home

I am using the nonfiction trade books and websites to assist students who are working on composing a research paper on the topic of body image. Before beginning our class reading of Romeo and Juliet, my students are expected to compose a research paper on a teen social issue. The students are given the opportunity to select from many options such as: bullying, gangs, sexuality, cheating, dating violence, gaming addiction, body image, etc. For those students who have selected this topic, this list will provide resources for research above and beyond that provided by the school databases.
 * How My List Helped Enrich My Class (Body Image) - Julie Pasbrig **

This class is composed of 26 students, with a small number being sophomores who are repeating the course for a second time. The class is co-taught with another teacher to assist with the higher than average percentage of students with IEPs enrolled in the class. To assist those students who have lower lexile levels or comprehension skills, I have selected a variety of reading materials in complexity and length. I have also tried to vary the text I selected that have a specific focus that addresses body image such as eating disorders, plastic surgery, and self-esteem.

After the papers are composed, the students will then create a 2-3 minute presentation to share with their classmates. This presentation will require visuals and be aimed at their peers as an audience. The research and presentation of teen social issues, will provide content to many students who selected a different issue to research. It will also prepare them for the reading of Romeo and Juliet by looking for the teen issues that the two main characters were going through during this play.

The books and websites listed can assist students in their research of this specific social issue and in creating their presentation. The list is as follows:

Burby, L. N. (1998). //Bulimia nervosa: The secret cycle of bingeing and purging//. New York: Rosen Pub. Group. This text is written specifically for teens. It evaluates the possible causes for individuals choice to engage in eating disorders as well as treatments offered for health improvement. Lexile: 990.
 * __Books: __**

Chiu, C. (1998). //Eating disorder survivors tell their stories//. New York: Rosen Pub. Group. Four teenagers tell their personal accounts of their eating disorders and treatments. Other areas that are discussed include the role of media on influencing young people to participate in unhealthy diets. Lexile: 950.

Conway, C. (2013). //Body image and the media//. Minneapolis: ABDO Pub. This book looks at the topic and its influence on how people look at themselves. The books includes many visuals and offers extension information located on suggested websites. Lexile: 880.

Davis, B. (1999). //What's real, what's ideal: Overcoming a negative body image//. New York: Rosen Pub. Group. The text is suggested material for both males and females and is broken into three sections. The first part is about how body image and health are related. Next, the author looks at warning signs of negative body image and eating disorders. Lastly, the author gives suggests for acceptance of oneself. Lexile: 1020.

Frankenberger, E. (1998). //Food and love: Dealing with family attitudes about weight//. New York: Rosen Pub. Group. This text looks how families can influence the self-image of teens. There are also offerings of how to live a healthy lifestyle. Lexile: 1010.

Hirschmann, K. (2009). //Reflections of me: Girls and body image//. Mankato, MN: Compass Point Books. Material in this text reflects on how the media and social pressures can cause girls to evaluate themselves harshly. It also suggests strategies as to how to create a positive body image. Lexile: 870.

Kirberger, K. (2003). //No body's perfect: Stories by teens about body image, self-acceptance, and the search for identity//. New York: Scholastic. This book includes works and stories from both the male and female perspective about body image topics. Lexile: 890

Shandler, S. (1999). //Ophelia speaks: Adolescent girls write about their search for self//. New York: HarperPerennial. This text was authored by a young women who started writing it when only 16 years of age. Her purpose was to have other girls besides herself share their experiences in the stresses that adolescent females go through. These experiences would include girls from different cultures, backgrounds, and statuses. Lexile: 790.

Trueit, T. S. (2003). //Eating disorders//. New York: F. Watts. This text looks offers first hand experiences of teens who have gone through having an eating disorder and what assisted them in being healthy individuals again. Lexile: 1070.

Woog, A. (2009). //Mirror image: How guys see themselves//. Mankato, MN: Compass Point Books. This is a book in the What’s the Issue? series. It evaluates body image in males and it’s influence such as genetics, hormones, and media. Suggestions for how to incorporate a healthy image is include. Lexile: 810.

<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">[] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> This is a website dedicated to providing information on a variety of topics for three sections of the population: parents, kids, and teens. More specifically they offer an page entitled Body Image and Self-Esteem that provides answers that teens may have about body image, self-esteem, influences, and tips for improvement.
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Websites: __**

<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">[|http://www.webmd.com] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> This is a website that offers information on a great range of topics from experts. An example of a material that is available through this site is an page entitled Help Teens Develop a Health Body Image. This explains who is affected and tips for parents how to assist their children improving their body image.

<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">[|http://www.pamf.org] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The Palo Alto Medical Foundation site contains a section on Body Image for Teens which explores eating disorders, suicide and self-mutilation, and body art as well as a page with tips for maintaining a healthy body image.

<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">[|http://www.naswdc.org] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The National Association for Social Workers website offers resources for people to look further into social issues. It has a page that focuses on adolescent girls and body image.

<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">[|http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> NEDA, or the National Eating Disorders Association, offers assistance on Developing and Maintaining positive body image.

__**Nonfiction Books and Websites to support //To Kill a Mockingbird// - John Steltz**__

I first began my search with //The Odyssey// in mind as that has been the anchor text I have been using throughout these assignments. I really struggled in my search to find nonfiction books to help support this anchor text. As the week progress, however, I did find valuable nonfiction resources to support //The Odyssey//. Because I was struggling, I decided to change my search for nonfiction texts and websites to support //To Kill a Mockingbird//. As you might imagine, there were many more options with this search. I am not using //To Kill a Mockingbird// currently, but will be using it in April. I plan to use these new found resources to enrich that unit. There are two books on my list that are geared toward children. However, I use children's books in my classroom quite often and it helps to engage students with deeper content. Here is my list:

__**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Websites: **__ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bowllan, Amy. (March 2010). //Writers Against Racism: To Kill A Mockingbird//. School Library <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Journal, March 26, 2010. Retrieved from <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">http://blogs.slj.com/bowllansblog/2010/03/26/writers-against-racism-to-kill-a-mockingbird/

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gladwell, Malcolm. (August 2009). //The Courthouse Ring: Atticus Finch and the limits of// <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Southern Liberalism//. The New Yorker, August 10, 2009 issue. Retrieved from <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/10/the-courthouse-ring#ixzz2JT8BSEPA]

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Ridenour, Amy. //Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Speech//. Retrieved from <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[]

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> //The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow//. PBS.org. Retrieved from <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[]

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> //To Kill a Mockingbird and the Scottsboro Boys Trial: Profiles in Courage//. EDSITEment!: The <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Best of the Humanities on the Web. Retrieved from <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[]

__**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Books: **__ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Carter, Dan T. (2007). //Scottsboro: A Tragedy of the American South//. Louisiana State <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">University Press.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">King Jr., Martin Luther. (2010). //Strength to Love//. Fortress Press.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Levin, Ellen S. (2000). //Freedom’s Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories//. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Puffin.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mills, Marja. (2014). //The Mockingbird Next Door: Life with Harper Lee//. The Penguin Press HC.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Shelton, Paula Young. (2009).//Child of the Civil Rights Movement.// Dragonfly Books

__**List of Nonfiction Books and Websites: Sharks (Jenny Ballard)**__

Based on the previous assignment, my students are now obsessed not only with the //Who Will Win?// series by Jerry Pallotta, but they can’t get enough information about sharks. I think these sea creatures intrigue kids and hook them in to want to find out more. Considering I am working in the Title 1 program, I really do not have units of study to plan for. Rather than ask a grade level team for a topic of study, I decided to go with this one that was right in front of me. Now I can go out and purchase some “shark” titles to lure my readers in and build up the non-fiction section of my classroom library! I also have access to ipads, so I could see bringing them in to explore as we spent a few days learning all about sharks. As we learn about non-fiction text features and learning to break apart and read nonfiction texts, using books on a high interest topic will be motivating.


 * __Non-Fiction Titles__**

Amos, Janine. (2008). //Read and Discover Sharks//. United Kingdom: Discovery Communications. Lexile 730

Clarke, Catriona. (2007). //Sharks//. London: Usborne Publishing. Lexile 790

Cole, Joanna. (1986). //Hungry, Hungry Sharks.// New York: Random House. Lexile 410

Doubilet, David. (2007). //Face To Face With Sharks//. Washington DC: National Geographic. Lexile 900

Markle, Sandra. (1998). //Outside and Inside Sharks//. New York: Scholastic. Lexile 860

Pallota, Jerry. (2011). //Who Would Win? Hammerhead vs. Bull Shark//. New York: Scholastic. Lexile 780

Pallota, Jerry. (2009). //Who Would Win? Killer Whale vs. Great White Shark//. New York: Scholastic. Lexile 780

Pringle, Lawrence. (2001). //Sharks!// Jackson: Boyds Mills Press. Lexile 890

Ryan, Denise. (2008). //Scary Sharks//. New York: Sterling Publishing. Lexile 550

Schreiber, Anne. (2008). //Sharks!// New York: Scholastic. Lexile 520

Stille, Darlene, R. (2004). //I Am A Shark: The Life of A Hammerhead Shark.// North Mankato: Capstone Publishers. Lexile 690

Troll, Ray. (2002). //Sharkabet//. Portland: Westwinds Press. Lexile none found


 * __Websites:__**

Shark Sider. []. Shark facts.

Sharks-World. []. Facts about sharks.

Animals Time. []. All about animals for kids.

Sharks 4 Kids. []. Kid-created website. Videos, pictures

Kid Zone. []. Activities, pictures, facts

NationalGeographic. []

List of Nonfiction Books and Websites (Debbie Thomas)

This is a collection of sources to be used as part of a dinosaur unit for preschool children. The students using these resources are four years of age and attend a private, non-profit, preschool. The objective of this unit is to expose the children to many varieties of dinosaurs and the identifying characteristics of each type of dinosaur. We will stress the basic fact that the dinosaurs lived long ago and are now extinct.

The books and websites were selected for their instructional integrity as well as their ability to engage the interest of young children. I selected a variety of illustrative styles. Some books and websites are very cartoon-like in nature, but bring a vibrant and captivating appeal. I also chose a selection of books and websites that are more realistic in their depiction of prehistoric life. These pictures are very helpful for children in developing a framework of background knowledge about life among the dinosaurs.

Books

Aliki., (1968). //Digging Up Dinosaurs.// New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. Explains how dinosaurs were discovered by finding fossils and how dinosaurs are reconstructed. Lexile 490

Aliki., (1985). //My Visit to the Dinosaurs//. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. A visit to a natural history museum teaches about paleontology and fossils. Lexile 540

Andreae, G., (2006). //Dinosaurs Galore.// Wilton, CT: Tiger Tales. Clever rhymes and vivid illustrations deliver accurate dinosaur facts. Lexile unavailable

Barner, B., (2001). //Dinosaur Bones.// San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books. Fun facts delivered in a lively rhyming text. Lexile AD350

Barton, B., (1993). //Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs.// Logan, IA: Perfection Learning. This book shares a unique vision of what the world was like at the time of the dinosaurs. Lexile AD720

Chapman, T., (2007). //D is for Dinosaur: A Prehistoric Alphabet.// Ann Arbor, MI: Sleeping Bear Press. This alphabet book addresses many dinosaur facts as well as current theories on extinction. Lexile unavailable

Hughes, C., (2011). //National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs.// Washington, D.C.:National Geographic Children’s Books. Stunning Illustrations accompany age appropriate information. Lexile 660

Most, B., (1995). //How Big Were the Dinosaurs?// New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The largest dinosaurs are compared to a child’s world. A six page fold out makes the size real. Lexile 860

Sheilds, C. D., (2002). //Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp.// St. Louis, MO: Turtleback Books. Scientifically accurate details embedded in a fun, colorful story. Lexile unavailable

Stickland, P., (1996). //Dinosaur Stomp.// New York, NY: Dutton Children Books. Bright colored pop ups introduce all shapes and sizes of dinosaurs as well as the concept of opposites. Lexile unavailable

Strickland, P., (2000). //Ten Terrible Dinosaurs.// London, England: Puffin Books. Counting and rhyming add to the fun of learning dinosaur names. Lexile unavailable.

Zoehfeld, K. W., (2002). //Dinosaurs Big and Small.// New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. The sizes of these very large creatures are compared to modern day objects—as long as four school buses, as heavy as sixteen elephants. Lexile 676

Zoehfeld, K. W., (2011). //National Geographic Readers: Dinosaurs.// Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Children’s Books. An early reader, this would be a simplified version of dinosaur information. Lexile 520

Websites

Dinosaur Facts []

Links to information on each dinosaur

Dinosaurs Facts & Fun Dinosaurs Cartoon Videos for Children []

Animated. Age appropriate information.

March of the Dinosaurs Series []

Very realistic animation making it easy for young children to envision life among the dinosaurs.

What Are Dinosaurs? []

A nice overview of basic dinosaur information.

I’m a Dinosaur- Tyrannosaurus Rex []

This is an informative, animated series that highlights one type of dinosaur per short video.

Debbie - my son was absolutely fascinated with dinosaurs when he was younger. We still have some of the books on our bookshelves at home. //The Complete Guide to Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Reptiles// by Chris McNab, 2006 Marshall Editions. This is an oversized children's encyclopedia-like book of dinosaurs. - Lara Macklin

**Immigration Unit – List of Nonfiction Books & Websites (Amy Caldwell)** Due to the nature of Title I and our ongoing interventions it is not possible to complete a content unit of study. To assist other staff and students in our building I contacted our 4th grade teachers and inquired about their upcoming content area topics. Through discussion, staff indicated that in most of their content units there is a big final project that students complete. In their upcoming Immigration Unit however student do not have any one large project but rather they complete some small independent and group activities periodically throughout the unit.

As mentioned the compilation of nonfiction books and websites focusing on immigration to the United States will provide 4th grade staff and students more literacy material near grade level reading with some wiggle room for students above and below average including English language learners. Although staff has current plans in place to conduct the unit on immigration, the teacher who presents the Social Studies content was excited to have additional literacy material options available in her room during the unit for various reading opportunities. If the opportunity presents itself I would also like to share a few of these awesome resources with my small group as the 4th graders dive into the immigration unit.

Electronic resources were chosen by their immediate connection to immigration in the United States from the 1890’s through present-day. This provides students to not only learn the history of immigration but also its presence in the world today. Lastly, these resources were chosen due to their ease of navigation and their engaging manner for students in 4th grade.

**Nonfiction Books** Benoit, P. (2012). Immigration. New York: Scholastic.

Lexile: 900

Crammed with interesting history and eye-catching images from the time of the early colonies to today, this book contains an in-depth look at the people and events that have shaped our country.

Bode, J. (1991). New kids in town: Oral histories of immigrant teens. New York: Scholastic.

Lexile: 630

This book contains the stories of eleven teenage immigrants who escaped from war, poverty, and repression to begin new lives in America.

Freedman, R. (1992). Immigrant kids. New York: Scholastic.

Lexile: 1050

This book holds stories of the lives of immigrant kids who lived extremely tough lives after moving to America.

Jacobs, W. J. (1990). Ellis Island: New hope in a new land. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Lexile: 710

This book describes the history of the Ellis Island, including its opening in 1892, its closing in 1954, and its restoration in the 1980s.

Karapetkova, H. (2010). Landing at Ellis Island. Vero Beach, FL: Rourke Publishing.

Lexile: 624

This book is told through the story of an Italian family and includes the experiences of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island

Kroll, S. (1995). Ellis Island: Doorway to freedom. New York: Holiday House.

Lexile: 850

This book describes how the immigration station on Ellis Island worked from 1892 to 1954.

Kuklin, S. (1992). How my family lives in America. New York: Aladdin Picture Books.

Lexile: 840

This book tells the story of three children who live in New York City but who have family roots in other countries and how their families blend to American societies.

Levine, E. (1993). If your name was changed at Ellis Island. New York: Scholastic.

Lexile: 880

This book tells you what it was like when Ellis Island opened in 1892 as a center for immigrants coming to live in America.

Sandler, M. (1995). Immigrants. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Lexile: 1030

This book describes what it was like for people to leave their homes and move to the United States.

Say, A. (1993). Grandfather's journey. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Lexile: 650

The author of this book shares his family history and how his families customs stayed with him when he moved to America.

Stein, R. (1992). The story of Ellis Island. Chicago: Childrens Press.

Lexile: 810

This book describes the experiences of many immigrants who desperately wanted to move to the United States before Ellis Island closed in 1954.

**Websites** Ellis Island. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2014, from http://www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/americanhistory/ellisisland/preview.weml BrainPOP Jr. provides text, quizzes, activities, and movies to engage students at an independent level while aligning with state standards.

Ellis Island. (2009). Retrieved November 30, 2014, from http://www.history.com/topics/ellis-island History.com provides an easy to follow layout of information on Ellis Island which includes an article, videos, and an audio speech.

Immigration. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2014, from https://newsela.com/?needle=immigration&grade_levels=4.0 Newsela connects students to current news articles on the topic of immigration that are written at various student reading levels.

Immigration. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2014, from http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/search/?q=immigration&selected_facets= PBS Learning Media provides countless tools on the topic of immigration. Tools include videos, self-paces lessons, web links, documents, and speeches all geared toward various grade levels.

Immigration. (2005). Retrieved November 30, 2014, from http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/family/immigration/index.html PBS Kids Go! provides eight different sections of organized text that students can read and use to find information on immigration.

Immigration: Stories of yesterday and today. (n.d.). Retrieved November 30, 2014, from http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/index.htm Scholastic provides an amazing site for the study of immigration. The site includes a virtual tour of Ellis Island with text, photographs, and audio. Students who view this site are also able to virtually meet young immigrants of today. The third section on this site provides historical immigration data including charts. The last section of this site contains a short video specific to Ellis Island.

Immigration, Then & Now. (2010). Retrieved November 30, 2014, from http://questgarden.com/106/10/7/100707075907/index.htm The Immigration, Then & Now quest provides text, video, and pictures in correlation with a guided outline for the study of immigration. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bierman, C. (1999). //Journey to Ellis Island: How my father came to America//. New York: Hyperion. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Age Level 9 - 12 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is a true story written from the perspective of an 11 year old immigrant recounting the journey to America and being denied entrance at Ellis Island. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Donica Goodwin)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hopkinson, D. (2003). //Shutting out the sky//. Orchard Books. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lexile: 990L <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">This award-winning book details the true stories of five young people and their immigration journey. It highlights how and why they left, what their hopes and dreams were, and what they truly experienced when they got to America. The text is complemented with many photos to help tell the story through pictures. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Donica Goodwin)

**Eric Olson** **History of Rock and Roll** **(1970-2000)** Each year after our winter concerts, our music department is looking for a project for our students to work on before we start our next cycle of music. This year, with the help of this assignment, we decided to try a history of rock and roll unit split between the band, choir and orchestra students. The orchestra students will be looking at the 1950-1970 time period, the band will be working on 1970-2000, and the choir will be focusing on 2000-present. Each group will be split into smaller groups and those smaller groups will focus on one event, performer, or type of music from their given time period. Each group will then assemble their information in a timeline and then the three large ensembles will organize their information in one giant timeline throughout the department.

All of the books in the list are in our school library or the music department library. A majority of the books are at grade level with two of them being at a ninth grade level. There is a very good variety of short story, in depth text, and outline for all students to be able to find some information. Most of the books are appropriate for middle school students with a few racy stories.

The websites in my list are very good starting points for this project. There are a variety of items to explore on each site ranging from biographies, to blogs, to stories from the artists themselves. Along with some great text are also recordings and videos for the students to listen to and watch. Many students have heard the songs we will talk about, but they have not put names or faces to what they have heard. The citation lists on the websites are also very lengthy which will give the students many avenues to get started on this project.

**Books** Burlingame, J. (2010) //Aerosmith: hard rock superstars: an unauthorized rockography//. Enslow Publishers.

Description: This book talks about the ups and downs of the group and the individual members from the beginning until their entry in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Egandorf, L. (2002) //Rock and roll (Examining pop culture)//. Greenhaven Press.

Description: The focus of this book is the relationship between the culture and events in history and it’s affect to and from the music that was produced.

Larson, T. (2004) //History of rock & roll//. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.

Description: This book is divided into the different eras of rock and roll, but focuses more on the different sub-genres of each era. It goes through the genres and the performers that go along with that genre.

Robertson, R., Guerinot, J., Robertson, S., & Levine, J. (2013) //Legends, icons & rebels: music that changed the world//. Tundra Books

Description: The four co-authors of the book all have a deep history in the music field and write about the performers or groups that they feel made a huge difference in the world of rock and roll.

Shirley, D. (1997) //The history of rock and roll//. Franklin Watts.

Description: The book describes the different periods of rock and roll history and the people that made those times great.

Snyder, R. (2001) //An outline history of rock and roll//. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.

Description: This book goes through the different periods in rock history, but in an outline fashion. All the main events and performers are hit in bullet points to give the reader an idea of the history.

Tougas, S. (2014) //Girls rock: amazing tales of women in music//. Capstone Press.

Description: The author interviews different women in rock and finds out about their stories and how they got where they are now.

Watson, S. (2013) //Elvis Presley: rock & roll king//. ABDO Publishing.

Description: This book covers the life of Elvis from his early childhood until his untimely death.

Weintraub, A. (2009) //Kiss: “I wanna rock and roll all night”//. Enslow Publishers.

Description: The four members of the band are covered individually and as a group. The book goes through the many faces of the band and the major money maker that it is today.

Witmer, S. (2010) //History of rock bands//. ABDO Publishing.

Description: The author of this book is a rock musician himself and he talks about the bands that he feels are the most important to rock history and gives information to anyone that is interested in starting their own band.

**__Websites__** classicbands.com/history.html

Description: This website is a “this day in history” site. You will be able to see the important events that happened on this day in rock history.

rockhall.com

Description: This is the website for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH. The website includes articles on bands and performers, blogs from critics, and videos of past and current musicians.

rockmusictimeline.com

Description: On this website you will be able to find information on the different periods of rock as well as the performers. Along with texts you will be able to find the songs and albums that were the most popular during the different eras.

shmoop.com/history-of-rock/

Description: This website covers many items that most sites do not. It is written for youth and many of the items are at their level. It is a good starting off point to find more information.

teachrock.org

Description: This website is a launching pad for any educator who wants to start a rock history class. It includes numerous articles and directions how to start and where to find information pertaining to rock history.

Eric - Another great book is about Janis Joplin. The link to Amazon can be found here. http://www.amazon.com/Janis-Joplin-Rise-Up-Singing/dp/0810983494

Eric - Another great books is about Janis Joplin. The link to the Amazon information is http://www.amazon.com/Janis-Joplin-Rise-Up-Singing/dp/0810983494. It is a great book. It also is a good lesson in bullying and being different as Ms. Joplin was both. I think everyone would enjoy. Great lesson! Sounds like fun! Michelle Meeks

** Art with a Young Adult ** ** By Michelle Meeks ** I do not have access to a class of students. I met with a young man I’ve been working with in the Instructional Techniques class who is also a volunteer at the bookstore where I work. He is a Native American, male, 16 years old and reads at a 7th grade level. He loves comics, graphic novels and art. When we discussed the non-fiction types we talked about the photography of the National Geographic. This led us to talk about books in the bookstore, which led us to talk about the children’s picture books, specifically a book called Leonardo da Vinci: Dreams, Schemes, and Flying Machines.

I asked Zed if he would like to look at art books and discuss art. He immediately said he did not want to look at old art. I explained that he must know some of the classics before he can have an appreciation for the new art – specifically comics and manga. He agreed.

When we met, I introduced Zed to all of the books below. We began by looking at The Masters such as daVinci, Rembrandt, and Monet. From here, we explored Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, and Georgia O’Keefe. We ended looking at the books on drawing comics and manga.

After we explored the books, we went online together and looked at the websites of some of the great museums. Zed has never been to the Heard Museum even though he works a few blocks away. We visiting this website and the website of the Smithsonian where he could explore all of the Smithsonian museums. Lastly, I shared the Digital Comic Museum. This is a unique website where you can search for comics to see if they have been scanned. If they have, you can view the comic.

Overall, we had a nice, if not informal lesson. Zed expressed that he learned about art and even liked learning about the masters.

One other point I would like to make is how wonderful picture books can be in working with a young adult. Do not be fooled by picture books – especially non-fiction. There are many that are not only beautiful but also require a high level of reading skill.

// Discovering Great Artists: Hands-On Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters // (2010) MaryAnn Kohl, Kim Solga: Bright Ring Publishing This book has biographies and activities that cover the great artists. (No reading Lexile could be found.)

//Fabulous! A Portrait of Andy Warhol// (2011) Bonnie Christensen: Henry Holt and Company (Lexile 710L) This is a picture book autobiography about Andy Warhol. It includes pictures of his art and his life.

//Art Up Close From Ancient to Modern// (2000) Claire d’Harcourt: Chronicle Books LLC (No reading Lexile could be found for this book.) This is a unique book that has several different large drawings from famous artists. Readers are asked to locate small parts of the art. The book is very interactive and includes information about each artist and painting.

//Leonardo daVinci: Dreams, Schemes and Flying Machines// (2000) Heize Kaehne: Prestel Publishing (No reading Lexile could be found for this book.) This books shows all of the daVinci’s marvels. Including his drawings, writings, and inventions. It is a different look at the artist.

//Mastering Manga with Mark Crilley – 30 Drawing Lessons from the Creator of Akiko// (2012) Mark Crilley: IMPACT (No reading Lexile could be found for this book.) This is a how-to guide for students to learn how to draw Manga.

//How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way// (1984) Stan Lee, John Buscema: Touchstone (No reading Lexile could be found for this book.) How-to book on how comics are drawn. The main draw is that the book is co-written by Stan Lee.

//13 Artists Children Should Know// (2009) Angela Wenzel: Prestel (No reading Lexile could be found for this book.) This is one book in a series of books about art and artists. This book focuses on the masters and their art.

//The Art Book for Children// (2005) Editors of Phaidon Press: Phaidon Press (No reading Lexile could be found for this book.) This is a picture book that has pictures of art and information about the painting and artist. It is a fun book to just sit and look at.

//Frida Kahlo – The Artists Who Painted Herself// (2003) Margaret Frith and Tomie dePaola: Grosset & Dunlap (No reading Lexile could be found for this book.) A colorful biography about Frida Kahlo. It discusses her paintings and life in Mexico.

//My Name is Georgia: A Portrait by Jeannette Winter// (2003) Jeannette Winter: HMH for Young Readers (Lexile AD580L) This is a nice picture book about Georgia O’Keefe. It discusses her life and time in New Mexico.

Websites National gallery of art [|www.nga.gov]

Metropolitan Museum of Art [|www.metmuseum.org]

The Digital Comic Museum [|www.digitalcomicmuseum.com]

Smithsonian [|www.si.edu]

Heard Museum [|www.heard.org]

<range type="comment" id="533987612_1">Andrea Cooper Garden Unit K-1

I collected these resources to teach a unit about growing a garden. It includes resources about growing gardens, plants in general, and insects and other animals found in a healthy garden. This unit is designed for K-1 students. This is a large unit consisting of many different topics: plants and how they grow, insects and how they interact with plants, other animals found in gardens and why they visit gardens, and planning and creating a garden. The variety of topics helps interest all different students and also shows how things are interconnected in nature.


 * BOOKS:**

Bernard, R. (2001). //A tree for all seasons//. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society ;. Bishop, N. (2009). //Butterflies and moths//. New York, NY: Scholastic Nonfiction. Day, J., & Barlowe, D. (1975). //What is a flower?// New York: Golden Press. Ehlert, L. (1988). //Planting a rainbow//. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Ehlert, L. (1991). //Growing vegetable soup//. San Diego: Harcourt Brace &. Gibbons, G. (1991). //From seed to plant//. New York: Holiday House. Heller, R. (1984). //Plants that never ever bloom//. New York: Grosset & Dunlap. Levenson, G., & Thaler, S. (1999). //Pumpkin circle: The story of a garden//. Berkeley, Calif.: Tricycle Press. Merrians, D., & Nodel, N. (1977). //I can read about insects//. Mahwah, N.J.: Troll Associates. Swope, S., & Riddle, S. (2000). //Gotta go! Gotta go!// New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.


 * WEBSITES:**

[] There are MANY videos resources on this website, but two in particular “Saving Worms” and “The Dirt on Dirt” that are from familiar shows that support the unit topic.

[] Resource for teachers with lots of lesson project ideas for classroom gardens.

[] Resource for teachers and interactive for students for learning about, planning, creating and planting a garden.

[] Resource for teachers with lots of lessons and printables for learning about insects, including cross content activities.

[] Interactive website with information about insects, including videos, vocabulary links, question and answer section.</range id="533987612_1">

Strategic Reading in the Content Areas Fall 2014 UW-Stout Natalie Zavodski


 * Secondary Non-Fiction Reading List Lesson**

I utilized the following non-fiction books to teach a lesson on environmental conservation. This lesson is a part of the assigned curriculum for a 12th grade college preparatory course. Throughout the year, numerous opportunities are provided for students to examine, reflect, and otherwise reinforce their understanding of various issues with respect to the individual as well as the world-at-large. All of the books listed below are intended for adult readers, yet accessible enough for students of varying abilities. As the subject of elephants is often found within juvenile fiction, this lesson provides a unique opportunity for learners to connect a simple topic with content that is sophisticated in nature. While estimates are that elephants may be extinct within the next ten years, the mandate to conserve natural resources will never end. I have attempted to instill the necessity for respecting nature in all its myriad forms, elephants included. In order to increase awareness of the plight of elephants worldwide, each student has been directed to create a blog that sheds lights on the tragic fate of our fellow pachyderm friends.

__Books__: 1) //African Elephants: A Celebration of Majesty// by Daryl and Sharna Balfour //2) Aliya: Stories of Elephants of Sri Lanka// by Teresa Cannon and Peter Davis //3) Endangered Species: Elephants// by Peter Jackson //4) Elephants on the Edge// by G.A. Bradshaw //5) Elephant Bill// by Lieut. Col. James Howard Williams //6) Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals Who Helped Him Save Lives in WWII by// Vicki Croke //7) Elephant Talk// by Ann Downer //8) Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Story// by Daphne Sheldrick //9) The Elephant Whisperer// by Lawrence Anthony //10) The Secret Elephants// by Gareth Patterson

__Websites__: [|www.asianelephant.net] [|www.elephants.com] [|www.elephantcare.org/] [|www.saveelephant.org] [|www.thinkelephant.org]

<span style="color: inherit; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.9em; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">Children in Conflict Around the World -10th grade English (Joél Hartline)

[| Edit][| 0][| 1][|…]

10th Grade English Unit: Children in Conflict Around the World Joél Marie Hartline

This unit is intended for my sophomore world literature class, which includes varying levels of readers, including special education students. In the past, the curriculum centered around the memoir by Ishmael Beah entitled //A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier//. It is my intention to focus the unit on the common theme of “Children in Conflict Around the World” allowing more exploration of nonfiction texts dealing with children growing up around the world, especially areas of contemporary conflicts.

While focusing on this common theme, using only nonfiction texts and resources, students can compare the lives of others their age with their own life. This variety in text choices allows me to differentiate for my struggling readers, as well as challenge my more advanced students. Sophomore English class is held prior to any AP courses, so I realize my student body for this class next term will be quite varied. I also have been working with the special education teacher on how to best meet her inclusion students who will be in my class. Allowing for a book club type experience, where students are exposed to a variety of cultural experiences within a variety of reading leveled books and websites, will best meet this specific class’ needs.

Students will begin with one of the following books and complete interactive notebook activities to convey their understanding of common benchmarks using the chosen texts. Students will also discuss their books in small groups, jigsaw activities, and whole class presentations, focusing on the common theme of the unit. Some whole group modeling will take place with excerpts and short stories/texts. As students complete the set goals for a book, they may move on to another text during the unit. Individualized goals will be set with common assessments of the benchmarks through writing, analyzing, note taking (interactive notebook activities), and presenting.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">Trade Books:

//Coming of Age Around the World: A Multicultural Anthology// by Faith Adiele and Mary Frosch (editors): This is an excellent resource for modeling strategies using short nonfiction texts. This book includes twenty-four stories from around the world centered on the common theme of coming of age, especially focusing on the struggles children must face in other cultures. (RL: unknown/variable, ages 15+; advanced)

//A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier// by Ishmael Beah: The author writes about his time as a child soldier during the Sierra Leone civil war, which leads to a good discussion on rehabilitation and whether children should be held responsible for the atrocities they commit. (RL: 920L)

//Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood// by Alexandra Fuller: A humorously written memoir about a serious subject, growing up white in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) while dealing with themes of deprivation, segregation, and bigotry. (RL: 6.0)

//Zlata's Diary// by Zlata Filipovic: Much like Anne Frank’s famous diary, eleven-year-old Zlata writes about life in Bosnia before war breaks out, as she is suddenly thrown into the struggles of living during the Bosnian conflict. (RL: 640L)

//A Long Walk to Water// by Linda Sue Park: Although this is considered only based on true story, I am including it as a resource for this unit. It is written as two stories, side-by-side, that of a girl in Sudan in 2008 and a boy in Sudan in 1985. It is a story of refugees and survival. (RL: 720L)

//Over a Thousand Hills I Walk With You// by Hanna Jansen: This is the story of one girl’s survival through the 1994 Rwandan genocide, as told to her adoptive mother. (RL: 790L)

//I am Malala: The girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban// by Malala Yousafzai and Christine Lamb: Now a symbol of peaceful protest, Malala almost lost her life for standing up for what she believed at the age of fifteen in Pakistan. (RL: 1000L) *Note: There is a young readers edition of this book as well. (RL: 830L)

//Journey from the Land of No: A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran// by Roya Hakakian: The author writes about what life was like as a girl growing up in pre-revolutionary Iran and the struggles she goes through as her world changes. (RL: est. 970L)

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">//Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood// by Marjane Satrapi: The author writes her memoir as a graphic novel, as a look at life growing up during the Islamic Revolution in Tehran. (RL: graphic novel 380L)

//Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood// by Ibtisam Barakat: The author takes a look at life after war in her memoir set in Ramallah after the 1967 Six-Day War, (RL: 870L)

//Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak// by Deborah Ellis: These stories come directly from children living through the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (RL: 800L)

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">//Kids of Kabul: Living Bravely Through a Never-Ending War// by Deborah Ellis: Similar to the previous book by Deborah Ellis, here the author interviews children growing up in Kabul. (RL: 800L)

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-size: 14px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">Websites:

[|__UN: Children and Armed Conflict__]: This site begins with an interactive map displaying areas where children are affected by armed conflict. Students can click on any country and read official reports from the UN regarding the state of situation for children in that area.

[|__Global Issues: Children, Conflicts, and the Military__]: This website includes an excellent overview of how children are affected around the world by military conflicts. Many interactive links lead to a plethora of information on the topic.

[|__Child Soldiers__]: This site includes information on child soldiers in various countries. Lesson plans are also provided on the topic.

[|__Human Rights Watch: Child Soldiers__]: I have used this site in the past for other student projects. It is an excellent resource exploring human rights violations across the globe, including video, links, and news releases. On the of this website, you can explore other human rights violations dealing solely with children.

[|__Amnesty: Children's Rights__]: This is another great site for getting an overview of human rights violations dealing with children, including child soldiers, violence against children, and right to education.

*There are also numerous news articles focusing on children living in conflict around the world. One example is

[|__"War was classroom for Sierra Leone child soldiers" (Reuters)__], June 2, 2007

**Hunger and Poverty** During this holiday season where so many of our activities evolve around food it is an appropriate time to especially consider those who are doing without enough food and drink on a daily basis. This is a year-round problem but tends to come more into focus at this time of year. My assistant had done a bulletin board on local shelters and food pantries so I thought a list to coincide with that display would be fitting. **Hunger and Poverty** **Lara Macklin** **High School Level** **<range type="comment" id="533988046_1">Non-Fiction Book List</range id="533988046_1">**

Berg, J. (2008). //All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America?// Seven Stories Press. With the biting wit of Supersize Me and the passion of a lifelong activist, Joel Berg has his eye on the growing number of people who are forced to wait on lines at food pantries across the nation—the modern breadline. Buffett, H. G. (2013). //40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World.// Simon & Schuster. With a foreword by Warren Buffett, //40 Chances// is an “inspiring manifesto…both an informative guidebook and a catalyst for igniting real changes” (//Booklist//) in the struggle against world hunger. Cathryn Berger Kaye, M. (2007). //A Kid's Guide to Hunger & Homelessness How to Take Action.// Free Spirit Publishing;. Kids explore what others in the world (including young people) have done and are doing to address the issues, find out what their community needs, and develop a service project. Chesman, A. (2007). //Serving up the Harvest: Celebrating the Goodness of Fresh Vegetables.// Storey Publishing, LLC. A recipe book for fresh produce. Collins, S. (1996). //Let Them Eat Ketchup! The Politics of Poverty and Inequality.// Monthly Review Press. The final section of the book suggests that the new globalized economy makes things more difficult for working people and briefly explains how the nation can change course. A key argument is that some members of society benefit from the presence of a class of poor people and change requires mass-based political activity. D'Aluisio, F. (2008). //What the World Eats.// Tricycle Press. 25 families. 21 countries. 525 meals. Lots of color photographs, recipes and facts about the countries. Hughes, M. (1993). //A Handful of Seeds.// Fitzhenry and Whiteside. A picture book that depicts the lives of Latin American children living in poverty. Hunnicutt, S. C. (2007). //World Hunger.// Thomson Gale. One of the At Issue series that presents opposing viewpoints in short articles. An extensive list of books and periodicals related to the topic is included. Norton, G. W. (2014). //Hunger and Hope: Escaping Poverty and Achieving Food Security in Developing Countries.// Waveland Press. This book examines the world of those living near, on, and over the edge of poverty in developing countries. Pringle, P. (Ed.). (2013). //A Place at the Table: The Crisis of 49 Million Hungry Americans and How to Solve It.// PublicAffairs. A companion book to the documentary //A Place at the Table//. Discusses options available to end hunger. **Hunger and Poverty** **Websites** **Playspent.org** This is an activity site where you are given a set amount of money and then you have to make it through a month of living. You have to decide whether to pay a bill or send your kid to a birthday party with no gift. It is an eye opening challenge. You can go back through the month again and again. **Feeding America.org** Nationwide network of foodbanks. Information and resources. **Kids Can Make a Difference.org** This site has a teacher resource book with 25 lessons to help kids understand the complex issues of hunger and poverty. There are links to hunger facts and quizzes. In association with iEARN, there are integrated lesson plans aligned with the Common Core Standards. **Teens Fighting Hunger.org** This is a non-profit organization that sells crafts to raise money to donate to foodbanks. **Let’s Move.gov** This is where a teen can take the Presidential Challenge for a six-week time frame of living an active healthy lifestyle. **No Kid Hungry.org** Includes facts, statistics and a nice resource page of links on the subject. This site also has ideas for teachers to use in the classroom.

**Lara, what a great thing to teach at this time. With so many things going on, it is important to remember that some people are less fortunate. Have you thought about going to a Boys and Girls Club or YMCA website to see how they help families and children who are considered to have poverty lifestyles? Just a thought, it might show some of your students how they can donate to help. Vanessa Lecy** **Thanks for the idea Vanessa! - Lara**


 * Non-Fiction Book List for World War II and the Holocaust for Grades 9 and 10**


 * Lori Weinmeister**

In many high schools, freshmen or sophomore students study American History which includes the timeframe of the Civil War through the Iraq War. Therefore, I have chosen books, speeches, and websites that would be challenging between the Lexiles of 1050L – 1335L or that would appeal to students of this age group at a lower Lexile level. In addition, I considered the idea or theme of courage or conversely cowardice when selecting these resources.

Bascomb, Neal. (2013). //The Nazi hunters: How a team of spies and survivors captured the//

//world’s most notorious Nazi.// New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

//Description:// Courageous Israeli agents, Holocaust survivors, and their families worked to capture Adolf Eichmann who was a Nazi leader who was in charge of deporting and imprisoning millions of Holocaust victims. (Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) 2014 Award for Nonfiction)

Buergenthal, Thomas. (2009). //A lucky child: A memoir of surviving Auschwitz as a young boy.//

New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

//Description//: Thomas Buergenthal becomes a judge in the International Court of Justice in the Hague and tells about his life of surviving two ghettos and a labor camp. (Goodreads.com.)

Drucker, Olga Levy. (1996). //Kindertransport//. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

//Description:// The story of the evacuation of Jewish children to England after Hitler took power in Germany.

Duffy, Peter. (2004, June 15). //The Bielski brothers: The true story of three men who defied the//

//Nazis, built a village in the forest, and saved 1,200 Jews//. New York, NY: HarperCollins

Publishers, Inc.

//Description:// The Bielski Brothers spend two and a half years in the woods building a Jewish community of more than 1,000 Jewish people to evade the Nazis. (Goodreads.com)

Edsel, Robert M. (2009). The monuments men: Allied heroes, Nazi thieves, and the greatest

treasure hunt in history. New York, NY: Center Street

//Description//: Adolph Hitler took some of the finest art in Europe. The Monuments Men looked for the art before it could be destroyed. (Goodreads.com) (Movie)

Glass, Charles. (2013). //The deserters: A hidden history of World War II.// New York, NY:

Penguin Books.

//Description:// During World War II, 150,000 American and British soldiers deserted combat in Europe. Three soldiers who abandoned their posts in France, Italy, and Africa stories are told while showing the conditions of soldiers in combat. (Goodreads.com)

Sandler, Martin W. (2013). //Imprisoned: The betrayal of Japanese Americans during World//

//War II.// New York, NY: Walker Books for Young Readers.

//Description:// Interviews and verbal histories show the lives of Japanese Americans in internment camps. (Database of Award-Winning Children’s Literature)

Tanka, Shelley. (2001). //Attack on Pearl Harbor: The true story of the day America entered//

//World War II//. New York, NY: Hypernion Press.

//Description:// Two Japanese and two Americans offer different perspectives on the attack on Pearl Harbor. (Database of Award-Winning Children’s Literature)

Wiesel, Elie. (1985). Night. New York, NY: Hill and Wang.

//Description:// A memoir of Elie Wiesel’s experiences during the Holocaust. (Database of Award-Winning Children’s Literature)

**__Speeches from World War II__**

Churchill, Winston. (1940, 13 May) “Blood, toil, tears and sweat: Address to Parliament on May

13, 1940.”Retrieved from winstonchurchill.org

Ickes, Harold. (1941 May). “What is an American?” Retrieved from historyplace.com

Roosevelt, President Franklin D. Roosevelt. (1941, 8 December). “A date which will live in

infamy.” Retrieved from historymatters.gmu.edu

Truman, President Harry S. (1945, 6 August). “Announcing the bombing of Hiroshima.”

Retrieved from pbs.org

Wiesel, Elie. (1986, 11 December). Nobel Lecture: “Hope, despair and memory.” Retrieved from

nobelprize.org

**__Lesson Plans__**

Lesson Plans, Animations, Activities, and more. Retrieved from besthistorysites.net

**__Websites__**

AOL.Inc. (2014, October 5) Open Directory Project: World War II. Retrieved from dmoz.org

BBC. (2014). World War Two. (2014). Retrieved from bbc.co.uk

Braakhuis, Wilfried. (1998, 1 January). The World at War, History of WW 1939-1945. January,

Retrieved from euronet.nl

Kaelin, J. C., Jr. (2014.) The WWII sound & image archive. Retrieved from earthstation1.com

Recollections of WWII. (n.d.) Retrieved from recollectionsofwwii.co.uk

Simkin, John. (2014 August) Encyclopedia of the Second World War. (2014). Spartacus

Educational. Retrieved from [|www.spartacus-educational.com]

Smithsonian National Museum of American History. (n.d.) The Price of Freedom: Americans at

War. Retrieved from amhistory.ei.edu

Stone, Bill. (2014). Armies of the Second World War. Retrieved from books.stonebooks.com

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (2014). Retrieved from ushmm.org Lori - I got the opportunity to visit Eva Kor's CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute, IN with our freshman English class several years ago. It was a moving experience. Eva also spoke with our group - she is quite amazing. //Echoes from Auschwitz: Dr. Mengele's Twins: The story of Eva and Miriam Mozes (2000) Candles is one// of her books. - Lara Macklin

<span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">Christmas Around the World –2nd grade Social Studies <span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">Vanessa Lecy <span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">For the next 3 ½ weeks, my 2nd graders are learning about how different countries celebrate Christmas. It is our “Christmas around the Unit,” and one everyone, including teachers, thoroughly enjoys. Each day we will be discussing a different countries customs and cultures to help celebrate this wonderful holiday. We will look at how they dress, what they eat, how they say, “Merry Christmas,” and any other traditions that are interesting and make their Christmas different from others. <span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">To start this unit, the students watched a “Christmas around the World” video. This gave them a lot of the background knowledge of the holiday; where it comes from, why we celebrate, and some of the countries that we will be discussing. After watching this, the students went back to their seats and created their “Christmas around the World” booklet. In this booklet, they will color the country that is being studied and then list the important characteristics from that particular country. <span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">While learning about each country, I will be using the following nonfiction books and websites to help enrich my lessons. I will read important information from the various books, and use the websites to show students the different cultures. They will be able to hear songs, see decorations, and observe anything else that makes each country unique. Each day students will also be doing hands-on activity to help they better understand the lesson and the country. <span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">At the end of the unit, my 17 students will have learned about 14 different countries and their Christmas traditions. They will have an activity that correlates with each country along with a booklet to help them remember the key details.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">**__Non-fiction Books__** //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Celebrations! //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (1997) Kindersley, Anabel and Barnabas <span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">This book has beautiful pictures that portray the color and excitement each festival brings in different countries. //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Children around the World Celebrate Christmas //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (1993) Osborn, Susan and Harder Tangvald, Christine <span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">This book is written simply, but provides plenty of information to the readers. The book includes 16 different countries and how they celebrate Christmas. //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Christmas around the World //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(1998) Lankford, Mary <span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">This book introduces the symbols and traditions of Christmas in other countries. It describes items like the prune people of Germany and the posada processions of Mexico. //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Christmas around the World //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (2007) Fischer, Chuck <span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">This pop-up book illuminates unique Christmas traditions and portrays mythical figures, such as England's Father Christmas and Italy's Le Befana. //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Celebrate Hanukkah //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (2006) Heiligman, Deborah <span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">This book illustrates celebrations of Jewish people around the world--including India, Israel, and the United States. //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Christmas //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(2006) Strain-Trueit, Trudi <span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">This book shows kids the history behind Christmas and teaches them how they can celebrate it on their own. //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">My First Kwanzaa //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (2003) Katz, Karen <span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">This book helps kids celebrate the seven days of Kwanzaa. It tells them importance of family, friends, and community. //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">My First Ramadan //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(2007) Katz, Karen <span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">Students follow along in this book with a young boy as he observes the Muslim holy month with his family. //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ramadan //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(2002) Marx, David <span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">This book explains how the holiday was developed. It also shows students how it is celebrated today. //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Seven Candles for Kwanzaa //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (1998) Pinkney, Andrea Davis <span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">This book describes the origins and practices of Kwanzaa. //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Miracle of Hanukkah //<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">(2011) Chwast, Seymour <span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">This book retells the story of the 8-day celebration known as Hanukkah. **__<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Websites __** <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">[]

<span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">This site shows students on the map where each country is located. When they click on the country or the name, it gives them a summary of what the country does to celebrate Christmas and shows pictures. <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">[]

<span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">This site helps children find information and facts related to a countries Christmas traditions and festivals. <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">[]

<span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">This interactive site shares with readers how different countries celebrate Christmas. Students are able to scroll pages and look at photographs of several different holiday symbols and traditions. <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">[]

<span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">This site has many activities that focus on the traditions and spirit of Christmas. It also lists other internet sites for students to explore. <span style="color: windowtext; display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">[]

<span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">This interactive site is a place where you can get ideas, crafts, recipes, greeting cards, traditions & history, and activities on all your favorite holidays and festivals. This is also my activity in file form. It may be easier to read. --Vanessa-- _

How My List Helped Enrich My Unit: Holidays Around the World – (Sarah Hoenig)First Grade Social Studies Unit of StudyWIKI created by: Sarah Hoenig I am using the following nonfiction books and websites to teach my first graders about various holidays and traditions that people around the world, participate in during the winter season. I begin this unit by asking students which holidays they celebrate in December. As students share various holidays, I write their holiday suggestion down on chart paper. I ask others if they celebrate this holiday as well. I direct students to raise their hand to show they also celebrate this one. I will tell students that different people celebrate different winter holidays, all over the world. Furthermore, I will tell students that people may celebrate the same holiday with different traditions. I will define the word tradition. I will ask students to share their traditions and what they do on each holiday that they suggested previously. I will write some student traditions down on our chart paper. We will compare and contrast traditions that students mention within our class. I will tell students that we will discover many different traditions and ways that people celebrate the same holiday. This class consists of 18 first grade students. I will share many of the books in a shared reading (whole group) format. I chose books that have a lot of pictures that parallel the text and teach the specific holiday. Students will have a chance to use their iPads to listen to reading on the Pebblego.com site. The holidays that I chose to introduce in this unit are: Christmas in America, Las Posadas, Christmas in Germany, Christmas in Mexico, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Upon the conclusion, students will record what they have learned in a “holidays around the word summary pack.” Each holiday/country will have a page; on each page students will write at least one fact their learned, one connection and draw one picture showing an understanding of a tradition that corresponds with each holiday. Upon finishing each holiday's summary sheet, students will be encourage to pair-share to gain a better understand and continue to make meaning of the content learned.
 * Books**__:__

//The Eight Nights of Hanukkah//, (1998) Judy Nayer: Troll Communications. This book shows students special customs and traditions that Jewish families participate in. It shows songs that are sung, food recipes that are shared and art projects that help children understand key concepts of Hanukkah. Students can learn The Dreidel Song, make a menorah and recipes for latkes, a traditional Hanukkah food. //A Kwanzaa Celebration,// (1995) Nancy Williams: Little Simon. This is a pop-up book that engages students as it shows symbols, traditional colors, zawadi (gifts) and African words, with pronunciation. It also gives an introduction to the seven principles of Kwanzaa and what they mean. //Christmas Around the World//, (1998) Mary D. Lankford: Harper Collins. This book shows how Christmas is celebrated in 12 different countries. (Germany, Netherlands, Mexico, and more) Most importantly, it shares cultural traditions that each country uses to celebrate. //The Story of Christmas//, (2008), Marilyn Packard and Carolyn Croll: Workman Publishing. The format of this book is an advent calendar. Each numbered door shares a mini informational book about Christmas's Christian connection. The first Christmas and Jesus' birth are shared in this text. //Christmas in Germany//, (2013) Jack Manning: Capstone Press. This book depicts several Christmas traditions that originated in Germany. Decorating a Christmas tree with candles (lights), singing carols, Saint Nicholas filling children's shoes with treats are all examples German traditions mentioned in this nonfiction book. //Christmas in Mexico//, (1997) Cheryl Enderlein: Capstone Press. This informational text shares Mexican culture and how people in Mexico celebrate Christmas. The relevance of the poinsettia plant, several ethnic food recipes and the nativity are all themes showcased in this text. //Las Posadas: A Hispanic Christmas Collection,// (2000) Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith: Holiday House Publishing. This photo-essay shows how an 11 year old girl living in New Mexico celebrates Las Posadas. Mary and Joesph's search for an inn to stay in Bethlehem are shown as the girl and her friend portray the story of Jesus' birth. Traditional recipes and songs are also listed in this book about Las Posadas. //Children Around the World Celebrate Christmas//, (1996) Christine Harder-Tangvald: Standard Publishing Company. This text introduces various country's Christmas celebrations. For each country it states: how people celebrate Christmas there, Christmas traditions and how to say “Merry Christmas” in each language. Furthermore, it showcases traditional clothing of each country taught. //My First Kwanzaa,// (2014) Karen Katz: Squarefish. This informational text serves as a great introduction of Kwanzaa. It shares the importance of family, friends and community while teaching about the principles that African people share while celebrating Kwanzaa. It also shares several Swahili words (with phonemic spellings). //Kwanzaa (Rookie Reader)//, (2013) Lisa Herrington: Children's Press. This text shares historical information about the holiday, Kwanzaa. Reproduced photographs depict realistic images of people celebrating Kwanzaa. Photographs and text show: kinara, ziwadi and candles representing each principle of Kwanzaa.
 * Websites**__:__

[] __This is a site that my school has a subscription to. Under the social studies tab students will be able to listen to articles, see pictures and watch video clips about Christmas around the world, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah.__

[] __This site features a list of more than 100 countries and and links of how they celebrate the Christmas holiday. Also included in this site is how to say “Merry Christmas” in a variety of different languages.__

[] __This site gives information about Kwanzaa. It outlines the 7 principles of this African holiday. Additionally it lists traditional Kwanzaa symbols and their meaning.__

[] __This site has links to several Hanukkah printables that teachers can use during their instruction. It also includes directions of how to make a menorah and a dreidel. It shares how the dreidel game is played.__

[]__ This is an interactive site that shares with readers how various cultures celebrate Christmas. Users can scroll through pages and observe photographs of several holiday symbols and traditions.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">Celebrations!
 * Sarah, this sounds like a great unit. I will be doing much the same. Have you tried the website, whychristmas.com? It is an interactive website that gives great detail to all the countries. I will also be looking at your website, www.pebblego.com. It seems like a good site for the students. A book to look at is**
 * <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Anable and Barnabas Kindersley. Vanessa Lecy **

Hispanic Heritage Unit—List of Nonfiction Trade Books and Websites By Annemarie Schaff

I will use the text and website resources below to teach a Hispanic Heritage unit to a mixed-ability group of bilingual 3rd and 4th graders. The group consists entirely of Hispanic students from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Dominican Republic. Although Hispanic Heritage month has come and gone, it is still vital that these students be not only exposed to, but also engaged and immersed in their history, culture, and language. Not only studying, but understanding one’s heritage is important in order to be able to build respect with others with the same and with different cultures, customs, traditions, and backgrounds. **Nonfiction Texts for Teaching Hispanic Heritage:** **Garcia Dávila, S. (2001). //Los Antepasados para niños//. Mexico City, MX: Selector.** **Argueta, J. (2010). //Arroz con leche: Un poema para cocinar/Rice Pudding: A Cooking Poem//. Berkeley, CA: Publishers Group West.** **Palacios, A. (1995). //Hablamos dos idiomas.// Vero Beach, FL: Rourke Publications, Inc.** **Lomas Garza, C. (1990). //Family Pictures/Cuadros de familia//. San Francisco, CA: Children’s Book Press.** **Perl, L. (1983). //Piñatas and Paper Flowers: Holidays of the Americas in English and Spanish/Piñatas y flores de papel: Fiestas de las Américas en inglés y español//. New York, NY: Clarion Books. Spanish version by Alma Flor Ada.** **Lowery, L. (2006). //El Día de los Muertos//. Minneapolis, MN: ediciones Lerner.** **Hollihan, K. (2010). //Christmas Traditions in Latin America/Tradiciones navideñas de Latinoamérica//. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group. Translation by Ma. Pilar Sanz** **Anacona, G. (1995). //Fiesta U.S.A.// New York, NY: Lodestar Books.** **Brown, M. (2010). //Side by Side: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez/Lado a lado: La historia de Dolores Huerta y César Chávez//. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.** **Guzmán, L. & Guzmán, R. (2008). //Ellen Ochoa: La primera astronauta latina//. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc.** **Brown, M. (2004). //My Name is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/Me llamo Celia: La vida de Celia Cruz//. Flagstaff, AZ: Luna Rising.** **Winter, J. (2001). //¡////Béisbol!: Pioneros y leyendas del béisbol latino//. New York, NY: Lee & Low Books.** //**Note that in Spanish, only the first letter of the book title is capitalized.**// //***Some texts written in Spanish do not have an obtainable corresponding Lexile level or Interest level. Spanish texts without available Lexile levels instead have an appropriate grade and/or age level listed.***//
 * This Spanish text helps children better understand social, cultural, and political changes that have taken place in Mexico since pre-Hispanic times. It includes comprehensive descriptions of daily life, monuments, writings, religious customs, and military rule. Amazon age range: 8 and up, Grade range: 3 and up.
 * Through poetry and a bilingual format, this book offers a recipe to make arroz con leche, a traditional rice pudding with a Hispanic variation. Amazon age range: 4-7, Grade range: Preschool-2. Barnes and Noble age range: 4-7 years.
 * Topics such as how the Spanish language arrived in the Americas, the relationship between Spanish and English, who speaks Spanish in the United States, bilingual education, and notable bilingual people are all explained in this Spanish text. Better World Books age range: 8-12 years.
 * This bilingual text tells about the Mexican American author’s childhood in Kingsville, Texas through a series of fifteen paintings and stories such as “For Dinner,” “Picking Nopal Cactus,” “Quinceañera,” and “Healer.” Lexile: 750L, Interest Level: Grades 3-5.
 * This bilingual book describes different ways people in English- and Spanish-speaking countries celebrate eight holidays, some particular to certain places and others that celebrate two cultures. Lexile: 870L, Interest Level: Grades 3-5.
 * The Spanish text describes the Mexican holiday The Day of the Dead, including why it is celebrated, who it honors, and how families remember loved ones who have passed. Amazon age range: 7 and up, Grade range: 2 and up. Barnes and Noble age range: 5-8 years.
 * A bilingual text, this book offers a look into how families in Latin America celebrate Las Posadas, Christmas Eve and Christmas, and Three Kings’ Day. Amazon age range: 7 and up, Grade range: 2 and up. Barnes and Noble age range: 7-10 years.
 * This book, written in English with specific Spanish terminology included, explains four festivals Hispanic people celebrate in the United States including El Día de los Muertos, Las Posadas, the dance of Los Matachines, and Three Kings’ Day. Lexile: 990L, Interest Level: Grades 3-5.
 * The story of how Dolores Huerta and César Chávez worked together to create the National Farm Workers Association to inspire farmworkers and immigrants to fight for their rights peacefully is related in this bilingual text. Lexile: 870L, Interest Level: Grades K-2.
 * The life of Ellen Ochoa, the first Latina astronaut is described in this Spanish text. Her childhood, education, and career are detailed, and the references to additional resources allow the reader to access more information about Ochoa. Amazon age range: 8 and up, Barnes and Noble age range: 8-12 years.
 * The story of Celia Cruz is presented first person format in English and Spanish in this book. It shows how, from her birth in Cuba many years ago to her death in New Jersey, her singing and music helped create a new type of music--salsa. Lexile: 850L, Interest Level: Grades K-2.
 * Through the use of a baseball card format, statistics and narratives of fourteen legendary Latino baseball players from 1900 through 1960 are presented in Spanish in this book. Lexile: 960L, Interest Level: Grades 3-5.

**Websites for Teaching Hispanic Heritage:** [] This website from Scholastic provides students information about Famous Latinos, Latinos in History, and Hispanic History in the Americas. There is even a link to stories about other Latino kids and adults and what their heritage means to them.

[] This website run by the Smithsonian Institution offers a link to the Latino Virtual Museum that showcases bilingual exhibits from such countries as Argentina and Panama, as well as a link to //Radio Latino//, an audio stream that highlights Latino sounds, styles, and culture.

[] This site is great not only for teacher resources including lesson plans and activities, but also references for students such as English Words Created by Spanish Culture and Hispanics in Congress.

[] Colorín Colorado provides links to multi-media resources, background resources about Hispanic Heritage, articles, activities and games to bilingual learners.

[] Hispanic songs, holidays, traditions, culture and celebrations are explored on this website.

[] Holidays, traditions and faith, biographies, myths and legends, and food can be investigated on this site run by a Hispanic immigrant from Colombia.

[] This website delves into culture (art, customs, music, history, etc.) in many Spanish speaking countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, and Puerto Rico to name a few). Numerous links under each sub-heading allow students to peruse specific details pertaining to that topic.

**Nonfiction Books and Websites to Study United States Regions for Third Grade****By Julie LoDuca**

United States Regions is a unit of study for Social Studies in third grade. The five regions in the United States are learned and explored during the unit. The students focus their learning on the history of the region, the economy of the region and the culture. These five regions are used to explore, and compare and contrast the different areas in the country and how they are the same and different. The books that are listed below are books that are at a variety of different reading levels as well as topic. There are book which focus on specific regions and books that are general to all 50 states. The websites that are listed provide support and hands on learning about the regions and states. The websites are resources for all students to use with many different styles of learning. During the unit the students will work with a partner to create a learning goal for the unit that focuses on economy, culture and the history of the region. Once the students determine their learning goal, they will use the materials provided to help make a project that demonstrates the learning of the economy, culture and history of the region or state of their choice. The students can use any form of media that is available to them as well as a written form including posters, diorama or essay.

Book List: **Barr, G. (2006). Regions of the United States: The Mid-Atlantic. Heinemann-Raintree** This book is all about different regions around the United States. This is a great resource for readers who are going to research a specific region and learn about the history of these regions. Lexile Level: 1020

**Bauer, M. (2014) Celebrating Massachusetts: 50 States to Celebrate. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.** This book is a fictional story about a teacher who travels through a variety of states. In this book the teacher who loves to travel and explore will be exploring around Massachusetts. This book has lots of great pictures and colorful pages. This book is in a series of other states. A great starter book for basic readers. Reading Level: L

**Buller, J. (2003) Smart About the Fifty States, Smart About History.** This book will be used for higher readers to enjoy and learn about specific states in the United States. It is easy to use and has great fun facts for the students to research. Reading Level: P

**Keller, L. (2008) The Scrambled States of America.** This book is a fun way for the students to learn and memorize the states. It uses humor to help the students learn and understand the 50 states. Reading Level: L

**National Geographic. (2009) Beginner's United States: A First Atlas for Beginning Explorers.** This book has great pictures and diagrams of the United States and maps of each state. It is very easy to read and user friendly. Reading Level: k

**Nelson, M. (2006). The United States of American. A State by State Guide. Scholastic.** This book is a state by state guide that teaches the reader about the different states and describes the unique qualities that each state has. Reading Level: O

**Rau. D. (2012) The Southwest (True Books: U.S. Regions) Scholastic Library Publishing**. This book is information about the Southwest. A lot of picture support and ideas about the Southwest and it’s history makes this book perfect for an introduction of the region. Reading Level: N

**Rau. D. (2012) The Midwest (True Books) Paperback. Scholastic Library Publishing.** This book is an information book that has great picture support about the region. This book is easy to read and engaging to read. Reading Level: N

**Rau. D. (2012) The Southeast (True Books) Scholastic Library**. The Southeast book is perfect starter book for readers to learn information about the region. This book has great picture support as well as great layout of topics. Reading Level: N

**Rau, D. (2012) The Northeast (True Books: U.S. Regions) Scholastic Library**. This book is a great introduction book for the Northeast. It has great pictures and an easy layout of the text. Reading Level: N

**Rau, D. (2012) The West (True Books) Scholastic Library**. The West will be a great text to read and learn about by providing rich pictures and easy to understand kid language. Reading Level: N

**Thornton, B. (2007) The Everything Kids' States Book: Wind Your Way Across Our Great Nation. F & W Media.** This book is designed to have the students learn about the United States on an adventure around the country. This book will be used for all students during this unit. Reading Level:p

**Websites:**

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">[]

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">This website is a great website to start to explain the five regions of the United States. It has hands on learning activities as well as some short videos

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">[|http://www.r(2009)egions.noaa.gov/secar/] T <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">his website focused on the Southeast region. Has a lot of great current event topics that are important to the Southeast. This website would be great for a special learning project for independent learners.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">[]

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Fact Monster is a great website for young learners to go on and read about the Midwest with kid friendly language and examples. This website is also an interactive website with activities for the students to work on.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">[]

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Info Please is a website to help identify all of the states in the United States and help provide information for these states. This also can be used on the Smart Board for whole class learning. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">[]

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">This website has a variety of great videos about the United States Regions. This website can be viewed for whole class learning or individual use. Videos are a way for all learners to be engaged and active in the unit.

** Nonfiction Books and Websites to Enrich a Third Grade Science Unit on the Solar System ** By Carrie Nueske

During this unit students learn about the sun, the planets, and other objects in our solar system. They learn about how planets and other objects move in space. They learn what causes night and day as well as the seasons. They also learn more about Earth’s moon –including its phases and eclipses.

The books on this list present information clearly and include quality visual features. It includes easier books that are visually appealing for struggling and reluctant readers. There are also books that provide more detailed information for higher-achieving students to explore. Many notable authors and #|publishers are included in this book list to assure reliable content. I have also chosen popular websites that are easy to navigate and contain appropriate information for the grade level.

Some of the books can be used as whole-group read-alouds to elaborate on information provided by the textbook. Others can be used for research purposes or independent reading. Some of these websites can be shared in class to help illustrate concepts and others can be explored independently in the #|computer lab.

**Books**:

**Baines, B. (2008). //Every planet has a place//. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.**~ This colorful picture book takes readers on a journey from the sun through the outer planets and tells and interesting fact about each along the way. Lexile: 720L

**Branley, F. (2005). //Sunshine makes the seasons//.** ~ This picture book is from the //Let’s Read and Find Out// science series. It explains how the earth’s revolution around the sun on its axis causes the changes in the seasons on earth. Lexile: 510L AD (adult directed)

**Branley, F. (1999). //What makes day and night//.** ~ This picture book is from the //Let’s Read and Find Out// science series. It explains how the earth’s rotation on its axis causes day and night on the earth. Lexile: 230L

**Branley, F. (1981). //The planets in our solar system//. New York, NY. Harper-Collins Publishers, Inc.** ~ This book uses fun illustrations and interesting text to tell interesting facts about the planets and other objects in our solar system. Lexile: 480L

**Cole, J. (1990). //The magic school bus: Lost in the solar system//. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.** ~ This book combines fantasy adventure with factual information about the solar system as Ms. Frizzle and her #|class take a field trip through the solar system, learning many facts along the way. Lexile: 480L

**Donnelly, J. (1989) //Moonwalk: The first trip to the moon//. New York, NY: Random House.** ~ This book is the story of man’s first walk on the moon and the events leading up to it. Lexile: 550L

**Gibbons, G. (1997). //The moon book//.** New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. ~ This well-illustrated picture book provides basic information about the moon including an explanation for the moon’s phases, solar and lunar eclipses, and moon exploration. Lexile: 740L, Guided Reading Level O. Lexile: 740L

**James, L. (2011). //Our solar system series//. New York, NY: Gareth Stevens Publishing.** ~ This series of books is written in larger text and an easy to read format and provides basic but important information about each planet. Lexile: 310L-440L

Other books in this series: **Mercury: The Iron Planet** **Venus: The Masked Planet** **Earth: The Blue Planet** **Mars: The Red Planet** **Jupiter: The Laregst Planet** **Saturn: The Ringed Planet** **Uranus: The Ice Planet** **Neptune: The Stormy Planet** **Pluto: The Dwarf Planet** **Comets and Asteroids: Space Rocks**

**Mitton, J. & Balit, C. (2001). //The planet gods: Myths and facts about the solar system//. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic.** ~ This book describes the mythical gods for which the planets were named as well as provides facts for each one. Told in the first person point of view of each planet, use of descriptive language and colorful illustrations of the gods make this book appealing to read. (does not include informational text features) Ages 6-10. Accelerated Reader/ATOS: 5.5

**Murphey, P. (2006). //Why does the moon change shape?// New York, NY: Rosen Classroom Books & Materials.** ~ This book explores the moon’s movement, phases, eclipses and more in easy to understand text. Real photos help readers visualize these concepts. Accelerated Reader/ATOS: 4.2

**Stone, L. (2009). //Planets//. Vero Beach, FL: Rourke Publishing LLC.** ~ This easy reading book tells very basic information about each planet and incorporates fact boxes to easily gather information. Accelerated Reader/ATOS: 3.8

**Vogt, G. (2002). //Pluto//. Mankato, MN: Bridgestone Books.** ~ This book is part of a series called //The Galaxy.// These higher level books explore and in-depth look at objects in our solar system and include photographs and other text features to support understanding. Lexile: IG 670L

Other titles in this series: **Asteroids** **Comets** **Earth** **Jupiter** **Mars** **Mercury** **Meteors and Meteorites** **Neptune** **Saturn** **Stars** **Sun** **Uranus** **Venus** **Constellations** **The Milky Way** **Moons** **The Solar System**

**Weigl Publishers (no author listed). (2007). //Pluto a dwarf planet//. New York, NY: Weigl Publishers, Inc.** ~ This book is part of a series called //Exploring Planets//. It provides lots of higher level information about the planets. The incorporates of many visual text features makes these books appealing to readers. A good resource for higher level readers (gr. 4-5).

**Zappa, M. (2011). //Eclipses//. Edina, MN: ABDO Publishing Company.** ~ This book explores both solar and lunar eclipses and provided diagrams, photos, and illustrations to support the concepts. Accelerated Reader/ATOS: 4.4

**Zuchora-Walske, C. (2012). //Your Mission to Mercury//. Edina, MN: Magic Wagon.** ~ This is a book in a series called //The Planets//. The narrator describes the adventure of a boy and his dog as they embark on missions to the planets and explains facts about the planet as they go. Fun but unrealistic illustrations help keep the attention of the reader. Guided Reading Level: O, Accelerated Reader/ATOS: 3.8

Other titles in this series: **Your Mission to Mars** **Your Mission to Venus** **Your Mission to Saturn** **Your Mission to Jupiter**

** Websites ** : // Astronomy for Kids // []

On this kid-friendly website, students can easily click on a planet or item of interest to learn a lot more information about it.

// The Moon Phase Song (ParrMr) // []

A fun song video with sing-along lyrics about the phases of the moon that goes to the popular tune of // Forget You // by Cee Lo Green.

// Planets for Kids // [|http://www.planetsforkids.org]

On this website, students can click on the name of each planet to get to a list of facts about the planet.

// Start Date (Moon Phase Calendar) // []

On this website students or teachers can choose a month and year to find a moon phase calendar. They can also find out what time to view the moon on certain dates as well as learn lots of information about the moon.

// Super Teacher Worksheets (articles) // []

With a paid subscription, teachers can print out informational articles about all of the planets and other objects in the solar system.

// What is a Lunar Eclipse? // []

This is a short educational video about lunar eclipses.

// What is a Solar Eclipse? // []

This is a short educational video illustrating solar eclipses.

**Nonfiction Books and Websites for Endangered Animals** **By Dottie May**

I am using my compiled list of trade books and websites to support students as they investigate an endangered animal of their choice. Each student will create a final project that reflects their understanding of the causes responsible for animals becoming endangered and the steps in place to protect them. The use of trade books will provide students with a number of sources on endangered animals from all over the world.

After an introduction to the lesson, students begin by selecting an endangered animal. They will use the following trade books and websites to complete a graphic organizer that requires them to describe the characteristics and habitat of their animal, tell why it is endangered, and explain what is being done to save it. Students will select a format of their choice to convey their research to the class. It may be a newscast or book review recorded on an iPad, a written report narrated by a voki, illustrations narrated through VoiceThread, or a traditional poster. After students have shared their finished work, they will reflect and find a common theme between their presentations.

**__Books:__** **//Almost Gone the World's Rarest Animals//** (2006) Steve Jenkins: HarperCollins. This book contains 28 of the world’s rarest animals endanger of becoming extinct. The author describes each animal’s physical features, habitat, factors that endangered them, and the best guess of scientists for the number remaining, if //available//. Lexile 1020/Grade 6-7 **//Endangered and Extinct Mammals//** (2014) Jennifer Boothroyd. Lerner Publications. This book contains information about endangered and extinct animals, measures to help endangered animals, animals that have increased in numbers from near extinction, and additional resources. Lexile 510/Grade 2 **//No Animals, No Plants: Species at Risk//** (2008) Sarah Irvine: New York: Children's Press. The author lists interesting facts and shows the relationship between animals and plants. Offers thought provoking questions good for discussion. Lexile 830/Grade 4-5 **//Can We Save the Tiger?//** (2011) Martin Jenkins: Candlewick Press. Jenkins introduces his book by telling how humans have changed the earth and shows some of the extinct animals. He continues informing the reader of many endangered animals and explains what they need to survive. Lexile 970/Grade 5 //**Will We Miss Them?** **Endangered Species**// (1992) Alexandra Wright: Charlesbridge. Presented through the perspective of an eleven year old but recommends being read by an adult. The author describes the endangered animals to help readers better understand they can help save them. Lexile 860/Grade 4-5 **//Animals like us: The world’s endangered animals speak out//** (2005) Andrea Mills: DK Publishing Inc. The author describes forest, desert, ocean, grassland, and mountain at a time. Three animal from each habitat give interesting facts and the dangers they face from their perspective. Grade 4-5 **//Endangered Animals//** (2001) Rhonda Lucas Donald: Children’s Press. The author discusses extinct animals, explains why animals are becoming extinct, how and why to save animals, and lists resources for more information. Lexile 970/Grade 5 **//Endangered Animals//** (1984) [|Lynn M. Stone] : Childrens Press. This book gives information about animals at risk and the reasons that put them on the endangered list. The copyright date is important to show students how long we have been learning about endangered animals. Lexile 620/Grade 2-3 **//Saving Endangered Animals//** (2013) Ruth a. Musgrave, //Protecting the Kakapo// (2013) Bob Morrow, and //The Penguin Protectors// (2013) Katy S. Duffield: Heinemann. These three books are part of Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention Books. They are high interest books developed for struggling readers. These particular titles focus on measures put into place to save habitats and increase animal populations. Grade 3-4 **//Rare: Portraits of America's Endangered Species//** (2010) Joel Sartore: Focal Point. This a book filled with photographs of eighty endangered animals and plants. He uses numbers in large print to show population of each species. Written explanations are included. This is an adult book but the illustrations are great for introducing this subject matter to children. His website listed below has video that works well with this book. Intended to use more as a picture book. **__Websites:__** [] Supports teachers and connects students through meet-the-author, meet-the-author book readings, book trailers, book guides, lesson plans. This site supports the above author-Rhonda Lucas Donald and books: [] This site contains five lesson ideas - Species Charades, Tracking the Wild Ones, Web of Life, Save the ___ Story Board, Illustrating Endangered Species. [] This site offers articles on current events regarding endangered animals. [] Offers information on endangered animals by state or county, provides an interactive map, success stories, and current news. [] Joel Sartore, author of //Rare: Portraits of America’s Endangered Species//, created this website. He has videos, photographs and more related to animals. The Rare video supports his book //Rare: Portraits of America’s Endangered Species//.
 * //Almost Gone: The World's Rarest Animals//
 * //Endangered and Extinct Mammals//
 * //Can We Save the Tiger?//
 * //Will We Miss Them? Endangered Species//

**List of Nonfiction books and websites** **Unit on Ladybugs** By: Amy Mitchell **Grade Level:** First Grade **Lesson Plan:** First grade students will be doing a writing assessment on ladybugs. We will read stories about Ladybugs and research together online interesting facts about ladybugs. We will discuss and create a word web and anchor chart with specific vocabulary words to describe the body parts of a ladybug and facts about ladybugs. Students will have time to draw and label the parts of a ladybug along with some fun interesting facts about ladybugs. Student will be require to write 3-5 sentences using facts to inform others about ladybugs. Students will then present their work to the class.

**Lesson Objective:** Students will draw and label the parts of a lady bug: antennas, head, 4 wings, six legs, may be different colors depending on the ladybugs we learned about. Students will be able to write 3-5 sentences using facts to inform others about the ladybug they drew. Students will present to class.

**Reference List of Nonfiction books about Ladybugs:** Gibbons, Gail. (2012). //Ladybugs//. New York: Holiday House. This book uses simple text and colorful illustrations. It describes the physical attribute, habits, and life cycle of the ladybug.

Schuh, Mari C. (2014). //Ladybugs//. Minneapolis, MN: Jump!. This photo-illustrated book for early readers tells facts about ladybugs and briefly explains their life cycle.

Watts, Barrie. (2005). //Ladybugs: Text and Photographs.// Mankoto, MN: Sea to Sea Publications. This book explains what ladybugs are, where to find them, and how to collect and care for them.

Murray, Julie. (2003). //Ladybugs.// Edina, MN: Abdo Pub. This book is an introduction to the physical characteristics, behavior, habitat, and life cycle of ladybugs. It discusses colorful ladybugs found on all continents except Antarctica. Himmelman, John. (1998). //A Ladybug’s Life//. New York: Children’s Press. This book has illustrations and simple text to follow the daily activities of a ladybug through its life cycle from summer to fall.

McBee, M.C. (2003). //Ladybugs.// Chanhassen, MN: Child’s World. This book discusses what ladybugs are, what they eat, what happens to them in the winter time what their babies are like, how they are helpful, what enemies they have and how they stay safe.

Smith, Sian. (2013//). Ladybugs.// Chicago, IL: Raintree. This book uses simple rhymes and engaging images to teach readers about ladybugs. It also discusses spots, shell secrets, strange babies and ladybug lunches.

Heinrichs, Ann. (2002). //Ladybugs//. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point Books. This book introduces distinguishing characteristics, life cycles and different types of ladybugs.

Llewellyn, Claire. (2002). //Ladybugs//. New York: Franklin Watts. This book takes a really close look at ladybugs. It shows where they grow and where they live, what they eat and who eats them.

Ross, Michael Elsohn. (1997). //Ladybugology.// Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books. This book describes physical characteristics, habits and life of ladybugs. It provides instructions for finding, collecting and keeping these beetles as pets.

**Websites:** []

This is a website that tells 10 interesting facts about ladybugs. It discusses why the lady is in ladybug, how ladybugs will eat each other to survive and how they have bright colors to warn predators away.

[]

This website it the national geographic website and gives some facts like diet, and life span and size and much more.

[]

This website gives great photos of the life cycle of a ladybug, fact and some other interesting fun facts.

[]

This is the #1 website to learn anything you want to know about ladybugs!

[]

This is a website that has videos of ladybugs and some facts. This also recommends books and craft ideas as well.

[]

This is another great site that has everything you want to know about ladybugs and more!

http://libraryzone.wikispaces.com/Ladybugs+page

This is a wiki space I found that had some really great ladybug information and links to other areas about ladybugs as well. It is a collaborative project named lucky ladybugs.

**Weather** Karen Nelson **Non fiction Tade Book List:** **Canizares, S., & Chanko, P. (1998). //Water.// New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.** Guided Reading Level: B Lexile: BR //Water// is a picture book that describes what water resembles accinding to it temperature. At the end of the book there is a teacher resource section that details water and its properties. It details the water cycle, temperature water freezes, and how weather effects the composition of water molecules. Acknowledgements: Science Consultants: Patrick R. Thomas, Ph.D., Bronx Zoo/Wildlife Conservation Park; Glenn Phillips, The New York Botanical Garden; Literacy Specialist: Maria Utefsky, Reading Recovery Coordinator, District 2, New York City. **Davis, G. W. (1998). //Working at a TV station.// New York, NY: Children’s Press.** Guided Reading Level: N Lexile: 840L IG //Working at a TV Station// is an overview of what goes on behind the scenes to broadcast a news program. It does touch on a meteorologist's job within the news program. **Fleisher, J. (2002). //Weather.// New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.** Guided Reading Level: P Lexile: 430L //Weather// is nonfiction trade book designed to inform the reader about storms and the peole who track them. The mention about storm chasers and their role and collaboration with meteorologists. **Gibbons, G. (2011). //It’s snowing.// New York, NY: Holiday House.** Guided Reading Level: O Lexile: 790L A nonfiction story of snow and how it develops. The story covers types of snow from flurries, snowstorms, sleet, and blizzards and whiteouts. Also mentioned are safety tips, how to view snowflakes closely, websites for reference, and vocabulary terms used for winter snow storms. Acknowledgements: Eric Evenson of the National Weather Service, South Burlington, Vermont

**Hammonds, H. (2002). //Weather watching.// Austin, TX: Harcourt Achieve, Inc.** Guided Reading Level: M Running Words: 339 Lexile: ? //Weather Watching// compares and contrasts the weather of the changing seasons. It gives activities and detailed instuctions for studying the weather. For example, it guides you to make a rain catcher to measure rainfall totals. **Hammonds, H. (2007). //Stormy weather.// Austin, TX: Harcourt Achieve, Inc.** Guided Reading Level: G Running Words: 208 Lexile: ? //Stormy Weather// gives the reader an overview of the different types of storms. It lists rain storms, snowstorms, thunder storms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. The effects of that storms have, such as floods and wind and storm distruction, are also mentioned. **Hopping, L. J. (1995). //Wild weather: Hurricanes!.// New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.** Guided Reading Level: P Lexile: 530L //Wild Weather: Hurricanes!// is a historical journey through hurricanes past. It begins with the adventure that one United States storm tracker takes and through his missions he saves many lives. **Hopping, L. J. (1998). //Wild weather: Blizzards!.// New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.** Guided Reading Level: N Lexile: 610L //Wild Weather: Blizzards!// is a historical chapter book filled with facts and hardships of winter’s past. The last chapter tells of scientists and their predicatability of when the next big blizzard will hit. **Mogil, H. M., & Levine, B. (2008).** **//Extreme weather.//** **New York, NY: Simon & Schuster** **Books for Young Readers.** Interest Level: Grade 3-8 Lexile: ? //Extreme Weather// is a vibrantly 3-D illustrated book that discusses the disaturous and devastating effects that weather has upon our planet. **Pfeffer, W. (2002). //Thunder and lightning.// New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.** Guided Reading Level:J Lexile: 430L //Thunder and Lightning// discusses how a storm is created through the water cycle process. It is a detailed journey how lightning is created through static electricity of raindrops bumping together. It identifies different types of lightning and how lightning makes thunder. Acknowledgements: Consulted Scientist Lee Bennett, Ph.D., University of Washington, Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution, The Franlklin Institiute, and Drexel University; and Jonathon D.W. Kahl, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

**Supporting Websites:** []

Is a website with animated charachertes teaching about different aspects of weather. The website addresses the seasons, temperature, and the water cycle. It offers a small quiz that may be taken by the student online or on paper format. []

Crystal Wicker, meterologist, designed the website for students and teachers. It is very user friendly. The website includes teacher lesson plans, games, jokes, experiements, safety tips, and much more weather related fun. []

The Weather Channel website offers an interactive past or future forcast map for your town’s surrounding area that sudents could use to help predict the weather. []

This is a fun interactive website where your students can find out what the weather was on their birthdate. It will also give you the current weather. []

Website for students to try their hand at weather forecasting. This would be a great activity for an ongoing journal activity. []

Website for the National Weather Service that provides educational resources for teachers and sites for students.

**Linked by Kelsey Lundgren:** Click here for additional resources on the similar topic of @Extreme Weather and Natural Disasters

**Anti-Bullying Public Service Announcement: Non-fiction Tradebooks and Websites Annotated Book List**Ellen Murphy According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly a third of all students aged 12 – 18 reported having been bullied at school in 2007, some almost daily (School Bullying, n.d.). In seventh grade in Karcher, our students watch the movie //Bully// as part of a guidance program. To support that program, students extend their understanding of bullying by researching types of bullying and bully prevention programs. They learn about persuasive techniques and advertising strategies, then design a public service campaign creating magazine ads, bumper stickers, billboards, brochures and television and radio commercials.

When compiling this list of tradebooks and websites, I wanted to select resources targeted specifically to teens about bullying in general and cyberbullying in particular. Since, students will eventually write a problem/solution essay, I also wanted to include books that provided advice on how to deal with bullying or outlined successful anti-bully programs. Almost of the tradebooks and websites are for a general teen audience, but I did look for sources targeted just to girls or just for boys because they ways students bully can be gender specific. There are a few tradebooks for which I could not find a lexile level, but every effort was made to include books ranging from 600 to 1100 or approximately grades six to nine. While students will work with partners and in groups, the reading levels of the students in my class generally range from as low as a 500 lexile to as high as a 1200 according to their Fall MAPS testing and some of the research will be completely independent. After research, students will work in groups to create a public service campaign, creating a series of billboards, magazine ads, television commercials, t-shirts, bumper stickers, and so forth. Students will be expected to site their sources in their campaigns correctly, and will also write a problem/solution essay to provide individual accountability to the collaboration.

Generally, we just use internet sources for this research, and I start with a lesson on just the text features of websites and a study guide for the //Stopbullying.gov// website. This website is very comprehensive with drop-down menus that are easy to navigate. Students work in partners, then choose a sub-topic or sub-population, like cyberbullying or bystander awareness, for further research for their campaigns. At that point, we practice note-taking and learn about citing sources, but students research individual first, then meet with groups who chose the same focus to plan the campaign. Once students are familiar with the general issue, I will conduct a book pass, so students can choose books that would apply to their more targeted research.

// School Bullying. (n.d.). Retrieved August 8, 2014. //

Tradebooks. // Bullying and Me: Schoolyard Stories //. (2010) Ousie Shapiro: Albert Whitman. Thirteen kids and grownups from a variety of backgrounds talk openly about their experiences of being bullied. Each story is accompanied by a short commentary from a psychologist who offers advice or support about handling these situations, from ignoring perpetrators to telling a trusted adult.Lexile 740

// Cyber Bullying //. (2012) Nick Hunter: Heinemann Library. This book discusses the meaning of cyber-bullying: who does it, how to stop it, and the forms it takes. Lexile 1050

// Dear Bully: Seventy Authors Tell Their Stories // (2011) Megan Kelly Hall and Carrie Jones: HarperTeen. This anthology documents seventy teen authors’ experiences with bullying. These personal accounts show varied perspectives, as they range from being silent bystanders, victims, and executors. No Lexile

// Girl Wars: 12 Strategies That will End Female Bullying //. (2003) Cheryl Dellasega and Charisse Nixon: Simon & Schuster //. // Two experts explain not only how to prevent such behavior but also how to interven, as well as how to prevent the culture that breeds it. No Lexile

Gi // rls Against Girls: Why We Are Mean to Each Other and How We Can Change // (2009). Bonnie Burton: Zest books. This book tackles the cgossip, envy, and social shunning that seems to affect many teenage girls. The book explains this behavior and offers many methods for managing and dealing with it. Lexile 1120.

// Hey ////, Back Off!: Tips for Stopping Teen Harassment //. (2011). Jennie Withers and Phyllis Hendrickson: New Horizon. A teen guide to harassment prevention. It uses narrative real life examples and stories that are relatable to teens, while incorporating strategies and coping tips for not only teens, but also parents and educators. No Lexile

// Letters to a Bullied Girl: Messages of Healing and Hope //. (2008) Olivia Gardner: Harper. Olivia Gardner, a northern California teenager, was severely taunted and cyber-bullied by her classmates for more than two years. News of her bullying spread, eventually reaching two teenage girls from a neighboring town, Emily and Sarah Buder. The girls were so moved by Olivia's story that they initiated a letter-writing campaign to help lift her spirits. In //Letters to a Bullied Girl//, Olivia and the Buder sisters share a selection of the messages that arrived from across America. Lexile Unknown

// Masculinity, Bullying, and Aggression: A Guy’s Guide // (2012) Sam Navarre: Rosen. Written for teen boys, this book gives advice on how to deal with bullying and cyberbullying with violence. Lexile 1000

// Odd Girl Speaks Out // (2004) Rachel Simmons: Harcourt. Girls across North America share their personal bullying experiences as the target or the bully. The author also offers thoughtful advice to readers sharing similar experiences. No Lexile

// Stand up for Yourself and Your Friends: Dealing with Bullies and Bossiness and Finding a Better Way // (2009) Patty Kelly Criswell: American Girl. Targeted to girls, this book teaches kids how to spot bullying and how to stand up and speak out against it. The book includes quizzes, advice from other kids, and easy to follow lists. Lexile level: 740.

// Teen Cyberbullying Investigated: Where do Your Rights End and Consequences Begin? // (2010) Tom Jacobs: Free Spirit. Judge Tom Jacobs presents a collection of landmark court cases involving teens and charges of cyberbullying, Each chapter features the seminal case and resulting decision, and asks readers whether they agree with the decision,. Chapters also include related cases, important facts and statistics, and suggestions for further reading. No lexile

// Vicious: True Stories by Teens About Bullying //. (2012) Hope Vanderberg: Free Spirit. As part of the // Real Teen Voices // series, this book is a collection of essays by teens address bullying: physical, verbal, relational, and electronic. Lexile 910

// We Want You to Know: Kids Talk About Bullying // (2011). Deborah Ellis: Cocteau Books. This book is comprised of interviews from students ages nine to nineteen. The interviews reveal each student’s experience with bullying. The essays are loosely organized around a few themes, and the final chapter, "Redemption," highlights those kids who have managed to rise above bullying. Lexile 770

** Websites ** []

From the website TeenHealth, this website provides a good definition bullying, discusses why kids bully and what to do. Plus, a simple keyword search of the site provides more information about cyberbullying, videos about bullying, and how to apologize if you’ve been a bully.

[]

An easy to use website that defines cyberbullying and provides simple tools for preventing it. Written more for parents and educators, it does have a section for tweens.

[]

Written for youth by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, this website provides lots of advice to help kids get along with one another. While not specifically about Bullying, it addresses the problems that cause bullying.

[]

The Megan Meier Foundation was founded in December of 2007 by Tina Meier, mother of Megan Taylor Meier. On October 16, 2006, Tina Meier’s daughter, at just 13, took her own life. She passed away on October 17, 2006, just weeks from her 14th birthday. Consequently, Tina Meier has made combating bullying and cyberbullying her crusade This website provides accurate statistics about bullying and cyberbullying, relevant laws, and how to report on cyberbullying.

[|http://www.pacerteensagainstbullying.org/#/home]

Published by the National Bullying Prevention Center, this website defines bullying, provides suggestions specifically target to teens, and includes many first person personal teen confessions about the topic.

[]

A comprehensive website that defines bullying, and cyberbullying ,and suggests ways to prevent and respond to bullying. This website had particularly good information about the importance of the bystander.

[]

Written for teens, this website provides a basic definition of cyberbullying and what to do about it.

[]

Written for teens, this site really defines the different types of bullying well. It also provides specific advice for each type.

Earth Day - 1st grade Emily Hayes

This Earth Day unit is designed for use with my 1st grade son in a one-on-one learning environment, but I did try to consider ways to accommodate a full classroom of diverse learners, as well. I have chosen a variety of texts – some mostly pictures to a more balanced mix to more heavily text-laden – at a range of reading levels and focusing on several topics relating to the health and well-being of our planet.

We begin by learning the background and principle purposes/goals of Earth Day. A student-led brainstorm (jumpstarted from students’ individual KWLs) produces ideas for further inquiry. This brainstorm might necessitate the changing of the sub-topics from those included in this list in an effort to match the interests of each unique classroom. For this particular unit with my son, we explore birds, trees, butterflies, and earthworms/composting. We also learn about the three Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Some of the texts are used for teacher read-alouds, others are only used for parts of their content, and still others are provided for student reading and discussion. The websites have been chosen for similar purposes. Some lend themselves to whole-class exploration under the direction of the teacher. Others are appropriate for student exploration and game-ification of learning.

The major project-based assessments for this unit include a nature walk for bird watching and identification, another for tree identification and observation, the protection and observation of the life-cycle of a Monarch butterfly, and the creation and maintenance of an earthworm bin for composting. In a classroom setting, this list might need paring down. I have certain freedoms as a homeschool parent that are not practical in a traditional education setting. Also, these subjects excite my student, whereas an extended unit like this risks really boring at least some section of the class.

I do not have ELL learners, but if I were adapting this to a classroom where this was a need, I would begin with an whole class creation of a Word Wall with nature and Earth Day related words. We would then look up or ask our ELL students for the translations to these words in their native languages. These pairs would be placed together on the wall with a picture of the definition whenever possible. For example, “tree,” “arbol,” and a picture of a tree for easy recall.

For students with extra learning or reading needs, I tried to choose texts from preschool to 3rd grade to meet the abilities of all likely 1st graders, and there will be reading guides, anticipation guides, and other graphic organizers employed to scaffold student comprehension and retention of the content as well as to teach literacy strategies for future use.

http://www.brainpopjr.com/ || This site offers engaging and concise videos on a variety of topics aimed directly at school-aged children. The Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle and Natural Resources videos are free and provide a great alternate source to scaffold the learning in the texts. ||  || [] || Willie the Worm provides a child-friendly filter for the topic of composting. Students will most likely need support to decode the material, but the text is broken down into bulleted lists and separated by bolded headings and frequent paragraph breaks. ||  || [] || Vermi the Worm is an interactive game that allows learners to participate in the compost process, and learn about how to reduce waste, reuse products, and the importance of recycling as the worm. ||  || [] Discovery Kids: Tell Me Worm World [] || These two particular sections of the Discovery Kids: Tell Me site focus on topics that both reiterate and compliment topics covered in the texts listed above. For example, in Worm World, students can choose to learn about the anatomy of a earthworm, how to make an earthworm bin, or about other types of worms. The material is primarily presented in text, but the separated pages help keep the information organized and easily consumed by young learners. ||  || [] || This extensive site offers information, activities, and videos relating to Global Climate Change. In the "Clues of Climate Change" page, students examine a picture for 11 signs of Climate Change. When they click on one of the signs (a mostly bare mountaintop, for instance), the symptom is labeled in the picture (Less Snow and Ice). The major sections are "Learn the Basics," "See the Impacts," "Think Like a Scientist," and "Be Part of the Solution." ||  || [] || Another amazing website, NASA's Eyes on the Earth site games to play, crafts to make, and a seemingly exhaustive list of topics to explore from how birds are impacted by Climate Change to new technology that can help areas losing their water supply locate water underground. There is so much information here that more advanced readers could be allowed free time to explore their interests at will, but most students will need reading guides and graphic organizers, as well as directed reading instructions to focus on the pertinent information. ||  || http://www.kidssoup.com/EarthDay/EarthDaycrafts.html#freeearthday || This list of free activities provides inspiration for instructors to plan hands-on elements of learning to support the content coming from the nonfiction texts. ||  || [] || This list of 50 Earth Day activities can be discussed with students as choice activities or just used as teacher inspiration to use in the classroom to support content from the texts. It also would make excellent information to share with parents to maintain that home-school relationship and assist parents in reinforcing the learning going on in the classroom. ||  || [] || The Arbor Day Foundation provides 10 free trees to members upon payment of the membership fees. They also support programs to gift trees to various organizations for a variety of purposes. Students could raise money to either join as a class and plant their 10 trees around the school or community or consider some of the areas that might need the trees and donate them. In any case, it opens a dialog and awareness about the roles trees play in the health of our climate. ||  || [] || Three videos capture the migration of Monarch butterflies, the safety they can find in sanctuaries set up to ensure they have some appropriate environment available, and a time lapse video of the butterflies' life cycle. All three can help students visualize different pieces of content from the texts above. ||  ||
 * **Title** || **Explanation** || **Grade Level** ||
 * Cella, Clara. (2012). Earth day. Mankato, MN: Capstone Press. || This text provides a brief and colorful background of the Earth Day celebration. After my student completes a KWL on Earth Day, I plan to use this to provide foundational knowledge and jumpstart scaffolding conversations. || Kindergarten-Grade 1 ||
 * Pfeffer, Wendy. (2003). Wiggling worms at work. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. || This text provides information on the functions worms perform in our soil: how they eat, move, improve soil, etc… Its large pictures and accessible vocabulary make the topic approachable. || Kindergarten- Grade 3 ||
 * Himmelman, J. (2001). An earthworm's life (nature upclose). New York, NY: Children's Press. || This resource provides another look at the earthworm in an approachable format for young learners. Used in support of Wiggling Worms at Work, it will provide a well-supported foundation of knowledge of worms for the learner. || Kindergarten and up ||
 * Gibbons, G. (1996). Recycle! A handbook for kids. New York, NY. Little, Brown Books for Kids. || Recycycle! follows a Problem-Solution organizational frame to teach young readers about landfills and the inherent problems with too many landfills and then explain how recycling works to solve this problem and help the earth. || Preschool-Grade 1 ||
 * Parker, W. (2010). Kids can compost. N.p.: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. || This picture book has very few words and the vocabulary is focused on familiar items from the home, like "food," "paper," "fruit." The pictures on each page reinforce the meanings of the words, which will help support ELL language acquisition and participation in the unit. || Preschool-Grade 1 ||
 * Gibbons, G. (1991). Monarch butterfly. New York, NY: Holiday House. || Students can follow one monarch butterfly through its metamorphosis, pairing pictures and leveled text to understand the amazing changes that take place as the caterpillar becomes a butterfly. The book also lists steps to shelter and care for a caterpillar during that important time in its life cycle. || Grades 2-4 ||
 * Marsh, L. (2010). National geographic readers: Great migrations butterflies. Washington D.C.: National Geographic Children's Books. || Learners explore more about the Monarch butterfly than just its metamorphosis in this text. This expands the focus to include the impressively long and dangerous migration the butterflies make to Mexico. || 2-4 ||
 * Pasternak, C. (2012). How to raise monarch butterflies: A step-by-step guide for kids. Richmond Hill, ON, Canada: Firefly Books Limited. || This text provides more detail than others about how to protect and raise Monarch butterflies. It reinforces information provided in other texts of this list, but will serve as a long-term reference piece for our own raising of a monarch from an egg or caterpillar to butterfly. || Kindergarten ||
 * Alderfer, J. (2013). National geographic kids bird guide of North America: The best birding book for kids from national geographic's bird experts. Washington D.C.: National Geographic Children's Books. || As this book contains information on 100 birds but provides two-page presentation of only 50, this text not only is useful for the reliable and appropriately leveled content, it also provides an opportunity to explore methods authors/publishers use to prioritize information. || 2-4 ||
 * Cate, A. L. (2013). Look up!: Bird-watching in your own backyard. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. || City dwelling students can use this very colorful picture-filled books to support bird-watching without heading for more open spaces. This is very full of information and will provide an excellent opportunity to introduce/practice using literacy techniques to organize material when sheer volume can seem overwhelming. || 3-7 ||
 * Arnosky, J. (1992). Crinkleroot's guide to knowing the trees. NewYork, NY: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. || This book covers everything about trees, from types to leaves to seeds to changes in fall, in a mostly picture-based format supported by carefully chosen text. The information on the way other animals interact with these trees adds a dimension particularly useful to this larger Earth Day unit. || Kindergarten – grade 3 ||
 * Cox, M. (2009). Wildlife Gardening. New York, NY: DK Publishing. || This text and its various activities - which are broken down into easily accessible steps and tailored for kids - will be used to extend the learning of this unit beyond its end. Gardening is one green activity kids can actively engage in, and we will use the Table of Contents to pick and choose which particular activities seem interesting and then learn about step-by-step organization as we plan and carry out a chosen few from the book. || Grade 1-4 ||
 * **Websites** ||  ||   ||
 * Brain Pop, Jr.
 * Composting with Willie the Worm
 * The Adverntures of Vermi the Worm
 * Discovery Kids: Tell Me Earth
 * a student’s guide to Global Climate Change
 * Climate Kids: NASA’s Eyes on the Earth
 * Earth Day Crafts
 * TinkerLab: Creative Activities for Makers and Experimenters 50 Earth Day Activities for Kids
 * Arbor Day Foundation
 * Kid World Citizen

**Westward Movement** **Nellie Broeske**

The unit I did with my fourth grade students was based on helping students to understand an important historical time in our country’s history when people were moving West to set up their homes and start new lives. The unit will go through how the land was first discovered and then the decisions that were made to develop and expand our country through things like The Homestead Act. Students gained a better idea of what is was like for the people that traveled on The Oregon Trail.


 * __Nonfiction Texts__**

1. //The Double Life of Pocahontas// by Jean Fritz. (Putnam, 1983.) The true story of the Native American princess Pocahontas and her life between two cultures.

2. //Huskings, Quiltings, and Barn Raisings: Work-Play Parties in Early America// by Victoria Sherrow. - This book explains the settlers came together to help each other make the work easier, but then would celebrate together afterwards with social gatherings. It is a great book to show the joy as well as the labor involved for these early Americans.

3. //Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland// by Sally M. Walker - This book brings the science of forensics into the historical discovery of 17th century graves in and around Jamestown, Virginia.

4. //Mountain Men of the West// by James P. Burger - This book is a wonderful resource that describes various men who helped the first explorers find their way West.

5. //The Oregon Trail// by James Burger – This book is a wonderful resource for giving the overview of why people decided to travel west and some of the hardships they dealt with along the way.

6. //Our Journey West// by Gare Thompson (National Geographic). This is another great overview of the trials and tribulations of the early settlers as they traveled west.

7. //Native Americans of the Frontier// by Charles Sundling – This book gives an awesome description of how the encounters the early settlers had with various groups of Native Americans.

8. //The California Gold Rush// by R. Conrad Stein – This book explains another reason why some people decided to travel west – the search for GOLD. This book is always a favorite with the students.

9. //Rocky Mountain Fur Trade// by James P. Burger – This book explains how the fur trade impacted the journey west and some of the most popular fur traders. It also discusses how the trading posts were often safe havens for groups traveling west.

10. //Building the Transcontinental Railroad// by Monica Halpern - A wonderful description how building the railroad changed how people and things were able to travel from East to West. It also had an impact on Native American groups. Once the railroad was completed people no longer had to travel by covered wagon across the continent. 11. //The Wagon Train// by Jill Bryant – This book is a wonderful description of what life was like for the pioneers traveling on The Oregon Trail. It talks about how they worked together survive.

12. //Women in the West// by Jill Bryant – Explains how women had a vital role in making the trip successful for many of the wagon train groups.


 * __Websites__**

1. http://www.solpass.org/7ss/standards/StudyUSII.3.htm – Students have a chance to find out the important reasons for westward expansion. It also gives them a chance to decide if they would have made the decision to stay or go and what would have impacted their decision.

2. [] - This is a great site that gives students a chance to experience the same challenges as Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

3. [] - This site shows how the pioneers traveled on the transcontinental railroad before it was built. Students can see where the route went and which states it covered.

4. []. The site introduces students to some of the deals settlers were offered to travel west and set up a homestead. It describes The Homestead Act of 1862 which for some was a deal too good to pass up if they met certain requirements.

5. [] - This site allows students to see how easy it was for many of the pioneers to get land, but getting to that land was anything but easy. As students explore this site they will discover some of the problems that the early pioneers faced and how they affected their travel.

6. []. This gives an eye witness account of what it was like for the Native Americans to be forced off of their lands.

7. []. Students will have a chance to experience a house out of sod just like the early pioneers had to do long ago.

__Chun Chuen Li:__
Website on ethnomathematics that provides specific examples from each selected country, and the rationale behind why culture in mathematics is relevant http://isgem.rpi.edu/pl/ethnomathematics-web http://www.radicalmath.org/browse_socialjustice.php?t=ethnomathematics http://www2.hawaii.edu/~uhwomath/pdf/Ethnomathematics%20Curriculum%20Textbook.pdf <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008000; font-family: Century,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">http://www.etnomatematica.org http://www.uwosh.edu/coehs/cmagproject/ethnomath/index.htm

Non-Fiction Books: 1) Livio, M. (2003) //The golden ratio. the Story of PHI, the World's Most Astonishing Number.// Broadway Books. è As the title tells us

2) Papas, P. (1993). //Math Talk: Mathematical Ideas in Poems for Two Voice////.// Wide World Publishing. è <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Presents mathematical ideas through poetic dialogues intended to be read by two people.

3 ) Papas, P. (1994). //The Magic of Mathematics: Discovering the Spell of Mathematics.// World Publishing. è Mathematical designs in nature

4) Spicci, J. (2002). //Beyond the Limit: The Dream of Sofya Kovalevskaya (Women in mathematics)////.// Forge Books. è Biography 5) Relmar, L (1994). //Mathematicians are people, too//: //Stories from the Lives of Great Mathematicians.// Dale Seymour Publications.

6) Wadsworth, G. (2003). //Benjamin Banneker: Astronomer and Mathematician//. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Carolrhoda Books ð (Biography – African American mathematician) Textbooks: Below are the major textbooks used in each respective country. or city.

東京書籍：新しい数学３Ministry of Education. (2012). //New Matheamtics 3.// Tokyo, Japan:Tokyou Shouseki

Leung, K. (2005) //Exploring Mathematics: 3A.// Hong Kong, PRC: Oxford University Press.

Altangerel, D.(2007). //Mathematics 9.// Ulaanbaataar, Mongolia: Bitpress.

Bellman, A. (2012). //Algebra 1:// Common Core. New Jersey, NJ: Pearson.

Third Grade
Clare Halverson My third grade class used the trade books and websites listed below in order to learn more about the Artic Biome and specifically an animal that lives there. We began the unit on Extreme Environments by talking about the several features a camel has to be able to survive in the desert. Then we discussed that these “features” are called adaptations and all living things need to have them in order to survive – especially in extreme environments.

Next, the class was split up into groups according to a specific Arctic animal that they wanted to study. Using the books and websites they had to fill out an information sheet on their animal including questions about the animals adaptations to survive by finding food and water, their place on the food chain, whether they were a predator or prey, how they stay warm and questions about the climate of the arctic biome.

As a culminating activity in this unit, students will be writing a research paper and presenting next to a life-size replica of their arctic animal in our biome that we will be creating in the hallway. The six total third grade classes each focused on a different biome. Our entire third grade hallway was turned into different biomes found around the world. The kids will be assessed both on their research and on finding out new facts about animals in the other biomes presented by other third grade classes.

DeLallo, Laura. (2001) //Arctic Wolf: The High Arctic//. New York: Bearport Publishing Glassman, Jackie. (2002). //Amazing Arctic Animals//. New York: Grosset & Dunlap Johnson, Jinny. (2012). //Polar Sea Life//. Mankato, Minnesota: Smart Apple Media Kalman, Bobbie. (1994). //Arctic Animals//. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company Markovicks, Joyce. (2011). //Caribou and Reindeer too//. New York: Bearport Publishing Markovicks, Joyce. (2011). //Wolverine: Super Strong//. New York: Bearport Publishing Murray, Julie. //Polar Bears//. Minneapolis, Minnesota: ABDO Publishing Company Murray, Julie. (2014). //Snowy Owls//. Minneapolis, Minnesota: ABDO Publishing Company Owen, Ruth. (2013). //Beluga Whales//. New York: Windmill Books Person, Stephen. (2011). //Walrus: Tusk, Tusk//. New York: Bearport Publishing Schuetz, Kari. (2014). Baby Penguins. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bellwether Media Squire, Ann. (2007). //Lemmings//. New York: Children’s Press
 * __Non-fiction book list of arctic animals:__**
 * Lexile – IG 960 L. This book contains many facts on the Arctic Wolf, the Arctic Biome and great pictures/captions.
 * Lexile – 690 L. This book contains several different arctic animals and facts about each.
 * Lexile – IG 1040 L. This book contains several different arctic animals that live in the water and facts about each.
 * Lexile – IG 830 L. This book contains several different arctic animals and facts about each.
 * Lexile – IG1040 L. This book contains many facts on the caribou (otherwise known as the reindeer), the Arctic Biome and great pictures/captions.
 * Lexile – IG 990 L. This book contains many facts on the wolverine, the Arctic Biome and great pictures/captions.
 * Lexile – 660 L. This book contains many facts on the polar bears, the Arctic Biome and great pictures/captions.
 * Lexile – 740 L. This book contains many facts on the snowy owls, the Arctic Biome and great pictures/captions.
 * Lexile – 690 L. This book contains many facts on the beluga whales, the Arctic Biome and great pictures/captions.
 * Lexile – IG 940 L. This book contains many facts on the walrus’s, the Arctic Biome and great pictures/captions.
 * Lexile – 330L. This book contains many facts on the penguins, the Arctic Biome and great pictures/captions.
 * Lexile – 920 L. This book contains many facts on the lemmings, the Arctic Biome and great pictures/captions.

[] Enchanted learning is an all encompassing teacher website. It honestly has something for everyone. You can become a member, but without being a member you also have access to many wonderful resources. [] MNN stands for Mother Nature Network. This is a neat website dedicated to Earth and its preservation. Although there isn’t all that much information on the arctic animals, the pictures were so incredible I had to show them to my students! [] This website is an Elementary School in Illinois. The Arctic and it’s Animals is a unit they cover and therefore they devote an entire section of their website to it. [] This website was developed by the New Hampshire public television. It is a great website for all things nature and is very kid-friendly. [] National Geographic for kids has several arctic animals in their “Creature Feature” section. It is a great resource that is easily used by children. [] This site is a ThinkQuest Library. It is amazing! These are websites for students created by other students. They are jam packed full of information and easy to read.
 * __Kid-friendly websites on arctic animals:__**

=Non-fiction science-current events in chem (Heidi Kelly-Strawgate)=

Non-fiction chemistry reading (Heidi Kelly-Strawgate) OOps-I think I started off adding to home-- Websites: [] (basic chemistry notes/quizes/vocab in English and Spanish-free site) middleschool and up [] (digital "textbooks", facebook, professional development, differentiated instruction, apps, travel opportunities-school system-materials-$$) grade school [] (nonfiction current event articles that can be adjusted to each reader's ability (levels are 4thgrade-college, quiz assessment, all areas of science-free site, requires log-ins-each class receives a different code) Lexile 600-max [] (current events in science for kids-this link will bring you to "cow power" an innovative way to use methane (chemistry)-or just go to [] for other science articles-free). kids-adult [] This a great website for more advanced or higher grade level/college students and scientists in general. View news, research protocols and publications, events, and reviews in all areas of science. You can add articles as well, and have opportunities for discussion. (free) highschool and up Books: (guess I just wasted three hours this morning-nothing saved) These are all large books, so I would just pull out a section, chapter, essay, or lab for the day for most of them. These help to answer the students' infamous question of "why do we have to know this?" by pulling from these resources relevant, current, and everyday applications and experiences. Sixty seven essays on chemistry in everyday life. This is a good book on relevant chemistry. This books brings students into the production world of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, cleaners, etc and the chemistry behind items they use on a daily basis. This is more like a text, but teaches Chemistry based on current topics and phenomena, such as biochemistry and environment.
 * Radar, Hula Hoops, and Playful Pigs: 67 Digestible Commentaries on the Fascinating Chemistry of Everyday Life** by Joe Schwarcz (August 30, 2001)
 * The Joy of Chemistry: The Amazing Science of Familiar Things** by Cathy Cobb (January 26, 2010)
 * Why There's Antifreeze in Your Toothpaste: The Chemistry of Household Ingredients** by Simon Quellen Field (November 1, 2007)
 * Chemistry for Changing Times (12th Edition)** by John W. Hill (February 23, 2009)

__**Tropical Rainforests- 3rd Grade**__ __**Marie Crawford**__

This list of informational books will be used by my 3rd grade ELL students when they study about tropical rainforests in their Science class. I found books at various reading levels because I have a student who is reading at a kindergarten level and another student who is reading above grade level. The students will be expected to write a cinquain poem about an animal in the rainforest that they have researched. Having books at multiple reading levels will make it easier for my students to find and read the information they need to use for their poems. I looked for books that had photographs so the ELL students can see what the real plants, animals and people of the rainforest look like.

The ELL students will also use the books and interactive websites to learn about the layers of the rainforest, so they can create their own animal to add to the appropriate level in the rainforest their classroom teacher will make on a bulletin board. We will read about the various products that come from the rainforest so they can complete a cloze activity about rainforest products. The maps the students will study in the books and on the websites will be helpful when they complete their own map of the rainforests around the world. The books and websites that have information on food chains will be useful when the students create their own food chains using notecards with each animal listed on it and arrows pointing the direction of the food chain. Students will also be able to see and hear firsthand the sights and sounds of the rainforest through the virtual tours on the Rainforest Education and Rainforest Alliance websites.


 * __Informational Trade Books List__**

Jeunesse, G. & Mettler, R. (1992). //The Rain Forest: A First Discovery Book//. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. This book, written for young readers, gives an introduction to the animals and plants that live in the rainforest. It has special clear pages that reveal hidden animals found underneath the plants as you turn the pages. Lexile 580.

Callery, S. (2011). //Rainforest: Life Cycles.// New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. This book shows the life cycles of several animals, insects and plants that live in the rainforests found in the Amazon, Borneo and Madagascar. At the end of the book, there is an Amazon food web chain. Reading Level: Grade 3 -no lexile found.

//Going to the Rainforest.// (2012). New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. This book features animals that live in various rainforests around the world. Animals such as the macaw, orangutan, tarsier, monkey frog and southern cassowary are featured. Lexile AD960 (Adult directed).

Osborne, W. & Osborne, M. P. (2001). //Rain Forests: A Nonfiction Companion to Afternoon on// //the Amazon//. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. In this //Magic Tree House Research Guide// chapter book, readers will learn what is a rainforest, the layers of the rainforest, and the plants, animals and people that live in the rainforest. The final chapters discuss the products from the rainforest and ways to save the rainforests. Lexile 730 (Grade 3).

Hammerslough, J. (2003). //Into the Rain Forest//. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. In this chapter book, based on the Animal Planet show, //The Jeff Corwin Experience,// readers will take a journey into the rainforests of Panama, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands and Brazil’s Pantanal. Students can read excerpts from Jeff’s journal, science notes and take a quiz to check their knowledge about the rain forest at the end of the book. Lexile 1100.

Fowler, A. (1996). //Save the Rain Forests: Rookie Read-About Science// Series. New York, NY: Children’s Press. Colorful photos let young readers learn about the layers of the rainforest, as well as the plants, animals and people that live there. A map is included to show where the rainforests are located in the world and information about the destruction of rainforests in included at the end of the book. Lexile NC620 (Non-conforming means it has a higher lexile than the readers it’s intended for).

Patent, D. H. (1997). //Flashy Fantastic Rain Forest Frogs//. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. This colorful book gives information about the various types of frogs that live in the rainforest, as well as explain the life cycles of frogs. Information about the uses of the poison from the poison dart frogs is also included. Lexile NC820 (Non-conforming).

Berger, M. & Berger, G. (2001). //Does it Always Rain in the Rain Forest? Questions and// //Answers About Tropical Rain Forests//. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. This book offers a plethora of answers to the questions readers may have about rainforests. The book is divided up into four categories of information, which include wet and hot, plant life, animal life and people in the rain forest. Lexile 850.

Graham, K. (1998). //Totally Amazing Rain Forests//. New York, NY: Golden Books Publishing Company, Inc. This fun-filled book of facts features photos of the various animals and plants of the rainforest. It focuses on strange, but true facts about these animals and plants. Lexile 960.

Fredericks, A. D. (2009). //A is for Anaconda: A Rainforest Alphabet//. Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear Press. This alphabet book is a creative way for readers to learn lots of interesting facts about the rainforest. Each page features a poem about a plant, animal, tribe or product from the rainforest and it gives more detailed facts about it. Reading level: 6.7 (no lexile found).

Cunningham, A. (1993). //Rainforest Wildlife: Usborne World Wildlife// Series. London, England: Usborne Publishing, Ltd. This book gives a lot of information about the rainforest. It’s divided into categories, like rainforests of the world, apes and monkeys, birds of the rainforest, rivers and streams, the rainforest floor and rainforests in danger, to name a few. Intended for ages 8-12 (no lexile found).

Nicholson, S. (2001). //Rainforest Explorer: Earth Explorers// Series. New York, NY: Tangerine Press. This book offers information about the rainforest in the format of a 12-day journal and the reader becomes a rainforest explorer. It features lots of photos and interesting facts about the rainforest throughout the book. Intended for ages 9-12 (no lexile found).

Phillips, D. (2006). //Can You Find it in a Rain Forest//. Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens Publishing. This book offers easy reading for students to learn about specific animals of the rainforest, such as the sloth, toucan, jaguar, iguana and tapir. Intended for ages 4-8 (no lexile found).

**__Websites about Tropical Rain forests__**

[]

The Rainforest Alliance website has virtual tours and storybooks of the rainforest and the people and animals that live there, forest and animal/species facts, coloring pages and online games that feature how to track your food back to the rainforest and putting plants and animals in the correct layers of the rainforest.

[]

This website by Mongabay has a lot of information about rain forests for kids to explore by clicking on the questions they want to read the answers to, like: “How can we save rainforests?” or “Why are rainforests important?” There is a link for teachers that includes pdf files of lessons and activities for students to do as they read the information about rain forests on the website.

[]

The Enchanted Learning website has easy to read text for students to learn general information about rainforests, where they are located, the layers of the rainforest and the animals and plants that live there. There are also activities for teachers to print out that students can use to learn more about rainforests, such as a rainforest animals book and rainforest animals word wheel.

[]

This website has some beautiful pictures and videos of the sights and sounds of the rainforest. The “About Rainforests” section has some pictures and descriptions of each layer of the rainforest for students to learn more about them.

[]

This website has interactive links on the “strata” page for students to click on the eyes peeking out of each layer of the rainforest so they can read more about each creature. The layers are labeled along the side of the drawing. Students can also click on the “equator” to see a map of where the tropical rainforests are located in the world.

[]

This website from Michigan State University has lots of information about the plants, animals and insects that live in the tropical rainforests as well as information about the people and effects of deforestation. It is written for students in grades 2-8 and it has some activities in English and Spanish for teachers to print out about the rainforest.

Animal Classifications 2nd Grade Katherine Anderson

The texts below are selected for a unit focused on animal classifications. In the beginning of the unit students are introduced to different classifications of animals. Later in the unit students are asked to compare and contrast different animal classifications. To conclude the unit students are asked classify different animals as well as provide specific text rational.

This unit is integrated into our reading, writing and content areas. Currently my classroom is overflowing in animal texts from our local education support agency. The texts below were all selected because they are accessible to the diverse range of readers in my classroom. These texts would be paired with a specific student and the student would use these texts to practice different large group reading jobs. I am planning on using these texts next week for our work on QAR strategies.

**Books:**

Wallach, V. (2009). //Cobras.// Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press. //Cobras// gives a brief introductions to snakes and specifically cobras. The text identifys where cobras live, defense systems, anatomical features, diet and reproduction. The text also includes important text features that make it easier to navigate including table of contents, glossary, pictures, diagrams, captions and a map. Lexile: 660

O’Hare, T. (2006). //Amphibians.// Vero Beach, Florida: Rourke. //Amphibians// introduce readers to the amphibian classification. The text identifies the characteristics of an amphibian, their habitat, their bodies, predators, prey and their young. The text also contains many useful nonfiction text features including, table of contents, glossary, index, photos and captions. Lexile: 450

Stewart, M. (2002). //Elephants.// Danbury, Connecticut: Children’s Press. //Elephants// introduces readers to the different types of elephants, elephant anatomy, their lifecycle and defense mechanisms. This text includes many nonfiction text features including a table of contents, fact boxes, pictures, captions, index and glossary. Lexile: 880

Stewart, M. (2002). //Zebras.// Danbury, Connecticut: Children’s Press.

//Zebras// introduces the readers to the daily life of a zebra, their family groups, the distinctions between different types of zebras and raises awareness of the danger zebras are in due to over hunting. Lexile: 930

Wallach, V. (2009). //Corn Snakes//. Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press. //Corn Snakes// introduces the readers to characteristics of a corn snakes, their habitat, their methods of predation, reproduction and lifecycle. The text includes many nonfiction text features such as a table of contents, pictures, captions, glossary, index and a map. Lexile: 730

Ipcizade, C. (2008). //Zebras.// Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press. //Zebras// identifies where zebras live, their physical characteristics, diet and predators. This text includes a table of contents, pictures, glossary and index. Lexile: 360

Rake, J. (2007). //Rays.// Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press. In //Rays// the readers are introduced to what rays are, their body parts, and where they live. The author uses simple and relatable language to explain this topic. This text includes a table of contents, pictures, labels and glossary. Lexile: 430

Rake, J. (2007). //Sea Snakes//. Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press. The tex //Sea Snakes// introduces readers to sea snakes, their habitat and how they hunt. The text uses simple and relatable similes. The text includes a table of contents, pictures, label, glossary and index. Lexile:420

Sulivan, J. (2006). //Sea Anemones//. Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press. This text identifies what a se anemone is, their body parts, how they survive and their habitat. The text contains a table of contents, pictures, labels, glossary and index. Lexile: 480

Lindeen, Carol. (2005). //Jellyfish.// Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press. This text describes jellyfish, identifies them as invertebrates and describes their method of predation. This text includes a table of contents, pictures, glossary and index. Lexile: 440

Websites: These websites will be accessible to students during reading workshop during their computer rotations. These websites provide students the chance to continue their research and inquiry about our unit focus.

[]

Britanica is an online encyclopedia in which students can search different topics. The students can select the level of difficulty on the text they are reading. The text is often also supported by audio, pictures and videos. My school/district subscribes to this website and it is invaluable for research and independent student exploration.

[]

This site offers student friendly explanation of vertebrate classifications as well as multiple examples of each type of classification. The site also provides content related games, activities and videos.

[]

This site provides multiple games where students practice categorizing different animals into correct classifications.

[]

This site offers a video review of what it means to classify animals as well as what distinguishes different animals classifications.

[]

This site offers a comprehensive review of the different classes of animals.

[]

This site offers an in-depth review of animal classification.

[]

This site contains animal classifications and animal games.

Weather nonfiction book list and website list

Primary Level (K-2)

Jennifer Saloun

I teach kindergarten and we spend most of March/April discussing weather. Sometimes the focus is strictly on weather for two weeks while other times I do lessons here and there throughout the month. It serves as a nice introduction to the themes we cover in Spring.

I used some of the books as read alouds to my students to introduce certain topics such as wind, clouds and temperature. Other books that had higher guided reading levels were strictly used for the vivid pictures to show to the students. All the theme books are always displayed on a bookshelf in our classroom library. The students get to choose one of them to put in his/her book box to enjoy at read to self time but must return it at the end of the read to self time. The next day they get to choose a new book. I like to use some of the stories as an introduction before doing a weather extension writing activity. I also used some of them to compare and contrast with fictional weather stories (Cloudy with a chance of meatballs, The day it rained hearts, The wind blew, It looked like spilt milk).

When searching for websites, I wanted to make sure they were age appropriate, simple to understand and engaging for my students. The websites were used in various ways. The interactive websites were available for the students to use during free choice time either on the computer or the Smart board. We also have a designated time in the computer lab each week where the students were able to have access to the weather websites. My students thoroughly enjoy using the pbskids.org website as a free choice in the lab so I was very excited when I found an interactive weather game right on that website. I also used a few of the websites to display on the Smart board to show pictures to the class as a whole group.

Adams, S. (2003). //The best book of weather//. New York, NY: Scholastic.

This is a larger text filled with wonderful information about climate, fog, clouds, wind, snow, and sun. It explains the effects of weather on the planet. It would be a great resource for the pictures but too difficult for a read aloud.

Anderson, J. & Gordon, M. (2010). //Once there was a raindrop//. Hauppauge, NY: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc.

This book gives a simple explanation of the water cycle. It discusses where water comes from and how it changes. It also discusses what happens if there is too much rain or too little rain.

Bauer, M.D. (2004). //Wind//. New York, NY: Scholastic.

This book is a student friendly account of where the wind comes from and the things it moves. It is short and to the point. It is ideal for a read aloud. Guided Reading Level: J.

Bauer, M.D. (2005). //Clouds//. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Another simple book in a series of weather books from this author. It discusses how clouds come in different shapes and sizes. It also talks about fog, water vapor droplets and the three types of clouds. Guided Reading Level: J.

**DId you know that there is a //Clouds// book by Tomie de Paola which is written in simple text for students like your kindergarteners? You might want to add it to your book list.--Marie Crawford**

** Branley, F. (1985). //Flash, crash, rumble, and roll//. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. **

**A read aloud that explains how and why a thunderstorm occurs and gives safety steps to follow when lightning is flashing. It helps to make students aware of storms but not scare them. Guided Reading Level: N.**

** Branley, F. (1988). //Tornado alert//. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. **

**This is a great story to read aloud during April for tornado awareness month. It describes origin of tornadoes and how to stay safe when threatened by one of these storms. Guided Reading Level: N.**

** Cobb, V. (2003). //I face the wind//. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. **

**This book introduces the actions of the wind as well as the characteristics through simple hands-on activities. This is a great resource for teachers for things to do in class. Guided Reading Level: K.**

** DeWitt, L. (1991). //What will the weather be?// New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. **

**It explains the characteristics of weather – temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, air pressure and how meteorologists gather data for their forecasts. It is a nice simple explanation for primary grades. Guided Reading Level: M.**

** Slade, S. (2011). //A raindrop’s journey (follow it!).// Mankato, MN: Picture Window Books. **

**A raindrop’s journey from cloud to river to water treatment plant to drinking glass to water vapor. It contains great illustrations for young readers. Guided Reading Level: N.**

** Taylor-Butler, C. (2012). //Meteorology: The study of weather//. New York, NY: Scholastic. **

**This nonfiction book is a great resource guide for teachers. The book covers many subject areas such as tornadoes, water cycle, hurricanes, precipitation and storms. It has very good pictures that can be used for visuals when discussing a subject. It is too difficult for a read loud at the lower levels due to the vocabulary in the book. Guided Reading Level: T.**

** Wallace, K. (1999). //Whatever the weather//. New York, NY: DK Publishing. **

**This book follows a boy looking out the window and introducing the different kinds of weather as it changes from day to day. Guided Reading Level: E.**

**[]**

** This website is a favorite for the students in my class. They not only love to watch videos on it on the Smart board but they also use it on the iPads. My school does have a subscription to it but there are also free things available on the site. It covers many different weather topics including temperature, seasons, the sun, and water cycle. **

**[]**

** This website is written by a meteorologist, Crystal Wicker, who designed it for kids, parents and teachers. Various topics included tornadoes, clouds, rain, floods, wind, temperature and earthquakes. It shows real life weather photos, weather instruments and includes experiments that teachers can use within their classroom. **

**[]**

** This is another website written by a meteorologist, Dan Satterfield. It lists explanations and learning activities as well as pictures. Topics covered are tornadoes, clouds, wind, climate, and lightning. I enjoyed the section that included links for teachers with activities such as making a weather station. **

**[]**

** This portion of the pbskids.org website includes a link to an interactive weather game that students can play. It has them dress up Sid the Science Kid’s friend Gerald in clothes that correlate with each weather choice (snow, sun, rain). The student chooses a hat, clothes, footwear and accessories that fit that particular season. The pbskids.org website also includes a weather activity for Cat in the Hat **

**[]**

**[]**

**This website includes weather videos on hail, tornadoes and clouds as well as fun facts, experiments, games, pictures and even quizzes. I found this website to be used more for a resource for teachers or higher elementary students doing research on weather. I did like that it included a section on lessons for teachers, which ranged from making a rain gauge to making a snowflake with borax.**

**[]**

**This website is another interactive site for primary students to navigate on their own. The students can dress a bear according to the weather. A thermometer (a great connection to the math curriculum) displays a temperature and students have to decide if it is hot, warm, cool, cold, freezing and then pick out the appropriate clothing. There is also a section for parents and teachers that include a whole section devoted to vocabulary.**

**[]**

**This website offers answers to questions on weather, air and the ocean. It has headings on the home page with the following titles: //Play, Make, Watch, Teach//. Under the //Play// heading includes games such as unscrambling cloud pictures and the //Make// heading includes projects to make with your students. The //Watch// heading includes videos and the //Teach// heading includes lessons.**

**//Liz,//** **//I too could not find some of my books on the "regular" lexile websites to locate the level. But I found that if I looked them up in the books section on amazon.com and scrolled down to the book description, it would give a lexile level. This worked for some, but not all.//** **//Jennifer Saloun//**

**Liz,**

**This link (http://www.sos.wa.gov/_assets/library/libraries/firsttuesdays/ReadingChart.pdf) has a Reading Level Correlation Chart. It won't give you an exact Lexile, but it will give you a range if you have another type of level available. I hope this helps.**

**Lori McInnes**

__ A plea for assistance! __

I am having a difficult time finding lexiles for some nonfiction texts -- I have tried Scholastic and Lexile.com. Before I begin finding a paragraph out of each book and typing it into word, any suggestions? Liz

My sister suggested using Barnes & Noble, because they have lexiles listed for some of the books. Also the company, Perma-Bound, had reading levels listed when I searched for some of my books. Just a few ideas. I used Scholastic to find the lexiles, plus Scholastic, like you mentioned. FOr some of the books that I really wanted to include in my trade book list, I just found the reading level and just noted that I could not find a lexile level for it. That way there was at least a reading level listed.

Marie Crawford Liz,You can also just put the age level the book is appropriate for! I sat around for ages looking for some books as well. But it does say on the rubric that if you can't find the lexile level to put the age level or grade level! Hope that helps!Leah

**First Grade Science:** Our Earth **Teacher:** Beth Kessler

My class has most recently concluded a science unit called “Our Earth.” To introduce this unit I used our textbook to highlight important vocabulary words that my students would encounter throughout the unit. Using this textbook and our classroom discussions, students created a bulletin board with our science vocabulary words for this unit.

The unit then moved into studying things that make up our earth like soil, rocks, and different landforms. I have a wealth of classroom reading material to teach these concepts but I found that much of the material was above my students’ reading level. To combat this problem I infused some of the higher level books into our read aloud time and provided opportunities for my high flying readers to read to and with my lower readers. Additionally, two of my books were used during guided reading time where students had the benefit of small group instruction to assist them with reading and understanding books a little above their grade level. The final portion to this unit involved students learning to appreciate and care for the earth they have learned so much about. For this part of the unit students explored reducing, reusing, and recycling.

The websites were a great way for students to engage in higher level thinking while also using technology. Students used the brainpop website as an introduction and reinforcement of content. The recycling websites were both meant for students to apply their knowledge after they had a strong framework. Finally, the GeoKids website and the Scott Foresman website provided students with collaborative reading opportunities.

(1990). //Crafty ideas// //from junk//. Mount Kisco: Watford || Students used their knowledge of reusing to bring junk from home that would normally be thrown away and use it to make something new. I provided students with this book in our exploration center for independent browsing. The book provides idea of how to reuse things to make new things. || N/A: This is a step-by-step instruction book designed for adults but my students were able to use the pictures to help them. || -One about rocks -One about recycling Students gained a visual learning experience which was extended into their reading ||  ||
 * **Resource** || **Explanation** || **Guided** **Reading** **Level** ||
 * Cooney, T. M. (2003). //Scott Foresman science//. Glenview, Ill.: Scott Foresman. || This is my classroom textbook for teaching science. For this unit I used this text to teach my students some vocabulary words which students then wrote themselves and hung up on our bulletin board for reference throughout the unit || N/A: Most of my students were able to read the sections of the book required for this unit. ||
 * Holland, M., & Ross, M. (1992). //It's just a good thing to do//. Pinellas Park, Fla.: Willowisp Press. || This book is all about recycling. It talks about ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle. I read this book aloud to my class as they followed along and choral read the repetitive parts of the book. || H/I ||
 * Walker, C. H., & Simons, S. (19901989). //The earth's surface//. Cleveland, OH: Modern Curriculum Press. || This book is all about landforms. I have enough copies of this book for all of my students to read. We read this book as a class and students used the book in groups to create posters of a particular landform. Students also quizzed each other with the easy-to-read questions in the back of the book. || I ||
 * Walker, C. H., & Ravenscroft, H. (19901989). //Our changing earth//. Cleveland, Ohio: Modern Curriculum Press. || My class read this book together and then students partner read the book. We used this book to compare and contrast with the book //The Earth’s Surface//. Both books discuss important elements of the earth. This book talks mostly about how the earth’s surface changes and the book //The Earth’s Surface// is mostly about landforms on our earth. || I ||
 * Insights, E. (1994). //Rocks: Discover earth's most amazing minerals and rocks//. Dominguez Hils, CA: Educational Insights. || This book is well above my students’ reading levels but I used particular pages of this book to read aloud to my students. This book also provides students with experiments with classifying and identifying rocks. Our class did several experiments with observing certain rock properties and this book was particularly helpful with that. I left this book for independent “reading” (looking at the pictures) in our exploration center. || N/A: I read sections of this book aloud to my students ||
 * Nelson, J., & Martin, C. (1990). //Don't throw it away!//. Cleveland, Ohio: Modern Curriculum Press. || This book is all about recycling. My students read this book in their guided reading groups. Students used the book as reference for websites we visited and their own persuasive poster. My high reading group used this book to guide them in writing and persuasive letter which they later shared with the class. || G/H ||
 * Cheyet, B. (0). //Care for the earth: A kid's guide to recycling//. Brooklyn, NY: Positive Promotions. || This book provides a few short cartoons that my students read as a whole group. This book was also used as a reference for students while they were making their persuasive posters. || N/A: This is mostly an activity/ reference book I used for my unit. ||
 * Daitz, M., & Chapman, G.
 * Morris, N. (2009). //Looking after my environment//. Mankato, Minn.: QED Publishing. || This book provides information about the importance of protecting our earth. It has a lot of fun facts about how students can do their part to make a difference in protecting the earth. || J/K ||
 * Rundell, S. (1994). //Dig into rocks//. Napa, CA: Geocentral. || This book provides classification of rocks. I provided students with independent time to book over this book while we were sorting our rocks. This is above my students’ reading level but there we able to look at the pictures and compare their rocks to rocks in the book and sort accordingly. || P ||
 * Howard, J., & Bonforte, L. (1997). //I can read about fossils//. Mahwah, N.J.: Troll. || This book is all about fossils: What the are, where to find them, and why fossils happen. This book is mostly about dinosaur fossils and provided an engaging experience for most of my students. || J ||
 * www.brainpopjr.com || This website does require a subscription but it has a lot of really beneficial videos and projects for students. In my classroom students watched two videos for this unit:
 * http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/Kids/ || This was a fun website that provided students with using some of their coordination skills to get different objects across a busy highway to the recycling bins! This website did not have a lot of read but it was a good way for students to apply their knowledge in a game setting. ||  ||
 * http://www.recyclezone.org.uk/home_fz.aspx.html || This website had some information that we read as a class. It provided some interesting fact that students were really excited to learn about! This also had a game where students needed to sort recyclable materials. ||  ||
 * http://kidsgeo.com/geology-for-kids/0031-what-are-landforms.php || This website provides information about the inside and outside of our earth. Students had a difficult time reading this independently so higher readers paired up with lower readers to read the information here. Before doing the lesson we made and KWL chart as a class and students had the task of completing the “L” portion of the chart after reading this together. ||  ||
 * http://www.sfscience.com/ || I do not have individual copies of my science text book for all of my students so I used this website so all students could read the text. This allowed students to be more engaged and active listeners. ||  ||

**__ Read 180 Unit: __**** Dare to Lead: Leaders of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow - Sara Kolo ** I am using the following non-fiction books and websites for our culminating project that correlates with our unit about leaders. In our rBooks for Read 180, we have read and discussed Nelson Mandela, Cesar Chavez, Vandana Shiva, youth leaders, and others and what qualities a good leader possesses. Therefore, their final project will be to research a leader of their choice and write about whether or not they feel that person is/was a good leader and why.

My classes are made up of sophomores, juniors and seniors of varying reading levels. Within these classes, I have students with special needs as well as ESL students; therefore, I have chosen a variety of reading materials to fit their varied reading abilities. The non-fiction books and websites provided below can be used as their resources to aid them in their research but students are also free to choose other books to help them in their research if they so choose.

** List of Nonfiction Books and Websites ** Freedman, R. (2006). //Freedom Walkers: The story of the Montgomery bus boycott//. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. (Lexile 1100) Discusses how and why black citizens in Montgomery, AL rose up to protest racial segregation in the United States and why it all started with the bus boycotts. George, L. A. H. (2003). //Civil Rights Marches//. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. (Lexile 890) In this story about the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King, Jr. is highlighted. It details how civil rights activists sough to bring about justice through nonviolent protest. Jones, L. (1994). //Five Famous Writers//. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. (Lexile 700) This book details the lives of great black writers: Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Walter Dean Myers, and Virginia Hamilton.

Keller, B. (2008). //Tree Shaker: the story of Nelson Mandela//. Boston, MA: Kingfisher. (Lexile 1270)
Keller describes Nelson’s life and his accomplishments. He also describes his political protests, imprisonment, and his time as president of South Africa. McCollum, S. (2010). //Stalin//. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. (Lexile 970) Informs readers about how Joseph Stalin turned the USSR into a world power and at what cost. McKenna, A. (2010). //The 100 Most Influential World Leaders//. (1st ed.). New York, NY: Britannica Educational Publications. (Lexile 1020) This book provides biographical and career information on one hundred of the most influential world leaders throughout history. Myers, W. D. (1993). //Malcolm X: by any means necessary//. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. (Lexile 1050) A biography on Malcolm X that describes his upbringing and what caused him to decide to become an activist for African American rights. Olson, T. (2008). //Leopold II: Butcher of the Congo//. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. (Lexile 750) Leopold II, as king of Belgium, took advantage of its colony in the Congo. This book depicts his brutal reign over the people in that region. Schraff, A. (2008). //Mahatma Gandhi//. Irvine, CA: Saddleback Educational Publications. (Lexile 740) A brief description of Gandhi’s life that discusses his childhood, education, arrests, and beliefs. Yousafazi, M. (2013). //I Am Malala//. (1st ed.). New York, NY: Little Brown & Co. (Lexile 1000) Malala describes her fight for education for girls under Taliban rule in Pakistan and how the Taliban retaliated against her by trying to kill her.

[] This website offers advice or words of wisdom on how to lead or be successful from our country’s best-known leaders in various positions around the country. [] This offers biographical information about famous leaders throughout history. It also provides the reason for why they are significant. [] This Biographies for Kids webpage offers easy to read information on all types of leaders. It is organized in a way that makes it easy for students to choose the type of leader they would like to read more about such as presidents, inventors, etc. [] This website gives readers biographical information solely on female leaders throughout history. It also provides the reason why they are significant in world history. [] This site offers youth the tools they need to become leaders. It also highlights various teen leaders and how they became well-known for their actions. [] This site focuses on only political leaders throughout history and offers some biographical information on them as well as why they have risen to fame.
 * Websites **

** Our Choices Affect Our Environment-Leah Johnson ** ** Grade Level: ** K2  ** Rational: ** The books and websites below were used in a variety of ways. Some of the books were used as a read aloud, where we extracted information, looked at visuals, and took notes. These books were then placed in our classroom library. Other books were pulled out and set on the tables to be used as resources while the students were writing about different ways to conserve our natural resources or how to care for our environment. Students also partner read or independently read the books in our classroom library. The websites were all introduced to the students. The key features of each of the websites were pointed out and then the students were able to explore the different websites during small group time. The teacher would ask students to think about what they learned from the websites. At the end of the day we would share information as a whole group. Students were allowed to give a mini presentation of where they found the information on the different websites.

Books: All the Water in the World (2011) George Ella Lyon: Richard Jackson Books. This book discusses a multitude of aspects of water. Through the words and pictures it tells the story of the importance of water. Lexile: 520.

Don’t Throw That Away! (2009) Lara Bergen: Little Simon. This book takes common objects and turns them into something new. It makes reusing objects exciting. Lexile: NA Age Level: 4-6 years Grade Level: preschool-1.

Earth’s Resources. (2008) Sue Barraclough. This is a question driven book about Earth’s resources. It helps students answer enquiries they may have about resources. Lexile: NA Age Level: 6-8 years Grade Level: Kindergarten and up.

Nature Recycles – How About You? (2013) Michelle Lord: Sylvan Dell Publishing. This book provides examples of how different things in nature reuse and recycle. Ex. birds making nests, crabs finding different shells. The end of the book provides different activities for the classroom. Lexile: 600.

Recycling. (2002) Rhonda Lucas Donald: True Books. This book discusses recycling, reducing waste, reusing goods, compost, and what you can and cannot throw into a landfill. It also provides lists resources you can use to find out more information. Lexile: 960.

Recycle That! (1995). Fay Robinson: Childrens Press Chicago. What is recycling? Why is it important? This book has all of the answers and includes nice visuals. Lexile: 530.

Solar Power. (2008) Tea Benduhn: Gareth Stevens Publishing. This book discusses how we use the sun to create power. Lexile: 700.

The Secret Life of Trees. (1999) Chiara Chevalier: DK Children. Visually pleasing book filled with a lot of different facts about trees. Answers a lot of questions students might have about trees. Lexile: 650.

Water Power. (2008) Tea Benduhn: Gareth Stevens Publishing. This book discusses how we use water to create power. Lexile: 650.

Where Does Garbage Go? (1994) Paul Showers: HarperCollins. Filled with great visual representations this book discusses what happens to our garbage, how garbage is used to make energy and ways we help create less garbage. Lexile: 810.

Where Do Puddles Go? (1995) Fay Robinson: Childrens Pr. This book discusses everything you need to know about water; from the water cycle to waterfalls to animals that live in water. The photos in this book are very well done. It also provides good visual representations. Lexile: 570.

Wind Power. (2008) Tea Benduhn: Gareth Stevens Publishing. This book discusses how we use wind to create power. Lexile: 680.

Wood. (2008) Andrew Langley: Crabtree Publishing Company. What is made from wood? This book discusses the process of chopping down trees and turning them into different objects that we commonly use. Lexile: 570.

10 Things I can do to Help My World. (2008) Melanie Walsh: Candlewick. How can you help save the earth? This book provides 10 simple ideas that kids can do to help care for the earth. The layout of the book is exciting for kids because they have to open flaps to find the answers. Lexile: NA Age Level: 3-7 years Grade Level: preschool – 2.

Websites: [] The environmental protection agency has created this website for students. It provides learning activities, things you can do, activity books, links to other resources, and games. Teaches students about the different ways to sort recycling. [] This website provides information on foreign species, endangered species, air, recycling and water. It has a lot of information, as well as ideas for recycling, water conservation, and we can help keep the air clean. Students can gain ideas about how to keep our earth clean. They can also learn how to measure water consumption and air pollution. [] The Rainforest Action Network has created this website to provide information on what the rainforests are, how we can help save the rainforest, who lives in the rainforest, and people who are already making a difference. Students can become members and donate to help save the rainforests. [] Eco Friendly Kids answers the following questions: What are natural resources? What are renewable sources? What are flow resources? What are non-renewable resources? and How can we use the earth’s natural resources at home? Students can learn how we can conserve our natural resources and provides links for further readings. [] Maggie’s Earth Adventure is an interactive website that provides differentiated information about the earth, resources, and much more. Everything is also available in Spanish. Students can participate in different earth saving adventures as well as learn about important earth days. (Note: This is a paid website but there are a lot of free activities available.) [] WatchKnowLearn.org has organized free educational videos into different categories. The link above is for natural resources. You can add different filters to help you find exactly what you’re looking for. The website is offered in English, Spanish and Chinese and links to the Common Core Standards. Students can watch videos about natural resources and caring for our Earth.

Resources for my unit on the Human Body by Andre Johnson

Most of these trade books are from my personal classroom library. Some of them are from our media center and were ordered specifically to support my curriculum. Others are just part of our media center’s collection. I have used trade books primarily to differentiate by reading level, but also to highlight certain parts of the text that are not covered well and to generate greater interest. Many of these books have graphics that are superior to our textbook, and most have a more interesting voice and style. Textbooks like ours are written by several authors, and the students and I often make a game out of trying to guess if the author was and author first/scientist second, or the other way around. Some of these trade books can be analyzed in the same fashion. My class consists of 5th graders with Lexiles ranging from below 425 (the lowest reported by our universal screening tool) to the 1100’s. This list contains texts that cover that range.

Books: Human Body (2003) Caroline Bingham: Dorling Kindersley Limited. This book is organized by organ systems. No Lexile, easier vocabulary with >50 % graphics.

Control Freak (2007) Steve Parker: Raintree. This book is focused on the nervous system. No Lexile, AR reading level 6.2

Major Systems of the Body (2002) Stephane Batigne: World Almanac Library. Extremely technical in its style and content. AR reading level 10.3

The Way We Work (2008) David Macaulay. Very technical in its jargon, this author’s strength is in his illustrations that can be used to support other texts as well as this one. This book is no Lexile, but others of his that are similar run from L1080 to L1260

The Stomach: Learning How We Digest (2002) James Toriello: The Rosen Publishing Group Inc. Digital imagery is the hallmark of this text, the writing is a little dry. AR reading level 7.5

Rattle Your Bones (1991) David Clemasha and Andrea Zimmerman: Scholastic Inc. This book introduces concepts of the skeletal system while giving directions on drawing. AR reading level 3.2

The Anatomy Coloring Book (1993) Wynn Kapit and Lawrence Elson: Harper Collins. Designed for study by medical students, this text is extremely technical. I’ve use many of the drawings to support other texts.

Human Body: Easy make & learn Projects (1999) Donald Silver and Patricia Wynne: Scholastic Inc. Coloring, cutting and pasting projects that support concepts of organ systems. Scholastic recommendation grades 2 – 4.

Human Body: Web-based activities (2010) Laura Allen Scholastic Inc. Each activity connects information about an organ system to a scholastic-developed web page. Scholastic recommendation grades 3-6.

Skeleton (1988) Steve Parker: Alfred A. Knopf. My go to book for comparative anatomy, pictures, not drawings are the strength of the graphics. Students make their own comparisons and conclusions about phylogenetic relationships based on comparisons of the graphics.

Websites: [] Hands-on science experiments that demonstrate what’s happening inside the body. [] supported by the Smithsonian, there are interactive models on many organ systems with zoom and perspective controls. Each screen has accompanying text. Spanish and English. [] Students create text to support the graphic “book” presented. Word banks with vocabulary nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs are included. [] I-pad apps about the human body that are geared toward lower reading requirements. The Skeletal system and some others are free. [] Anatomy, physiology and health topics in simple text. Spanish and English.

Animal theme for preschool (Natalie Fullerton)
[|FullertonN0761] 6 minutes ago I chose a variety of non-fiction trade books using the theme of animals. Since I am not currently in the classroom, I used the theme that my preschooler is currently studying in her school. Additionally, since there is a natural interest in animals, I thought it would be a fun topic to “extend” at home from my daughter's classroom.

When selecting the non-fiction trade books, I wanted to make sure the language was appropriate and engaging for ages three through six. I also tried to find books that focused on animal comparisons and descriptions of animals habitats and diet. I found that these books worked really well in teaching most of the seven organizational patterns highlighted in our Billmeyer text. The websites provide a fun outlet for kids to play animal games, hear animal facts and stories, coloring activities, and look at additional pictures. I thought the websites would be a good introduction into research.

These books will help build background knowledge about animals and their habitats while learning about their world as well. I will have the kids create an animal diagram where they will label the characteristics of the animal and include picture and label of the animal's habitat and food. Another activity I would like to try is to have students paste a picture of an animal's hand/paw and paste their own handprint next to it. Students would then compare the size and shape of the prints.

Books:

Jenkins, S. (2004). Actual Size. HMH Book for Young Readers.

A collection of giant and tiny animals shown in actual size. The atlas moth fits on the page, but only the eye of the giant squid. Text is brief but informative about each animal. Recommended age: pre-school. More detailed text is in the back for older ages. Lexile level:

Coffelt, N. (2009). Big, Bigger , Biggest.Henry Holt and Co.

Introduces #|young children to the language of comparison, synonyms, and antonyms, and features pictures of animals in all shapes and sizes.Recommended age: 3-7. Lexile level:

Cowley, J. (2005) Chameleon, Chameleon. Scholastic.

A chameleon goes looking for a new tree when he can't find any insects. Along the way, he encounters other animals as he watches for predators and food alike. Beautiful pictures of chameleon color changes based on mood.Recommended age: 4-8.Lexile level:

Hughes, C. (2010)National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Animals. National Geographic Children's Books

Animal reference explorers to the world of wildlife, using a child-friendly format inspired by the National Geographic Little Kids magazine. Recommended Age: 4-8 Lexile level:

Jenkins, S. (2013). The Animal Book: A Collection of the Fastest, Fiercest, Toughest, Cleverest, Shyest--and Most Surprising--Animals on Earth. HMH Books for Young Readers.

Caldecott Honor artist Steve Jenkins’s provide fascinating facts and graphics of more than three hundred animals .Recommended Age: 6-9. Lexile level:

DK Publishing. (2013). The Animal Book. DK Publishing.

This guide to life on our planet is packed full of information about creatures big and small.Recommeded ages: 3-8. Lexile level:

National Geographic (2010). Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas: Earth's Astonishing Animals and Where They Live. National Geographic Kids.

A child-friendly atlas where photos combine with colorful, easily accessible maps to teach young readers about geography through the wild creatures that fascinate them. Each world region includes a "spotlight" on animals in the area. Recommended ages: 5-8 years. Lexile level:

Ipcizade, C. (2010). Lions, African Animals. Pebble Plus.

Discusses lions, including their African habitat, the food they eat, and their behavior. Recommended ages: 4-8 years. Lexile level:

Glassman, J.(2002) Amazing Artic Animals. Penguin Young Readers.

Learn interesting facts about the arctic fox, the beluga whale, the snowy owl, and more in this book. Recommended ages: 6-8. Lexile level:

Charlesworth, L. (2010). Science Vocabulary Readers Set: Animal Groups. Scholastic Teaching Resources.

Readers filled with fascinating facts and fantastic #|photos. The books include a table of contents, three short chapters, diagrams, captions, a glossary, comprehension questions, and more. Comes with a complete teaching guide. Recommended ages: 6-7. Lexile level:

Websites:

Kidsbiology.com

Great website for kids to research animals. Nice visuals and text support.

Worldbookonline.com

Provides videos, fun facts, games, and art activities all about animals!

National Geographic Kids

[]

Contains games, videos, photos, information on animals and their countries, music, and even a page for pre-schoolers.

Animalfactguide.com

Here kids can learn about interesting and endangered animals from around the world. Share your opinion about recent wildlife discoveries or check out cute baby animal photos on the blog. Download free coloring pages, word searches, and animal mazes.

Pebblego.com

Website for emerging readers. Includes reading scaffolds, fully narrated text, and visual support.

=Nonfiction Books & Websites (Russia) - Lori McInnes=

Nonfiction Books & Websites (Russia) - Lori McInnes


 * Explanation**

We will use these nonfiction books and websites in my third grade classroom during a social studies unit that integrates reading and writing. In reading workshop, we have spent a great deal of time learning about nonfiction text features. The students will now need to apply what they have learned to complete a research project about Russia. They will use text features to locate information, summarize information while taking notes, and create a pamphlet.


 * Books**

Arnold, H. (1996). //Postcards from russia//. Chicago, IL: Heinemann-Raintree. This book is from the series Postcards From… Russia is introduced to the reader via a series of postcards written by children. Each two-page section contains a color postcard and caption on one side. The opposite side has easy to read text. Included throughout the book are bold words that are defined at the end in the glossary. Lexile: 470.

Bartell, J. (2011). //Exploring countries: Russia//. (2011) Minneapolis, MN: Bellwether Media. This book contains a great deal of basic information about Russia along with many useful text features (table of contents, headings, glossary, index, and fun facts). Lexile: 840.

Berge, A. (2004). //Russia abcs//. Minneapolis, MN: Picture Window Books. This book would be a great read aloud. Each letter is assigned a person, place, or thing that deals with Russia. There is about a paragraph of text to go with each letter. The pictures are all illustrations, and some have captions. Lexile: 830.

Fontes, J. & Fontes, R. (2003). //A to z russia.// New York, NY: Children’s Press. This book contains more information than the previous ABC book. There are several paragraphs of text to accompany each alphabet letter. There are several photographs and captions to match with each item. Additionally, this book contains a table of contents, glossary, and index. Lexile: 770.

Frost, H. (2002). //A look at russia//. Mankato, MN: Pebble Books. This is a very easy to read book that contains basic information about Russia. Text features include a table of contents, photographs with some captions, glossary, and index. Lexile: 450.

Miles, H. (1999). //Look what came from russia//. New York, NY: Franklin Watts. This book contains many pictures to support the text. It discusses the many arts, inventions, sports, foods, animals, et cetera that come from the country of Russia. There are many text features such as a table of contents, photographs with captions, headings, bold words, glossary, and index. Lexile: 710.

Ipcizade, C. (2009). //Russia in colors//. Mankato, MN: Capstone Press. This is an easier to read book. Each two-page section has an extremely large, detailed color picture. The opposite page has a shorter amount of text that describes one of the colors from the photograph. The text gives some basic information about Russia. There are a glossary and index at the back of this book. Lexile: 700.

Kendall, R. (1994). //Russian girl//. New York, NY: Scholastic. This book shows what a typical day in the life a Russian girl is like. There are many color photographs to match the text. Lexile: 760.

Marquez, H. (2004). //Russia in pictures//. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications Company. This is a challenging book. It goes into much more detail than the other books on this list. There is much more text than pictures. Text features include photographs with captions, maps, timeline, glossary, and index. Lexile: 1190.

Whyte, H. (1997). //Festivals of the world: Russia//. Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens Publishing. This book provides a great deal of information about the various holidays that the Russians celebrate in their country. There are many large, colorful photographs to support the text. There are helpful headings with each section of text. Other text features include a table of contents, photographs with detailed captions, glossary, and index. Lexile: 860.


 * Websites**

[] This website contains basic information about Russia’s geography, nature, history, people, culture, government, and economy along with color photographs. There is also a short video about Russia’s landscape that focuses on volcanoes along with a map.

[] This website starts with basic information about Russia. It has several links for students to follow: Sightseeing Guide, History Timeline, Native Lingo, Challenge Quiz, and Day in the Life. There are many colorful photographs with each section of the site.

[|http://school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/345773#] This website is from a link on our school library site to Britannica School. It is an encyclopedia entry that contains information about Russia’s geography, plants, animals, people, economy, and history. There are also color photographs, maps, a flag example, and “Did You Know?” text boxes with fun facts. The students can listen to the information from this site as they follow along with the text.

[] This website shows the Cyrillic alphabet that is used in Russia. It has the letter, a handwriting example, the name of the letter, a similar sound in English, and a sample word. Additionally, it has sound to go with the text. Information about the history of the Cyrillic alphabet is provided along with a Russian keyboard example.

[] This website is for more advanced readers. It contains more text than pictures. There is information about Russia’s geography along with history, art, and activities for each area of the country.

= = = = =Nonfiction Book List Shakespeare (Knoll)=

**__ Nonfiction Book and Website List-Shakespeare Unit of Study __**

The nonfiction trade books and websites listed and described below are part of a unit of student on Shakespeare in my seventh grade Language Arts classroom. The seventh graders I see each day range widely in ability levels and background knowledge. In order to help them succeed within both this unit and the classroom as a whole, I strive to make a variety of texts available at all times. Students know very little, if anything about William Shakespeare when we begin this unit and, as a result, it is very important that we build some background knowledge in order to be better prepared to discuss and understand some of the stories he wrote. Although we don’t read the original plays, we do work with some of the language and relate some of the ideas to the time period and the life that Shakespeare led in Elizabethan England. I have chosen many of the resources below because they will help all students build that background knowledge.

When choosing texts and websites, I looked for several things. I wanted to include a variety of reading levels and wanted to include several sources, both book and Internet, that included pictures to help student visualize what life was like during the Elizabethan Era. I also searched for and included books that addressed multiple areas of life in Shakespeare’s time. There are books that deal directly with the Elizabethan Era and Queen Elizabeth as well as biographical sources on Shakespeare himself and sources that tackle Shakespeare’s biography and work more broadly. The wide range of texts and sources covers the many different aspects of Shakespearean life that I want my students to be exposed to.

In addition to helping students build their background knowledge, these sources also help students prepare some of the culminating activities at the end of the unit. One of the things students will do at the end of the unit is to share their thoughts on why Shakespeare and his stories have stayed a part of our lives when so many other authors have disappeared. Also, students need to choose at least one story (potentially more) and share the events in Shakespeare’s life and the time period he lived in that they believe influenced the story. Students will need to combine a story with what they know about Shakespeare and his time period in order to successfully do this and will be utilizing these sources to help them through that process.


 * __ Books: __**

Told through a series of ‘scene’s, Aliki’s book reveals the life of Shakespeare, his works, the theatre world and the importance of the Globe Theatre to both Shakespeare and today’s audiences. Lexile: 850 A biography of William Shakespeare, with a focus on the life he lead and its influence on his work. This information is supplemented with illustrations, comments, and additional details about life in Elizabethan England. Recommended for the middle school reader. Filled with vivid pictures and entertaining descriptions of life in the Elizabethan Era, this book brings to life everything from Shakespeare’s childhood to staging a play to what school was like to Elizabethan science. Recommended for grades 3-12. Focused on //Macbeth,// this book exposes the reader to the history behind the #|play, the general ploy of the play, and various adaptations that had been made since its original writing and performance. Recommended for middle school readers. This book gives a brief overview of Shakespeare’s life including his childhood, education, and life in London as an actor and playwright. Lexile: 920 //Shakespeare’s Theatre// focuses on the staging of Shakespeare’s plays encompassing everything from costumes to acting to the theatres themselves. Lexile: 1030 Filled with information about both Shakespeare and the time in which he lived and wrote, this book provides a brief overview of Shakespeare’s life, his work, and the Elizabethan Era. Lexile: 690. Focusing on Shakespeare lasting appeal and how his stories have transcended time, Rosen creates an engaging narrative about the man, the era in which he lived, and his work. Lexile: 1060 Focusing on //Macbeth’s// place in history, this book takes us back to the play’s creation, first performances, and difficulties surrounding the production of the iconic play. Recommended Age: 10-14 With a focus on drama and its place in Elizabethan England, //Bard of Avon// not only tells the story of William Shakespeare, but also his role in the resurgence of drama as entertainment. Lexile: 1030 An illustrated book telling the story of Queen Elizabeth I, her reign, and her influence over England. Lexile: 1060.
 * Aliki. (1999). //Shakespeare and The Globe.// Harper Collins.**
 * Berne, E. C. (2008). //William Shakespeare: Playwright and Poet.// Edina, MN: ABDO Publishing Company.**
 * Chrisp, P. (2002). //Shakespeare.// New York, NY: DK Publishing, Inc.**
 * Greenhill, W. (2000). //Macbeth.// Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library.**
 * Greenhill, W. (2000). //Shakespeare: A Life.// Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library.**
 * Greenhill, W. (2000). //Shakespeare’s Theatre.// Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library.**
 * Mannis, C. D. (2006). //Who was William Shakespeare?// New York, NY: Penguin Group**.
 * Rosen, M. (2001). //Shakespeare: His Work and His World.// Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.**
 * Ross, S. (1994). //Shakespeare and Macbeth: The Story Behind the Play.// New York, NY: Penguin Group.**
 * Stanley, D. (1992). //Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare.// New York, NY: Morrow Junior Books.**
 * Stanley, D. (1990). //Good Queen Bess: The Story of Elizabeth I of England// New York, NY: Four Winds Press//.//**


 * __ Web Resources: __**

[]
 * Life in Elizabethan England-A Compendium of Common Knowledge**
 * A site with over 90 categories describing life in Elizabethan England ranging from religion to naming children to music to funerals and almost everything else imaginable!**

[]
 * Folger Library-Shakespeare for Kids**
 * Designed especially for kids by the Shakespeare scholars at the Folger Library, this site is filled with fun facts, games, and information about the great man himself.**

[]
 * BBC**
 * This is a visually pleasing website that appears attractive to kids and is filled with information on Shakespeare and his plays as well as links to additional information.**

[]
 * Biography.com**
 * This Shakespeare page is fairly standard in terms of biographical information, but also includes some videos and pictures to help illustrate who Shakespeare was and what life was like when he was living and writing.**

[]
 * Shmoop**
 * The great folks at Shmoop have done it again! This site includes a wealth of information from a biography to general facts to a timeline and even a ‘resume.’**

Internet Scavenger Hunt/Webquest Baker, Christopher. //Shakespeare in an Hour// Bryson, Bill. //Shakespeare: The World as Stage// Bush, Catherine. //Elizabeth I// Dunton-Downer, Leslie. //Essential Shakespeare Handbook.// Eding, June. //Who was Queen Elizabeth?// Gravett, Christopher. //Castle// Kastan, David Scott and Marina Kastan. //Poetry for Young People: William Shakespeare// Martin, Reed and Austin Tichenor. //Reduced Shakespeare// Morley, Jacqueline. //You wouldn’t want to be a Shakespearean Actor!// Mortimer, Ian. //The Time-Traveler’s Guide to Elizabethan England.// Roberts, Russell. //Elizabethan England (How’d They Do That?)// Ryan, Patrick and James Mayhew. //Shakespeare’s Storybook// Senior, Katherine. //You wouldn’t want to be Sick in the 16th Century!//
 * __ Additional Books __**

=Nonfiction Book List (Animals) Beth Lewis=


 * Grade Level:** Kindergarten
 * Objective:** Research about an animal of choice and answer three questions in a paper.

I am using the trade books and websites listed below for my kindergarten class since quarter 4 is when we do our research papers. The kindergarteners are given the choice of an animal to pick and below where the ones students choose to research. Some choose the same animal as another and these students are paired up to look and research about that animal. The students will look at the books and we will all go through the websites together on the promethean to look at information to write their paper. I gave them three questions to find the answer to:

Where does your animal live? What does your animal eat? A fun fact!

I will be helping the students along in this process as kindergarten friendly books are hard to find on animals and navigating on websites is also hard for students. My students are at various reading levels some above a D and others still on an A. The websites I found with videos will be of great use to these lower level students who have trouble reading as well as my ELL student. The children all got to pick their animal so it was of their interest which will make researching more enjoyable.

Clark, W. (2011). //Gorillas life in the troop//. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. - // This book is all about Gorillas. It talks about baby gorillas, what they eat, where they live, and talks about how Gorillas have troops. It has many great photos and has websites to visit for more information. This book is alittle harder to read. Lexile: 2.3 // Clark, W. (2011). //Penguins life in the colony//. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. - // This book is all about penguins. It talks about what they eat, where they live, baby penguins, and about colonies of penguins. This is a harder book to read but has many great pictures and websites to look for further information. Lexile:2.3 // Doudna, K. (2008). //It's a baby: Moose!//. Edina, MN: ABDO Publishing Company. - // This book tells all about moose and on the first page has a nice layout of weight, baby name of animal, and life expectancy. It has nice pictures and fun facts on the last page. Lexile: 2.6 // Doudna, K. (2008). //It's a baby: Raccoon!//. Edina, MN: ABDO Publishing Company. - // This book tells all about raccoons and on the first page has a nice layout of weight, baby name of animal, and life expectancy. It has nice pictures and fun facts on the last page. Lexile: 2.6 // Green, E. (2011). //Bears//. Minneapolis, MN: Bellwether media, Inc. - // This book tells all about bears. What bears can do, eat, live, and what they are. This book has easier words to read and has many great pictures if words are tougher to read. Lexile: 1.3 // Green, E. (2007). //Fireflies//. Minneapolis, MN: Bellwether media. - // This book tells all about fireflies, how they glow, their bodies, and what a firefly is. This book has lots of pictures and is easier to read. Lexile: 1.7 // Green, E. (2011). //Frogs//. Minneapolis, MN: Bellwether media, Inc. - // This book is all about frogs, how they look, where they live, what they eat, sounds they make, and tadpoles. This book gives an immense amount of information about frogs. Lexile: 1.4 // Green, E. (2011). //Foxes//. Minneapolis, MN: Bellwether media, Inc. - // This book tells all about foxes and how they look. It talks about where they live, what they eat and hunt and what foxes are. This is an easy read and has many photos to look at. Lexile: 1.3 // Green, E. (2011). //Turtles//. Minneapolis, MN: Bellwether media, Inc. - // This book is all about turtles, where they live, what they eat, how they stay safe, and how they look. This book is an easier one to read with many great pictures. Lexile:1.5 // Herriges, A. (2007). //Oceans alive dolphins//. Minneapolis, MN: Bellwether media. - // This book is all about dolphins. What they eat, their sounds, where they live, and what they are. This book also has a learn more section to get more information about dolphins. Lexile: 1.8 //
 * Books:**

[] This website is great for information, videos, maps of where the animals live, photos and facts. It is very child friendly and for the little ones the videos are great. [] This website is really great for kids to learn all about animals. If you click on science and then click on animals it gives an immense amount of information for kids on animals. This website is not free but some parts are. [] The website is another great one for animals. You click on the animal you want and it gives where they live and basic facts. [] This website has videos and photos of animals and is really easy for children to navigate. [] The website is great for photos, facts and addition resource listings for students to look into.
 * Websites: **

Hi Beth, I came across some Listen and Read books on Scholastic's website (teacher.scholastic.com/commclub/index.htm) when I was looking for some other animal books. There are 54 nonfiction books. Twenty-one of the books are about animals. The books are either Level A or B. Some of them are about the same animal, but they are at different levels. Students can listen to the text as they follow along on the computer. Perhaps you could use these with struggling readers. Lori McInnes

= = =Life Cycles Non Fiction List=

__ 10 Non-Fiction Trade Books about Life Cycles __ Paige Borgerson
 * Grade Level**: Preschool/Kindergarten
 * Objective:** Students will learn about different animal life cycles.


 * I could not locate the Lexile Level of these specific trade books but these books range from reading levels A-H, which corresponds with the Lexile Levels of 200-400.**

It's Planting Season. (2014). //Time for Kids//, 2,3. Berger, M., & Berger, G. (2011). //From Chick to Robin.// New York: Scholastic. Ganeri, A. (2006). //From Caterpillar to Butterfly.// Chicago: Capston Global Library. Ganeri, A. (2006). //From Egg to Chicken.// Chicago: Capstone Global Library. Ganeri, A. (2006). //From Egg to Spider.// Chicago: Capstone Global Library. Ganeri, A. (2006). //From Puppy to Dog.// Chicago: Capstone Global Library. Ganeri, A. (2006). //From Seed to Apple.// Chicago: Capstone Global Library. Ganeri, A. (2006). //From Seed to Sunflower.// Chicago: Capstone Global Library. Ganeri, A. (2006). //From Tadpole to Frog.// Chicago: Capstone Global Library. Himmelman, J. (2000). //An Earthworm's Life.// Canada: Children's Press.
 * 1. This is a //Time// magazine that is geared for lower age levels. It is short and sweet, but does a great job explaining and illustrating the life cycle of a plant. It also has a fun quiz on the back for students to participate in.**
 * 2. This is also a good read for the lower age levels (preschool-kindergarten). It discusses the life cyle of a robin. It has great photographs to show children the different stages of a robin's life. It also contains comprehension questions in the back to check for understanding.**
 * 3. The following books are based on a life cycle series by Anita Ganeri. These are great book for a variety of age levels. You can use them to read aloud from ages preschool to first grade, or you can use them as independent readers for grades 2nd and 3rd. They are also great books to teach the upper elementary grades about text features. All of the texts include an index, glossary, and many more important non-fiction text featurs.**
 * 4. The last book is a great non-fiction book that uses illustrations to discuss the life cycle of an earthworm. It is a great fit for lower elementary children.**

__ 5 Websites to Support Life Cycles Unit __

[] This is a website that requires a subscription, but it has an array of videos to help teach many different science concepts! Life cycles are one of the areas it covers. They are very fun and engaging videos for the children! They also have a variety of activities to follow up with after every video.

[] This is a wonderful, <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;"> that lists games and activities that you can do with your students in class. It actually has games where you choose how to take care of a plant to see if you can keep it alive and help it through the stages of its life cycle. It is a very fun technology piece to add in your science instruction.

[] This is also another great website to use with your class to see if you can get a plant to successfully grow and <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;"> its life cycle. It has videos and activities that range for the variety of age levels.

[] The National Geographic website also has an excellent video for children to view real footage of the caterpillar's life cycle. It does a great job of bringing an animal life cycle to life for the children.

[] National Geographic has a link to a great lesson that you can start with your children to teach them about the frog's life cycle. It provides work sheets and detailed lesson plans to help you implement into your classroom. This lesson is geared for Grades 2 and above, but the lessons can be adapted to fit any grade level.

=First Graders Do Research on Animals (Diane Baima)=


 * First Graders Do a Research Project on Animals (Diane Baima)**

My first grade students are doing a research project on animals. Each student chooses from a long list of animals that I have already found online or library resources for. The students write one-three paragraphs about each of the following topics: Students will be able to:
 * Lesson plan:**
 * 1) 1. What does the animal look like?
 * 2) 2. Where does the animal live?
 * 3) 3. What and how does the animal eat?
 * 4) 4. What are other interesting facts about the animal?
 * Objectives:**
 * 1) 1. Practice note taking and summarizing to write a report about what a student has learned about an animal.
 * 2) 2. Use text features of nonfiction text to find information.
 * 3) 3. Use the library database //Destiny// to look for books.
 * 4) 4. Use what students know about text features to create their own book about an animal.


 * Nonfiction books** **for Research**– The library at my small school has a very limited number of books on animals. I made the list of animals that the students could choose from based on the materials we have available at a middle-high first grade reading level.

Carney, E. (2011). //Bats.// Washington D.C.: National Geographic. – This book is written at high first grade level with many headings, pictures and captions and a table of contents to help students navigate the information.

Fowler, A. (1997). //Friendly dolphins.// New York, Toronto, London, Auckland, Sydney, Mexico city, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires: Scholastic Inc. – This book is written at a middle first grade level with many pictures and an index to help find information.

Jonson, J. A. (2011). //Bats.// Mankato, MN: Capstone Press. – This book is written at a middle first grade level with many headings and pictures, a table of contents and index to help find information.

Marsh, L. (2012) //Wolves.// Washington D.C.: National Geographic. – This book is written at high first grade level with many headings, pictures and captions and a table of contents to help students navigate the information.

Rockwell, A. (2006). //Who lives in an alligator hole?// New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. -This book is written a middle first grade level with many pictures but no headings or index to help find information.

Simon, S. (2003). //Incredible sharks.// New York, Toronto, London, Auckland, Sydney, Mexico city, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires: Scholastic Inc. – This book is written at a middle first grade level with many pictures, but no headings to help the students find information.

Stewart, M. (2010). //Dolphins.// Washington D.C.: National Geographic. – This book is written at high first grade level with many headings, pictures and captions and a table of contents to help students navigate the information.

Tatham, B. (2002). //Penguin chick.// New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. – This book is written at a high first grade level with many pictures, but students need to infer information from the text as it is written in a narrative style showing how a penguin chick grows up.

Thompson, S. L. (2005). //Amazing gorillas.// New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. – This book is written at a high first grade level with many pictures, but no headings to help the students find information.

Thompson, S. L. (2006). //Amazing snakes.// New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. – This book is written at a high first grade level with many pictures, but no headings to help the students find information.

Thompson, S. L. (2004). //Amazing Tigers..// New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. – This book is written at a high first grade level with many pictures, but no headings to help the students find information.

[] - In this website students can choose an animal and it opens to a page with 1-3 links to websites with information about the animal all written at a beginning-middle first grade reading level.
 * 5 websites for research:**

[] - In this website students can search for articles about many animals. Most of the writing is above the reading level of half my students so I would need to read it to them.

[] - This website offers articles on many animals and is written at a first grade level for students to read themselves.

[] - This website lists many animals and the information is written at a first grade level for students to read by themselves.

[] - This website has clearly written and simple articles about animals written at a first grade level

Hi Diane,

Earlier this year my third graders did a research project on an animal. I ordered a 20 pack of National Geographic books from one of our Scholastic book orders for $40. It contained all different animals, and there was a range of reading levels. My students love the National Geographic books because they have such colorful, eye catching photographs. Perhaps these books would be helpful for your unit.

Lori McInnes = = = = = = =Edgar Degas (Elizabeth Frisbie)=

Edgar Degas- Elizabeth Frisbie

I will be using the books and websites listed below to help my students learn about Edgar Degas. If you are not familiar with Degas, he is most commonly known for his paintings of ballerinas or dancers. Degas also spent time sculpting and printing as well. Much of his work focused on the feeling of isolation, such as one of his most famous works called //Absinthe.// He is considered to be one of the founders of impressionism. Impressionism is a painting style, which focuses on small thin brush strokes, and often painting in realistic manor. The lesson on Edgar Degas would be part of a bigger unit on impressionist painters. The lesson is directed for a High School level painting 1 or 2 class. Artist research would be done first using the different sources listed below. The students would view Degas work as well as read about his motives in order to come up with their own impressionist paining, staying true to the characteristics of the work. Assessment of the project would be based upon the techniques used throughout the painting. The application of paint, as well as the student’s ability to advance, as a painter will be taken into consideration during assessment. Participation in class discussion is also an important part of the assessment process.
 * Books**:


 * 1) //Marie, Dancing// by Meyer, Carolyn (2005) This book is written about Marie van Goethem who is the subject for Degas most famous sculpture. 920L


 * 1) //Degas and the Dance : The Painter and the Petits Rats, Perfecting their Art// by Rubin, Susan (2002) This is a picture book which discusses the dedication of Degas and shows his most famous works. 890L


 * 1) //Monet and the Impressionists for Kids// By Sabbeth, Carol (2002) This book could be used for the entire unit because it covers a complete timeline of Impressionist artist and their works, as well as complete biographies of different impressionist artists. 900L


 * 1) //Musee D’Orsay Impressionism and Post-Impressionist Masterpiece//s By Anne Distel, Claire Freches-Thory, S Sylvie Gache-Patin, Genieve Lacambre, Michel Laclote, and Edward Lucie- Smith (1993) This book covers post-impressionist work as well as impressionist work. It focuses on artists such as Cezanne, Monet, and of course Degas. The works discussed in the book can all be found in Musee D’Orsay.


 * 1) //Degas: The Artist’s Mind// by Theodore Reff (1976) This essay discusses the complexities of Degas art. It mentions the ways his mind worked, and how his art benefits other artists.


 * 1) //Absinthe: A Biogaphical Novel of Edgar Degas// by John P. Roach Jr. (2009) This Biography discusses the isolation factor as well as the meaning behind one of Degas most famous paintings. It discusses all of the hidden meanings within the painting as well. 1350L


 * 1) //Thinking Visually (Basics Illistruations 01)// by Mark Wigan (2006) This book discusses the ways to see like an artists. It not only discusses impressionist work, but also discusses optical illusion art as well as many other different movements. 840L


 * 1) //Degas, The Easton Press Edition// by Edward Huttinger and Marie-Helen Agueros (1988) The Easton Press Edition is a book which briefly discuses each painting or work of art done by Degas. This book would be used more as a visual. 1080L


 * 1) //Impressionism// by Ingo F. Walther (2013) Impressionism discusses the trends and timeline of Impressionism. It takes a look at many different artists and would be used for the entire unit. 1050L


 * 1) //Impressionism: The History, The Artists, The Masterpieces// by V. Kuvatova (2012) This book also discusses the timeline of Impressionism. It would be used for the entire unit, and has a ton of visuals for the students to view while creating their own paintings. 1020L


 * Websites:**


 * 1) [] This website shows Edgar Degas works, as well as high pixel images which could be printed off and used for references.


 * 1) [] This website shows tons of Edgar Degas works, it gives a biography about his life as well as his education. It also gives references to a lot of different books my students could use to find more information.
 * 2) [] This website has a lot of engaging videos to inspire my students. They explain his motives, and why he took such an interest in female dancers.


 * 1) [] This website shows the work that is located at the national gallery. The students can use this website for the entire unit to learn about other impressionist painters as well.


 * 1) [] This website allows the students to click on the given image and get a few paragraphs explaining the piece. It is full of different works of art from Degas as well as other impressionist painters.


 * 1) [] This website is one I often used through my undergrad education to learn about art history. Some of the language is above a high school level, but the imagery and facts are awesome.

=**Science Non-fiction list (Heidi Kelly-Strawgate)**=


 * Websites:**
 * 1.** **[] This website allows your students to read current topics in science at their reading ability. The same article can be viewed from 4th-12th grade reading level. Quizes can be taken at grade level of instructor,s choice.**

** The Holocaust (Lora Sorenson) ** A very popular course at the high school, as well is a popular topic in history, is the Holocaust. I have compiled these resources to accompany this topic. I will share this list with our Social Studies department as well as use it to recommend books to students interested in this topic or taking, or planning to take, the Holocaust course to build and extend their knowledge on the topic. When selecting books I looked for stories from differing view point to appeal to the array of students who may be using these resources. I have selected books to include stories from perspective of teenage girls and boys, those living in the concentration camps, those living outside and helping the Jewish, those working as Nazi, those who didn’t make it out of the camps and those who did. .

Boas, J. (1995). //We are Witnesses: Five Diaries of Teenagers Who Died in the Holocaust//. New York, NY: Henry Holt. This is a compilation of five journal discovered after the Holocaust. The journals are written by Jewish teenagers, one of which was Anne Frank. From the perspective of these five individuals we see what their lives were like living during the Holocaust. Lexile: 970L
 * Books **

Boom, C. T., Sherrill, J. L., & Sherrill, E. (1971). //The Hiding Place//. Washington Depot, CT: Chosen Books. Corrie ten Boom and her family become leaders in the Dutch Underground. She shares the story of how her family hid Jewish people in their home and aided them in their escape from the Nazi’s. Lexile: 900L

Buergenthal, T. (2009). //A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy//. New York, NY: Little, Brown. Thomas Buergenthal tells of his life after being sent to Auschwitz at the age of 10. He is separated first from his mother and then his father. Through wit and luck Thomas survives. About two years after liberation he is amazingly reunited with this mother. He arrives in the US in 1951 and eventually becomes a judge. Lexile: Unknown

Golde, H. (2002). //Ragdolls//. Appleton, WI: Golde Pub. This is the story of an eleven year old boy and his survival through the holocaust. Lexile: Unknown

Jackson, L. B. (1997). //I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust//. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. This is the harrowing account of Livia Bitton-Jackson, a 13 year old Jewish girl living in Hungary when the Nazi’s invade. She survived Auschwitz and Dachau and makes it back home with her mother and brother. Lexile: 720L

Keneally, T. (1982). //Schindler's List//. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster. Recreates the story of Oskar Schindler and how he outwitted the SS and risked his life to help save Jews in Poland. Lexile: 1150L

Lagnado, L., & Dekel, S. C. (1991). //Children of the Flames: Dr. Josef Mengele and the Untold Story of the Twins of Auschwitz//. New York, NY: Morrow. Providing an alternating view between narratives from some of the 160 surviving twins out of 3000 that were being experimented on by Dr. Mengele, “The Angel of Death,” and the chronology of his life. Lexile: Unknown

Leyson, L., Harran, M. J., & Leyson, E. B. (2013). //The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible... on Schindler's List//. New York: Antheneum Books for Young Readers. A memoir of Leon Leyson the youngest person to have survived the Holocaust with the help of Oskar Schindler. We follow him into the ghetto and then to the work facilities of Schindler, to liberation and to the United States with his parents where he eventually becomes a teacher. It is not until his later years that he shares his experiences. Lexile: 1000L

Rosenblat, H. (2008). //Angel at the Fence//. New York, NY: Berkley Books. Herman Rosenblat was separated from his family and forced into the Schlieben Labor Camp in Germany. He survives with the help of young Jewish girl, living as a Christian outside the camp, brings him food and hope. Years later, while living in New York they miraculously meet again through a blind date. Lexile: Unknown

Sender, R. M. (1986). //The Cage//. New York, NY: Macmillan. Riva and her brother live in the Lodz ghetto before being separated from her family when deported to Auschwitz and then onto the work camps at Mittelsteine and Grafenort. Riva is determined to survive for her Mama and her brothers and the millions of other victims. Lexile: 500L


 * Websites **

[] This site is the “Holocaust Teacher Resources Center”. I t contains information on what the Holocaust is, resources, why the Holocaust should be taught, teacher plans, and additional links.

[|http://ya-holocaust-lit.weebly.com] This is the “Holocaust Lit for Young Adults” site. It includes information on the history of the Holocaust, recommended books in non-fiction, teen memoirs and fiction. It is also has a category specifically for Anne Frank.

[] Provides brief overviews and links for: facts, pictures, glossary, a timeline, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Why We Should Remember, The Camps, Ghetto’s, Victims, Persecution, Resistance, Nazi’s, and Museums & Memorials.

[] This is the site for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. It include information on the museum and well as resources for academics and research, educators, and professionals and student leaders.

[] Provides stories of Holocaust survivors as well as photos and an audio gallery.

[] This is the Jewish Virtual Library Holocaust Wing. It provides basic history of the Holocaust, Biographies, and links for Persecution including the camps, forced labor, medical experiments, and the Nuremberg Laws. It also has sections for World Reactions to the Holocaust, The Nazi’s and the Aftermath.

[] The site of The Holocaust History Project which provides a free archive of photo’s, documents, video’s, audio recording and essays about the Holocaust.

[] This is “A People’s History of the Holocaust & Genocide. It provides photos and art, stories, books and information/links on children survivors.

[] Provides information, photos and stories about people who went through the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Auchwitz-Birkenau is where the largest numbers of Jews were killed during the Holocaust.

=All About Plants Unit, by Bobbie Dunn=

Our students are in a desperate need to think more about spring, so I decided to develop a unit that teachers can use on plants! I have developed this unit for a first grade classroom. While the following resources would be useful for any first or second grade classroom, I had one first grade classroom in mind. The students in this room range from low first grade to a high third grade level, so I selected books for that range on a variety of different plant-related subjects.


 * Lesson Plan:**


 * 1) Develop a KWL chart with students on plants. After completing the discussion on students' background knowledge, read //Plants//, stopping to discuss some of the unique ideas that students hadn't mentioned during the KWL discussion.
 * 2) Give students 2-3 days to read their choice of books on plants and further explore the websites. They will need to use their writer's notebook to write down facts that they learned and answers to any questions on the KWL chart.
 * 3) Students will develop their own plant book. They will be able to share their favorite information and illustrate it as well.
 * 4) Upon completion of the books, students will share them with the class.


 * CCSS Addressed:**

[|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.1]

Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

[|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.5]

Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.

[|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.2]

Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.


 * Nonfiction Books:**

(2011). //Plants around the world.// Chicago, IL: World Book.

This is a primary (K-3) picture encyclopedia providing information on a wide variety of plants.

Bodach, V. K. (2007). Flowers. Mankato, MN: Pebble Plus.

This 1st-grade-level book tells the reader about the importance of flowers, the different kinds, and the types that are food for other animals.

Bodach, V. K. (2007). Leaves. Mankato, MN: Pebble Plus.

This 1st-grade-level book tells the reader about the importance of leaves, the different kinds, and the types that are food for other animals.

Bodach, V. K. (2007). Roots. Mankato, MN: Pebble Plus.

This 1st-grade-level book tells the reader about the importance of roots, the different kinds, and the types that are food for other animals.

Carr, A. (2013). //Plants//. New York, NY: AV2 by Weigl.

This 2nd-grade-level book explains the life cycle of plants, how they feed themselves, and how the seeds are spread to other places.

Fowler, A. (2001). //Plants that eat animals.// New York, NY: Children’s Press.

This is a 2nd grade-level book on carnivorous plants such as the Venus fly trap.

Jordan, H. J. (1992). //How a seed grows.// New York, NY: HarperCollins.

This is a 2nd grade-level book that that shows how bean seeds grow from seeds into plants.

Johnson, T. (2009). //Growing new plants.// Ann Arbor, MI: Cherry Lake Publishers.

This is a 3rd-grade-level book that explains what plants need in order to grow and also explains how plants reproduce and can grow in new places.

MacAulay, K. (2014). //How are plants useful?// New York, NY: Crabtree Publishing.

This 3rd-grade-level book tells the reader about how we use plants for food, medicines, fabrics, and in many other ways.

MacAulay, K. (2014). //How do plants survive?// New York, NY: Crabtree Publishing.

This 3rd-grade-level book tells the reader what plants need in order to survive in different habitats, including deserts and underwater.

Rattini, Kristin. (2014). //National Geographic Readers: Seed to Plant.// National Geographics Children's Books.

This 1st-grade-level book takes children on a journey from seed pollination to plant growth. Children learn about what plants need to thrive and grow with nice photographs.

York, V. (2010). //A Bean Plant Grows//. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc.

This 1st-grade-level book tells the reader about different types of seeds and how they grow.

Plant Websites:


 * [] - dozens of links for plant-related printables for grades K-1.
 * [] - an amazing website that can be used on a SMARTboard. It shows the life cycle of a seed in different weather conditions, different methods for seed dispersal, information on plant identification, and it also provides worksheets to go along with it!
 * [] - this website asks you to break a flower down into its pieces, then it explains each piece and why it’s important. The activity would need to be done as a large group, as the vocabulary is a little advanced, but it’s a fun SMARTboard activity!
 * [] - a great information website that could be shared with a large group. Most of the words are student-friendly, but there are some Tier 3 words that would need to be discussed. It explains all stages of the plant life cycle.
 * [] - “The Great Plant Escape” – provides different “plant mysteries” for students to solve through different activities.
 * [] - student-friendly handout on the parts of a seed


 * Caitlin Tepe **
 * Biographies Lesson **

I chose to use biographies that had an appropriate Guided Reading level for the range of students that I work with. I used Book Wizard, part of Scholastic’s website. Here, you can search for books by grade level, Fountas and Pinnell’s guided reading level, Developmental Reading Assessment level, or Lexile level which makes it incredibly easy to find an appropriate book regardless of the leveling curriculum you use. I chose biographies because I often have my students write mini autobiographies about themselves as a get to know you activity for myself and their new group members in speech therapy at the beginning of the school year. Many of my younger students are unfamiliar with biographies and my older students benefit from refreshers about biographies. We use some of these leveled readers that I borrow from their classrooms to introduce biographies, what they are about, and the information that they commonly provide as a way to help them decide what information would be important to include in their own biography.


 * __ Books __**
 * Walker, P. (2001). // Helen Keller //. New York: Children's Press.
 * Level F biography about Hellen Keller’s life
 * Walker, P. (2001). // Tiger Woods //. New York: Children's Press.
 * Level F biography about Tiger Woods and his golfing career
 * McCormick, L. W. (2007). // Michael Jordan //. New York: Children's Press.
 * Level G biography about Michael Jordan’s success as a basketball player
 * Mara, W. (2003). // Henry Ford //. New York: Children's Press.
 * Level I biography about the founder of the popular car brand
 * Mara, W. (2002). // George Washington //. New York: Children's Press.
 * Level J biography about the life of the first president of the US
 * Rau, D. M. (2003). // Dr. Seuss //. New York: Children’s Press
 * Level J biography about the life and work of the popular children’s author
 * Millender, D. H. (1986). // Martin Luther King, Jr: Young man with a dream //. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks.
 * Level O biography of the life and death of the celebrated civil rights activist
 * Gutman, B. (2001). // Venus & Serena: The grand slam Williams sisters //. New York: Scholastic Inc.
 * Level R biography about the talented tennis sisters
 * Wade, M. D. (1992). //Amelia Earhart: Flying for adventure//. Brookfield, Conn: Millbrook Press.
 * Level S biography of the legendary female pilot
 * Colbert, D. (2009). // Abraham Lincoln //. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks.
 * Level V biography of the president who fought for the end of slavery

[] [] [] []
 * __ Websites: __**
 * This is a cool computerized graphic that categorizes important information needed for a biography. Questions such as who are you writing about, when did they live, where did they live, major life events, personality traits, and cultural/social significance allow the student to organize their information in a different and engaging way. The questions also encourage deeper thinking and go farther than just typical factual information you find in a biography. The great thing is that this cube is also formatted for mysteries, fiction, and create your own so it can be used with many writing genres.
 * This is a great resource for nonfiction books based on interest categories like Sports and the Olympics, Detectives and Explorers, and Passport to the World. Within these categories are many biographies that students can pick from along with an age range they are appropriate for. Both teachers and parents can benefit from this resource to find interesting and engaging books about high interest topics for their students and children to facilitate practice with reading nonfiction and writing about nonfiction. The books are leveled by age and have great suggestions for how to read aloud in a way that engages your students and children the most.
 * Using the connection to the Barack Obama book selected, this website is a great way to get more in depth information about a person. This would also be a good resource when teaching biographies for people involved in current events. It’s a good way to show that biographies and autobiographies don’t always have to be about a historical figure from the past. History is happening every day and biographies and autobiographies can be written about living people (which is what we will do in our get to know you lesson!)
 * This is a wonderful short video about how to create a biography and some things to think about that make a person interesting or important.

[]
 * Great for the older students, this outline breaks down the steps and information needed to write an informative and interesting biography. There are brainstorming suggestions, links to additional research resources, as well as drafting and revising help.

My List of Nonfiction Books and Websites about Winter-Gayle Gabriel

1. Branley, F. (2000). //Snow is falling.// New York: HarperCollins.

2. Cassino, M. (2009). //The story of snow: The science of winter’s wonder.// San Francisco:

Chronicle Books.

3. Esbaum, J. (2010). //Winter wonderland.// Des Moines: National Geographic Children’s Books.

4. Fleming, D. (2012). //The first day of winter.// New York: Squarefish.

5. Jackson, E. (1997). //The winter solstice.// Minneapolis: Millbrook Press.

6. Pross-Gray, H. (2012). //Winter is here!// Seattle: Createspace Independent Publishing.

7. Snow, V. (2014). //Winter walk.// Utah: Gibbs Smith.

8. Swan, S. (2002). //It’s Winter//. Minneapolis: Millbrook Press.

9. Thornhill, J. (2014). //Winter’s coming: A story of seasonal change.// Ontario: Owlkid Books.

10. Van Laan, N. (2000). //When winter comes.// New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

1. [|www.sheppardsoftware.com/scienceforkids/seasons]

2. akidsheart.com/holidays/winter

3. [|www.billybear4kids.com/holidays/winter/fun.htm]

4. [|www.anglomaniacy.pl/winterMatching.htm]

5. [|www.dltk-holidays.com/winter]