I can see signs of spring and the sunshine inspires optimism. My books for the month of April share a similar theme!
Here’s the ever growing list of books I have in my April bin.
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Here’s what I target with just about EVERY book:
→Sequencing, retelling, summarizing, story grammar/elements (character, setting, problem, events, consequences, ending/solution)
→Tier 1 describing, Tier 2 vocabulary, synonyms & antonyms
→Comparing & contrasting/similarities & differences
→Basic concepts, direction words, temporal concepts
→WH questions-basic and inferential
→Inferencing-social/pragmatic
→Verbs & pronouns
→Sentence generation-higher level structures, conversational, expansion
→Articulation
Here are my "top targets" for each book.
Barnyard Fun
Sequencing
Cause and effect
Inferencing
Tier 1 describing
This is the perfect little story for April Fools' Day. Sheep plays jokes on Rooster, Dog, Pig and Cow. Then the tables are turned on Sheep. You can find my Boom Cards™️book buddy here.
Stuck
Story Grammar
Summarizing
Inferencing
Mindfulness
Stuck, by Oliver Jeffers, is a story about a little boy who winds up with his kite stuck in a tree. The most logical thing to do is...and so the adventure begins as Floyd tries to get his kite un-stuck. You can find my book companion materials here.
The Gruffalo
Story Grammar
WH Questions
Rhyming
Descriptive Vocabulary
The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson, is about a mouse who takes a stroll through the woods. He meets a fox, an owl, and a snake who all want to eat him! So the mouse invents a gruffalo. There's no such thing as a gruffalo . . . is there? You can find my quick prep + digital materials here.
Miss Rumphius
Sequencing
Visualizing/Imagery
Goal Setting
In this book, Alice longs to travel the world, live in a house by the sea, and make the world a more beautiful place. She plants lupines that bloom along the coast of Maine are the legacy of the real Miss Rumphius, the Lupine Lady, who spread lupine seeds everywhere she went. You can my interactive notebook companion here.
Bruce's Big Storm
Story Grammar
Problem/solution
Teamwork
Social/pragmatic conversational skills
Verbs
I love this edition of the Mother Bruce series. Grumpy Mother Bruce's home is already full. Then a big storm brings all the woodland neighbors seeking shelter. Students love the orneriness of Mother Bruce and the persistence of the woodland animals. At the time of this post, my added One Page Language Book Companion is not yet finished for this book in the series.
Farfallina and Marcel
Cause and effect
Social/pragmatic friendship & kindness
Compare/contrast
Sequencing
Farfallina and Marcel is a sweet story of friendship that withstands changes. You can find my book companion materials here.
The Umbrella
Story Grammar
Cause/effect
Tier 1 Vocabulary (rainforest animals)
Verbs-present tense -s
Otis and the Puppy
Story Grammar
Social/pragmatic-overcoming fears
Verbs-past tense
Tier 1 describing
Otis, a friendly tractor, and his farm friends love to play hide-and-seek. A new guest comes to the farm and challenges Otis and his farm friends. You can find materials here.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Predicting
Tier 1 describing
Problem/solution
Spring is a great time to talk about the weather and why not Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs? You can find my interactive notebook companion materials here.
Do you have any other favorite books I should add to my April bin?
