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We continue our discussion with word wizard
Rebecca Colby as she travels around the world, celebrating her book,
It’s Raining Bats & Frogs! Enter to win the overall giveaway for a $50 USD Amazon voucher (or £30 GBP Amazon voucher) at the end of the tour. You’ll find details about the tour
here!
And who doesn’t love a scavenger hunt! Follow Rebecca’s tour to find out which blogs contain the clues and then collect all the answers. There are eight answers to find and submit in total.
So what should you be looking for? Witch names, of course! Each post will mention a fictitious witch somewhere in the discussion. To be in with a chance of winning, leave a comment on the blog where you found the name (but please DON’T reveal the name) , including Teacher Authors! At the end of the tour, send Rebecca (at website address
here) a list of all eight names via her website contact page, and enter the Rafflecopter entry form on her page. You have until 11.59pm EST on 5 September to enter the scavenger hunt giveaway!
Today, Rebecca talks about her process how a writer (and a teacher) can create a teacher’s guide that teachers can use! Thank you, Rebecca!
When I began teaching, I was gobsmacked to learn how much the profession had changed from when I attended school. Gone were the handy, school-supplied textbooks that provided teachers with lesson plans and worksheets. Instead, I found myself spending all of my free time creating my own lesson plans and worksheets, or researching teacher websites for appropriate resources. My full-time teaching job quickly became two full-time jobs.
After publishing my first book, I was determined to make my book as accessible and as desirable as possible to teachers. Teachers are the busiest people I know! If I wanted teachers to use my book in the classroom, I knew I needed to both create the resources AND bring them to the teachers.
By the way, here’s a scavenger hunt answer for you--today’s witch name is Ethel. Pinpoint your book’s USP One of the first things you need to do is pinpoint what your book’s unique selling point (USP) is in respect of teachers using it in the classroom. How does it fit in with what is taught?
My first book was about a wee lassie who swallows all manner of Scottish birds and animals. The USP was obvious: I placed my primary focus for the activity guide on Scottish wildlife and their habitats. However, with my second book, which is about a witch parade, the USP wasn’t as clear. I focused on several aspects of the book—after all, witches aren’t a typical classroom topic. So while the main English activity asked children to create their own rhyming spells, math found them comparing and ordering the size of frogs, science had them playing a game of bat and moth to learn about echolocation, and art saw them creating musical rainsticks.
Research relevant curriculums Find out what is being taught at what grade level. The best way to do that is to research both The
Common Core Standards and state curriculums. While researching your own state’s curriculum is a good place to start, keep in mind that unless your book releases with a regional publisher, then you also need to look at other states’ curriculums—particularly curriculums for the larger (and often bellweather) states. Two good examples are
California and
Texas.
Make teachers happy Just producing an activity guide is sure to make a teacher happy, but if you want to go that extra mile, think about two things: 1) How can I make the activities cross-curricular? and 2) How can I extend children’s learning?
While my guide is cross-curricular and covers most subjects taught in school, some of the individual activities are also cross-curricular. For example, the art activity involves making a witch puppet, which can later be used in English to act out and retell the book. In this way, one activity allows for learning in two areas of the curriculum.
Teachers are also always looking for ways to extend children’s learning. In one of my science activities, children are asked to measure rainfall over the course of a week. This can be done simply by marking water levels on the side of the rain collection container with colored felt-tip pens and comparing levels. But if a teacher wishes to extend children’s learning and introduce standard units of measure (or the teacher wants a differentiated activity for more able students), he or she could ask the children to measure the rainfall in inches or centimeters with a ruler.
Where to share Now that you have your guide, what do you do with it? I always make mine available as a download from my website. But teachers are incredibly busy, remember? Bring the guide to them. Post it on websites like
Teachers Pay Teachers and
Share My Lesson. Forward it to your publisher. They often hold a database full of educational contacts. Bring hard copies of the guide to library, festival, and bookstore event. And if you have some spare time, you could email teachers and let them know about your guide. After all, you’re probably going to email a few teachers anyway to see if they’d like to set up author visits with you. Mention the guide and where to find the download in the email.
Speaking of which, if you’re interested in downloading the free teacher’s activity guide to
It’s Raining Bats & Frogs, you can find it
here.
I want to say thank Teaching Authors for hosting me again today, and to all of you for reading this post! If you have any tips of your own, or if you decide to produce a guide for your book, I’d love to hear about it!
 |
| Illustration by Steven Henry |
Thank you for stopping by, Rebecca!
Bobbi Miller
By: Robin,
on 3/13/2013
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No matter what you have planned for Friday, April 12, get ready to DROP EVERYTHING AND READ! April 12 is Beverly Cleary’s birthday and National D.E.A.R Day, and we’ve got just the thing to help you celebrate: classroom activities for the RAMONA books. They’re aligned to the Common Core State Standards, AND they contain fun suggestions and writing prompts to get your students’ creativity flowing.
Look out for the new Ramona Quimby Journal, jam-packed with writing and drawing prompts, quizzes, puzzles, and stickers galore!
Also, keep an eye out for the newly-updated Ramona books with fantastic new cover art and black-and-white interior illustrations!
Visit www.dropeverythingandread.com for more activities, videos, ideas for your D.E.A.R. Day celebration, and much more.
Happy D.E.A.R. Day to you!
This was sent to me this morning... ALL AROUND THE SEASONS « SimplyScience Blog
Activity 1
In a particular season, go outside each day and observe the weather. Create a chart that shows the weather and record your observations over a period of time. Talk about your local weather and compare it with what a season from the book is like. Discuss the words same and different.
This site has a variety of materials that relate units to season.
Activity 2
Choose a season and make a predictable chart.
National Science Standard: changes in environment
Book provided by publisher for Librarian’s Choices Committee
Today is the first of Orca’s Poetry Pauses in celebration of National Poetry Month. Every Friday throughout April, we will post a fun and classroom-friendly poem from one of Pat Skene’s hilarious poetry collections: Monster Lunch, Rhyme Stones and What a Hippopota-Mess!, all illustrated by Graham Ross. This week’s poem is “Grumpy Garden-Dude” from Monster Lunch.
Classroom Activities:
· Pat’s poems are perfect for reading aloud or performing in small groups. Have the class identify all the “garden” words in the poem.
· Discuss students’ favorite (and least favorite!) outdoor activities.
· Make a chart of what vegetables students would grow in their gardens and why.
· Help students write another stanza for “Grumpy Garden-Dude” with the same AABB rhyme scheme.
You can also download the Monster Lunch Teachers’ Guide for more activities and curriculum connections.
Grumpy Garden-Dude
Please excuse my attitude,
but you can keep your garden-food.
I think planting is a bore,
When you can buy stuff at the store.
One day my dad said with a grin,
“C’mon, let’s put a garden in.”
I dragged the tools down from the shelf,
and kept my feelings to myself.
We found a sunny garden spot.
I worked till I was sweaty hot.
We turned the soil to make a bed.
“Now add manure,” my father said.
“Phew!” I cried. “Give me a break!”
He laughed and handed me the rake.
I sniffed and sniffed but must admit,
it didn’t even stink a bit.
We put in rows and rows of seeds.
Dad said, “That’s what our garden needs.”
We planted seedlings in the ground
and wrapped some wire all around.
I moaned and groaned till we were done.
My dad said, “Next comes all the fun.
I’ll make a gardener of you yet.”
I answered, “Right! You wanna bet?”
I dug my heels into the dirt
and wiped my hands across my shirt.
Now what’s a grumpy dude to do?
I didn’t have a garden-clue!
For weeks I battled wicked weeds.
I shrieked at slugs and centipedes.
The sprinkler hose had sprung a leak.
My garden-life was looking bleak.
The day by day the changes came.
And things no longer looked the same.
Who knew that peas could climb a pole?
Or squash would grow out of control?
We built a trellis with some twine.
I helped my dad with the design.
We scooped up radishes and beans,
pickled carrots, beets and lettuce greens.
Our yard looked like a grocery mart
I could have used a shopping cart.
Tomatoes overflowed my pot,
and suddenly, I had a thought.
“It’s pizza night,” I told my dad.
I showed him all the stuff I had.
Red peppers, onions, herbs and more.
“We don’t need pizza from the store.”
We made the dough—it was a breeze.
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By:
Shutta Crum,
on 8/10/2009
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I have a wonderful little thunder stick I take with me when I visit schools. Many teachers and families have asked about where to get one. Below are some links and photos. I like getting a nice array of instruments together to make storm sounds and then read THUNDER-BOOMER! I point to each child to indicate when he/she is to play his/her instrument. I’m sure an upturned bucket would also suffice for thunder. But the thunder tube is so much more unexpected and exciting. They come in various sizes and are fairly inexpensive. And the frogs are fun, too. Enjoy!
For the rain: rainsticks. Available at:
amazon.com
musiciansfriend.com
For the thunder: thunder tubes/sticks.
Available at:
amazon.com
teachersource.com
For the hail: clappers, jingles, tambourines, shakers, gourd rattles. Make your own, or many inexpensive ones are available at:
musiciansfriend.com
For the frog/toad sounds after the rain: percussive frogs. Available at:
amazon.com
teachersource.com
Enjoy your classroom thunder storms!!
Shutta
by Sharon Blumberg
I teach Spanish to seventh grade students. After students and I return from holiday vacations such as winter and spring break, I need to mentally transition myself back into the school routine. If I need to do this, I figure my students need assistance with this, as well.
Sometimes, I ask my students individually to verbally share with the class what they did over break, or what they will be doing, if a break is about to begin.
One activity that encourages written literacy, and fluency along with self-expression, is what I refer to as Holiday Participation Strips or Tiras de Participacion in Spanish. Since most of my students are beginning Spanish language learners, they need to write on their notecards in English. I ask them to write at least four to six sentences in English about their favorite activities during vacation. Beforehand, though, I share and talk about my own highlights with them - to model and encourage an atmosphere of sharing.
This activity encourages written fluency because students are writing about enjoyable activities from their holiday vacations. They are also writing about a high interest topic they are quite familiar with, themselves! So even students who do not participate in the writing can individually reflect upon their experiences as a means to transition themselves back into school life, socio-emotionally. A few students sometimes ask to read about their experiences to the class before turning in their completed cards.
Since this activity is not part of the Spanish language curriculum, I don’t require everyone to take part in it. They have an option. I like giving students choices from time to time. Students who turn in a notecard to share receive credit. Students who choose not to participate will not have it count against their participation grade.
I tell students ahead of time that I will display the notecards for their classmates to read. Some students turn their cards in, but write a note saying they don’t want their card publicly displayed, and I honor that choice.
After collecting the holiday participation cards, I paste them on sheets of construction paper by class periods, laminate them, then post them on a display wall. Students occasionally peruse through the writings. They are allowed to read the cards during circulation opportunities within the classroom.
Their highlighted activities fall under a number of categories. Students enjoy writing about going shopping in Chicago, traveling with their families to exciting destinations, visiting with relatives, socializing with friends, watching movies, attending parties, receiving presents, and how they celebrated the holidays. Many students have written that they enjoyed sleeping later and having the time to watch television shows that they did not typically have time to watch.
The most exciting part of this activity for me is to read the little things that make my students stand out in unique ways. The contributions come under many categories, but all are written in their own personal ways. For example, one student shared that it was the first time he had traveled in an airplane.
This is a writing and reading activity that enhances literacy skills in the classroom. It fosters connecting instruction as we, together, transition full circle back into the classroom and the curriculum.
***********************
Learn more about Sharon Blumberg on OUR STAFF AND FACULTY page.
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