Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday 4.02.14

NF PB 2014

We know that a big part of the CCSS is to include more informational texts into our students' reading.  I quickly discovered I had a "gap" in my reading diet - the genre of informational texts!  To help me fill the gap this year, I am going to participate in Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesdays!  This is a great link-up hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy.  Please visit this website to see other educator's link-ups.  My goal is to read at least one informational text each week and post information on the blog.  The more books and subjects I read, the more I can encourage (my #OLW for 2014) other teachers to use in their classroom! 


It's April, and time for baseball to begin!  Although here in Chicago, they have been fighting with snow removal and frozen ground, it's just a matter of time before we start to see real baseball weather temperatures.  And if baseball is starting, that means summer is coming!  

I have come across a couple of fantastic baseball stories this year.  Take some time and use these fantastic mentor texts to teach great lessons and learn a little bit more about our nation's past time!


Baseball Is . . .
Baseball Is... by Louise Borden
This book is absolutely amazing.  I think it's a great mentor text for reading and writing.
Mentor Text for Reading - take a look at the vocabulary.  What words need further explanation, what is known?  How can you figure out unknown words?  Think of the craft of the author, how did she put the words together and use them to create meaning?

Mentor Text for Writing - look at the sheer amount of vocabulary used about baseball in this text.  Think of another event or idea.  What vocabulary words can you think of about that idea?  Write a story using them.

My Goodreads summary:  I cannot say enough about this fabulous text. You can enjoy it on so many levels. Read it for enjoyment, especially if you are a baseball fan. Take close note of the illustrations. As a Chicagoan, loved seeing Wrigley Field depicted. As a Sox fan, loved seeing Miller Park (note, bigger illustration than Wrigley, haha). Read it for the history, as Borden includes just a touch of information about the all the different leagues - Negro and Women's - information about how past presidents have impacted baseball, and she quickly nods to Roberto Clemente, Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson. Read it to learn more about the game of baseball. Use it for a mentor text for vocabulary. It's an amazing book.

The Streak: How Joe Dimaggio Became America's Hero
The Streak by Barb Rosenstock
My Goodreads summary:  Great story for young readers that specifically tells a broad overview of Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak. 
The author includes great source notes at the end of the book - could be a mentor text to model how author's show how/where they get their information about a topic.

Something to Prove: The Great Satchel Paige Vs. Rookie Joe Dimaggio (Carolrhoda Picture Books)
Something to Prove by 
I used this book during Black History Month, but I think it can certainly be pulled out again!  This is a great mentor text to use to show a "day in the life" narrative story.

3 comments:

  1. Baseball Is...is the book to talk about today! I, along with Tammy and Clare, featured it, too. :-)

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  2. Yay for baseball. I love that even more so than football or basketball - baseball has a ton of picture books. :-)

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  3. I'll have to check out Baseball Is... I don't like sports so this might be a great way to learn about it.

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