Books/Writing

Please share your activities for your students' favorite books!

Friends Book
I take a picture of each child on the first day of school.  We glue each on a page with the following verse and let the kids decorate their page.  This book becomes the favorite.  I use it in the beginning to help the kids learn each others' names and then I send it home with a different child each night.  The parents love to see faces of their children's friends. It also helps the kids learn a few sight words.
(Name), (Name)
I like (Name).
(Name) is my friend.
Chris Gulotta
Tallahassee, FL

School Friends Book
I take a picture of all school workers that my kids will need to be familiar with from the principal to the custodial staff.  Then we add the following repetitive words to each page.  They also take turns bringing this one home.
This is____________.
He/She is our_________.
Chris Gulotta
Tallahasse, FL

Innovation of Have You Seen My Cat?
I love this innovation of the book by Eric Carle.  We put different teachers in place of the cats.  The kids draw the pictures.  It goes like this..."Have you seen my Teacher?"  "That is not my teacher." The kids draw other teachers in the school. Then, the last page say, "This is my teacher."  I always put a photgraph of myself on the last page, so there is no mistaking who the book is about.
Chris Gulotta
Tallahassee, FL

Field Trip Books
Sometimes I take pictures on field trips and get doubles made to make a class book of the day.
Chris Gulotta
Tallahassee, FL

School News
My students take turns being the classroom 'reporter.' Whenever something newsworthy takes place, a student may take a picture. We have a schedule to show whose turn it is to be reporter. That student then takes a 'reporter sheet' and writes about the event. When the film is developed, the students place their photograph and their report in a scrapbook. This continues throughout the year. Toward the end of the school year, the students may take the scrapbook home so their parents can see the pictures and read the news events. It's great to have a record of all the wonderful and exciting things that take place in the classroom through the year! The students love taking the pictures and writing the news!
Jo Elliott
Ortonville, Minnesota

Harry Potter Lesson Harry Potter Lesson and activities for grades 6 - 8.

 Database of Award Winning Children's Literature