danicarp1-blog

[danicarp1-blog]

Book Title: Bucket Filling from A to Z

Authors: Carol McCloud and Caryn Butzke

Illustrator: Glenn Zimmer

ISBN: 978-0-545-69779-8

Grade Level: Pre K – 2      # of Pages: 32

Theme: Helping Others, Kindness and Compassion, Sharing, Positive Thinking

Genre: Fiction

Summary/Thematic Structure:

           “Bucket filling” is the moment-by-moment choice to be kind and caring. Teaching and encouraging children to be "bucket fillers" is one of the greatest gifts you can give to them. You give them the key to being happy. This book of rhyming verse uses the letters of the alphabet to help young and old see the many, simple ways that they can fill buckets and fill their own buckets in return.

Use in the Classroom:

           The entire school can take advantage of this infectious theme of Kindness and Caring. The positive messages that Bucket Filling emits are a great way to address issues of bullying in the classroom, in the schoolyard, or anywhere during a child’s life. The book uses the letters of the alphabet to give 26 examples of how to be kind and compassionate. Every grade can participate in a read aloud of this book, discuss the message of the book, and create mini posters using letters of the alphabet to make their own examples of how to be a Bucket Filler. These posters can be displayed in the school hallways, and K - 2 grades can have an actual bucket in the classroom with items to use to fill the bucket, such as fuzzy craft balls. When the class is seen behaving, being kind, caring, or helping others, the teacher can place these items into the bucket to “fill” it.

[danicarp1-blog]

Book Title: Rotten Richie and the Ultimate Dare

 Author: Patricia Polacco

 Illustrators: Semadar Megged and Patricia Lee Gauch

 ISBN: 0-545-33786-0

 Grade Level: 2 - 5             # of Pages: 48

 Theme: Similarities and Differences, Sibling Rivalry, Problem Solving, Respect

 Genre: Fiction

 Summary/Thematic Structure:

            It seems like Richie's goal in life is to make Trisha's impossible, especially when he begins teasing her about her beloved ballet class. She challenges Richie to perform in her ballet recital, and Richie agrees, under one condition: Trisha has to join his hockey team for the big game. This story can be enjoyed independently or shared aloud; either way, young readers will easily relate to the rivalry, the dares, and the resolution. The suggested grade level use is from grade 2 through the upper grades . For 2nd and 3rd graders, the story may be split into two parts for time management reasons and to facilitate student comprehension.

Use in the Classroom: 

           Because the themes in this story are so relatable for young readers, this book can be used during a unit on character development/analysis. Students can practice finding evidence from the text, the first-person narrative structure of the story can be studied, and the descriptive language and vocabulary used in the story can be studied using the context clues in the story and the meaning that is added though the use of this language. The book can also be used in an author study, where students can compare and contrast the themes, settings, and characters in stories written by the same author about similar characters.