For those of you just joining us, this is Part III of an unofficial and unprecedented look at free online resources from children's publishers. I recommend you also check out Part I and Part II for some terrific links. A disclaimer: This is not meant in any way to be a list of the "Best Children's Publishers." Frankly, some exceptional presses are not mentioned in any of these three posts. Instead, this is a summary of those publishers offering teachers, parents, and students a little extra: teaching guides, reading group guides, printables, downloads, games, audio, video, or related links.
Psychology Today recently published an article titled The Value of a Picture Book: 5 Life-Lessons Your Child Gets From Stories. I first saw mention of this article at Kid Tested, Librarian Approved, another great blog for those of you who want to keep up with current titles and trends in picture books. See? I can play nice sometimes...
Psychology Today writer Pam Allyn discusses how picture books can model universal themes such as empathy (Mama, I'll Give You the World by Roni Schotter), patience(Catching the Moon by Myla Goldberg), importance of imagination(Dream Carver by Diana Cohn), curiosity (Becoming Butterflies by Anne Rockwell) and community (Amber on the Mountain by Tony Johnston).
Psychology Today writer Pam Allyn discusses how picture books can model universal themes such as empathy (Mama, I'll Give You the World by Roni Schotter), patience(Catching the Moon by Myla Goldberg), importance of imagination(Dream Carver by Diana Cohn), curiosity (Becoming Butterflies by Anne Rockwell) and community (Amber on the Mountain by Tony Johnston).
Fatty Legs tells the true story of one girl's triumph in the face of oppression and alienation in a foreign environment.
Although the tales eight year-old Olemaun (OO-lee-mawn) hears of the outsiders' school are ominous, she wants nothing more than to learn how to read. When she's finally granted permission to leave her Inuvialuit people and attend the Anglican school, nothing can prepare her for the institution's intentional humiliations, nor the ridicule of her fellow students.
Although the tales eight year-old Olemaun (OO-lee-mawn) hears of the outsiders' school are ominous, she wants nothing more than to learn how to read. When she's finally granted permission to leave her Inuvialuit people and attend the Anglican school, nothing can prepare her for the institution's intentional humiliations, nor the ridicule of her fellow students.
When most of us hear the word economics, we think of either our present precarious financial circumstances, or of world financial issues far beyond our own understanding, let alone the understanding of our students. But the fact is, a number of variables from economics (supply, demand, surplus, and profit) are important components of simple financial literacy which our students, comprising one of the largest consumer groups in the world, need to understand in order to function and succeed in society. If they can avoid even half of the mistakes adults have made, we'll be much better off!
It seems that in elementary school we focus a majority of our time and efforts on fiction. Is it any wonder, then, that the same students who excel at reading, discussing, and writing about characters, plots, and themes struggle with social studies, science, and math texts?
I think a great way to hook students on nonfiction is to offer them well written, well illustrated picture books that compliment their self-selected reading (often chapter books) and at the same time their content areas of study.
In my workshops, teachers often express the desire to use picture books in their classroom, but wonder how to do it most effectively. The answer to that question depends entirely upon what we want to accomplish. Below I've provided a few thoughts on this topic, as well as some recommendations.
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge
by Mem Fox focuses on wonderful universal themes such as Change, Connections, Discovery, Generations, Identity, Loss, Memory, and Relationships. Find out how to use the wonderful book in your classroom.
by Mem Fox focuses on wonderful universal themes such as Change, Connections, Discovery, Generations, Identity, Loss, Memory, and Relationships. Find out how to use the wonderful book in your classroom.
While few of our students will go on to become best-selling authors, most as adults will use their writing to convince others: to buy, to act, to vote, to choose, to agree. That's why it's so important that we as teachers help our students to develop effective persuasive writing skills.
One popular conversation in education centers around "What is worth knowing?" To that conversation I'd like to add the question, "Who is worth knowing?"
When I ask students to name someone famous and the first reply I hear is "Kim Kardashian," I die just a little bit inside. Students don't seem to have an understanding of, or appreciation for, the lives of great men and women who changed the course of history.
But biography picture books can help to remedy that.
When I ask students to name someone famous and the first reply I hear is "Kim Kardashian," I die just a little bit inside. Students don't seem to have an understanding of, or appreciation for, the lives of great men and women who changed the course of history.
But biography picture books can help to remedy that.
The story of Cinderella is actually an ancient tale, and arguably the best known fairy tale. Although the most familiar retelling is Charles Perrault's Cendrillon, published in France in 1697, modern day readers more likely picture the blonde-haired, blue eyed Cinderella of Disney fame.
But according to the Author's Note inSmoky Mountain Rose: An Appalachian Cinderella, the tale can be traced all the way back to China, circa 850 AD (see Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China). Scholars, in fact, have gathered over 500 versions of the tale.
So what is it about this tale that has proven timeless? Why does it continue to capture the imagination of children generation after generation? And more importantly, what surprises are contained in these other variations on the Cinderella tale, collected from all over the world?
So what is it about this tale that has proven timeless? Why does it continue to capture the imagination of children generation after generation? And more importantly, what surprises are contained in these other variations on the Cinderella tale, collected from all over the world?