Halloween is on its way, so I read two "spooky" books to kindergarten - The Dark by Lemony Snicket (illustrated by Jon Klassen) and Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds (illustrated by Peter Brown).
We read the RICBA nominee Growing Up Pedro by Matt Tavares this week to coincide with the World Series. One illustration shows him taped to a pole by his teammates. The kids asked if it really happened. Here's the tape to prove it.
Most kids enjoyed the story; here are some reasons they gave:
He keeps trying.
It was the most inspiring story I have ever heard.
It is about saying that dreams can come true.
It was an encouraging story about never to give up.
I think it is pretty cool that Pedro and his big brother got to play on the same team.
I like to know about people before they were famous.
A poor boy managed to make his way into the Hall of Fame.
I liked it because I like watching the World Series.
I like to hear nonfiction stories about people.
I love the Red Sox!
Pedro followed his dreams and became famous!
I'm a big fan of baseball and I know what it feels like to be transferred to more than one team.
I liked it because I like learning.
It showed anyone can do what they believe.
I like stories of players in history.
For a biography, it was very entertaining.
It inspired me to follow my dreams.
Just because you are small doesn't not mean you can't do a thing.
He could throw a baseball 97 miles per hour.
He followed his dreams and they came true.
Pedro loved throwing rocks at mango trees, and I love mangoes.
I wish Pedro still played for the Red Sox.
The book ended with the 1999 American League championships, but Pedro's playing career continued for 10 more years. He was still on the Red Sox when they finally reversed the curse in 2004 and won their first World Series in 86 years. He then played for the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies before retiring in 2009.
Pedro was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year, and the Red Sox retired his number.
It's that time of year! Time for lots of fun readalouds, like Pumpkin Eye by Denise Fleming and Ten Orange Pumpkins by Stephen Savage. We watched this video while the kids "decorated" jack o'lanterns (see photos below).
During our next class meeting, we read The Dark by Lemony Snicket and Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds, We watched the Silly Symphony Skeleton Dance while the students made their own creepy carrots.
We're gearing up for Election Day in a couple of weeks, but did you know that students get the chance to vote in February? The Rhode Island Children’s Book Award (RICBA) goes to the book selected by students in grades 3-6 as their favorite from a list of 20 nominees.
Students who read 3 or more nominated books may vote in February. They will receive extra credit for each RICBA ratings sheet they submit (either in person or online); it asks them to record what the book was about and how they felt about it. To give everyone a head start, I'll be reading two nominees to each class.
I started with Trombone Shorty, written by Troy Andrews and illustrated by Bryan Collier. Here's the book trailer:
Most kids enjoyed the story; here are some reasons they gave:
I was impressed how he was able to play a trombone when he was that small!
I liked it because I like music because MY big brother inspired me.
I liked it because it involves a trombone, which is like a trumpet, which I play.
This book motivated me to take more pride in my music, and it had very good illustrations.
I love to hear people's stories and how inspiring they are / can be.
I liked how Trombone Shorty made his own band when he was young.
It was an autobiography, nonfiction, which I love.
I liked it because it had jazz in it and also it's a bit funky.
You don't need an instrument to make music.
I liked the story because it reminds me to never underestimate the power of tiny.
It is nice when people motivate people.
They were always giving him like an extra boost, helping him follow his dreams, and he became really good!
For a small autobiography, it gives us enough detail to visualize the boy ... now that's a good story!
I liked it because of how when he was like 4 years old, he knew how to play.
In kindergarten, we discussed book care in preparation for the students' first checkout; they taught THE PIGEON some rules after watching this video, where he clearly has no idea how to take care of books.
The students compiled a list of rules that the Pigeon should know. For example:
In case you haven't been introduced to the Pigeon yet, he is the star of a series of books by Mo Willems; the first one is Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! We read that and Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! in K, and I am happy to report that MOST students resisted his arguments (a few were willing to be bought off by his promise of five bucks). Then the kids came up with their own rules for the Pigeon ... I especially like that one student (see last photo) doesn't want him to knock over the bookshelves. Which is an excellent segue into our next lesson, when the kids will teach the Pigeon book care rules as a prelude to their first checkout.
As part of getting used to school rules in kindergarten, we read Rude Cakes by Rowboat Watkins. It depicts a VERY rude cake who treats others badly and then is kidnapped from its bed by a cyclops who wants to ... eat it? no, wear it as a hat! And show it off to its very polite friends! [NOTE: You can download an activity kitfrom the publisher.]
Then we discussed ways to show rude cake (bad) and cyclops (good) behavior. Finally, we made our own cyclops headbands and rude cake hats, thanks to Matthew Winner's craft idea that I found online.
Halloween is on its way, so I read two "spooky" books to kindergarten - The Dark by Lemony Snicket (illustrated by Jon Klassen) and Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds (illustrated by Peter Brown).
