Literature unit cincluding curriculum connections, vocabulary, unit tests, cooperative learning, and critical thinking.

The game under the tree looked like a hundred others Peters and Judy had at home. But they were bored and restless and, looking for something interesting to do, thought they'd give Jumanji a try. Little did they know when they unfolded its ordinary-looking playing board that they were about to be plunged into the most exciting and bizare adventure of their lives. In his second book for children, Chris Van Allsburg again explores the ever-shifting line between fantasy and reality with this story about a game that comes startingly to life. His marvelous drawings beautifully convey a mix of the everyday and the extraordinary, as a quiet house is taken over by an exotic jungle.

Describes suggested activities to be used in the classroom to accompany the reading of Jumanji.

The enigmatic origins of the stranger that Farmer Bailey hits with his truck and brings home to recuperate seem to have a mysterious relation to the weather. Could he be Jack Frost? "The author-illustrator has woven a thread of fantasy in and around his realistic illustrations to give the reader, once again, a story that stays in the imagination." -- Horn Book

Teaching literature unit based on the popular children's story, The polar express.

Teaching literature unit based on the popular children's story, The great kapok tree.

Includes the following features: sample lesson plans, pre-reading activities, biographical sketch and picture of the author, book summary, vocabulary lists and vocabulary activity ideas, quizzes, hands-on projects, cooperative learning activities, cross-curricular activities, post-reading activities, book report ideas, and research ideas.