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Dive Into Reading! is LEE & LOW’s new line of early chapter books that focuses on supporting readers in each stage of their reading development. 

The Confetti Kids series follows a group of five children from diverse backgrounds living in a friendly city neighborhood, and each book follows a different character as they learn about friendship and how to navigate common childhood experiences.

Lily’s New Home

Synopsis: Lily moves from a quiet suburb to an apartment on a busy street in the city. Lily worries that she’ll never fit in. As she and her parents explore their new, multicultural neighborhood, Lily discovers that sometimes change can be a good thing!

Want to Play?

Synopsis: It’s a warm, sunny day, and the gang heads to the neighborhood playground to play. What should they play? Pablo comes up with a great idea: to play pretend. It’s a game that everyone can do easily. They can pretend to be archaeologists, astronauts, and explorers. There’s no limit to what they imagine they can be!

Explore these books and more with the FREE Confetti Kids Activity Guide and Lesson Plans available NOW on our website. 

• Activity Guide
• Lily’s New Home Lesson Plan
• Want to Play? Lesson Plan

 Emergent Content Themes and Strategies Covered:

• community/communities
• families
• problem solving
• reading and following dialogue
• sequencing events
• connecting personal experiences
• summarizing and main idea
• high-frequency words
• characterization
• compare and contrast

Here’s a preview of the types of engaging projects and activities you can find in the Confetti Kids Activity Guide:

You can purchase a copy of Lily’s New Home or Want to Play on our website here.

Veronica has a degree from Mount Saint Mary College and joined LEE & LOW in the fall of 2014. She has a background in education and holds a New York State childhood education (1-6) and students with disabilities (1-6) certification. When she’s not wandering around New York City, you can find her hiking with her dog Milo in her hometown in the Hudson Valley, NY.

LEE & LOW BOOKS celebrates its 25^th anniversary this year and to recognize how far the company has come, we are featuring one title a week to see how it is being used in classrooms today as well, as hear from the authors and illustrators.

Today, we are celebrating Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path, an inspirational story for children of all backgrounds. A biography of the legendary Native American Jim Thorpe (1888–1953), voted the Greatest Football Player and Greatest Athlete of the Half-Century by two AP polls, focusing on his early childhood and how school and sports shaped his future.

Featured title: Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path

Author: Joseph Bruchac

Illustrator: S.D. Nelson

Synopsis: The biography of the legendary Native American, Jim Thorpe (1888–1953), focusing on his early childhood and how school and sports shaped his future.

From the day he was born, Jim Thorpe’s parents knew he was special. As the light shone on the road to the family’s cabin, his mother gave Jim another name — Wa-tho-huck — “Bright Path.”

Jim’s athletic skills were evident early on, as he played outdoors and hunted with his father and twin brother. When the boys were sent to Indian boarding school, Jim struggled in academics but excelled in sports. Jim moved from school to school over the years, overcoming family tragedies, until his athletic genius was recognized by Coach Pop Warner at the Carlisle Indian School.

Awards and Honors:

• Carter G. Woodson Book Award Honor, National Council for Social Studies
• Choices, Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC)
• Teachers’ Choices, International Reading Association (IRA)
• Best of the Best List, Chicago Public Library, Children & YA Services
• Storytelling World Resource Award, Storytelling World magazine

Check out this interview with author, Joseph Bruchac, about Native American literature.

Resources for teaching with Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path:

• Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path Teacher’s Guide from LEE & LOW BOOKS
• Grade 4 Unit: Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path
• Eisenhower Grade 4 Unit: Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path
• Indian Education For All: Grade 4 Model Teaching Unit
• JeopardyLabs: Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path

Discover other books like Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path with the Joseph Bruchac Collection!

Book Activities:

1. Draw attention to the use of similes in the book. For example: Jim took to it all like a catfish takes to a creek. It made him (Jim) feel like a fox caught in an iron trap. Epidemics of influenza swept through like prairie fires. Have students try to write their own similes for other events or actions in the story.
2. Ask students to explore the National Track & Field Hall of Fame (www.usatf.org ) or the Pro Football Hall of Fame (www.profootballhof.com ) and plan an imaginary trip there or enjoy a visual visit on the Web.

Have you used Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path? Let us know!

Celebrate with us! Check out our 25 Years Anniversary Collection

Veronica has a degree from Mount Saint Mary College and joined LEE & LOW in the fall of 2014. She has a background in education and holds a New York State childhood education (1-6) and students with disabilities (1-6) certification. When she’s not wandering around New York City, you can find her hiking with her dog Milo in her hometown in the Hudson Valley, NY.

The holidays are over and with a combination of sadness and relief, our thoughts are now turning to the winter months. This can bring about a feeling of excitement for many parents, or a robust feeling of dread! As the temps dip and the days get shorter , families tend to move from an outdoor focus to more of an indoor one. The result is a LOT of “togetherness” and a LOT of time to fray mom and dad’s nerves!

But, no matter where you live,the colder seasons are perfect for reading old classic books and enjoying new ones. As much as we love reading at Jump Into a Book, we are also always looking for ways to turn reading from a solitary act to one the whole family can get involved in.

If you follow JIAB, you’ve heard me speak of the act of “bookjumping” often. Bookjumping is about pulling books off shelves and stories off of pages. Basically, bookjumping is a “Valarie-ism” that describes creating book extensions for virtually any children’s story as a way to bring the story to life, make reading more fun, teach new skills and bring families together.

So as the frost begins to form gorgeous patterns on the window of my study, and the fluffy whiteness of winter begins to flitter down from the sky, I think it’s time to share some Cold Weather Activities Wrapped Around Reading.

Get into the Kitchen:

Bread baking has always been a favorite in our family and the comfort and warmth of smelling bread baking in the oven is hard to beat. Recently we dusted off the rolling pin and whipped up a batch of Saffron Buns/Lussekattor (pronounced “Lucy cat-tor”) in honor of my Swedish heritage and the Swedish Christmas books that are family favorites.

Before that, reading Roald Dahl books inspired us to make some Fizzy Lifting Drinks and Wonkalicious Chocolate Covered Pretzels!

Mama Panya’s Pancakes makes for a fantastic read aloud. The text is written in little boxes making it easy for young readers to follow along or take a turn reading out loud themselves. Make a batch of Mama Panya’s Pancakes

Check out my recipe for Happy Sun Bread and Dragon Bread and the books they are based on.

Fall In Love With a New Series:

Booklists, Book-Jumps and Activities “Books Like Percy Jackson” Booklist. Like I mentioned in my recent Janet Allison Boys Alive interview, the Percy Jackson series is  God’s gift to all parents who have boy reluctant readers. If this series strikes a cord with your reluctant reader, check into some of these other “Percy-like” books series!

Create a Craft that Knocks Their Socks off!

The Book-Jumper Summer Reading Series: A Day with Pippi Longstocking is a great way to read a classic tale and create a simple and fun moment in time creating your very own “long stockings.”

Word Games & Brain Teasers:

The brain is a muscle and it needs work out too. Create time to play fun word games, try trivia, practice your story re-telling skills and enjoy good, clean jokes for kids.

Play with Paper

My good friend Marilyn Scott-Waters has some simply delightful paper toys to help readers create their own Horse adventure around their favorite horse-themed books. What better way to stimulate young minds than with some pretend play. Marilyn has some wonderful downloadable paper toys on The Toymaker and a few suggestions to create your own stable of pretty ponies:

How about some paper crafts in step with the winter season? Paper craft lovers will love this The Story of Snow by Mark Cassino celebrates the magic of snow through science, math, language arts, music, and visual art activities.  The Story of Snow uses a brilliant balance of incorporating photographs of crystals, pen & ink drawings, text for 3 different reading levels, and uncovering the mystery of snow. It serves equally as both a fascinating non-fiction journey and an inspiring nature art book. For those who love snow, The Story of Snow opens the door of awe and wonder of the magnificent wet stuff and takes us on a personal journey.

Learn About our History: Despite what some young readers might think, history is not dry and boring. Family-friendly reenactments of moments in our history make for excellent learning experiences while keeping the cold weather boredom monster at bay. Great JIAB posts that are rich in history would include this one about the Good Ol US of A, life during the “buffalo days” , celebrating our 4th of July traditions, and exploring the lives of inspiring people like Helen Keller.

Play with Nature: Even when the weather is cold, nature still can be a great teacher. Reading books based on nature helps to bring the outside IN and keep young mind stimulated. No matter what time of year it is, there are always stars in the sky. Practice learning and studying the night’s sky or bring the outside in with some fun fort building activities.

Engage in some Pretend Play:

Books and pretend play seem to go hand-in-hand for readers of all ages. Who wouldn’t want to read a few pirate books and then spend the day delving into all sort of pirate activities?!

To the Moon! The anniversary of the first Moon-Walk doesn’t occur until July, but that’s no reason to not have your young readers “blast off” with The Moon Landing Book List and some great book extensions!

Kids and mysteries go hand-in-hand and what better way to pass the time on a dreary day than with your home-grown version of a “whodunit!” Lucky for parents, there are so many wonderful kidlit mystery books out there. Discover the mysteries of Camp Green Lake in the book Holes, enjoy some intrigued from The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and delve into some super sleuthing of K.C. Corcoran and her pal, Marshall Li in Ron Roy’s Capital Mystery series.

**Some of these links are affiliate links. That means if you click and buy, I may get a very small commission. This money goes towards postage and supplies to keep books and ideas in the hands of young readers!

Would you like to create a afternoon of sleuthing, mysteries and mysterious adventures? Grab a copy of our FREE Secret Codes, Mysteries and Adventure downloadable PDF Activity Guide! This guide is19 pages of fun including activities like Creating and Deciphering Invisible Messages, baking “I Spy” Cookies and learn more about the US President who was a master decoder! Click the image below to get your free copy!

The post Cold Weather Activities Wrapped Around Reading appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

Celebrate architecture and design for Archtober with students!

October, or “Archtober” as it is called, marks the 4^th annual month-long festival of all things architecture and design in New York City.

Recommended reading to teach about architecture for students:

Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building

• Lee & Low teacher’s guide
• Reading is Fundamental guide
• Classroom activities from author, Christy Hale

Sky Dancers

• Lee & Low teacher’s guide
• The Empire State Building lesson plans from Bank Street College of Education
• The Skyscraper Museum educator resources

The East-West House: Noguchi’s Childhood in Japan

• Lee & Low teacher’s guide
• Classroom activities from author, Christy Hale
• The Noguchi Museum educator resources

 Shapes Where We Play

• Lee & Low lesson plan

STEM + Literacy Activities:

1. Encourage students to examine the differences between architecture and engineering. How do these two fields depend on each other? What is unique about each field? What do architects contribute to building a structure? What do engineers contribute? For a simplified breakdown of the duties of an architect and an engineer, the New School of Architecture + Design has a clear infographic.

2. Have students in small teams research a well-known structure in their community, city, or state (such as a museum, performing arts center, or place of worship). Who built it and when? For what is the structured used? Where is it located? What is it made of? Why were those materials used? What is special about the design? What challenges did the architect have in creating this structure? In addition to online and print resources, students can interview someone who works at the structure, if possible. After research is complete, students can create a model of the structure, design a poster advertising it to tourists, or write and present a report on the structure to the class.

3. Ask students to imagine that they are architects assigned to design a new school. Describe the materials you will need and what the building will look like. As you think about the design and materials needed, consider the types of spaces children in the school will need to learn, read, eat, study; what you will need to make the building safe and sturdy; and what will make it an attractive place in which to learn.

4. Set up a hands on, or sensory, station with materials from home or a local hardware store that are used to build structures. Examples could be a wood spoon for wood, a cooking pot for steel, etc. Have students touch and record the characteristics of each sample material. Why might an architect use steel instead of wood, or bamboo instead of concrete? Students can make a chart of popular building materials to compare the advantages and disadvantages of each. Have students study the physical characteristics (based on sight, touch, sound, and even smell) of brick, wood, bamboo, clay, concrete, steel, glass, iron, rock, straw, recycled materials, and more. For advanced or older students, topics to compare include cost of the material, availability, resiliency in natural disasters, typical lifetime, flexibility and ability to shape the material, environmental friendliness, and beauty/appeal.

5. Have students study the roles that appeal/beauty, safety, and function/purpose play in the design of a structure. Is one preferable over the other? Why? Do these factors all work together or can they be in conflict with one another? Students can look at one specific structure to see how the architect addressed each of these issues. If possible, ask a local architect or professor from an area college to discuss these factors.

6. Watch PBS’s “Building Big,” a five-part miniseries on bridges, domes, skyscrapers, dams, and tunnels. Each one-hour program explores the different type of structures and what it takes to build them. An educator’s guide of activities from PBS is available online.

7. Lead students in a step-by-step activity to create their own geodesic dome, sandcastle, toothpick structure, or floor plan. Instructions can be found online at the archKIDecture website.

Jill Eisenberg, our Resident Literacy Specialist, began her career teaching English as a Foreign Language to second through sixth graders in Yilan, Taiwan as a Fulbright Fellow. She went on to become a literacy teacher for third grade in San Jose, CA as a Teach for America corps member. She is certified in Project Glad instruction to promote English language acquisition and academic achievement. In her column she offers teaching and literacy tips for educators.

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