One of my favorite read alouds to share this time of the year is Gustavo The Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago. Gustavo The Shy Ghost is a story about a shy ghost who's just too shy to make any friends, but he really wants to try. It's such a well written and beautifully illustrated story and a perfect read aloud for any time of the year, but especially timely for Día de los Muertos. I love this book for all sorts of reasons and it's such a great choice for a class read aloud. There are so many different topics and skills that can be addressed before/during/after reading. While there are many different SEL lessons you can pull … [Read more...] about Gustavo The Shy Ghost
Comprehension
The Koala Who Could – A Virtual ELA Lesson
This week's lesson is all about making inferences and I'm reading aloud the story, The Koala Who Could by Rachel Bright to practice our inferring skills. You can watch the full video lesson HERE: I'm using this printable to talk more about inferences and what readers do when they infer as they're reading text. To illustrate the concept of making inferences prior to reading the text, I created an "Inferencegram" printable to tell a story. Basically I explain that my mom has given me the task of buying a gift for her friend, but I know NOTHING about her and have no idea what kind of gift she might like. So, I need to INFER what … [Read more...] about The Koala Who Could – A Virtual ELA Lesson
Charlotte and the Rock – A Virtual ELA Lesson
This week's lesson is all about a little girl named Charlotte and her pet rock. Charlotte and the Rock is a PRECIOUS story...from the storyline to the illustrations and everything in between, this is one of my most favorites. I'm using Charlotte and the Rock to reinforce the concept of making predictions. You can watch the full video lesson HERE: I'll use this printable as a reference for what it means to make a prediction. This printable would be great for your kids to have on hand as you're reading the story. While it can absolutely be used with any book you're reading, we'll use this to make a prediction about Dennis. … [Read more...] about Charlotte and the Rock – A Virtual ELA Lesson
Rot The Cutest in the World – A Virtual ELA Lesson
I love picture books with personality and Rot The Cutest in the World is full of just that! Rot is a story of a mutant potato who isn't short on confidence UNTIL he starts thinking he should be just like everyone else. The story is illustrated so incredibly well and the lesson/theme is perfect for kids of all ages. Rot is great to use as a mentor text for several different concepts & skills (theme, character traits, making predictions, etc.), but for today's ELA lesson we're focusing on Fact & Opinion (with a heavy emphasis on the opinion piece.). Feel free to check out this video to see this lesson from start to … [Read more...] about Rot The Cutest in the World – A Virtual ELA Lesson
Llama Destroys the World – A Virtual ELA Lesson
If you haven't read Llama Destroys the World yet, let me introduce you! This is one of my FAVORITE picture books. The illustrations, the story...it's whimsical and hilarious...and there are so many different activities you can do with your kids after reading this book. I love to incorporate several different comprehension skills when reading this story. To start, this is a great book for reinforcing the concept of cause and effect. I'll start with a "hook". If you watch the video, you can see how I set the stage for introducing this skill with an egg. After the hook, I'll explain the concept of cause and effect using this … [Read more...] about Llama Destroys the World – A Virtual ELA Lesson
25 Reading Activities for Home and School
Encouraging reading at home is a foundational step to instill within your child a lifelong love of reading. Providing our kids opportunities for reading in any form (whether it be a book, comics, graphic novels, newspapers magazines, recipes, etc.) is critical for establishing a solid foundation. Reading for the simple pleasure of enjoyment is so important, but if you’re looking for a few ways to extend a reading experience with your child, or students, these ideas might help. Challenge Accepted!Designate a specific number of books to read within a given time frame. This can be done individually, as a family, etc. Keep a running list … [Read more...] about 25 Reading Activities for Home and School
