Spotlight Friday - a Thanksgiving Roundup

Time to get ready for the weekend!

Kick up your feet and find a good place to read.

Sharing #booklove for your classroom or library.

Spotlighting a book or two because these books deserve the spotlight!

Can you believe it's days before Thanksgiving?  I can tell just by the excitement in the air at school.  The kids know the holidays are coming and smiles are on their faces.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  Food, family, fun and traditions.

I have found that even though attention may be hard to hold over the next few days, weeks... books are a great way to get them to pay attention.  Kids love story time, even when it's hard to pay attention to other activities.  Try some of these the next few days!

Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story

written by Pat Zietlow Miller

illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Published by Schwartz & Wade Books

Ideas:

• This book is rich with tradition.  Talk, share, discuss and write about traditions.  It doesn't have to center around Thanksgiving, what other traditions does your family celebrate?
• Compare this book to Emily Jenkins' A Fine Dessert.  What tools are similar in both texts?
• Look at Pat Zietlow Miller's writing.  How does the rhyming work for this type of story? Can you use this style in a writing piece about traditions?

Over the River and Through the Wood

written by Linda Ashman

illustrated by Kim Smith

Published by Sterling Children's Books

Ideas:

• I love how the family all comes together in this book.  Just like the other book also has family, but talks about traditions, use this book to talk about how friends and families come together during holidays.  What do their families do during the holidays?
• Love the different forms of transportation in this book!  How do the forms of transportation match the region they are in?
• Another rhyming story!  How is this one same/different from Miller's book?  Authors must make writing decisions - what style is best for their story?  Why do you think Linda Ashman and Pat Zietlow Miller made the decision to use rhymes?

Time for Cranberries

written by Lisl H. Detlefsen

illustrated by Jed Henry

Published by Roaring Book Press

Ideas:

• Perfect narrative story to show "how to" writing!

Judy Moody and Stink and the Wishbone Wish

written by Megan McDonald

illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

Published by Candlewick Press

Ideas:

• Judy and Stink engage in some friendly sibling competition.  They don't always think the other is going to do what they set out to accomplish?  Would you do the same thing as Stink?  How do they support each other?  
• Judy Moody dresses up as someone unexpected.  How is it a very appropriate choice for Judy's character?  What did you learn about this not-as-famous American?

What Was the First Thanksgiving?

by Joan Holub

illustrated by Lauren Mortimer

published by Grosset and Dunlap

Ideas:

• Use all of this informational text or just pieces of it.  I love how Scholastic's new series has a better voice in their informative writing.  Point out sentences and text that add voice - how did it make factual information more interesting?