Showing posts with label belonging. Show all posts
Friday, April 1, 2016
PPBF: Bartholomew Quill
Happy April Fools' Day.
And Perfect Picture Book Friday {PPBF}.
Title: Bartholomew Quill: A Crow's Quest To Know Who's Who
Author: Thor Hanson
Illustrator: Dana Arnim
Publisher: Little Bigfoot
Date: April 5, 2016
Suitable for ages: 4-8
Themes: knowing yourself, belonging
Brief Synopsis: Join Bartholomew as he takes flight to find out where he belongs.
Opening page:
Bartholomew Quill was a crow long ago,
when all of the world was anew.
Resources:
Visit Sasquatch Books {here}.
Why I like this book: This sweet story is the perfect pick for Poetry Month; its wonderful illustrations beautifully complement the rhyming text. Because the author is also a biologist, this tale includes interesting facts about the birds and animals, bugs and slugs that Bartholomew meets as he tries to find birds of his feather. The last page offers activity ideas and a link to the teacher's guide.
In addition to the publisher's suggestions, here are four ways that I can see infusing this book into an elementary-school classroom:
1. Have students compare and contrast the call of crows with ravens. How is their call similar? How is it different? Challenge them to close their eyes and try to identify them. What other bird calls do your students know? It might be fun to host a bird-calling contest!
2. Encourage your students to process aloud or in writing how, if at all, the adage "Birds of a feather flock together." might connect to Bartholomew's quest to find his kind.
3. Read Is Your Mama A Llama? by Deborah Guarino and Are You My Mother? by PD Eastman aloud; have your students compare and contrast the one they think is most similar using a double-bubble map.
4. Finally, use this treasure to encourage your students to do some self-awareness exploration. How are they like their families? Their friends? How are they different? What do they like most about themselves? Then extend it beyond human borders to have a little fun: If they could be a bird or an animal, which one would they choose to be? Why?
Check out this newbie; I think it'll leave you cawing for more.
no foolin'!
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Gifts From The Heart
Today I'm bubbling with joy because I'm linking up with Carla over at Comprehension Connection to celebrate gifts from the heart.
It's likely you've heard this before . . .
. . . and it's not just a sweet sentiment.
It's true!
Let's start with the gift of mentoring.
Yesterday our Character Cam caught this PAL pair playing
ring toss with our giraffe friend, Junior.
Oh, what fun, right?
I could just feel the joy.
Whom are you mentoring right now?
What could he or she learn from you?
How could he or she benefit from your wisdom?
And what might you learn in return?
Listening is also a gift from the heart; maybe someone has a problem that you can coach them through. Check out today's guest post about resisting peer pressure at Free Spirit Publishing by clicking our decision-making model graphic below.
I experienced an act of kindness yesterday when I snuck over to the elementary side of our school and found first graders in Mrs. Collins' class writing thank-you notes for their mail carriers. As they attached a candy cane to sweeten their sentiments, they enthusiastically shared that they'd left notes for their garbage carriers the day before. The sweetness spreads ...
Gifts from the heart don't have to be grand to be great.
I've seen students holding the door for a friend without being asked.
I've seen them carrying a bouquet of flowers from the garden.
I've seen them bringing in fresh fruit from their citrus trees.
A kind compliment here ...
My friend {and IT expert} Libby designed these gift tags that we're making available to our staff so they can affirm one another in writing. What a gift!
Click {here} to download the "school family" version
that you can use on your campus.
Check out these cool Compliment Cards
if you want a fun template for kids.
. . . a generous gesture there.
How about setting up a hot chocolate bar with candy canes to stir? Or bringing in a batch of your homemade, hand-dipped chocolates to share? Maybe decorating smile cards to put on the windshields of the cars in a parking lot?
Sometimes the gift from the heart is spelled T-I-M-E and it looks and feels like cozying up with a loved one and a good book or a Hallmark Channel holiday movie. Or maybe it's the gift of a song, either played on an instrument, sung with some carolers, or sent to an inbox via email or text.
I wonder what other gifts from the heart will enrich with special significance
your celebration this holiday season?
Friday, December 4, 2015
PPBF: You're Here For A Reason
Happy Friday.
Yesterday I was invited to the Bay Area Alliance luncheon, to speak to them for a second time this year. As we stood in line for that yummy homemade chili, I thanked one of the Board Members for having me back, adding that I hoped I didn't repeat myself too much. She said, "Oh, even if you did, that'd be okay. It wasn't so much what you said to us, but how you made us feel." Such a sweet affirmation of my work and the perfect segue into today's PPBF pick,
which has significance and belonging written all over it.
You matter.
You belong here.
You make a difference.
You are loved.
Title: You're Here for a Reason
Author & Illustrator: Nancy Tillman
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends New York
Publication Date: September 1, 2105
Suitable for: All ages
Genre: Motivational
Themes: belonging, kindness, stakeholders
Brief synopsis: Fly along with the child's red kite and see how one little kindness can ripple to show that we are all connected and what we do matters.
Opening page:
You're here for a reason, you certainly are.
The world would be different without you, by far.
If not for your hands and your eyes and your feet,
the world, like a puzzle, would be incomplete.
Resources: Take a peek at the book's intriguing illustrations {here}.
Read a review at Novel Novice {here}.
Check out these Interactive Mindful Notebooks {here}.
Talk about strengths as superpowers with this reflection sheet.
Then display them in a life-sized cape for a super visual:
Why I like this book: First of all, this was a Kohl's Cares selection, so I purchased the hardcover for just $5.00. Who doesn't love a deal like that? Secondly, let's just say it's a counselor's dream because its theme is at the core of what we do when we coach our students as they try
to figure out who they are,
to forge their own way,
to be kind to others, and
to use their strengths to make a difference.
And finally, the book puts the all-important me to we spin on life,
to spark a conversation about stakeholders.
Who cares about our choices?
Whom do they involve?
Whom will they affect?
How might considering stakeholders change our choices?
Because nothing happens in isolation.
We are all connected.
Check out this beautiful book; I think you'll be delighted you did.
Then head to Susanna's blog for our final PPBF titles for 2015.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
