Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco

This story is about a little girl named Trisha who absolutely loves schools but has difficulty learning how to read. She wants to read badly but the words look like wiggling shapes and when she tried to read, the other children tease her. Because she can 't read efficiently, Trisha feels dumb and starts to believe that something is wrong with her. When she was in the fifth grade, her mother got a new job and moved to California. Trisha thought that this move would help her because the students wouldn't know that she was dumb. When she arrived at the school, students picked on her worse than before. Mr. Falker helped Trisha keep the bullies away from her and he helped her read. He enrolled her in special programs that she needed and after working hard, Trisha could read.

This book is an autobiography that Patricia Palacco wrote about herself. She had difficulty reading and because of her teacher, George Felker, she is now a successful author that books for children.

Teachers can use this book to show children that it is ok if they have a problem with reading. With extra help, they can become the great reader that teachers know that they are. The technology I used for this book was a Filp Camera. teachers can use flip cameras in their classrooms to record students or the teacher can record themselves. I recorded myself reading this book so that students can follow along from home if they are provided with the book.

Cendrillon by Robert D. San Souci

This story is told from the godmother's point of view. She worked as a washerwoman and scrubbed sheets for other people. She worked for a kind woman and the woman made her the godmother of Cendrillon. The mother died and the father remarried a cold woman. the woman and Cendrillon's father had a child and they had a party for it. At the party the godmother saw Cendrillon and her hands were blistered. The godmother wanted to help but she couldn't do anything. Cendrillon became the family maid as she grew older and she would come to the river to wash clothes. She was always happy but one day she came and was sad. There was a ball that Cendrillon wanted to go to but she was not allowed to attend. Her godmother assures that she will go to the ball. the godmother had a magic wand that her mother gave her and she used it to turn different things into the items that Cendrillon needed to go to the ball. She even tapped herself to change her attire and she went to the ball with Cendrillon. When they finally arrived, they made a grand entrance. Cendrillon danced with the prince Paul and forgot about the time. She had to leave at twelve so that no one would see her clothes, carriage, and horses change. As the clock chimed, Cendrillon and her godmother rushed out of the ball. Cendrillon left her pink slipper behind. After the ball Cendrillon was sick because she was in love with Paul and she knew he would not love her back because she was a maid. But Paul came looking for the owner of the slipper. Cendrillon tries on the slipper and it fits perfectly. Paul and Cendrillon get married and live happily ever after.

Teachers can use this book to discuss the different versions of fairytale. For example, teachers can read this story along with the original story of Cinderella and the students can compare the events that happen in the story.

This is a worlde that I used as technology for this book. In order to create a wordle, the students will have to type or paste words in the message box. After they do this they can create a wordle such as the one above. In the wordle, the words that are used more frequently are the biggest. Teachers can use a worldle as a resource in their classroom.

Science Fair Bunnies by Kathryn Lasky

Clyde and Rosemary were doing a science project on plants but the beans for the project had wilted. Clyde thinks that his and Rosemary chances of winning the science fair are over until his loose tooth gives him an idea. Since he and Rosemary have loose teeth, they want to see how different liquids stain the teeth. Rosemary gives up her very first loose tooth "for science". The pair has two teeth to experiment with but they need at least one more so they solicit people at school to give up their loose teeth for science. Someone gives up their tooth and they start working on their experiment. Clyde's tooth is stained with tea, Rosemary's tooth is stained with strawberry jello, and the other tooth is stained with grape soda. At the science fair Rosemary and Clyde's project is the most original and they win the blue ribbon that they always hoped for!

This book is about science and how to conduct a science project. Teachers can use this book to show students how they should not give up on things that they may be working on. This book could also get the students to start thinking about a science project that they would like to do if the school is working on having a science fair.

Commander Toad and the Intergalactic Spy by Jane Yolen

Commander Toad is a toad that lives in space. He is the captain of the ship Star Warts and he has his own crew. The crew members are Mr. Hop, Lieutenant Lily, Jake Skyjumper, and Doc Peeper. One day the crew gets a secret message to go on a dangerous mission. They have to pick up an intergalactic spy from a place called Eden. The spy is Commander Toads cousin and the crew has to fly to Eden where all of the spies wear disguises. The receive three specific clues; his cousin will wear a croak-a-dial, drink croak-a-cola, and carry a photograph of his favorite cousin. When they arrive in Eden, they are greeted by five spies in disguises. Each spy has on all of the clues that Commander Toad received. In order to find out which spy is Commander Toad's cousin, the crew gives the spies a challenge. They make each spy run through a field of tulips. The spies run through and bees and flies come out of the tulips. Only one spy sticks out his tongue to catch the flies as he ran through the field. Commander Toad knew that this spy was his cousin. When the spy removed his disguise he was indeed Commander Toad's cousin.

Teachers can use this book to discuss fiction books in their classrooms. Because this is a story about a toad in space, children will know that is not true. Teachers can use this book as well as other science fiction books to discuss this genre and have the students make up their own science fiction stories using the elements that they find in different stories.

June 29, 1999 by David Wiesner

In Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, there was a girl named Holly Evans. Holly launched vegetables into the sky. She was doing a science experiment to see how the effects of the extraterrestrial conditions on vegetable growth. She launches her seeds and on June 29, 1999, people on earth make a remarkable discovery!. They found giant vegetables everywhere. People found cabbage, cucumbers, lima beans and broccoli. One day, Holly watched the news and she heard the newscaster say "Cauliflower carpets California, spinach blankets Greenwich and arugula covers Ashtabula." Holly realized that she did not plat and send these types of vegetables into space and she wondered what happened to her vegetables....

Teachers can use this book in their classrooms to spark the imaginations of the scientists in the class. The teacher could also use this book to talk about predictions and cause and effect. The students can make predictions abut what will happen to Holly's vegetables and also make more predictions when Holly realizes that the huge vegetables were not hers.

Ten Suns by Eric Kimmel

This is a story about the Eastern Emperor that had ten children. All of the children were boys and were his "suns". Each day, one of his suns had to walk across the sky alone so that the people on earth could have a sun to light up the sky. Walking alone everyday made the sunvery bored. They wanted to walk together so one day, they walked across the sky together. when they did this, the people on earth suffered. Forests caught on fire, lakes dried up, and oceans boiled. The people on earth did not know why the gods were destroy them. The Emperor sent Hu Yi, one of his greatest shooters, to shoot the ten suns with a magic bow that would turn them into black crows. Hu Yi had ten arrows and the Emperor didn't want all of his suns to turn into crows so he sent a messenger to take out one of the arrows. Hu Yi shot the nine suns and now every morning the crows gather to greet their brother as he walks alone across the sky.

Teachers could use this book to teach about Japanese culture and different myths. This story is a myth that explains why and how the sun rises everyday. Teachers can use this story along with other stories to discuss myths as well as discuss the Japanese culture.

Lon Po Po by Ed Young

There was a woman that lived alone with three children. On their grandmother's birthday, their mother left and left the children home alone. She told them to be good children and lock the door at night. Wolf saw the mother leave and disguised himself as an old woman. He was pretending to be the children's grandmother. The wolf tries his best to get into the house and the children finally let him in. The oldest child realizes that the wolf is lying when she lights the lamp and sees the wolf's face before he blows out the light. The oldest child offers the wolf ginko nuts. She tells the wolf how tender the nuts are and makes wolf want some right away. All three children climb the ginko tree and threw a basket down to wolf so he could climb in. The children pull wolf halfway and drop him to the ground. They repeat this three times and on the third time, wolf dies. Finally their mother returns home and the children tell her about the wolf coming to their house.

Teachers can use this book to teach fables and folktales in their classrooms. Children would learn morals from this book such as "do not talk to strangers" and "do not let strangers in your house". This book would get the attention of students because of all of the vivid pictures that are in the book. This book is from the Chinese culture and students would learn a little more about it from reading this book.

The 3 Bears and Goldilocks by Margaret Willey

Goldilocks was bold and very curious. Her father wrapped a red scarf around her and told her not to rush into places where she didn't belong. She listened but at the same time she did not listen. She went into the forest to see what she could find. She saw a small cabin and she was too curious to walk past it. She knocked on the cabin three ties but no one answered but the door opened. She walked in and saw that the room was strewn with leaves, berries and fur. She found a broom and began to sweep; she thought her mother would be proud. All of that work made her hungry and she saw three bowls of porridge on the table. She picked the lumps of beetles and scales out of the smallest bowl and ate it all. The eating made her sleepy and she saw three beds made of straw, pine needles, and leaves. She found the third pile to be the most comfortable and she fell asleep. When the bears came back, they found that Goldilocks was still in their house. They examined her and saw that she didn't have fur, claws, or sharp teeth like them. They thought she looked weird! When Goldilocks woke up the bears were in her face. She saw a window in the corner of her eye and climbed out of it and ran all the way home.

There are many versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and teachers can use different versions to teach students that there is more than one way to tell a story. Teachers could get students to write stories that have the same events in them but change them slightly to make them their own. This will help students imaginations and creative writing skills.

Goldilocks & the Three Bears by Jim Aylesworth

In this story there is a girl named Goldilocks who was very, very good but she forgot to do things that her mother told her to do. They were small things but sometimes she would forget and it would lead to serious trouble. One day Goldilocks wanted to pick flowers and her mother gave her permission but told her not to go into the woods. Goldilocks tried to listen but while she picked her flowers, she was distracted by a butterfly. She followed the butterfly into the woods and decided to stay and see if she could find more butterflies and birds in the woods. She found a curious house in the woods and thought it was pretty. She called out to see if anyone was home but no one was there. She thought the house was wonderful and went inside. She also saw porridge on the table and it smelled so good she had to taste it. She ate all of Baby Bear's porridge, broke Baby Bear's chair, and was found sleeping in Baby Bear's bed. When the bears came home, they saw that someone had been eating their porridge, sitting in their chairs, and sleeping in their beds. Goldilocks was still in Baby Bear's bed and when she woke up and saw the bears in her face, she realized what her mother had told her and she ran all the way home.

There are many versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and teachers can use different versions to teach students that there is more than one way to tell a story. Teachers could get students to write stories that have the same events in them but change them slightly to make them their own. This will help students imaginations and creative writing skills.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears by James Marshall

This is a story about a not so sweet girl named Goldilocks. Goldilock's mother sent her to buy muffins in the next village. She plainly tells Goldilocks not to take the shortcut in the woods but Goldilocks was a naughty girl that did exactly what she wanted. The bears were sitting down for breakfast but their porridge was too hot to eat so they decide to go on a bike ride while it was cooling. Here comes Goldilocks! She busts through the door without knocking and heads straight to the biggest bowl of porridge. While she is at the Bear's house she causes a lot of damage. She breaks Baby Bear's chair, eats all of his porridge and sleeps in his bed! Finally the bears come home to find that someone has been messing with their stuff. They walk upstairs to see what damages have been done and they see Goldilocks sleeping in Baby Bear's bed. When Goldilocks woke up she had three bears breathing in her face. She was scared and she jumped out of the window to get back to her house.

There are many versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and teachers can use different versions to teach students that there is more than one way to tell a story. Teachers could get students to write stories that have the same events in them but change them slightly to make them their own. This will help students imaginations and creative writing skills.

Young John Quincy by Cheryl Harness

This story is about young John Quincy Adams. His father John Adams is in Philadelphia fighting for independence from the King of Brittan. While young John's father is away, the eight year old has to become the man of the house and help his family. His father comes home for a visit and tells the family stories about George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin. Soon young John Quincy's father has to go back to Philadelphia to finish what he and the other men started. While John Adams was gone, his wife knitted uniforms for the army to wear in the upcoming war. The war started March 4th, 1776 and on the morning of March 17th the British ships sailed from the Boston Harbor. After the war, people finally received INDEPENDENCE!

This book is full of facts that children will learn in social studies or U.S. History. I would use this book to teach students about America and the American Revolution. This book could also be used as a reference for students in elementary school who may have to write a paper on the American Revolution. This nonfiction autobiography will engage young students because of the vivid pictures. It will also engage older students because it is packed full of useful information.

The Clouds Above by Jordan Crane

Simon is always tardy for class. His teacher, Miss Poe, told him if he was ever tardy again she would "bludgeon" Simon with a phonebook. One day Simon and his cat Jack were walking to school and they were going to be late again. A student tattles to Miss Poe that Simon is late and Simon and Jack run to the school roof in order to avoid Miss Poe. On the roof, they find a door and stairs that lead to the sky. They climb all the way to the top until they reach the sky. It starts to rain in the sky and Simon and Jack find a cloud that is crying. The cloud was sad because it cold not fly. Simon and Jack tell the cloud that it could fly by propelling itself around and around. The cloud tried it and it works! This is the beginning of their big adventure.

This graphic novel is written in comic book form and it shows children that all of their writing does not have to be in paragraphs. In the book, the author tells a complete story with bold pictures and word clouds. I was very fascinated with this book and I could use this in my classroom to teach children how to write comic strips.

Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

Sarah Plain and Tall is a story about a family in search of a mother. Caleb and Anna miss their mother. She died the day after giving birth to Caleb. One day, their father decides to put an advertisement in the paper for a wife. Sarah responds with a letter. The family writes letter back and forth to Sarah until she decides to come meet and get to know the family for a month. Anna and Caleb are excited to meet Sarah. Sarah comes to the family wearing a yellow bonnet and when they see her she is plain and tall just like she said she would be. Caleb and Anna think that Sarah wants to leave when she asks their father to teach her to ride a horse and drive a buggy. Sarah does not leave. She comes back from town and brings paints for the children to use that represent the colors of the sea in Maine. She stays for good and will be marrying Pa soon. Anna and Caleb will finally get the mother they always dreamed of.

This chapter book is full of adventure and children would love to read it. Teachers could use this book to open the dialogue about single parent families or step parents. Even though some students may be in different situations, there are many ideas that could be discussed about families.

The Watsons Go To Birmingham 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

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This novel tells a story of a African American family that lives in Flint, Michigan. The family consists of two sons, Byron & Kenny, one girl, Joetta, and a mother and father. The family goes through struggles with their oldest son Byron and threaten him numerous times to send him to Birmingham to stay with his grandmother. Byron does not believe that his parents would send him away and he kept acting out. Finally, his parents had enough and they pack up the family in the "Brown Bomber" and drove for 3 days until they reached Birmingham, Alabama. While they are visiting, the family encounters a tragedy that occurs at a church in Birmingham. Someone bombed the church and for little girls died. The family comes together when they all need each other the most.

Teachers can use ANIMOTO videos in their classroom to give their students an opportunity to create their own videos. It is very simple to make. The student needs to have pictures in order to create the video and ANIMOTO provides music that students can choose from to make the video even more special.

The Race of Toad and Deer by Pat Mora and Domi

This multicultural book is about Venado the deer and Sapo the toad. Venado loves to brag because he is the biggest deer in the jungle. He challenges toad to a race and is confident that he will win. What he does not know is that Sapo has a clever plan. He tells the other toads to cal out "Adelante Tio Venado" while deer was racing so that he would think that toad was ahead of him. Venado ran so fast and hard, he became extremely tired and toad won the race.

This story is the Spanish version of Tortoise and the Hare. The story has Spanish words that are easy to figure out because of the context. The students will know that venado means deer and sapo means toad. The book has lots of colorful pictures that make the story come alive.

Mother Teresa by Demi

Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910. Her father died when she was 9 years old. She wanted to become a missionary and in 1928, she left her family and traveled to Rathfarnham Ireland. She chose the name Sister Mary Teresa. She opened many schools and places for people with diseases. In 1953, she and her sisters moved to a new home and everyone called her "Mother Teresa" because she acted as the mother of the house. On September 5th, 1997 Mother Teresa dies but she leaves a legacy of all of the people that she helped in opening hospitals and schools for people who were less fortunate.

Teachers can use this book to teach students about Mother Teresa and all of the activities that she did to help people. Students may be interested in her life and may have to write an autobiography about Mother Teresa. This would be a great book for students to use as a reference for an autobiography.

Water Worlds: Coral Reefs by Cheryl Hook

This nonfiction book gives students the opportunity to learn about the coral reef. The book gives definitions of words such as continental shelf, tropics, and zooxanthellae. This shows that the content of this book is advanced a a upper elementary student would benefit from it. The pictures are intriguing as well as informing. It gives details on how the coral reefs are built and found. It also has a glossary in the back of the book to help the students understand the words that the author uses.

Teachers can allow students to draw pictures of the coral reef or make a video of the components of the coral reef in order to assess their understanding. The students can show pictures of the words like continental shelf and zooxanthellae.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Teachers can use ANIMOTO videos in their classroom to give their students an opportunity to create their own videos. It is very simple to make. The student needs to have pictures in order to create the video and ANIMOTO provides music that students can choose from to make the video even more special.

Freckle Juice by Judy Blume

Andrew Marcus wanted freckles. Nicky, a boy in Andrew's class had freckles and Andrew envied him. One day, Andrew asked Nicky how he got freckles. Nicky told him that he was born with them! On the way home from school, Sharon told Andrew how he could get freckles just like Nicky. She had a secret recipe that she could sell Andrew so that he can get freckles.

Sharon charges $.50 for the formula. Because this story happened in the 1970s, $.50 was a lot of money for Andrew to give Sharon. It was 5 weeks of allowance! After tossing and turning all night, Andrew finally decided to buy the freckle juice recipe. When he received the recipe he ran all the way home to make it. after he drank the disgusting juice, he became sick and had to stay from school the next day.

This book tells students how wanting what others have is not good and being an individual is more important. This book show diversity among students as well as differences in the human body. Teachers could get students to write stories about how they received a scar that they have.

The Time Machine and Other Cases By Semour Simon

Einstein Anderson is a very smart boy. He uses science to solve lots of riddles and problems that his friends have. In this chapter book, Einstein solves cases such as "Mysterious Tracks, Disappearing Ice Cream, and the Lightweight Rocket". Since Einstein is so smart his friends always try to trick him. His friend Margaret tries to fool Einstein with mysterious animal tracks in the woods but Einstein knew that she was not telling the truth. He used science to figure out that she made up an animal and the tracks too!

Teachers could use this book to teach students that science is everywhere. If Einstein did not understand science , he could not solve all of the mysteries in the book. This book also gives the reader a chance to solve the mystery before Einstein does so it engages the reader in the text.

The Wump World by Bill Peet

Wump World is a small world that is only grasslands and rivers. Wumps live there and it is perfect for them. They had no worries and no enemies. Suddenly, from outer space came a huge steel monster. The monster puffed fire and spit smoke. Metal legs came from the sides of the monster and strange busy creatures came out of it. The creatures were called the Pollutians and they were from planet Pollutus. The wumps were frightened and dived into a cave. The Pollutians knocked down trees and built 100 story sky scrapers. The wump world was now busy and loud. The air began to get polluted and the wumps had to eat moss from rocks and mushrooms to survive. Soon, no one could breathe the air or drink the water. The Pollutians packed upp and left wump world within 24 hours. Finally, the wumps came out of the cave and find that their world had been changed. There still is a section of the world that is green and the wumps munched on the grass. There is still hope for the wumps.

Teachers can use this book to talk with their students about pollution and how to keep the air clean. The class could also talk about recycling and how to save the world that we live in.