T is for TarHeel: A North Carolina Alphabet by Carol Crane

Genre: Informational

Publisher Information: Sleeping Bear Press (34 pgs)

Summary: This is a book that takes the alphabet and using each letter comes up with a symbol that represents North Carolina that begins with that letter. They take a page to describe the symbol and give some history of it, along with GREAT illustrations to make the symbols come alive.

Reading Level: 5.6

Interest Level: 3-5

Personal Rating: **** This book is a great book to use in the classroom! The illustrations are awesome and the information is interesting.

Integrations:

Social Studies: This book is a great way to introduce a unit on the symbols of North Carolina. My class creates a symbol book, where they write something about each symbol and then color a picture of it. This book would be great to use at the beginning of that unit.

Writing: Have students create their own alphabet book about a topic that interests them.

Possible Problems: none

If You Were a Verb by Michael Dahl

Book Genre: Fiction and Informational Book
Publisher: Picture Window Books - 2006
Awards/Honor: None
Reading Level: 2th - 4th (I am using this for 4th grade)
Interest Level: 2th - 4th

Summary:

This is an excellent book to use to introduce or talk about verbs. This book share the different kinds and forms of verbs. I talk about helping verbs, linking verb, and verb tense. Not only does this book present different types and forms verbs, but it also give example through the colorful illustrations. Plus, in the book the verbs are presented in big, bold print.

Rating: Great!

I read this book with my son who is in the second grade and we enjoy every part of the book. As a teacher, I really like the visual that is goes along with the print.

Integrated unit of study:(this Idea is from the book) Language Arts/ P.E.

Directions: Think of an action verb, such as swimming, walking, etc and let one student act it out. Have the rest of the students write down what they believe the verb is and share. After doing this for awhile, have the students go to their desk and write about which one of the role play they enjoyed in great detail and/or write a story with a lot of action in it.

Potential Problems or Difficulties:

One difficult might be the children trying to do some of the movement seen in the book and hurt themselves.