, I would say that it is timeless, engaging, and meaningful. This book has a "classic" feel to it--a feel that many generations can appreciate. Kids will love relating to the young raccoon, and parents/grandparents will easily relate to the generational wisdom that is shared. The illustrations are just beautiful and it seems as this book has been around for ages. I love that!!

In speaking with Vincent and asking why he chose to write on the theme of perseverance, he described  Thomas Edison and his work to invent the light bulb--before he was able to figure out the right way to make a light bulb, he had to figure out 1000 wrong ways! Kids, parents, teachers, ((humans)) can relate to the feeling of trying and failing, but these fables remind us that failure is not an end. Failure is an invitation to persevere and try again--with more wisdom than the last time! 

I wish I could sit down with each of you over a cup of coffee and really, truly, deeply talk about character education and teaching life lessons in the classroom. Children's literature is a powerful way to engage our students and provides a setting for deep discussion. So many of our little ones aren't getting this kid of quality children's literature at home. And they need it (desperately). 

They need to know what it means to persevere, to be brave, and to stay loyal, and I cannot wait to use this book in my classroom to teach them those very things. Meaningful conversation and powerful teachable moments WILL happen. I know that my kids will love reading these fables just as much as I have (probably more!!), and I think that you would really love it, too.

Still unsure?

Check {here} to check out the book and other reviews on Amazon!

A copy of the book was donated to my classroom library for this review, but the opinions are very much my own.