Flat Stanley

Publication Year: 1964

Author: Jeff Brown

Genre: Fiction

Grade Level: Grade 2 to Grade 5

Theme: Accepting other's differences

Skill Taught: Keeping a journal and communicating with peers

Summary: Stanley Lambchop wakes up one morning to find he is flat.  Surprisingly, there are more benefits to being flat than you may think, and Stanley demonstrates a couple of them.  Unfortunately, children at school begin teasing him because of his difference.   

About the Author: Jeff Brown was born in New York City on January 1, 1926.  He started his career as a child actor, then later became a story consultant for Paramount.  He enjoyed writing fiction, which found  him at Warner Books as a senior editor.  Jeff is best known for his series of Flat Stanley, which the idea came to him one night before bed when one of his sons asked what would happen if a bulletin board fell on his brother, and his wife responded that he would wake up flat.  Jeff would eventually pass away in December of 2003, but his beloved character of Flat Stanley lives on.  (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/43329.Jeff_Brown)

For the Classroom

Pre-Reading Activity: I would begin a class discussion with the class, having the students to imagine being flat for a day and posing questions such as how they would feel, how they would be treated by others, and what they would do since they are only half an inch thick.

Post-Reading Activity: The Flat Stanley Project is something I would like my students to be involved in, as it is educational and fun.  Students would color and then cut-out their Flat Stanley template, journaling every adventure they take Stanley on.  The class would send their Stanley to another class as the new class would continue journaling the adventures Stanley took and then send him back.  Students would plot on a map all of the places their Stanley has traveled and write a concluding journal entry. 

Reflection: Flat Stanley is a humorous book which teaches an important lesson to accept everyone's differences.  It teaches this lesson while not using a specific cultural background, which is why I like it even more.  Flat Stanley is a character children will enjoy reading about as he goes from one adventure to another in each of the books.  As students fall in love with Stanley, they will become understanding of his difference, and be able to relate to him one way or another, whether they have teased others or have been teased by others because of differences.  Creating this awareness among students will help lead to better character, and a classroom of better citizens.

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Abe Lincoln at Last!

Publication Year: 2011

Author: Mary Pope Osborne

Genre: Narrative Non-Fiction, Adventure

Grade Level: Grade 2 to Grade 6

Theme: Government, Lincoln History

Skill Taught: How to read and fill-out a ballot, structure of democracy

Summary: Jack and Annie travel back in time to reverse the cast spell placed on Merlin.  They need to collect four items, two of which have been collected prior to the story beginning   Jack and Annie are in the year 1861 on the front lawn of the White House and meet Tad and Willie, the President's sons.  After making a wish to meet the President, they transport further back in time and meet a boy named Sam.  Soon after Sam gives them a feather pen he made, they are pulled back to the White House lawn.  Jack and Annie find the President walking around outside, and he tells them a story about when he was younger, how he met the two and played a trick on them by having them think his name was Sam.  They reassure to Lincoln the Civil War will end and freedom will come; he gives them the final item.  Jack and Annie have collected all four items and go back to the Magic Tree House, returning to the present, and then head off to school.

About the Author: Mary Pope Osborne was brought up by a father who was in the military.  At a young age, Mary traveled the world with her father, and after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,  she continued her love of traveling.  As an author of children's literature, she turns her day dreams into stories for children to enjoy.  Mary was an established author for over ten years before she began the Magic Tree House series with her husband and one of her best friends.  (http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/contributor/mary-pope-osborne-0)  

For the Classroom

Pre-Reading Activity: Using construction paper, scissors, glue, and markers, students would construct a timeline highlighting the key moments in Abraham Lincoln's life.  The class would be instructed to find the year he was born, elected as president, signed the Emancipation Proclamation, assassinated, and other events the student found interesting.  I would check their timelines before they could begin gluing the events.   

Post-Reading Activity: I would connect the book to this year's presidential election and introduce students to vocabulary such as conservative, liberal, republican, democrat, and the meaning of democracy.  Students would receive a map of the United States and color each state either red or blue depending on which candidate won the particular state.  I would begin a class discussion about the electoral college and that a candidate may not win even if they received the popular vote.  I would get my hands on a ballot and give students the opportunity to see what one looks like, but also contribute to a mock vote to see who would become President if it were up to our class.

Reflection: Our book club chose Abe Lincoln at Last! because it tells an adventurous story while at the same time, providing the reader with insights of Abraham Lincoln and the year 1861.  The back of the book includes factual information about important events that took place and why Abraham Lincoln was considered one of the best presidents of all time.  The Magic Tree House series is a great set of books to have in any classroom, and with the common core standards, these books are helpful to incorporate reading and writing with other subjects.  With each Magic Tree House book, there is a Fact Tracker book that goes along with the story book, supplying students with more educational information on the particular topic.

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Curious George

Year Published: 1941

Author: Hans Augusto Rey

Genre: Fiction

Grade Level: Kindergarten to Grade 2

Theme: Curiosity

Skill Taught: Compare and Contrast

Summary: This book is about a curious brown monkey named George who is brought to a big city by a man in a yellow hat.  George originally lived in the jungles of Africa.  While traveling to a big city, George falls off a boat pretending to be a bird.  When they have arrived to the city, George calls the fire department on accident and gets put in jail.  He escapes from jail and then takes a bunch of balloons from a vendor in the street.  George takes one too many balloons and floats over the city and eventually onto a traffic light.  The man with the yellow hat rescues him, buys the balloons, and then takes him to the zoo.

For the Classroom

Pre-Reading Activity: I would begin class by having students open to a clean page in their writers notebook.  I would model on the front board what I would like students to do in their notebooks.  I would make a Venn diagram, labeling the far left circle "City,"  the far right circle "Jungle," and the the middle circle "Same." Together as a class, we would write down the differences between a jungle and a city, as well as their similarities. 

Post-Reading Activity: Finishing the class read aloud, students would open up their writers notebook and write about their experiences at the zoo.  I would post questions on the front board for students to answer such as "What is your favorite animal and why?" "What animals did you touch or feed?" "What do the people do who work at the zoo?" "What did you find interesting or shocked you at the zoo?" Once students have had class time to finish, I would check to their notebooks to see if they have answered the questions and ask for volunteers to share their thoughts to the class.

Reflection: The Curious George series were books I grew up with during my childhood.  As a child, I like the adventures George would go on and explore the world much of the same way I would imagine myself doing.  Looking back on the series, I have learned that George teaches a simple, yet valuable lesson; in order to learn, one needs to be curious.  As a future educator, teaching students to always ask questions is important to their development and learning experience.  

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Harold and the Purple Crayon

Year Published: 1955

Author: Crockett Johnson

Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

Grade Level: Pre-K to Grade 1

Theme: Imagination and creativity

Skill Taught: Creative thinking

Summary: The story begins with Harold wanting to go for a walk in the moonlight, but there is no moon.  He draws a moon with his purple crayon to fix the dilemma.  While on his walk, Harold draws pies and an apple tree to satisfy his hunger, a little boat to sail away from a frightening dragon, and a mountain to climb to  find his bedroom window.  Eventually, he draws his bed and sheets, falling fast asleep.

About the Author: David Johnson Leisk was born on October 20, 1906 in New York City.  After studying at Cooper Union, he worked a number of jobs including in an ice plant, in the Macy' advertising department, a professional football league, and an art editor for several magazines.  Leisk used the pen name Crockett Johnson in his over twenty books in which he wrote and/or illustrated.  During his career, he and his wife collaborated together on four books, one of which was The Carrot Seed.  His first work was the popular comic-strip "Barnaby" which he wrote on a daily basis from 1942 to 1946.  On July 17, 1975, Crockett Johnson would pass away from lung cancer.  (https://www.ksu.edu/english/nelp/purple/biography.html)

For the Classroom  

Pre-Reading Activity: Before our read aloud, I will begin with a class discussion exploring students' imagination, asking what they would draw if they had a purple crayon.  Another question posed would be what students are reminded of when they have looked up in the sky and stared at the clouds.  

Post Reading Activity: After reading Harold and the Purple Crayon, students would go back to their seats and receive cut-out shapes from purple construction paper.  The teacher will ask the class what each shape could represents in our world and give the example of a circle being a ball (circle, square, triangle, rectangle, and oval).  They would use the shapes to create a picture from their imagination.  The shapes can be cut smaller and modified to fit their imagination.  Students will arrange their final ideas on black construction paper and be checked by a teacher before gluing.  When students have glued down their shapes, they can use purple crayons, markers, and pastels to draw themselves and details to enhance their artwork.  when the class has completed the assignment, students will explain their picture to a student sitting next to them.     

Reflection: I liked the meaning behind the story in Harold and the Purple Crayon and what it teaches to students.  It provides an example to students of the power of imagination and how individuals can affect the world around them.  It nicely teaches the word perseverance, a difficult word for students ages three to seven to comprehend.  Harold uses examples to teach students that they should have the confidence to "draw" themselves out of any dilemma.

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