"Green Eggs and Ham"

Authors: Dr. Seuss

Summary: Would you like them here or there? Would you like them in a box with a fox? Where would you like your Green Eggs and Ham? Dr. Seuss takes a poetic route when writing about a stubborn man not wanting to try Green Eggs and Ham! Until finally, after being pestered, he actually enjoyed it! 

Theme: You do not know if you do not try!

Initiation Questions and Activity:

Questions: What is a food you have never tried? Would you ever want to try it? 

Activity: Make actual Green Eggs and Ham while reading the book to the students!

 

Culminating and Extending Questions and Activity:

Questions: Where was your favorite place Sam offered to give him his Eggs and Ham? Where would you like eat your Green Eggs and Ham?
Activity: Do a rhyming activity where students would be thrown a blow up beach ball with words that can rhyme! 

"If You Give A Mouse A Cookie"

Authors: Laura Numeroff

Summary: "When a generous boy shares a cookie with a hungry mouse, it is the beginning of a chain of events that keeps the boy busy all day long, and might keep him busy for days to come. If you give a mouse a cookie, after all, he's bound to ask for a glass of milk, for which he'll certainly need a straw, not to mention a napkin, and a mirror to check for a milk mustache, which will only lead to him noticing that he needs a haircut!"

Theme: Be careful when be generous!

Initiation Questions and Activity:

Questions: What do you think happens in this book? What do you think the main idea of the story is?

Activity: Discuss with the class about prediction.

Culminating and Extending Questions and Activity:

Questions: What was your favorite part about the story? If you were a mouse, what would you ask the little boy?
Activity: Continue on the story! Write and illustrate a mini continuation of the story! What would you ask, and so on!

"Officer Buckle & Gloria"

Authors:  Peggy Rathmann

Summary: A police officer named Officer Buckle is assigned to take a police dog named Gloria to his safety speech at the local school. Until that time, whenever Officer Buckle tried to tell schools about safety, everyone fell asleep! Then, unbeknownst to Officer Buckle (literally, behind his back), Gloria does tricks imitating the safety tip demonstrating safety rules, and Gloria is a big success!

Theme: Safety first!

Initiation Questions and Activity:

Questions: What is safety? What do police officers do? What do you think this story is about?

Activity: Have a police officer off duty come in and explain to the class about what his duty is, and talk about how they have their own K-9 unit!

Culminating and Extending Questions and Activity:

Questions: What was your favorite part of the story? Why do you think safety is important? What other ways you can be safe?
Activity: Illustrate a scene from the story by using Gloria and teaching your own safety lesson!

"Madeline"

Authors: Ludwig Bemelmans

Summary: "Madeline lives at an all girl's school and is not afraid of anything.  One night Miss Clavel  fears something is not right.  Poor little Madeline has a pain in her stomach and must go to hospital, where she has her appendix out.  The other girls come to visit her and see that she is feeling better with many presents surrounding her.  That night Miss Clavel is awakened feeling that something else is not right.  She hurries upstairs to find all the other little girls crying that they want their appendix out too."

Theme: Friendship

Initiation Questions and Activity:

Questions: Who is Madeline? Where do you think the story is taken place based on the cover? Have you had a close friend who has helped you?

Activity: As a class, we will discuss about the word friendship and what is means to the class!

 

Culminating and Extending Questions and Activity:

Questions: What was your favorite part of the story? Why do you think the girls faked a  stomach ache? Would you want to me Madeline's friend? 
Activity: Write about a time your friend helped you and was there for you!

"Jumanji"

Authors: Chris Van Allsburg

Summary: "When the children play the game, each adventure on the board brings the real creatures and events to life and into their home, creating danger and chaos. It isn't until Judy reaches Jumanji, the golden city at the end of the board, and yells the name that everything disappears, broken things are made whole and all is normal. The children put the game back where they found it, telling no one, only to watch children of friends of their parents who are known for not reading directions, take the game."

Theme: Be careful what you open! 

Initiation Questions and Activity:

Questions: What do you think this story is about? What is Jumanji? Where do you think this story takes place?

Activity: Make a prediction chart of all the ideas the students believe what the story is about!

 

Culminating and Extending Questions and Activity:

Questions: What was your favorite part of the story? Why do you think they wanted to finish the game? What would have you done?

Activity: Create a scene from the game! What would it involve? Would it be a good or bad spot to land on?

"The Polar Express"

Authors: Chris Van Allsburg

Summary: "A young boy on Christmas Eve who boards on a powerful magical train that's headed to the North Pole and Santa Claus's home. What unfolds is an an adventure which follows a doubting boy, who takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole; during this ride, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery which shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe."

Theme: Seeing is believing!

Initiation Questions and Activity:

Questions: What do you think the Polar Express is? Have you ever been on a train? What is your favorite part about Christmas?

Activity: Line the desks up as if the students were on a train! While reading the book use different  sound effects therefore students who have never been on a train will get the full effect!

Culminating and Extending Questions and Activity:

Questions: What was your favorite part of the story? Do you believe in the saying "seeing is believing"? What do you think the bell represented?

Activity: Create your own Christmas story that gives a good idea of what "seeing is believing" really means! Also, you can play the movie as well while they are writing!

"The Snowy Day"

Authors: Ezra Jack Keats

Summary: A little boy is adventurous and curious about the first snowfall of the season. His curiosity leads him on wandering thoughts about snow! I absolutely love to read this story on a snow day!

Theme: Less is more!

Initiation Questions and Activity:

Questions: What do you know about snow? What do you wear when you go out in the snow? What season has snow?

Activity: Color your snowsuit on a worksheet and write about your favorite time you played in the snow! 

 

Culminating and Extending Questions and Activity:

Questions: What was your favorite part about the story? Do you remember your first snow day? What is your favorite part about winter?

 Activity: Create a short story and illustration about your dream snow day!