Library Activities Discussed by Natalie Kendall at ISLMA
Take a BITE out of the Common Core
Recommended Purchasing List Grades 3-5
October 19, 2012
Link to “Common Core Standards Crosswalk to American Association of School Libraries Learning Standards”
http://www.ala.org/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/commoncorecrosswalk/english
Link to Recommended Purchasing List
http://cpslibraries.wikispaces.com/purchasinglists
***I suggest Readicide by Kelly Gallagher…
- Every Thing On It by Shel Silverstein
Show the class http://www.shelsilverstein.com/ Have students name any books they know by Shel Silverstein. Click on the list of books to help them out with more titles. He was born and raised in Chicago and went to Roosevelt High School. He taught himself to draw and write. He died in 1999. Explain that Every Thing On It was published posthumously and how they were able to publish it. For information about this you can search for the title Every Thing On It on www.amazon.com and find a short interesting interview with Silverstein’s long time editor Toni Markiet. Discuss whether or not you think Shel would have been happy about this new book and explain why. Finally, videotape or audiotape the students reading one of his poems together as a class.
Common Core Standards: CC.3.R.I.1, CC.4.R.I.7, CC.5.R.I.3
AASL Standards: 1.1.6, 2.1.1, 2.2.1
2. Mirror Mirror by Marilyn Singer and Josee Massee
Read aloud an example both backwards and forwards. As a group, use text quotes to explain the ways that the explicit and implicit meaning changes when the poem is read forward vs. backward. Videotape the class, small group or individual reading one poem both ways as a group. Play it back.
Common Core Standards: CC.3.SL.5, CC.4.R.L.9, CC.5.R.I.1
AASL Standards: 3.1.4, 4.1.3, 1.1.6
- Six Sheep Sip Thick Shakes and Other Tricky Tongue Twisters by Brian P. Cleary
Select examples from the text and read them aloud. Videotape (or audiotape) a student reading a tongue twister and play it back. Then, have the students videotape or audiotape one another reading tongue twisters and allow them to play them back.
Common Core Standards: CC.3.SL.5
AASL Standards: 1.2.3
4. Connor and Clara Build a Concrete Poem/Henry and Hala Build a Haiku from the Poetry Builders Series
Read the book aloud. Have the students change a poem about a concrete object into a concrete poem. Read the book aloud. Have the students use Microsoft Word to write a Haiku, format it and print it out.
Common Core Standards: CC.3.SL.2
AASL Standards: 1.1.6
- Run and Hike, Play and Bike: What is Physical Activity? by Brian P. Cleary and Martin Goneau
Read the book aloud. Have students write their weekday schedule, including at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Have the students include illustrations of the physical activities they do. Alternatively, have students practice using an electronic calendar to plan their physical activities for the upcoming week.
Common Core Standards: CC.3.W.10, CC.4.R.I.7, CC.5.SL.6
AASL Standards: 2.1.6, 1.1.6,
- How Did That Get in my Lunchbox? The Story of Food by Chris Butterworth and Lucia Gaggiotti
Read the book aloud. Have the students take notes by creating flow charts, diagrams or other graphic organizers showing the production, processing and transport of one or two items that they commonly eat for lunch.
Common Core Standards: CC.3.R.I.3, CC.4.R.I.3, CC.5.R.I.3
AASL Standards: 2.1.1, 1.1.7
- The Life of Rice: From Seedling to Supper by Richard Sobol
Use the photographs in the story to highlight key ideas from the text. Discuss the benefits of using photographs to document and explain where rice comes from. Have the students create their own step by step photographic Library orientation tool. Their job is to make a poster which will teach new students how and where to locate library resources, check them out and return them. If photos are not feasible, have them draw maps and illustrations to highlight the movement of library resources as they are located, checked out, used, returned and re-shelved. Other options include photographing the different genre sections and writing captions about the books that can be found there.
Common Core Standards: CC.3.R.I.3, CC.4.R.I.3, CC.5.W.6
AASL Standards: 2.1.1, 1.1.7, 1.1.8
- Poop Happened! A History of the World from the Bottom Up by Sarah Albee
For the reluctant researcher, photocopy the index and let the students chose an indexed page/topic and take turns reading the selections aloud to their classmates. Alternatively, photocopy 30 different sections (or 15 if they work in pairs) from the book. Each section will be about 1 page long. Have students work alone or in pairs to summarize their section. Have each pair present what they read, in page order, to the class by showing the historical location on the map and summarizing what they read. As they present, have the students enter their event on a shared timeline.
Common Core Standards: CC.3.W.7, CC.4.W.7, CC.5.W.8
AASL Standards: 1.1.1, 1.1.6
- The Komodo Dragon by Lisa Owings
To introduce databases…read aloud high interest key ideas from the book. Have students visit the simple factsurfer.com database as suggested in the text. This simple database is good for familiarizing students with the concept “database” prior to using more complicated ones. Have them enter search term komodo dragon. They will find 3 reliable websites with information about komodo dragons. Have the students record what they learned about the animal by creating a graphic organizer.
Common Core Standards: CC.3.W.8, CC.4.W.7, CC.5.W.8
AASL Standards: 1.1.4, 1.1.6, 2.1.2
10. National Geographic Kids: The Ultimate Dinopedia by Franco Tempesta and National Geographic Kids: 125 Amazing Animal Stories by Don Lessem
To introduce indexes…Photocopy the index of a high interest nonfiction book. Distribute 1 copy per 2 students for sharing. Have the students read the index. Have them take turns picking the topic. The student will read the indexed word, page number and state whether or not there will be an illustration as indicated by a page number in bold.
Common Core Standards: CC.3.W.8, CC.4.W.7, CC.5.W.8
AASL Standards: 1.1.4, 1.1.6, 2.1.2
- Migration from Africa by Kevin Cunningham
Read aloud key selections from the book. Have the students think about what they already know about how they and/or their family came to live here. Have them write their own personal immigration story down. Allow them time to ask their parents and bring more information next time. Important: If any students are resistant to thinking about their immigration story, suggest that they write down the fact that they do not like thinking about how their family came here. Have them explain the reasons why they do not like thinking about it.
Common Core Standards: CC.3.R.I.3, CC.4.W.2, CC.5.W.2
AASL Standards: 2.1.1
12. Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
Read aloud pg. 7, an explanation of the fact that some people do not like to talk about the past because it’s just too hard. Have the students continue to write their immigration stories. Those who are finished will re-write their stories on a paper that is about 5 ½ by 4¼ which is placed in landscape direction, not portrait. (This measurement is a fourth of a piece of copy paper folded hotdog and hamburger.) Half of the papers should be white. The other half should be red. The students may need fine point sharpies or light colored pencils/gel pens to write on the red. If a student has a long story, tape two pieces together at the short ends. Have the students sign their name and age at the end of their story. Use the completed work to assemble 13 red and white American flag stripes on a bulletin board or on a wall. You just create the blue section with the stars.
Common Core Standards: CC.3.R.I.3, CC.4.W.2, CC.5.W.2
AASL Standards: 2.1.1
- Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Read the story aloud. Have the students act out the historical events. Have them divide up the “script” by having small groups take copies of different pages. Videotape the skits in the correct order so that you can piece together the entire book in video form.
Common Core Standards: CC.3.R.L.2, CC.4.R.I.3, CC.5.SL.5
AASL Standards: 3.1.3, 4.1.3
Fiction Themes
14. Zapato Power: Freddie Ramos Zooms to the Recue by Jaqueline Jules
Citizenship, Volunteerism, Bilingualism, Multiculturalism, and Superheroes!
- Boys without Names by Kashmira Sheth
Migration, Poverty, Geography, Child Labor, Hope and Individuality
16. What Color is My World by Kareem Abdul Jabbar
African American History, Inventors
17. How to Talk to an Autistic Kid by Daniel Stefanski
Disabilities, Autism and Kindness
18. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Birth Defects, Diversity, Bullying and Being Different/Conspicuous
19. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Disabilities, Deafness, Death, and Starting Over
20. Stand Straight Ella Kate by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise
Disabilities, Diversity, Bullying and Being Different/Conspicuous
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