Charlotte's Web Novel Study

I say it like a dozen times during the year, but this is my favorite thing we do all year.  I love reading Charlotte's Web with my third graders.  I love it because even though they've seen the movie, most haven't read the book.  Even those that have still enjoy another read. There are some sweet and funny parts and I love Templeton's lines- he's the best.  For the past several years we've been using random pieces from various sources and piecemealed our study together.  I decided to create my own resource that contains everything I wanted to use for our novel study.  It's ready and I've been using it and I'm ready to share it in my shop. 

I sorted the items into Plot:

Characters:

Setting:

Word Choice:

Mentor Text:

 Assessment pieces:

and Cumulative Activites:

 I'm super excited that it's done, happy to have a complete (and tidy and rigorous) resource for my kiddos and for my team.  I'm also really excited because next year when it's time for this, I'll be giving this to my student teacher!  I can't say how excited I am to have a student teacher.  We met this week and she is fan-tas-tic! 

I'm breaking this big novel study up into chunks to also list small pieces.  Right now, I have listed the whole inclusive novel study.

Charlotte's Web Novel Study @From the Hive

wax museum- again

Another year of wax museum.  It's always so much work- but so much fun.   Here's my awesome third grade team.  Love these ladies! 

I've written about it here in 2015,  here in 2014,   here in 2012 and here in 2011  there's more info there about specifics.   (We did it in 2013... not sure if I didn't write about it- seems unlikely.)

Here's my costume winner- she's the tree from Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree. 

Flat Stanley of course. 

Two of us Webs.

This is a kiddo from a different class- He's Stanley Yelnats from Holes.  It was my favorite! 

My Lou was Don Larson.  I learned a lot about Mr. Larson through this project. Lou was trying to hide the casted leg... I think we still see it! 

Wax Museum- from November

I'm pretty much stalling going to the basement to exercise... so I found something from November to share.  I've shared about our school's Wax Museum project before.  Here's 2014.  It's a great event, tons of work but with an impressive end product.  

Here's my sweet third grade team dressed as Ms. Frizzle, the mouse from if you give a mouse a cookie, Mary Poppins, and Minnie Mouse.   (They painted the walls in out hall last summer, blah!)

Each grade participates in some way.  In kindergarten they dressed up like a nursery rhyme, in first they dresses up like their favorite bible character, in second they dressed up like an animal that they read a book about and did a report about.  In third we read a fiction book, dress up like a character from the book, but present about the author that we've researched.  In fourth, they choose a famous historical person.  In fifth (pictured below) they choose a president of first lady. Teachers dress up as they choose. 

Here's my friend, Captain Underpants presenting about the author that created him, Dav Pilkey.  

Each class gets to give out a few awards, best costume and best presentation.  Amelia Bedilia was my costume winner this year. 

The Fox from Jan Brett's The Mitten was my best presentation. 

Lou read a book by Dan Gutman about Sachel Paige.  He dressed as this 1940's Negro League baseball player. His board had to have info about the author, list other books by the author, display the setting of his book, and have a photo of the author.  I made him use the costume as his Halloween costume as well since I had to order the jersey and spent time making the letters for the front.  Bee was less cooperative.  I posted this picture and a short description of the project on Dan Gutman's Facebook page and he responded himself that it was a great project and he thought Lou did a great job and he hoped Lou got an A!   

(On a side note, I have since unfriended Mr. Gutman.  There was an unrelated Facebook conversation later where I thought he and several friends/fans were criticizing a young fan and I was slightly offended. It took a religious turn.  I left a comment that I still stand behind.  After a followup post and conversation I decided it was better for me to unfriend and leave that conversation!  He's an engaging writer and Lou enjoys his books, but perhaps would not be described as a compassionate mentor to a young person.  Why share that?  I sometimes read through old post and remember little details of our days that I had forgotten,  I guess I thought that was something I might want to remember some day.)

Bee was assigned Mary Todd Lincoln.  I was crossing my fingers for Jackie O. simply because that costume would have been fun. 

Our third graders got to travel around during the fifth graders wax museum time and hear their 1 minute speeches.  Lou is in the baseball outfit.  Two of my students are next to him.  I told them all to go hear Mary's speech! 

Bee was not happy to wear a puffy dress, but we compromised and I sewed it pretty form fitting until the waist. No puff in the sleeves!  I used one of the skirts from Annie and found enough fabric left to compose the top.  She wore gloves from Peter Pan and some of my jewelry.  I might have and unusual amount of costumes hoarded in my basement... 

Three unlikely friends. 

Here's Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln.  Mr. Lincoln is a former student and a sweet, sweet boy.  I'm saving this one for their reception slide show.  Shhh. 

Here are some of the teachers who dressed up for the day.  The fifth grade teachers might be my favorite!  Since their students were presidents and first ladies, they were secret service agents.  Not exactly a book character, but great nonetheless.  

wax museum

I must not have written about the wax museum last year.  Frankly, last year, I was lucky to be wearing clean clothes and have run a brush through my hair.  It was survival mode at least.  The new teacher on our third grade team is brand new this year and also a brand new mama.  Double wammie!  She confessed she's barely keeping her head above water too.  No doubt!

 

Anyway, our school does this awesome wax museum project.  It's during book week and there are events each day.  The wax museum is the big event hosted by Third and Fourth grade. Fourth grade is a historical character that they've researched through reading a biography.  Bee was Anne Frank. 

Here she is with some of her buddies Hellen Keller and Annie Oakly.   We don't do Halloween at our school, so this is our event to dress up.

Third grade dresses up as a character from a book and they report on the author they have studied.  Here is my costume winner, The lorax.

 

Third and Fourth grade dresses  up, creates an informational board, presents for the class and then works it at the wax museum, sharing their presentation many, many times.

 

First grade practices by dressing up as a bible character and sharing with their class a little about their person.  Second grade researches an animal, dresses up as that animal, and gives a one minute report to their class.  Lou was a tyrannosaurus rex and wouldn't be photographed.  He was a grumpy t-rex.
 

I try to dress up as a character too, but not many teachers do. I love an excuse to dress up a little. My Lorax and I found a cat and the hat at lunch. 

It's one of those projects that's tons of work or everyone, but super fun and everybody learns a lot.

Books and friends= mom fun

One of my dear student's parents has been so sweet to me.  I had her oldest last year, have her middle child this year and with any luck, will have her youngest next year.  She invited me to join a book club she was starting with some of her favorite ladies.  I knew a few of them from school and church and was intrigued by the book. 

 

Green Well Salad

 

It's called Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist.  It's about food, but also community.  It's a Christian book, but not devotional.  It's recipes and the stories that go with them.  The book has been super enjoyable, the recipes have been good, and joining friends, new and old, around the table, is pretty great.

 

 

We get together at one of our homes (insert footnote!) and cook the recipes from the section of the book we read that month.  Then we feast and discussed the chapters.   (footnote- We will not be meeting at my house- they all have lovely, lovely homes with huge kitchens and plenty of room for entertaining.  My house can have one cook in the kitchen, two if you are close!)

 

Me and my mama friend

 

Last week we made (and devoured and enjoyed) steak au poivre with cognac pan sauce, green well salad with cherries and walnuts,  risotto, goat cheese biscuits (insert footnote!) and flourless chocolate brownies.  (footnote- I was in charge of the goat cheese biscuits.  No problem.  I bake.  I make biscuits.  I even tested out the recipe the week before at home since I'm not usually cooking with goat cheese and fresh shredded parmesan cheese.  They were great.  So, I measured out all my ingredients and brought them to cook at book club.  When I pulled them out of the oven, there was clearly an issue.  I had forgotten the baking powder.  They were little dough balls.  Chewy little unleavened bread clumps.  They were slightly embarrassing.  Add that to the fact that I showed up in a crazy tiny little rental car and I was pretty impressive that evening.  -We had someone bump our mini van in July and the new tailgate was finally in.  I had a little rental for three days.  Three long and cramped days.  I'm not used to driving a teeny tiny car and was pretty sure I'd be run over on the road.)

 

 

I learned some new cooking skills. I met some new friends. We talked about our kids, our jobs, and our moms.  We stayed out past 10pm on a school night!  I learned to make risotto.  The green bowl was from book club, the orange bowl was my recreation later that week with bacon, mushroom, and shrimp. 

 

 

Next month has some promising recipes and another lovely home to gather in. 

Great Read Alouds

Our favorite family read aloud books

(and great 2nd/3rd grade class read aloud books)



Bee and Lou July 2014

 
We have read all of these books at home aloud together in the evenings.  I've also read most of them aloud in the classroom at some point over the past 10 years.  I don't like to read the same things each year, I get bored.  This probably explains a lot about me.  Bee and Lou are now 9 and 7, but we've been reading chapter books aloud for years.  This is a collection of our favorites. 
  
1.  Diary of  Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney   ***Lou was into these books this winter,  so we read them all.  They are funny and kids love reading them because of the artwork and funny sketches  and fonts on the pages.  A kid keeps a 'diary' of his time in middle school, with the worries of fitting in and finding his place.   Don't watch the movie if you want to like the book character.  The movie made him seem so arrogant and selfish. 

2.  Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls-  ***My favorite book of all times!
  Favorite. I cried, Bee cried. We were a mess!  You can't go wrong with a story about two 
  coon hounds and a boy who loves them. I read them to my class last year and I ugly 
  cried.  Seriously, it was ugly. 

Bee and Lou Feb 2012

3.  How to Train your Dragon (series) by Cressida Cowell   How To Train Your Dragon,  How To Be A Pirate, How To Speak Dragonese, How To Cheat A Dragon's Curse, How To Twist A Dragon's Tale, A Hero's Guide To Deadly Dragons, How To Ride A Dragon's Storm, How To Break A Dragon's Heart, How To Steal A Dragon's Sword, How To Seize A Dragon's Jewel, How To Betray A Dragon's Hero    ****This is our current read aloud at home.  We are on book 2. It's interesting just how very, very different the movies are.  In fact, it left me wondering if Cressida just looked at the movies and cried when she thought about how they changed her work or if she just enjoyed her books getting extra attention via the movie.

3.  Wonder by R.J. Palacio  ***One of my students brought this in for me to read the class.  Wow, what a powerful read.  It made for a great read aloud in class and also at home.   In this book, the main character has major facial deformities and he shares how others treat him and what school is like for him. Its told from various character's points of view.   There is a second shorter book, but I haven't gotten a copy yet.

4.  One Hundred Dresses by Elenor Estes   ***This book has a great message about bullying and being a good friend.  It's not just for girls, despite the title.  It makes you think!

5.  Adventures of Mohan and Mohan in the Jungle both by Ella Grove.  ***They were lent to us by a homeschooling friend and are published by the folks at Rod and Staff.  Both were good quick reads. A good tool for discussing missionaries and their role. 

One of my sweet 3rd grade students reading with her 1st grade book buddy 

6.  Bread for the Winter by Harvey Yoder.  ***This book has a strong Christian messages and an amazing moral lesson.  I will read this to my class next year. 

7. Miss Piggle-Wiggle series by Betty MacDonald. ***Honestly, we really enjoyed the first book, but didn't like the second and didn't bother with any others.

 

8.  Pippi Longstockings series  by Astrid Lindgrin:    Pippi Longstockings,  Pippi in the South Seas,  Pippi Goes on Board, The Adventures of Pippi Longstockings, Pippi Goes to School,  Pippi's Extraordinary Ordinary Day.   ***These books led to weeks of creative play at out house.  Pippi goes on adventures and is just plain silly.  She lives creatively without her parents, and isn't that something every kid has wondered about?

 

9.  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- by Roald Dahl: ***Always a favorite.  The kids even asked for early baths a few nights so we had more time to read it.   Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator-  not a favorite-  almost didn't finish, but we stuck through it!

 

10.  Matilda  by Roald Dahl:  ***A favorite!  We could hardly put it down.  We loved, loved this.  Bee and Lou felt so sorry for poor Matilda.  I read it last year in class and the kids couldn't wait for the next chapter.  That's my favorite part of the day- teacher read aloud. 

 

3rd graders doing a little outdoor reading

 

11. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH  by Robert O'Brien    I can't believe I did not read this until I was an adult.  We all couldn't wait for the next chapter.   This is a great one for boys and girls both, even daddies!  It's starts with the story of a mother mouse trying to save her children and ends with an exciting adventure of super smart rats setting up their own self sufficient habitat.  I had meant to read this at school last year, but ran out of time.  I'll get it in first semester this year.

 

 
   12. Dr. Doolittle series- by Hugh Lofting:   The Story of Dr. Dolittle, The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle, Dr. Dolittle's Caravan,  Dr. Dolittle's Circus, Dr. Do little in the Moon, Dr. Dolittle's Garden,  Dr. Dolittle's Return    ***Really, really good, I didn't even know it was going to be so good!  We all loved it!  It was hard to track down, and I never was able to locate all the books.  It's my mission this year.  He talks to animals and goes on wild adventures with them in order to help other animals.

 

13. Holes-  by Louis Sachar   ***This is a favorite read aloud at school.  I was thinking the plot was a little too intertwined and thick for Bee and Lou to get it when we read it (maybe 5 and 7 at the time), but they loved it.  We watched the movie too, and it's probably the closest book/video combo out there.  a boy gets wrongly set to detention camp where he is forced to dig holes. It's a wonderfully intertwined story with tales connecting many characters and plots and many generations.

14.  Trumpet of the Swan by E.B.White:  We liked this a lot.  Lou followed the plot line so closely and still talks about it. He would like a trumpet now.    ***Such a nice story about a swan with some very human characteristics. It's a great read aloud. 

 

15.  Cricket in Times Square-  by George Selden ***This is one of those books that I've had in my classroom library forever, but hadn't read myself until not too long ago. What a sweet story it was.  Animals who are friends- one with an undiscovered talent.   I read this last year aloud at school as well and we all liked it.

 

16.  Stuart Little by E.B.White:   ***This is a cute story about a boy who looks like a mouse but whose parents treat him like a regular boy.  Many parts of this story seemed to bother Bee and Lou because they were always worried about Stuart.  I think reading it was stressful for them in a weird way.  The movies are cute, but of course different from the book. 

 

17.  Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner. ***This is one of the novels we read as a class in 3rd grade.  WOW,  surprise ending to this book!  It was so good that when we read it at home,  we read it in two days.  The kids couldn't wait for me to read more.  They even asked me to read during dinner, which I did one day. It's about a boy and his dog and his grandpa.  Major surprise at the end. 

 

18.  Charlottes' Web  by E.B. White:   ****A classic that everybody loves.  At my current school, we study it in third grade. Now I get to read it every year!  A girl, a pig, a spider, friendship, a classic story.

 

A few of my lovely 3rd graders discussing a book during Literature circles. 

 

19.  Captain Underpants series  by Dav Plikey-  ***Actually my own kids asked not to read others and to get back to 'real stories'.  Not exactly good literature but they are a fast read.  My students used to enjoy them and I've ready several aloud.   Goofy toilet humor  Boys love it.

 

20.  Little House on the Prairie  series by Laura Ingalls Wilder:     Little House in the Big  Woods, Farmer Boy, Little House on the Prairie,  On the Banks of Plum Creek,  By the Shores of Silver Lake,  The Long Winter,  These Happy Golden Years,  Little Town on the Prairie,  The First Four Years   ***Bee and Lou both liked this series.  We devoured them.  They are classic, rights of passage, must reads.    Most people know the premise, they follow Laura from a tiny tot through her marriage years as her family explores and settles out west.  The girls tend to especially appreciate the details about domestic life.

 

21.  Sarah Plain and Tall series- by Patricia McLaclin:   Sarah Plain and Tall, Caleb's Story and Skylark.   ***We read them in just three days each.  Everybody liked it.  I remember my mom reading these to me when I was in 4th grade.  I didn't want to read them but she made me sit with her.  She read and cried.  I sort of wanted to do anything else but be there.  I like them now, although I don't think I cry as much.

 

22.  The Littles series by John Peterson:   The Littles, The Littles Take a Trip, The Littles to the Rescue,  The Littles Have a Wedding, The Littles Give a Party, The Littles and the Great Halloween Scare, The Littles and the Trash Tinies,  The Littles go Exploring, The Littles go to School, The Littles and the Terrible Tiny Kid, The Littles and Their Amazing New Friend, The Littles and the Big Blizzard,  The Littles and the Lost Children, The LIttles Get Trapped, The Littles and the Secret Letter, The Littles Do Their Homework, The Littles Have a Merry Christmas,  The Littles and the Best Christmas Ever,   The Littles and the Big Storm   ***We read all we could get our hands on.  I don't think we managed to get all of these but they were a great, quick read.  The kids loved them and the sparked lots of creative play at our house.  Basically, little people live in the walls of big peoples houses, using cast off items for their own use.   We read these when Bee and Lou were a bit younger. 

 

Oct. 2012

 

23.  James and the Giant Peach  by Roald Dahl: ***A favorite for the kids, one of my childhood favorites too.  My class last year was so surprised at how different it was from the movie, I don't even care to watch the movie for this one actually.  

 

 

24.  Ramona  Quimby series by Beverly Cleary:   Beezus and Ramona,  Ramona the Pest,  Ramona the Brave,  Ramona and Her Father,  Ramona and Her Mother,  Ramona Quimby, Age 8,  Ramona Forever,  Ramona's World    ***Again, rights of passage reads.  I read them in third grade, I read them to my third graders.  They are a must read.  I usually get them started with Ramona Quimby, Age 8 and let the kids read the others on their own. 

 

 25.  Chitty Chitty Bang Bang- series by Ian Flemming  ***We've only read the first book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, but apparently there are others in the series.  I didn't even know!  The kids were afraid of the robbers.  The movie was a little dated for me.  The kids surprisingly enjoyed it a lot.

 

26. Ralph S. Mouse series by Beverly Cleary:   Ralph S. Mouse, Runaway Mouse, Ralph and the Motorcycle  ***Lou enjoyed these! to no end.  He asked me to read them  again when we were done.  We watched the video afterward and it was cute.  A little mouse gets a toy motorcycle and he can make it go.  Adventures follow.

 

Oct. 2012

 

27. Indian in the Cupboard series by: Lynn Reid Banks  The Indian in the cupboard, The Return of the Indian,  The secret of the Indian,  The secret of the Cupboard, and The secret of the Key.    ***My kids LOVED this series.  It sparked lots of creative play. You may remember, we needed costumes.  A boy discovers a cupboard and can make his toys come to life.  I have a special cupboard put up that I get out for kids to play with after I read it.   I think the kids would vote these at the top of the list  as favorites.  As with many series, the last book (Secret of the Key) was not as good as the others and frankly just got weird.  There are a few words I needed to skip over, minor infractions, but enough that when my students at school see them they ask for white-out.