Trade Book Tuesday: Just a Dream {Skill: Asking & Answering Questions}

I am so excited to to kick off my Trade Book Tuesday feature again! I started this years ago, but dropped the ball after school got crazy busy. 

However, my sweet friend Tess from The Krafty Teacher encouraged me to start this again, and then get ya'll involved too! So, we partnered to turn this into a monthly linky! (Stay tuned to the end of this post to see how this linky works!)

I am so excited to share with you one of my favorite books to teach Asking & Answering Questions with 3rd-5th graders. I love using all Chris Van Allsburg books in my classroom. They spark interest, intrigue and most of all, cultivate rich, deep discussion and questions. With that being said, pretty much any one of his books would be great for teaching students to talk back to a text through questioning. However, I chose a unique and thought provoking book for this post; Just a Dream. 

This book, Just a Dream,  follows the journey of a young man named Walter who aimlessly lives in the world, littering and not caring about the environment. Walter dreams of a life in "the future" with robots that sort his trash and and lots of machines. He doesn't understand why his neighbor Rose loves plants and why he should have to separate his garbage or recycle.

The story causes students to think deeply about the content in this book, ask questions about the character, and make text connections. The reader faces their own feelings about the environment, as well as questions about their author's point of view verses their own, as well as the author's message to the reader. Formulating questions before, during and after reading this book is not hard. In fact, it's a must as the reader connects with the text and with Walter, the main character. 

Here are my visual lesson plans for a week of teaching Asking & Answering Questions with my students using the book Just a Dream. As you scroll down, I'll briefly explain how the mini-lessons work, following the gradual release of independent learning. 

(Asking Super Questions {HERE}, Ask and Answer Questions: NO PREP Center {HERE}, & Pop the Question: A Game for Fiction & Nonfiction Texts {HERE})

Mini-Lesson #1 (No longer than 15 minutes):

• When introducing questioning techniques, students must already need to know how to make text connections and recall information.
• For real readers, we want them to be able to ask deep questions that allow them to connect with the text.
• Students need to ask deep questions that give them juicy answers. In order to do this, we have to ask questions that are more than "Who is the main character?" or "Where is the setting?" Although these questions are important, they aren't meaningful in connecting with the characters, the author's purpose/word choice, making inferences, drawing conclusions, and understanding the author's main message to the reader. 
• To begin the discussion of making deep questions, show students a bag. Tell them in order to find out what is in the bag, they must ask meaningful questions.
• Example of Meaningful, DEEP Questions:
• "Is the thing in the bag necessary for living?"
• "Where might you find someone with the thing that is in the bag?"
• "What is the thing in the bag's purpose?"
• "Why might I need what is in the bag?"
• "Who makes what is in the bag?"
• "How will what's in the bag make a difference in my life?"
• "Is the thing in the bag simple or complex? Why?"
• Examples of Non-meaningful Questions:
• "What color is the thing in the bag?"
• "Is the thing in the bag big?"
• "Is the thing in the bag ugly?"
• "Is the thing in the bag light of heavy?"
• Explain to the students that this is how we connect with a text. It's important to ask meaningful, deep questions to really comprehend what we are reading.

Here's a simple anchor chart that explains to students that not only do we ask deep, meaningful questions while we read, but before and after we read as well. 

Mini-Lesson #2 (No longer than 15 minutes):

• During this mini-lesson, you will be modeling how a reader asks questions as they read. 
• Before I read the book aloud to my students, I read it and labeled my questions before-hand. This is optional, not a must for the teacher.
• Because the mini-lesson is only 15 minutes long, I created my anchor chart (see below) before the lesson began.
• Also, I only read the first 8 pages with my students, modeling how I formulated questions while reading. (Refer also to the illustrations to ask questions)
• While I was reading, I wrote my question, the page I was asking the question about, and the answer to the question as I came upon it. Sometimes, I had to infer my answer (if this is not a skill your students are familiar with, this would be a great time just to introduce inferences just in conversation).

Mini-Lesson #3 (No longer than 15 minutes):

• Today with my students, I use a collaborative teaching method with students.
• I modeled for them yesterday and today, we will work together to formulate questions.
• I continue using the book Just a Dream, and I give each student a Post-It note* to write down one question they have while I read aloud the book (*NOTE: If you follow a reader's workshop model, you may have already covered how to quietly record your thinking on a Post-It note by asking only deep questions while reading. If not, this is a great time to introduce this skill).
• I first model formulating a question and writing my ? on the Post-It note and placing it on the anchor chart I would have created before the lesson.
• Then, students put their Post-It notes on an anchor chart as you read. (My students were always at the carpet with me for mini-lessons. They simply stood up quietly, placed their Post -It, and sat down).
• After reading a few pages, I would stop, reference the students' questions they posted and discuss why they asked these questions. If we found the answers, together as a class, we would identify the answer. 

Mini-Lesson #4 (No longer than 15 minutes):

• Today with my students, I used a guided approach when conducting my mini-lesson. 
• I would finish reading the book Just a Dream.
• Today, I would guide students' thinking when having them formulate questions to ask after a reader finishes a book/passage.
• After reading a book, students should ask:
• "What was the author's purpose for writing this text?" (F & NF)
• "What is the author's point of view of this text? How is the same or different than mine?" (F & NF)
• "Did my opinion/point of view of this topic change or stay the same after reading this text?" (F & NF)
• "What character in the text did I connect with the most? Why? How could I have learned from this character?" (F & NF)
• "What is the lesson/theme/moral of this story?" (F)
• "What was the text structure?" (NF)
• Together with the class, create a graphic organizer on an anchor chart with these questions, and discuss them as a group.

Mini-Lesson #5 (No longer than 15 minutes):

• Today with my students, I would use a collaborative approach with my mini-lesson. The students would be paired with a buddy at the carpet.
• Students would be given the "Asking & Answer Questions" graphic organizer (a FREEBIE below) and a mini-passage (I just used mini-passages from reproducible books that came with our reading series).
• With their partner, the students would read their mini-passage, then formulate questions before, during and after their reading using the graphic organizer (a FREEBIE below).

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Here are some {FREEBIES} that go along with my mini-lessons for the week! Download them by clicking the picture.

Here are some other activities I would use in differentiated small groups and literacy centers to reinforce questioning skills (see my visual lesson plans above):

I hope you found this post helpful for introducing or reviewing questioning skills with your kiddos!

What trade book do YOU use? We want to know! Link up with us!

How it Works:

• The third Thursday of each month, we will be featuring one of our favorite trade books that we love using to teach a reading skill
• Follow us on Instagram (@shastess and @primarypolkadots) to see what skill we will be focusing on for the month
• Write a blog post about using a favorite trade book to teach a specific skill and link up with us!
• If you feature a paid product, you must offer a freebie in your post.
• Link up either under the K-2 or 3-5 linky!

An InLinkz Link-up

I like KIDS' BOOKS & I can not LIE {LINKY PARTY}

Oh. my. word. Becky, look at her library.

Yes. it's true. Teachers obsess and drool over trade books.

Several years ago for Christmas, I just asked for Amazon gift cards to order the rest of the Chris Van Allsburg books so I could complete my collection. Yes. This is my life.

After sharing a Periscope the other night with this same title, I thought it would be fun to create a linky that features everyone's "favorites" when it comes to the children's literature that we use day in and day out.

Brace yourself for this awesomeness. And for the fact that you could be a couple hundred bucks shorter after reading everyone's link ups. Hey - you gotta buy whatcha gotta buy!

It's almost impossible to narrow down my favorite children's book of all time. 

I thought long and hard about this, but I've finally narrowed it down. 

When I think about books from my childhood, this one book stands out. I remember my mom reading me Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber. 

                     

I don't know why I loved this book so much, other than I loved the simple illustrations. Also, I loved how fun it looked when Ira and Reggie (his friend's house he went to sleep over at) would play and work on their stamp collection.

I've read this book several times to my class. It's great for making text connections with themselves. Also, it's great for discussing point of view and perspective. We see how Ira's sister makes fun of him because he heads to Reggie's house to sleep, but is scared to take his teddy bear because Ira's sister said Reggie will make fun of him. I love the mom and dad's perspective, being protective of Ira's innocence and encouraging him to be himself, and not worry what Reggie thinks. Poor little Ira has such internal conflict over whether or not to show Reggie his teddy bear that he sleeps with as he tells the story from his point of view. In the end, Ira decides to sleep with his bear and to his surprise, Reggie too has a special teddy bear he sleeps with. 

         

       

There is nothing by Chris VanAllsburg that I don't love. He. is. da. man.

Not only does he write extremely creative and thought provoking books, he illustrates them as well.

If you are looking for children's literature that inspires true rigor in your lessons, look no farther than Chris Van Allsburg. I use his books nonstop in mini lessons and in small group.

Here are skills that I teach using a few of his books:

• The Stranger - Making Inferences & Drawing Conclusions
• The Polar Express - Figurative Language & Plot
• The Wreck of the Zephyr - Drawing Conclusions & Making Predictions
• Two Bad Ants  - Point of View/Perspective
• Zathura & Jumanji - Compare and Contrast Story Elements
• The Mysteries of Harris Burdick - Great for story starters in a writing center

Ok. I'm not going to lie. Chris Van Allsburg is my all-time-favorite illustrator, but since I've referenced him far too many times in this blog post already, I thought I'd break it up with a little Ezra Jack Keats action. (Also, it was starting to get a little creepy.)

I do love all of Ezra Jack Keats' books. They are so cute and the kids love them. But nothing beats his illustrations. The colors are so vibrant and the illustrations of the children are so cute, you just want to put them in your pocket and call it a day. I mean, do you see that little snow angel from The Snowy Day? I mean. There are no words with that little orange outfit on. I kinda wish they made one in my size, but the cuteness factor would be out the window...sooo....

Here are a few of my favorite Ezra Jack Keats' books that the illustrations are to die for:

 

 

Point of view is one of those skills that kids have a hard time wrapping their little brains around. However, if you have the perfect mentor text when you introduce this skill, your kids will get it immediately.

I love, love, love using The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka to introduce point of view. It's great because it tells the story that we know and love of the three little pigs, but from the Wolf's viewpoint. He gives reasons and examples of why he is so innocent. He gives reasons for why things happened the way they happened with the pigs. 

The illustrations are phenomenial and the story is just too cute. 

The kids totally get the idea of point of view using this book because they are so familiar with the turmoil and horror the pigs faced in "reality" that they are able to see the twists and lies that the Wolf presents to the reader. 

I've created a mini-unit using this book that I've used several times in class. It's my number one, best seller on TpT. Check it out...you may find it handy to use when teaching point of view this school year! {Click on the images to head to the product in my store!}

Link up with your favorite KIDS' BOOKS! I can't wait to see what you have to say!

{Best Books for Boys} LiNkY

Hi friends! I love a good linky and this one is so fun! Courtney from Swimming into Second is hosting this par-tay and it's such a great idea!

The majority of my boys love nonfiction books! Bugs, rocks, gross things, cars. If it's a typical boy topic, they are reading about it and letting everyone around them know how boyishly-boy of a topic it is! Of course, with the new CCSS coming down the pike, it's important that their reading is balanced in genre. At 3rd grade, 50% of what they're reading should be fiction and the other 50% should be nonfiction. So, the struggle is getting them hooked on those fiction books! Most of the time, they get bored with the fiction chapter books because there are no pictures and their attention span is cut short {imagine that! haha}. But, thanks to some AWESOME authors, there are some GREAT fiction books and authors that will scoop them up and have them engaged instantly! Below are some of the most PoPuLaR fiction and nonfiction books that my boys are reading from my classroom library and school library.

FICTION

Here are some great, highly engaging fiction books for your little studly muffins in your classroom! {Click on each book so that it links you back to Amazon!}

Chris Van Allsburg is ah-mazing, #1. #2, I read this book to my kids in October during a lesson on asking "Deep Questions" and how the illustrations connect to the details in the story. Since that time, this book has not been in my library at all. It's been circulating between my boys (and girls, but mostly boys). The suspense and element of mystery is so exciting to them! Love it!

Geronimo Stilto is a super popular {short} chapter book series with my boys! It's a series of adventure and mystery written from the point of view of a mouse named Geronimo. He writes for a newspaper, but his true passion is writing adventure stories for all the mouse citizens of Mouse Island! There are cute black and white illustrations scattered throughout the book that keeps them engaged and chuckling the entire time! 

The ever classic Box Car Children gets 'em every time! I usually do the first book as a read-aloud at the beginning of the year, and that gets them hooked. However, this year, my read-alouds have been cut short {sadly...} and I just introduced the series, showing them some of my favorites from the series, and building them up! The favorite now is The Blue Bay Mystery. 

Every little boy I've ever known likes Legos, Star Wars, or both. What a brilliant idea when an author combined the two into this captivating series that flies off our school library shelves!! There are chapter books {which are for more advanced readers} and picture books. Both are precious...errrr manly and adventurous and great reads for boys!

Another highly engaging fiction book I must recommend is yet another Chris Van Allsburg book. My kids love this one! It's a clever spin on Jumanji, but with outerspace characters and elements. It's a funny tale of two brothers who get sucked into outerspace and their adventures in their floating house! It's quite hysterical!

This book is HYSTERICAL! Boys, and girls alike, L-O-V-E this book! It's one of the top 5 in my library FOR sure! If you don't own it, you should! It's so funny, and a great trade book to prompt writing ideas for your kiddos!

                            NONFICTION

Here are some great, highly engaging nonfiction books for your little studly muffins in your classroom! {Click on each book so that it links you back to Amazon!}

There's something about the Titanic that intrigues every boy I've ever had in class! I have abut 4 different books in my classroom library about the Titanic. However, Eyewitness Book's version is the H-O-T-T hottest to read! Literally, the pages are falling out! haha Pretty much any Eyewitness Book is an awesome read!

We have a copy of this book in the library and in my classroom. It's a great read that's been passed around from one little boy to the next...and periodically during silent reading you'll hear truck sounds. Just saying.

Finally, this book is SUPER popular with the boys! Their favorite thing to do is go around the room and ask everyone their birthday so they can tell them their birth stone! They get a huge kick out of it! It's so cute!

Check out one of my most popular products on TpT that uses the books Zathura and Jumanji by Mr. Van Allsburg. It's a CCSS aligned mini unit with everything you need to properly teach your students how to compare and contrast key story elements, and SURE to keep your little boys engaged! :)

Until then, 

Trade Book Tuesday: Two Bad Ants

I am really  excited to introduce my Weekly Feature: Trade Book Tuesday! I can not tell you how many trade books I've hoarded collected over the years, but I just can not get enough of them! A GREAT trade book is priceless and when it's good, it's good! 

Click on the book to order from Amazon.com! 

The first book I think every teacher should have in their collection of Children's Literature is Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg. Have you read it? If you haven't, you need to. You {yes, you, the teacher} will get a good laugh at this quirky book with hilarious antics {ANTics...HA! Get it?! No pun intended!} of two naughty ants that stray from their colony into a giant mountain {...a house} full of swirling, brown whirlpools {...or coffee as you may know it} and giant, shiny crystals {those would be sugar crystals, SHUGAH!}. They have a shockingly not so good time in this fantastic story of adventure, drama, and cheeky humor!

This book is PERFECT for teaching Perspective/Point of View. I have used this book to teach this skill with 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders and they ALL love this book! It's a great introduction to perspective and it truly lays a great foundation for understanding why we all have opinions or certain points of views on things based on age, life experiences, height, beliefs, etc, etc.

The illustrations are fantastic, and in classic Chris Van Allsburg style, the story {secretly} teaches a lesson that is sure to bring about great conversation with your little readers! It's a great way to reinforce those listening skills....Wait? Kids forget listening skills???

Naaahhhhhhh....

I have a great little packet you can check out at either one of my teacher stores that uses Two Bad Ants for this exact skill! The mini unit can be used to introduce or review point of view/perspective based on Common Core RL.3.6!

Simply click on any of these pictures to link to the packet! :)

Here's some examples of two of the activities from the packet! The "Personal Perspective" activity is so fun for the kiddos {and was for ME, too!}. It was so fun to find out everyone's point of view/perspective on different topics and most importantly, why! It was a great conversation piece and definitely a higher order thinking activity!

I hope you enjoy this book with your little friends as much as I do! Get ready for LOTS of Chris Van Allsburg trade books! I use them ALL the time!

**P.S. -- The first three people to COMMENT on this post, get this mini unit FO' FREE!!! Leave your email address and I'll send it to you tonight!! WOOHOO!!! Don't forget to Follow my TPT and TN stores, too!**

HAPPY READING!