A teacher's guide to children's literature, with ideas for starting book discussions, student reading journals, and workshop activities.

Teach your students to love reading and books, with help from an expert Encouraging students to read is a daunting task when you have to compete with YouTube and video games. You know that if you could just get your kids excited about reading, they would discover a world of enchantment and a love that will last a lifetime. The Organized Teacher's Guide to Children's Literature will help you spark your students' passion for reading. The books selected by award-winning author and reading expert Kimberly Persiani promise to engage your students with a variety of themes and appealing topics. From character-building titles to multicultural selections and books that celebrate holidays, you are sure to find a book that will fit your lesson plans--and, at the same time, capture your students’ attention and imagination. Kimberly also shows you how her selections can be linked across your curriculum and satisfy Common Core Standards. Among hundreds of valuable ideas, The Organized Teacher's Guide to Children's Literature provides: Annotated lists of fiction and nonfiction picture and chapter books perfect for every level, from preschool to teen Lexile levels and grade levels for every book recommendation Academic curriculum tie-ins that meet the Common Core Standards and complement lesson plans in math, science, social studies, and other areas Strategies to increase reading comprehension, vocabulary development, theme interpretation, and more Suggested projects to enhance student understanding of a book, such as reports and group discussions Advice on how to set up and organize a library for efficiency and enjoyment Lists of literary awards from the year 2000 to the current day, including Caldecott, Newbery, Coretta Scott King, Pura Belpre, and Scott O'Dell awards Let The Organized Teacher's Guide to Children's Literature help you develop your students' wonder of reading. Your efforts will not only put them on a path to academic success but also will launch their journey of being lifelong readers.

Now in its third edition, this indispensable text offers a critical perspective on how to integrate children’s literature into the curriculum in effective, purposeful ways. Structured around three "mantras" that build on each other—Enjoy; Dig deeply; Take action—the book is rich with real examples of teachers implementing critical pedagogy and tools to support students’ development as enthusiastic readers and thinkers. The materials and practical strategies focus on issues that impact children’s lives, building from students’ personal experiences and cultural knowledge by using language to question the everyday world, analyze popular culture and media, understand how power relationships are socially constructed, and consider actions that can be taken to promote social justice. Each chapter features classroom vignettes showcasing the use of literature and inviting conversation; three key principles elaborating the main theme of the chapter and connecting theory with practice; and related research on the topics and their importance for curriculum. Thoroughly revised, the third edition includes new recommendations for teaching with a critical edge and exploring alternative approaches to standardized assessment. With more attention to culturally and linguistically diverse learners and addressing new topics such as censorship and controversial texts, the new edition is essential for courses on teaching children’s literature and English Language Arts methods, and for every preservice elementary and middle school English teacher. A companion website to enrich and extend the text includes an annotated bibliography of literature selections, suggested text sets, resources by chapter, ideas for professional development, and recommendations for further reading.

Inviting multiple ways of critically engaging with literature, this text offers a fresh perspective on how to integrate children's literature into and across the curriculum in effective, purposeful ways. Structured around three "mantras" that build on each other--Enjoy; Dig deeply; Take action--the book is rich with real examples of teachers implementing critical pedagogy. The materials and practical strategies focus on issues that impact children's lives, building from students' personal experiences and cultural knowledge to using language to question the everyday world, analyze popular culture and media, understand how power relationships are socially constructed, and consider actions that can be taken to promote social justice. Written for teachers and teacher educators, each chapter opens with three elements that are closely linked: classroom vignettes showcasing the use of literature and inviting conversation; three key principles elaborating the main theme of the chapter and connecting theory with practice; and related research on the topics and their importance for curriculum. Other chapter features include key issues in implementation, suggestions for working with linguistically and culturally diverse students, alternative approaches to assessment, and suggestions for further reading. A companion website to enrich and extend the text includes an annotated bibliography of literature selections, suggested text sets, resources by chapter, and ideas for professional development. Changes in the Second Edition: Voices from the Field vignettes include examples from inspiring educators who use trade books to promote critical thinking and diversity Updated chapters include information on new technology and electronic resources New references in the principles sections and new resources for further study New children's books added throughout the chapters as well as to the companion website

Drawing from 30 years of teaching and professional development experience, this book offers a roadmap for using children's literature to provide authentic learning. Featuring a storytellers voice, each chapter includes a case study about how a particular fiction or nonfiction work can be used in an early childhood classroom; a series of open-ended questions to help readers construct their own inquiry units; and a bibliography of childrens literature. This book provides a unique synthesis of ideas based on constructivist approaches to learning, including the importance of positive dispositions and learning communities, the nature of higher order thinking, and the relationship between methods such as guided inquiry in the sciences and balanced literacy.

Each of these volumes explores five popular genres and shows how they can be used to promote learning in the library and classroom. After introductory discussions of each genre, McElmeel recommends books, gives lists of related titles, and provides a variety of ideas for genre-related activities that complement classroom thematic units. Grades 4-

A vibrant and authoritative exploration of children’s literature in all its manifestations. It features expert essay contributions, a timeline, and a glossary of key names and terms.