Emmet by Brenna Kennedy

Emmet

 

Citation: Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Language arts: Patterns of practice. Upper

                      Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.Wager. (n.d.) Assistive technology

                      considerations for academic success (TAMFAN). Council for  

                      Exceptional Children.

 

                      Politi, Leo. Emmet. New York: Scribner’s, 1971. Print.

                

Summary: The book Emmet is about a stray dog that was taking in by Mr. Winkel amongst many other dogs. Emmet was always the dog that was getting into all of the trouble, including escaping from his yard to chase the neighbors’ cats, and he would take toys from the children that lived in the neighborhood. The entire neighborhood was sick and tired of the dog ruining everything and they were ready to call a dogcatcher until Emmett saved the grocer’s hop from a fire. Emmett became the hero of the neighborhood. This book is told so that every kind of reader and every age will enjoy every minute of this book. It is told with humor and it keeps all readers on their toes for what is about to happen next. This book also allows for readers to look back and think about their own personal experiences with their neighborhood dogs or even their own family dog that may always be causing trouble.        

 

Genre: Fantasy Picture Book

 

Age: 6 and up

 

To start off the lesson I would ask the students what they expect to learn while reading this book and what kind of things they are interested in. I would then ask them what they remember from previous years and how they think that their prior knowledge will be helpful for the new knowledge that they are going to learn this year. Students my have already read this book before and they may already know what it is about. If students know what it is about then they will be able to talk about experiences that they have had where they have been in trouble and this will give them the opportunity to explain how they fixed their mistakes. I find it to be essential to ask the students what they remember from either the class before or the year before because most of the time they are able to apply their prior knowledge to the new learning in the classroom. Even after reading this book students may then remember things that they did in past years and how they overcame what they did. I would remind them that they could be successful at anything they want to do as long as they work hard towards their goals. It is always important to learn new things and be able to be successful when learning. My students will be able to make inferences about the school year before and what they learned to this year and what they believe they will be learning. I will also allow my students to give me any ideas of the things they would like to learn and I will try to incorporate their ideas into our lessons during the year. Lastly I will ask my students if they have ever found themselves in a place where they knew they did something wrong? And if so how did they overcome their mistake? What strategies did they use? What did they learn from the mistake?

 

The teaching strategies that I would use to teach a lesson using this book would be reading skills. I have experienced through fieldwork observations that many students have a hard time when it comes to reading certain books. Tompkins says there are five stages to the reading process. The stages include: pre-reading, reading, responding, exploring, and applying. I would use this to teach my students how to become better readers because I would have them go step by step each day while reading a book and they would have to demonstrate to me their understanding of each step before they are able to move on. According to Tompkins (2012), “reading is a process in which readers negotiate meaning in order to comprehend, or create an interpretation”(p.148).  It is important for me to teach my students explicitly each step of becoming better readers until they are able to be successful in doing it. I believe that by teaching each step one at a time will really help the students to become much better readers. Teaching them in steps will encourage them to complete each step of reading correctly so that they can move on to the next step. I also find it to be important to allow my students to be able to pick out their own book to read because this will inspire them to want to read more. I would assign reading assignments once a week for them to complete at home. I would use this book to teach reading skills because I would first read a book during class and then ask my students if there were any words in the book that they didn’t understand or anything that they were unsure of that I read to them. Once I am able to understand where each of my students are struggling in their reading this will help to understand where I need to start with each of them and which books I should urge them to read in order to become better readers.

 

Brenna Kennedy

The Rough-Face Girl- Post by: Mariela Soriano

 

 

Author: Rafe Martin
Illustrator: David Shannon
Genre: Folk Tales and Myths
This story is about an Algonquin girl who has a rough face due to burns. The Algonquin girl has burns in her face because her sister will hold her down near the sticks from the fire. Her sister threatened her and told her not to tell their dad. The girl with the burns on her arms and face was now called rough- face girl. Rough- face girl was mistreated by her evil sister. The live of rough-face girl changes with the appearance of the hidden one. The hidden one is an invisible man whom is wealthy and is looking to get marry to the girl who could see him. Only the one with a pure heart will be able to the hidden one and marry him. Rough-face girl sister claimed to see him but see was just pretending. Rough-face girl decided to visit the hidden one, and she was able to see him. Rough-face girl and the hidden one got married, and she was no longer mistreated by her evil sister. Rough-face girl now became known as the lovely one.
I would use this book in a classroom when introducing a unit on Native Americans. This book has great pictures in where students can analyze Native American traditions and clothing. I will have my students learn the meaning of Algonquin and where Algonquin’s live. Researching the Algonquin tribe will give my students a better understanding of how they lived, dressed, and their customs. This book gives some details of the Algonquin tribe.

This book is recommended for students in third grade and up. The Rough-Face Girl, is a short folk tale and it is similar to the story of Cinderella. Therefore, I will have my students work on a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the stories of Cinderella and rough-face girl. According to Tompkins (2012), “Summarizing their reading, students delve into important ideas and relate their reading to their own lives or to other literature” (p.93). I will have my students have read these two short stories, and then I will instruct them to fill out their Venn diagrams. They will have to write down the similarities and differences between each folk tale.

Martin, R., & Shannon, D. (1998). The rough-face girl. New York, NY: Puffin Books.
Tompkins, G.E.(2012). Language arts: Patterns of practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Wager. (n.d.) Assistive technology considerations for academic success (TAMFAN). Council for Exceptional Children.

Rehema’s Journey: A Visit in Tanzania By: Barbara A. Margolies—Blog Post By: Meaghan Brenna Foley

 

Title: Rehema’s Journey: A Visit in Tanzania

Author: Barbara A. Margolies

Age Recommendation: Grades 2-5 (Ages 5 to 9)

Genre: Nonfiction

Blog Post By: Meaghan Foley

Book Summary:

           This book is about the life story of a young girl, named Rehema Mfangavo. Rehema is a nine-year-old girl who lives in the country of Tanzania, located in east Africa. In the book, Rehema acts as the narrator and guides us through the many wonders of her homeland. The book entails various pictures of Tanzania, including things like: Rehema’s cement house, the transportation system, the landscapes, and other ways of life. The main focus of this book is on Rehema’s journey with her father to a crater full of wildlife, which is away from her home. Rehema expresses excitement for her trip with Baba, her father. On her journey to the zoo, Rehema visits a few places, like a church and a market along the way. When Rehema and her father reach the crater, Rehema mentions the animals she has seen. The rest of this book discusses the culture of the Maasai people in Africa. Rehema Mfangavo expresses her truly humble nature in the book when she says, “I think about all the wonderful people I’ve met, all the beautiful animals I’ve seen.” She goes on to state that her father will leave to go to work very far away from home. Although she is saddened by her father’s departure, Rehema states, “I will always remember the special journey we took together” (Margolies, 1990, p. 28).

            I would definitely use this multicultural book in my classroom for a number of different reasons. For starters, this book contains many colorful and vivid pictures of the African culture including people, landscapes, and animals. In the beginning of this book, there is a small map of Africa that shows the location of Tanzania and its surrounding countries. Also, at the end of the book lies a glossary of Swahili words that show their translation and pronunciation. I believe that this book would be a great resource to use in both literature and history classes. This book would be beneficial in teaching kids about the countries in the world. The vivid pictures will be great for visual and diverse learners. Most people are aware of the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, I totally agree with that statement. Students will be able to understand, just by seeing, how African people live. I hope that my students will be grateful for all they have after I introduce this book in the classroom. I think that this book would also help unite the entire class, which may contain students from other countries. In my opinion, it is important for every student to support one another, despite each other’s differences. For that reason, this book would absolutely help open the students’ minds to new horizons and hopefully establish new and long-lasting friendships.

            A teaching strategy that would go well with this book is found in Chapter 7 of Tompkins’ Language Arts Patterns of Practice. The teaching strategy I think would go well with this book is that of visual representations. I believe that it is important for teachers to help make a book, or story, have a great impact on their students. In order to do so, I think that the best way to convey a message is through “images, diagrams, and other graphic representations.” In my opinion, students will learn more about a broad, or difficult, subject genre if they are presented the information in a slightly clearer manner. It has even been proven that “many students say that information presented in visual texts is more memorable” (Tompkins, 2013, p. 201). I am a firm believer in adjusting my plan to meet the needs of my students. I want them to be excited to learn new things and retain all they can, information that will stay with them for a lifetime.

References

Margolies, B.A. (1990). Rehema’s journey: A visit in tanzania. New York, NY: Blue Ribbon.

Tompkins, G. E. (2013). Language arts: Patterns of practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Wager. (n.d.) Assistive technology considerations for academic success (TAMFAN). Council for Exceptional Children.

 

One Well–Shannon Thompson

The book One Well by Rochelle Strauss is a story about how important water is to our entire planet. The illustrations, done by Rosemary Woods, make the book extremely enjoyable to read. The book’s age recommendation is between the ages of 9-12. The Genre is Children s Nonfiction-Ocean and Marine.

The book explains how all water is connected. Every drop of water, every puddle, every lake, is part “one well”. The reason our planet supports life is because of the abundance of water. Water is more powerful than many may think. It supports every aspect of life. A single drop of water can touch a seed and grow a plant. Plants need water to flourish. Plants are food for some animals. Animals also need water to survive and grow. Some animals are food for other animals, along with humans. Humans also survive off of things that grow in the ocean. Without the ocean water many species would not exist, including some human civilizations that live near the ocean. People also need water to survive. Without water a person would wither away. Pollution to the well can effect every single living organism on this magnificent world.

One Well focuses on how everyone can make a difference when it comes to preserving our planets water. The book writes to persuade the reader to take care of the earth’s water source because they are all connected. The book focuses on the idea that everyone can make the difference. I could use this book to teach persuasive writing because it is persuading the reader to take care of earth’s water. I could give each student a worksheet that they would need to fill out after each page to document the evidence that was provided. I could have the students get into groups of 4 and make a poster drawing out the evidence that supports the books claims. The book makes the claim that water needs to be protected because it is essential for all life on earth. Each page is filled with evidence supporting their claim. This will help the students understand the relationship between the claim and evidence. They will then be asked to create their own persuasive picture book. In Tompkins they discuss that people search for logical conclusions when being persuaded. They also discuss that it is important for students to be aware of persuasion in their daily lives. They also need to understand the parts that make up a persuasive text. (Tompkins, 2013, p.125).

Works Cited
Tompkins, G. (2013). Language Arts. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc

 

Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen

 

Author: Dyanne Disalvo-Ryan
Genres: Fiction, and Picture Book
Age Recommendation: 4 to 8 years of age/kindergarten through grade three
Summary:

This picture book presents children with a fictional view of a soup kitchen in a big city. The main character, a young boy, is visiting his Uncle Willie who works there every single day. He gets an inside view at the turmoil in the lives of the people that visit this soup kitchen daily. He sees the adults and their difficult lives, and he even sees the children that are there. Uncle Willie makes the soup kitchen seem warm and inviting!

In My Class:

I personally loved this story! It is so heartwarming and perfect to teach kids about volunteering and being a good person. It is perfect for first grade for a read aloud. For grades lower it is a bit lengthy even though it’s recommended for kindergarten to third. For all students, it’s a moving story that is written very well with children in mind. Because the author makes sure to point out that there are children at the soup kitchen as well, the students can identify with the text. This is a tough topic for a children’s book but it discusses it in a way that they will be able to handle.

I would love to use this book in my future classroom. It is perfect to teach kids about giving and being generous. It can teach students about empathy through volunteer work. It teaches the kids good lessons they can take with them throughout life, without being dry. The students will discuss, after reading, what it means to be in poverty and how they would help someone in need. They can also share examples of how they have already helped someone in need, whether it be through their Girl/Boy Scout troop, on their own, at their church etc.

It is also a great story to read during Hunger Action Month. And we could design a canned food drive in the class or even extend it school wide, to help make a difference in our community. Tompkins states that, “after reading, students explore the text and apply their learning by creating oral, written, and visual projects” (p. 32). This would help kids feel like they are doing something great and motivating! Not only would they be obviously working to help others, but an activity like this would solidify the morals and lessons into their memory. They would have a chance to make the posters and decorate the bins to collect the food etc. It would be very hands on and would be mainly student driven!

 

Citations:

DiSalvo, D. (1991). Uncle Willie and the soup kitchen. New York, NY: Morrow Junior Books.

Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Language arts: Patterns of practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Where Do Balloons Go? An Uplifting Mystery by Jamie Lee Curtis, Post by Lindsay Roe

 

Author: Jamie Lee Curtis

Illustrator: Laura Cornell

Genres: Fiction, Poetry, and Picture Book

Age Recommendation: 4 to 8 years of age/pre-k through grade three

Summary: In this heartwarming story, the narrator, whom the pictures indicate to be a young boy, is puzzled about where balloons go after they are released. Some of his suggestions as to where balloons might end up are more realistic than others. In addition to location, the narrator personifies balloons in many instances, asking questions such as, “But floating so high without worries or cares don’t they miss birthdays, parties and fairs?” (Curtis, 2000, p. 15). Some suggest that the personified balloons can be made to represent people who have passed away and that the final sentence, “So just hold on tight till you have to let go” can be used to teach children how to handle losing a loved one (Curtis, 2000, pp. 27-29).

            While I think this entertaining book could easily fit into any of the four patterns of practice outlined by Tompkins (2012), in my classroom, I would want to feature this book in a literature focus unit. I believe that this story’s rhythmic structure, whimsical tone, and festive illustrations will engage students in the unit. Even though the students would not be selecting the book as they would in writing workshop, I believe this story will appeal to them, making it an excellent mentor text. As Fletcher and Portalupi (2001) strongly advocate, it is important for mentor texts to be favorites of both the students and the teachers, to ensure that the book can be comfortably and eagerly read multiple times as appropriate. I believe that this story will work wonderfully as a mentor text within a literature focus unit.

            Tompkins (2012) asserts that two essential elements of a successful literature focus unit are that: “teachers teach minilessons on reading strategies and skills” and “after reading, students explore the text and apply their learning by creating oral, written, and visual projects” (p. 32). The minilesson that I would teach in connection with this book would be how to read poems expressively. Tompkins (2012) explains that in order to teach students to read poems expressively it is important to read the story first in a monotone voice, which will certainly sound odd to listeners given the content and structure of this picture book. After the students have expressed their distaste for this boring read-aloud, it is important that they provide the teacher with instructions for how to improve the reading. The students should be supported so that way all four aspects of expressive reading- tempo, rhythm, pitch, and juncture- are covered (Tompkins, 2012, p. 342). As guided practice for this minilesson, I think the students could perform choral readings of other poems or rhythmic texts. Students would be encouraged to perform the poems taking into consideration their new appreciation for reading expressively. As an additional follow-up activity for this book, students could create a written project with “literary borrowing” from Where Do Balloons Go? An Uplifting Mystery (Fletcher & Portalupi, 2001, p. 4). Students would be asked to create a short poem answering a lighthearted question which they find interesting. For example, a student could write a poem about what happens to leaves after autumn or why birds chirp in the morning.

            On a side note, another way that this book might be incorporated into my classroom is to introduce a science lesson. Having performed it recently, I am aware of a science experiment for elementary students that displays a chemical reaction between an acid and a base to produce carbon dioxide to blow up balloons.  Reading this story might serve as an effective launch into this type of science lesson.   

References

Curtis, J.L. (2000). Where do balloons go? An uplifting mystery. New York, NY: HarperCollins. 

Fletcher, R. J, & Portalupi, J. (2001). Writing workshop: The essential guide. University of Michigan, MI: Heinemann. 

Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Language arts: Patterns of practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Chrysanthemum

First Grade

The story of Chrysanthemum is the perfect read-aloud for a first grade classroom.  This story is about a young mouse whose parents named her after the most beautiful of all the flowers, Chrysanthemum. They teach her to be unique, just like the flower she was named after. At first, Chrysanthemum loves her name, but when she gets to school the other children tease her. They make fun of her for being named after a flower. Then, Chrysanthemum’s favorite teacher, Mrs. Twinkle, reveals that she too is named after a flower. Her first name is Delphinium, and she loves Chrysanthemum’s name so much she decides to name her baby after her! The other children then stop teasing Chrysanthemum and all wish that they too, could have been named after flowers. I love this story because it spreads a nice message of acknowledging and accepting other cultures and ideas. Encouraging our students to accept each other’s differences is part of our jobs as teachers. This story is also great because you can use it to teach plot, which is something we’ve discussed in class. Plot is an important topic for students to grasp. Tompkins states that plot is one of the “five most important elements of story structure”(p.247). It is crucial because students need to understand the main events and points of the story.For example, in Chrysanthemum, the beginning would be when Chrysanthemum loves her name and its uniqueness. The middle would be when the other students tease her for being named after a flower. The end would be when Mrs. Twinkle tells Chrysanthemum that she too is named after a flower and all the other students learn to respect different names and cultures.

 

Tompkins, G.E. (2013). Language arts: Patterns of practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Henkes, Kevin. Chrysanthemum. New York: Greenwillow, 1991. Print.

Thank You Mr. Falker – Gina DeBenedetto

 

Title: Thank You Mr. Falker
Author & Illustrator: Patricia Polacco
Genre: Autobiography
Grade level: 2-4

Summary:
      Thank You Mr. Falker is an autobiographical story about Trisha, the only student in her grade that cannot read. Although the book never specifically mentions it, we can infer that Trisha suffers from dyslexia because when she looks at words on a page, all she sees is “jumble.” Trisha is extremely eager to read, especially because she is tired of her classmates making fun of her for not knowing how. Throughout the story, Trisha explains that she often feels “dumb” and “different”. Since Trisha could not read words or numbers, she described school as “torturous.” When her mother gets a job in California that requires the family to move, Trisha hopes she won’t be considered “dumb” in her new school. However, she finds out she was wrong and becomes even more humiliated. Trisha hated school so much that she would pretend she was sick so that her mother would let her stay home. When Trisha started 5^th grade, a new teacher, Mr. Falker, came to school and things started to finally turn around for Trisha. Mr. Falker made Trisha feel special by complimenting her artwork and scolling at Trisha’s classmates when they teased her. For the first time, a teacher was able to make Trisha feel important. Trisha only felt safe in school when she was around Mr. Falker. She actually enjoyed going to school thanks to her newfound friendship with her teacher. For a while, Mr. Falker never realized that Trisha could not read because she would memorize the readings in class from the student next to her. It wasn’t until Mr. Falker asked to play a game involving numbers and letters that he noticed Trisha jumbled the writings up. When he realized Trisha’s disability, Mr. Falker reassures her that she is not dumb, she is brave. He then assures her that he will teach her how to read. Mr. Falker worked with Trisha everyday, practicing different literacy techniques. Finally, after a few months, Mr. Falker provides Trisha with a book and she is able to read it! The book ends with the author, Patricia Polacco explaining that the story is about her and how she met Mr. Falker 30 years after the story took placed andthanked him for changing her life.

Although this book is recommended specifically for grades 2-4, I think it can be enjoyed by people of all ages, considering I, myself, was touched by this story. I would definitely use this book in the classroom for a number of different lessons. I think incorporating this book into a lesson on writing letters would be one of the best ways. Since the book is entitled Thank You Mr. Falker and it is about how Mr. Falker made a huge difference in Trisha’s life, I would have my students write a thank-you letter to someone who made a difference in their life. Chapter 4 of Tompkins’ textbook, Language Arts Patterns of Practice, includes a section on letter writing in the classroom. The text explains, “Because they involve a genuine audience, students usually take more care to think through what they want to say, to write legible, and to use spelling, capitalization, and punctuation conventions correctly” (p.104). Letter writing is an extremely valuable skill for students to learn because not only will they need to know how to write letters in real-world situations as they grow older, but the practice of writing letters helps strengthen the mechanics and grammar of the student. I think Thank You Mr. Falker is an excellent book to incorporate into a lesson on letter writing.

References:

Polacco, P. (1998). Thank you, Mr. Falker. New York: Philomel Books.

Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Language arts: Patterns of practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Simply Science: Weather

Simply Science: Weather

By: Alice K. Flanagan

Genre: Informational Text

Grade/ Age Recommendation: 1st to 2nd grade- about 7 years old

 

Post By: Anna Salvatore

Simply Science: Weather is an informational text that teaches the reader about different weather forms. The beginning of the text starts off by explaining weather temperatures. It gives examples of why certain months are hot and others are cold. The text then goes on to explain facts on wind, cloud types, and precipitation. Finally, the occurrence, dangers, and reasoning of hurricanes and tornadoes are discussed. The end of the book provides a glossary of important terms, an interesting weather-related fact section, information on how to research more about weather, and an index that says where to find the mentioned topics.

I would use this book in my class to teach students how to understand informational texts. It is important for students to know that reading an informational text is going to be a different experience than reading a novel. This text explains facts and details in a way that is easy for a first grader to understand. If children are exposed to informational texts early, they will not shy away from reading the more difficult ones later on. This informational text is good for young readers because it has pictures to go along with every description. Often, young readers learn just as much from exploring pictures as they do from hearing lectures and readings. They will be able to better retain the new knowledge that they have learned from the text by relating the information with the images. I also like that this informational text has a glossary, interesting facts, information on how to do some more research, and also an index. These sections are also seen in more advanced informational texts, so it is important for students to have practice and feel comfortable seeing and using these additions in books. Although the text is short and covers only a portion of weather facts, students can practice going to the index to look for a specific topic, or going to the glossary to look up unfamiliar words.

With this informational text, I would utilize the teaching strategy of having the students practice informational writing. This text is a great example of how informational texts are set up and explained to young readers. Using the information in this text, I would have students create a report that discusses their favorite part of Simply Science: Weather. According to the written language chapter of Tompkins (2012), “Students collect and synthesize information for informational writing; this writing is objective. Reports are the most common type of informational writing” (p. 159). First graders should be able to work independently or with guidance if necessary to write a small informational report on a mentioned weather fact from the text. As students get older, they can practice writing informational reports that are more in depth and include more sophisticated information. The earlier students are exposed to various types of texts and writing genres, the more comfortable and open they will be with exploring new ideas.

 

Flanagan, A. K. (2001). Rocks. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point Books.
Tompkins, G.E. (2012). Language arts: Patterns of practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Forever Friends

Forever Friends

Author: Carin Berger

Age/Grade Recommendation: 4-8 years/Preschool – 1^st grade

Genre: Children’s Fiction; Picture Book

 

                Forever Friends is the story of two unlikely friends who learn that true friendship lasts forever.  One spring day, a bluebird sings out to a bunny in the forest below and asks him to play.  The two quickly become friends and play together throughout the coming days.  Then, winter is fast approaching and the bluebird tells his friend that he must fly south for the winter, though he promises to return in the spring.  Both the bluebird and bunny miss each other terribly during the coming cold months.  They were lonely until spring finally returned and the bluebird sang out to the bunny once again.  The two realize that friendship cannot be lost due to distance and they are forever friends.

                I would use this text in my classroom for multiple reasons.  It is a quick read and can be used to demonstrate the importance of friendship to students.  It teaches them that being apart does not mean you can no longer be friends, as well as that people who are different can still be friends.  Also, the story touches on the topics of migration and seasons. For example, the bird states that he must “fly south” but will return in the spring.   By reading the story, students can see the progression between the months and changes in seasons by pages such as the one that states “December, January, February…”  It is a useful way to introduce students to these concepts in a more meaningful context.  Also, the simple illustrations portray the different kinds of trees found in the South, which can also be helpful in teaching students about different climates, etc.  Overall, this story is a good resource for teaching young students about friendship and introducing topics of migration, etc. in a more engaging context.

                Forever Friends is a great text to use for teaching students about plot and how stories have a beginning, middle, and end.  Students can be taught that the beginning of a plot is where characters, setting, and the problem is introduced.  They can also be taught that the middle is where we learn more about the problem and the end is when the problem is resolved.  Once students grasp these concepts, they can work on beginning-middle-end maps as discussed in Chapter 9 of the Tompkins textbook.  In order to do this, students would be given a handout of the map with a blank space for them to draw.  Once they either hear the story or read it independently, they would draw pictures of what they believed to be the beginning, middle, and end of the story on their maps.  Forever Friends is a good text to use for this activity because the beginning, middle, and end are clearly separated.  These maps help students outline their thoughts and are a simple way to introduce them to graphic organizers.

Berger, Carin (2010). Forever Friends. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children’s Books.

Tompkins, G.E. (2013). Language arts: Patterns of practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Blog post by Rachel Perrone