2nd Grade - Mrs. Mullen
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The Egg Thief

4/2/2016

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The Egg Thief
By: Alane Adams

 
I LOVE…LOVE…LOVE…this book. Alane Adams has a way with words that makes the story truly come to life while Lauren Gallegos’ illustrations draw you in deep to the story.
 
This is the second book about young Georgie. The story is set in Pennsylvania during 1920’s. Georgie is sent to gather the eggs but soon discovers all the eggs are gone. Initially he thought it was a wolf that was hiding in the corner of the henhouse but he realizes the wolf is a stray dog. Not wanting his mother to send the dog to the pound, Georgie and Buster (The name Georgie has given the dog.) are on a mission to find eggs. Although I tend to think Georgie learned a lesson in The Coal Thief because he was not about to steal eggs from Mrs. Kolbach’s henhouse as Buster was suggesting. In a fun twist of events Georgie does get eggs while continuing to demonstrate his strong moral character.
 
This is a book every elementary teacher and parent should own! It can be used in reading, writing, word work and PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) activities. Using this book in various content areas makes it a complete mentor text.
 
  • The ingenuous connections between The Coal Thief and The Egg Thief (words and illustrations) make them a perfect combination for comparing and contrasting two stories.
  • Using words and phrases to create visual images (i.e. His head hit the table with a thunk; dragged himself out the door; boots squelched in the mud; took off in a dead run; swollen from rain; tugging; etc.).
  • Reading different types of dialogue (said, continuation, no said) and various said words.
  • Teaching contractions in context of a story (I’m, what’d, can’t, what’s, she’ll, don’t, how’d, etc.).
  • Lesson/moral/theme
 
Finally the illustrations are astounding. The details in every illustration had my second grade students and I memorized. We have read the story multiple times for different reasons, but we also enjoyed just reading the pictures under a document camera. The students spent time just soaking in the illustrations and how they contributed to the overall mood of the story. This isn’t a book to add to your wish list…it is a book to own! 5 stars

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Forest Secrets

3/24/2016

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Forest Secrets
By: Laurie Woodward

Do you ever get that feeling that you are being watched while walking through the forest? Eleven-year-old Daisy does and she is…by a young forest girl (Calliandra). Daisy has just moved to Sylvan Fork with her mother after her father left the family for a more adventurous life. While exploring a nearby forest she encounters a forest girl who has been separated from her parents (Mama Maple and Daddy Dogwood) because of a logging company moving through the forest. Daisy, along with her friend Albert, are determined to reunite Calliandra with her parents. Along the way they discover additional secrets and must face their fears to save the forest and their newfound friends.
 
I love that the characters in this book are the same ages as readers. It is often hard to find quality books that are appropriate for readers in intermediate grades. The characters are well developed and through their actions students can determine character traits and roles. Finally I appreciate the modern social issues the characters need to work through (bullies, divorce, death of a parent, deforesting, etc.) without being over the top.
 
Forest Secrets is perfect for students to read independently in grades 4-8. Teachers could easily use this book as an interactive read aloud to encourage predicting and inferring. There are endless opportunities for students to expand their thinking, opinions and beliefs during book club discussions. Readers that enjoy a combination of realistic fiction and a bit of fantasy will love this book. 5 stars

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The Coal Thief

2/18/2016

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The Coal Thief
By: Alane Adams

 
The Coal Thief is perfect and polished in so many ways and for so many reasons.  You will be moved before you even open the cover. The young boy with his big brown eyes and arms full of coal will capture the hearts of young and old. Every illustration brings a part of history to life with the abundance of details. My second-grade students notice something new every time they read it.
 
The Coal Thief is an ideal cross-curricular, multiple grade-level mentor text.
 
  • Language development through the rich vocabulary (trotted, scowled, trundled, sagging, shivered, etc.) and descriptive phrases (black gold, swallowed him up, craned his neck, turned tail and run, feeling the shame curl his toes, his heart felt so warm, etc.).
  • Reading with character voices by using the dialogue between Harley and Georgie, and Papa and Georgie.
  • Inferring character feelings.
  • Crafting a lead by describing the setting.
  • Predicting
  • Lesson/Moral
  • Character traits – Georgie and Papa are such well-defined characters.
  • A history lesson by looking into what life was like in the 1920s when times where tough.
 
Not only is this book wonderful for teaching children about staying true to their values, but also the story shows how Georgie (the boy with the big brown eyes) has parents that guide, model and love unconditionally. A reminder all parents can draw from. Alane Adams and Lauren Gallegos have created a monumental book that is a great addition to any school, classroom, or home library. 5+ stars!!!!!

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Fun Rhyming Book

1/17/2016

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I Want to Eat Your Books
By: Karin Lefranc and Tyler Parker

 
I read this book to my second grade class and asked the students what they really liked about the book and their hands shot up. Here are a few of their comments:
  • clever title
  • title page with the monster coming out of the cemetery
  • how the words sound like a song when read – the rhyming words
  • colorful and detailed illustrations
  • happy ending – how it ends in the moment
  • big words the zombie says…because they are fun to read as a class
  • that the zombie realizes that reading is really fun
This book is perfect for teaching rhyming words and thinking what would make sense. Simply cover up the second rhyming word and having students use context clues to figure out what would make sense. As a read aloud, I didn’t even get halfway through the book and the students were eager to join in reading aloud. This is one of those books where students are sitting in groups reading it together whenever they get a chance. 5 stars.

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Back to School Read Aloud

8/25/2015

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Ellie Goes Back to School
By: Elle and Marci Fair


Another amazing adventure of Ellie and Pudgy! The book begins with a heartfelt dedication to teachers written by eleven-year-old Elle Fair. As a primary teacher this book is a great read aloud for the beginning of the school year. However with the simple text second graders can easily read the book independently. Parents will enjoy reading this book with young children to help ease the uncertainty of what school will be like.  

An additional way educators can use Ellie Goes Back to School is to model their beginning of the year school tour based off of the book. While mimicking Ellie and Pudgy’s adventure in your own school, teachers can take pictures of their class participating in activities/tour and create a class book. What a fun book to display along side of Ellie Goes Back to School at parent/teacher conferences.

What I love about all the books written by Elle and Marci Fair is that my students read their books and tell me, “I can do that.  I can write like a ‘real’ author.” This mother/daughter duo is an inspiration to my young writers.  

Finally this book is about friendship. Having a true friend and making new friends so others do not feel left out. The idea of a Buddy Bench is introduced and is springboard for social skills discussions. This book has it all and is a must have for primary classrooms. 5 Stars!


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Perfect for Small Moment Writing

7/28/2015

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Luna Luna
By: Sam Ryan


Love…Love…Love this book! Luna Luna is my new mentor text for teaching small moment personal narrative writing. The message of never giving up is dominate throughout the book. Roshi is a little boy on a mission (with an unknown friend if the reader reads the illustrations also) to capture the moon. His perseverance and problem-solving has every reader cheering him on. The surprise ending is sure to leave you adoring Roshi even more.

When teaching reading this book can be used for:
·         Envisioning
·         Predicting
·         Character traits
·         Vocabulary development (beckoned, gurgled, trickling, plunged, etc.)

When teaching students how to develop and enhance small moment personal narrative stories use this book for:
·         Planning a small moment story with a beginning, middle and end
·         Adding voice without using dialogue
·         Producing an effect by using punctuation (… , --)
·         Repeated word usage for dramatic effect
·         Adjectives to help with envisioning (ie. twisted stump)
·         Word endings (-ly, -ed, -ing)
·        
Verb usage (see above)

Finally the page layout is a perfect example for students to follow when writing and creating their own stories. The water colored illustrations are wonderful for showcasing the moon and nighttime. This is definitely a book that every teacher of personal narrative writing should have in their classroom. 5 stars.

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Putter and the Red Car: A Cross-Country Family Adventure

7/28/2015

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Putter and the Red Car:  A Cross-Country Family Adventure
By: Kate K. Lund
 
A cross-country car ride with two children and a dog is definitely an adventure. This story is told in first person from the dog’s point of view. This book is easy to read (word choice and font choice). Location names may be a bit tricky for some of my students but it is an excellent opportunity for students to be exposed to places outside of their city and state. Although there is a map in the back, I think students using an atlas or map from the classroom provides additional learning experiences. Less experienced readers could use the map in the back to find the general area and then locate each destination on a classroom map. In addition Putter and the Red Car is a wonderful read aloud at the beginning of the school year to help young writers generate ideas from vacations they may have taken over the summer. I am anxious to share this book with my second grade students and add it to our classroom library. 4 stars

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    Mrs. Mullen

    Helping students find the “right” book is often the spark they need to begin the journey of being life-long readers and as a teacher that is always my ultimate goal. 

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