60 Titles for Reluctant Readers K-4

This is a follow-up post to books for reluctant middle school readers.  The last of these posts will cover grades 9-12. You can download a copy of the list below HERE.

 PICTURE BOOKS
The Adventures of Taxi Dog- Debra Barracca

Bad Kitty Books- Nick Bruel

The Berenstain Bears- Stan and Jan Berenstain

Clifford Books-Norman Bridwell

Corduroy Books- Don Freeman

Curious George Books- H.A. Ray

Honestly, Red Riding Hood Was Rotten! The Story of Little Red Riding Hood as Told by the Wolf- Trisha Speed Shashkan

I Spy Books- Jean Marzollo

Knuffle Bunny- Mo Willems

No, David!- David Shannon

Olivia and the Fairy Princesses- Ian Falconer

Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day?

Dr. Seuss Books

The Polar Express- Chris Van Allsburg

The Three Ninja Pigs- Corey Rosen Schwartz

Where the Wild Things Are- Maurice Sendak

Where's Waldo Books- Martin Handford

CHAPTER BOOKS and BEYOND
Arthur- Marc Brown

The Big Field- by Mike Lupica

Big Nate Series- Lincoln Peirce

Boxcar Children Series- Gertrude Chandler

Amber Brown Series- Paula Danziger

The Baseball Card Adventures- Dan Gutman

Brian's Winter- Gary Paulsen

Bunnicula Series- James Howe

Cam Jansen Series- David Adler

Captain Underpants Collection- Dav Pilky

The Chet Gecko Mysteries- Bruce Hale

Mr. Chickee's Funny Money- Christopher Paul Curtis

The Cricket in Times Square- George Selden

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series- Jeff Kinney

Encyclopedia Brown Series- Donald J. Sobol

Fantastic Mr. Fox- Roald Dahl

Flat Stanley Collection- Jeff Brown

Freckle Juice- Judy Blume

Frindle- Andrew Clements

Frog and Toad Series- Arnold Lobel

Goosebumps Series- R.L. Stine

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup- Sharon Creech

James and the Giant Peach- Roald Dahl

Judy Moody Series- Megan McDonald

Junie B. Jones Books- Barbara Park

The Kids of the Polk Street School Series- Patricia Reilly Giff

Lawn Boy- Gary Paulsen

Lunch Money- Andrew Clements

The Magic School Bus Series- Joanna  Cole

Magic Tree House Series- Mary Pope Osborne

Matt Christopher's Sports Series

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane- Kate DiCamillo

My Teacher is an Alien- Bruce Coville

The Ralph Mouse Collection- Beverly Cleary

Ribsy- Beverly Cleary

Shiloh- Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Sideways Stories from Wayside School- Louis Sachar

Skinny-Bones- Barbara Park

Stuart Little- E.B. White

Superfudge- Judy Blume

The Twits- Roald Dahl

My Weird School Daze Series- Dan Gutman

Wonder- R.J. Palacio

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30 Resources to Help Our Children Cope with Tragedies

 There are no words I can say about what happened in Newtown, Connecticut without getting on my soapbox about gun control. This madness has to end. (Here is a timeline of worldwide school shootings and mass shootings since 1996.) As teachers, we go through lock-down drills on a regular basis, praying that we will never have a real life and death situation. If not for those practice drills, teachers in Newtown would not have known what to do on Friday. Angela Maiers posted "There is No Lesson Plan for Tragedy-Teachers YOU Know What to Do" on her blog. It is a must-read. My heart is so heavy and I have been asking "why" just like everyone else. I am anxious about going to work tomorrow, not because I don't feel safe, but because I'm worried about our kids and how they have reacted to Friday's massacre. Here are resources to aid you and to aid parents in helping kids deal with the violence.





10 Tips to Help Your Kids Deal with Violence- from Parenting Press 

10 Ways to Put Brakes on Mass Shootings in Schools- from CNN

10 Ways to Talk to Students About Sensitive Issues in the News- New York Times guest post

Checklist to Help Prevent Violence in Schools- 10 things you can do 

Columbine Legacy: Schools Safer?- from CBS News

Dealing with Tragedy: Tips and Resources for Teachers and Parents

Discussing Hate and Violence with Your Children- from the National PTA 

Hello Grief- "a place to share about grief and loss"
 
Helping Children Cope with Tragic Events- many sources from Share My Lesson 

Helping Kids Cope with Violence in the News- child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Bob Hilt gives advice in a video

Helping Your Children Manage Distress in the Aftermath of School Shootings- from the American Psychological Association



How to Talk to Kids About a School Shooting

How to Talk to Kids About Violence- 2011 article from the Washington Post

No Lesson Plan for Tragedy- from Teaching Tolerance, this was written 5 years after Columbine

Preparing for the Worst Case Scenario- written by Kristopher Sill

School Violence and the News- from Kids' Health 

Six Lessons from the Horrors of a School Shooting- from Dr. Michele Borba, Education Consultant

Taking Aim at Violence in Schools- New York Times Learning Network lesson plan

Talking and Teaching About the Tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut- resources from the New York Times Learning Network



Talking to Children About Violence from the NASP (National Association of School Psychologists)

Talking to Kids About School Violence- downloadable PDF files cover guidelines for schools, recognizing when children need help, caring for kids after trauma, disaster and death

Talking with Kids About News- from PBS parents

TeacherVision Resources on School Violence

TeachersFirst Resources for School Violence-  10 resource links

Tragic Events in the News- The late Mister Rogers on video with advice on this page to aid parents

Tips for Talking to Children About the Shooting- from the New York Times health section

Unspeakable Tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary- from Edutopia; many links from Edutopia and other sites listed

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Reluctant Readers in Your School? Middle School Students Will Enjoy These 56 Titles

I admit it. As a child, I really didn't enjoy reading. The one time it was fun was when my dad would read with me before bedtime. I had chosen the story (the last one I remember was Nobody's Boy- French version here ) and over the course of many weeks read together. It was a wonderful bonding experience for me. Do parents today have time to read with their kids, or do they place them in front of the TV or computer to "entertain" them? Here's a great quote about books: "There is no such thing as a child who hates to read; there are only children who have not found the right book."- Frank Serafini

Author James Patterson began writing books for young kids when he found that his son didn't like to read. There a a few series books by now: Witch and Wizard, Maximum Ride, Daniel X and Middle School. Students in my school who didn't enjoy reading are checking out these books every day. I thought that a list of book suggestions for reluctant readers would be very helpful, so read on...... today's books are for grades 5-8, depending on the student's reading level. I'll be covering K-4 and 9-12 in the next few postings. You can download today's list here.

The Absolutely Amazing Adventures of Auggie Spinoza- Steven Stickler

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian- Sherman Alexie

After Eli- Rebecca Rupp

Al Capone Does My Shirts- Gennifer Choldenko

Al Capone Shines My Shoes- Gennifer Choldenko

Artemis Fowl Series- Eon Colfer

Bad Island (Graphic Novel) - Doug Tennapel

The Batboy- Mike Lupica

The Black Stone Prophecy- Alex Baj

Bud, Not Buddy- Christopher Paul Curtis

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Extra Credit -Tom Greenwald

Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading -Tom Greenwald

Chomp- Carl Hiaasen

Comeback Kids Series- Mike Lupica

Crispin: The Cross of Lead- Avi

Crossing the Wire- Will Hobbs

The Cruisers (3 books)- Walter Dean Myers

Crush: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Love - Gary Paulson

Daniel X Series- James Patterson

The Dawn Patrol- Don Winslow

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series -Jeff Kinney

Dork Diaries Books- Rachel Renee Russell

The Encyclopedia of Me- Karen Rivers

Flipped- Wendelin Van Draanen

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making- Catherynne M. Valente

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There- Catherynne M. Valente

The Graveyard Book- Neil Gaiman 

Grey Griffins Series- Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis

Holes- Louis Sachar

Hoops- Walter Dean Myers

Hoot- Carl Hiaasen

I Funny: A Middle School Story- James Paterson

Island of Thieves- Josh Lacey

Joey Pigza Books- Jack Gantos

Journal of a Schoolyard Bully: Notes on Nooglies, Wet Willies,  and Wedgies -Farley Katz

The Kill Order- James Dashner

Liar and Spy- Rebecca Stead

Lula Bell on Geekdom, Freakdom and the Challenges of Bad Hair- C.C. Payne

Maniac Magee- Jerry Spinelli

Maximum Ride Series- James Patterson

The Maze Runner Books- James Dashner

Middle School: Get Me Out of Here!- James Patterson

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life- James Patterson

My Life as a Stuntboy- Janet Tashjian

The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World- E.L. Konigsburg

NERDS Books- Michael Buckley

Peak- Roland Smith

Percy Jackson Series- Rick Riordan

Sean Yeager and the DNA Thief- David Jarrett

See You at Harry's- Jo Knowles

A Series of Unfortunate Events Series- Lemony Snicket

Stickman Odyssey, Book 1: An Epic Doodle- Christopher Ford

The Templeton Twins Have an Idea- Ellis Weiner

The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963- Christopher Paul Curtis

The Wish List- Eon Colfer

Witch and Wizard Series- James Patterson

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54 Resources for Civics Teachers

THE CONSTITUTION
Resources
The Bill of Rights

Celebrate Bill of Rights Day- list of resources

Congress for Kids: The Constitution

The Constitution- from Ben's Guide to Government

Constitution Clips- from C-Span Classroom; register on the site for free

The Constitution for Grades 4-7

The Constitution for Grades 8-12

Constitution Day Lessons  and Resources- Education World

The Constitution of the United States




Mr. Donn's Government Resources




The Signers of the Constitution- from the National Archives

Interactive Games
The Bill of Rights Game- interactive

Constitution Duel- interactive game; knowledge duel

The Constitutional Convention of 1787- interactive game

Constitution Relay Game

The First Amendment Game- interactive

Interactive Constitution

Life Without the Bill of Rights-interactive game
 
Lesson Plans
The Constitution: Drafting a More Perfect Union- from the Library of Congress; grades 9-12

Constitution Lesson Plans- by grade level (all covered)

Constitution Day Lesson Plan- from iCivics

It's My Right- grades 6-8

No Time for Tea- grades 3-5

Private v. Public Rights- grades 9-12

Teaching Six Big Ideas in the Constitution- from the National Archives
 
We the People- lesson plan from Discovery Education
.........................................

U.S. GOVERNMENT
Resources
Ben's Guide to Government for Kids- by grade level; resources for teachers

Congress for Kids

The Executive Branch 

Government Resources- from the Library of Congress' Thomas

How Does Government Affect Me?- from PBS' The Democracy Project

Legislative Branch

NeoK12- different grade level videos

United States House of Representitives

United States Senate

The White House Official Site

Interactive Games
Activate- campaign for an issue

Branches of Government

Cast Your Vote- choose questions for your candidates to debate

Immigration Nation- guide newcomers to citizenship

Supreme Court History Interactives- nine interactives for high school students

U.S. Government Games and Activities- for younger kids

We The Jury- iCivics has provided many interactive games

Lesson Plans
Civics and Government Lesson Plans- from the Library of Congress

Foundations of Government- from iCivics

Government Lesson Plans- from Kids.gov

How Our Laws are Made- terrific infographic

TeacherVision's Lesson Plans on Government

TeAchnology's Government Lesson Plans

Three Branches of Government: Interactive Teaching Unit- grades 5-8

Civics Clip Art
Google Image Search- large images for printing

Scholastic- 22 images

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Edmodo's Update Looks More Like Facebook!

A while back, I did a posting about 35 Social Networking Programs Other Than Facebook and Twitter. The program that still stands out as the best is Edmodo, which recently upgraded its appearance. It now looks even more like Facebook, and your students will enjoy using it for that reason alone. Edmodo offers you and your class a private social network, where you can have class discussions or message students privately. 

 

I love Edmodo's version of the "like" button in Facebook:

 

 If you haven't looked at Edmodo, you're missing a really wonderful free program.

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Edublog Voting Begins Today!

Voting began today for the 2012 Edublog Awards and will continue until December 12th. This is the third year that I was nominated, and I am very thankful for the support which I have received from my readers and followers. You can vote here by selecting the category you wish to vote in.

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