This manual of ideas zeroes in on current picture book titles. It features reproducible worksheets, writing activities, related reading-based activities, and technology for grades three through five. The ideas have been tested in the authors' libraries and are linked to national curricular standards. Designed for school librarians, the book is also a valuable resource for the classroom teacher and the reading specialist. Librarians will find the ideas and plans valuable as they collaborate with teachers to teach content area standards. This manual of ideas zeroes in on current picture book titles. It features reproducible worksheets, writing activities, related reading based activities, and technology for grades three through five. The ideas have been tested in the authors' libraries and are linked to national curricular standards. Though school librarians are targeted as the main audience for this book, it also is a valuable resource for the classroom teacher and reading specialist. Librarians will find the ideas and plans valuable as they collaborate with teachers to teach content area standards. The most similar resource to this book of lesson plans is the authors' first book, Linking Picture Books to Standards. This new book has the same format, but focuses on upper- level picture books and activities. It provides the librarian, classroom teacher, or reading specialist with worksheets that are ready to copy and patterns that are easy to follow. There are few resources of a similar genre on the market today—this book should help bridge the gap and provide much needed materials. Grades 3-5.

Standards-based learning just got a lot easier This new version of The Common Core Companion provides an index for all states implementing state-specific ELA standards. This index allows you to see in an instant which of your standards are the same as CCSS, which differ and how—and which page number to turn to for standards-based teaching ideas. Beyond that? It’s the same great go-to guide for implementing the standards, translating each and every standard for reading, writing, speaking and listening, language, and foundational skills into the day-to-day "what you do."

This book explains what the standards say, what they mean, and how to teach them. The book is organized by the Anchor Standards in the following categories: Reading Literature Informational Text Foundational Reading Skills (This is a departure from the 6-12 standards that we will have to consider in design/format) Writing Speaking and Listening Language

Picture books aren't just for little kids. They are powerful and engaging texts that can help all middle school students succeed in language arts, math, science, social studies, and the arts. Picture books appeal to students of all readiness levels, interests, and learning styles. Featuring descriptions and activities for fifty exceptional titles, Mary Jo Fresch and Peggy Harkins offer a wealth of ideas for harnessing the power of picture books to improve reading and writing in the content areas. The authors provide a synopsis of each title along with discipline-specific and cross-curricular activities that illustrate how picture books can be used to supplement--and sometimes even replace--traditional textbooks. They also offer title suggestions that create a "text set" of supporting resources. By incorporating picture books into the classroom, teachers across the disciplines can introduce new topics into their curriculum, help students develop nonfiction literacy skills, provide authentic and meaningful cultural perspectives, and help meet a wide range of learning needs.

Hands-on lessons can be fun and compelling, but when it comes to life science, they aren't always possible, practical, effective, or safe. Children can't follow wolves as they hunt elk, visit a prehistoric swamp, or shrink down to the size of a molecule and observe photosynthesis firsthand. But they can explore a whole world of animals, plants, and ecosystems through the pages of beautifully illustrated, science-themed picture books. Perfect Pairs , which marries fiction and nonfiction picture books focused on life science, helps educators think about and teach life science in a whole new way. Each of the twenty lessons in this book is built around a pair of books that introduces a critical life science concept and guides students through an inquiry-based investigative process to explore that idea-;from life cycles and animal-environment interactions to the inheritance of traits and the critical role of energy in our world. Each lesson starts with a Wonder Statement and comprises three stages. Engaging Students features a hands-on activity that captures student interest, uncovers current thinking, and generates vocabulary. The heart of the investigative process, Exploring with Students, spotlights the paired books as the teacher reads aloud and helps students find and organize information into data tables. Encouraging Students to Draw Conclusions shows students how to review and analyze the information they have collected. Bringing high-quality science-themed picture books into the classroom engages a broad range of students, addresses the Performance Expectations outlined in the Next Generation Science Standards, and supports the goals of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. Even if you are science shy, Perfect Pairs can help you become a more confident teacher whose classroom buzzes with curious students eager to explore their natural world.

Finally, a book to help educators promote sure-fire reading pleasers to boy readers in grades 3–12! Scary, Gross, and Enlightening: Books for Boys Grades 3-12 is the helpful new reference handbook for educators looking for just the right books to captivate the imaginations of boys in a way that makes reading fun as well as effective. In chapters than span the full range of categories and genres, Scary, Gross, and Enlightening surveys the latest and greatest titles aimed at boys in the primary and secondary grades, including nonfiction, graphic novels, mystery and adventure, sports, sci-fi and fantasy, humor, history, books that were made into movies, read-aloud titles, and classic works that have stood the test of time. Each chapter suggests a number of appropriate and delightful titles on a specific theme and includes listings of corresponding websites, reproducible lessons, and activities. The book also provides lists of professional titles to support each chapter's theme, as well as research-based strategies for teaching with the suggested books.

This book of lesson plans using common picture books to teach the AASL/AECT Information Literacy Standards is targeted for grades K-3, complete with reproducible patterns and immediately usable reproducible activities providing lessons for each grade level (K-3) for each month of the school year. Each lesson will teach information literacy skill based on the AASL/AECT Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning. The skills are taught in a logical progression throughout the school year. Included is a reading resource bibliography for each month giving the Library Media Specialist or teacher additional picture books to teach specific skills with other lessons they choose to create. Each lesson has been tested by the authors and revised using primary grade classes from three elementary schools as the test subjects. Books selected for this project are nationally recognized and award winning picture books commonly found in most elementary library collections. Though the book is specifically targeted for use by Library Media Specialists, literacy coaches, reading teachers and classroom teachers in the primary grades will be interested in its content. Grades K-3.