Looking for a NEW, funny, and light-hearted picture book to read aloud for Hispanic Heritage Month? I’ve got you covered! Octopus Stew, by Eric Velasquez, is just what you’re looking for. Students will be hooked from page one. This is a delightful tall tale that celebrates Latino culture and an adventurous spirit. Students will: write a story of their own as a comic; dig into characterization; write a book review; retell the story; identify story elements; compare and contrast the text to the author’s note; research sharks and octopuses, and more! The reader response questions lend themselves to in-depth class or peer discussions and were designed to encourage students to use higher-level thinking skills, require students to provide text evidence to support their thinking, and challenge them to provide their own opinions and/or perspectives. This Resource Includes: Reader Response Questions (1 page) – short-answer response questions Story Elements Graphic Organizer (1 page) – Students will fill in each box with words and pictures to represent each story element. Character Traits Graphic Organizer (2 pages) - Students will analyze the boy and/or grandmother in the story by identifying their dialogue, thoughts, actions, and feelings. Character Trait Showcase (1 page) - Students will choose the most important character trait that describes each of the characters in the story. Then, for each character, they will give 1-2 examples of why they picked that trait. Character Summary (1 page) - Students will summarize a character of their choice, focusing on challenges, responses to challenges, flaws, positive characteristics, and completing a timeline of 5 events that showcase their character’s behavior. Retell the Story - BME (1 page) – Students will retell the beginning, middle, and end of the story Octopus Stew with text and illustrations. Create a Comic (1 pages) - Students will create or retell a favorite story as a comic, with speech bubbles, words, and illustrations. Story vs Author’s Note (1 page) - Students will compare and contrast the author’s note to the story using a graphic organizer. Book Review (1 page) – Students will rate and write a review for the book Octopus Stew. My Family Memory (2 pages) – Students will choose a family memory or story and write it as a fantasy story with illustrations. Long Research Project on Sharks or Octopuses (8 pages each) - Students will choose to research either sharks or octopuses. They will complete graphic organizers, answer questions, draw and label an illustration, record fun facts, define and illustrate new vocabulary, and complete a summary report. One-Page Research Project on Sharks or Octopuses (1 page each) - Students will choose to research either sharks or octopuses. They will complete a one-page report with facts regarding their animal’s habitat, features, diet, movement, and interesting facts.

This picture book companion is a complete supplemental resource for the book The Old Woman Who Named Things, by Cynthia Rylant. With 21 print-and-go reading activities to choose from, this resource is ideal for customizing learning to your student’s specific needs and academic abilities. Students will investigate characters, identify story elements, determine the theme, practice plotting story events, compare & contrast, make predictions, inferences, & connections, answer questions that require them to think beyond the text, and much more! Students will love the engaging and fun activities, and you will appreciate the time saved hunting for high-level resources to teach reading concepts that students frequently struggle with. The activities provided are designed to enable students to apply higher-level thinking skills, encourage them to provide text evidence to support their thinking, and challenge them to express their own thoughts and/or perspectives. This Resource Includes Making Predictions Story Elements Sequencing Making Inferences Making Connections Summary Story Event Sort Character Inside & Out (woman) Character Feelings (woman) Character Feelings (Lucky) Character Change (woman) Character Change (Lucky) Character Summary Sketch a Scene from the Story Setting Influences the Plot Problem & Solution Theme Noticing Important Details Before & After Wait… There’s More! New Names

This picture book companion is a complete supplemental resource for the book A Weekend With Wendell, by Kevin Henkes. With 23 print-and-go reading activities to choose from, this resource is ideal for customizing learning to your student’s specific needs and academic abilities. Students will investigate characters, identify story elements, determine the theme, practice plotting story events, compare & contrast, make predictions, inferences, & connections, answer questions that require them to think beyond the text, and much more! Students will love the engaging and fun activities, and you will appreciate the time saved hunting for high-level resources to teach reading concepts that students frequently struggle with. The activities provided are designed to enable students to apply higher-level thinking skills, encourage them to provide text evidence to support their thinking, and challenge them to express their own thoughts and/or perspectives. This Resource Includes: Making Predictions Story Elements Sequencing Making Inferences Making Connections Summary Story Event Sort Character Inside & Out Character Feelings (Wendell) Character Feelings (Sophie) Character Change (Wendell) Character Change (Sophie) Character Summary Sketch a Scene from the Story Setting Influences the Plot Theme Thinking Beyond the Text Before & After Wait… There’s More! Be a Better Buddy Wendell’s Weekend vs Sophie’s Weekend What Should Wendell Do? - (ANSWER KEY included)

This picture book companion is a complete supplemental resource for the book First Come the Zebra, by Lynn Barasch. With 21 print-and-go reading activities to choose from, this resource is ideal for customizing learning to your student’s specific needs and academic abilities. Students will investigate characters, identify story elements, determine the theme, practice plotting story events, compare & contrast, make predictions, inferences, & connections, answer questions that require them to think beyond the text, and much more! Students will love the engaging and fun activities, and you will appreciate the time saved hunting for high-level resources to teach reading concepts that students frequently struggle with. The activities provided are designed to enable students to apply higher-level thinking skills, encourage them to provide text evidence to support their thinking, and challenge them to express their own thoughts and/or perspectives. This Resource Includes: Making Predictions Story Elements Sequencing Making Inferences Problem & Solution Making Connections Summary Story Event Sort Character Feelings (Abanni) Character Feelings (Haki) Character Change (Abanni) Character Change (Haki) Character Summary Sketch a Scene from the Story Setting Influences the Plot Theme Thinking Beyond the Text Compare & Contrast Settings Before & After Wait… There’s More! Book Review Word Search Puzzle - (ANSWER KEY included)

This picture book companion is a complete supplemental resource for the book Horace and Morris, But Mostly Dolores, by James Howe. With 25 print-and-go reading activities to choose from, this resource is ideal for customizing learning to your student’s specific needs and academic abilities. Students will investigate characters, identify story elements, determine the theme, practice plotting story events, compare & contrast, make predictions, inferences, & connections, answer questions that require them to think beyond the text, and much more! Students will love the engaging and fun activities, and you will appreciate the time saved hunting for high-level resources to teach reading concepts that students frequently struggle with. The activities provided are designed to enable students to apply higher-level thinking skills, encourage them to provide text evidence to support their thinking, and challenge them to express their own thoughts and/or perspectives. This Resource Includes: Making Predictions Story Elements Sequencing Making Inferences Making Connections Summary Story Event Sort Character Inside & Out (Horace) Character Inside & Out (Morris) Character Inside & Out (Dolores) Character Feelings (Horace) Character Feelings (Morris) Character Feelings (Dolores) Character Change (Horace & Morris) Character Change (Dolores) Character Summary Sketch a Scene from the Story Setting Influences the Plot Problem & Solution Theme Before & After Wait… There’s More! Compare & Contrast Clubhouse Poster Book Review

This picture book companion is a complete supplemental resource for the book This is Our House, by Michael Rosen. With 21 print-and-go reading activities to choose from, this resource is ideal for customizing learning to your student’s specific needs and academic abilities. Students will investigate characters, identify story elements, determine the theme, practice plotting story events, compare & contrast, make predictions, inferences, & connections, answer questions that require them to think beyond the text, and much more! Students will love the engaging and fun activities, and you will appreciate the time saved hunting for high-level resources to teach reading concepts that students frequently struggle with. The activities provided are designed to enable students to apply higher-level thinking skills, encourage them to provide text evidence to support their thinking, and challenge them to express their own thoughts and/or perspectives. This Resource Includes Making Predictions Story Elements Sequencing Making Inferences Making Connections Summary Story Event Sort Character Inside & Out (George) Character Feelings (George) Character Feelings (Kids) Character Change (George) Character Change (Kids) Character Summary Sketch a Scene from the Story Setting Influences the Plot Problem & Solution Theme Thinking Beyond the Text Before & After Wait… There’s More! Comic Recall

This picture book companion is a complete supplemental resource for the book Roses for Gita by Rachna Gilmore. With 26 print-and-go reading activities to choose from, this resource is ideal for customizing learning to your student’s specific needs and academic abilities. Students will investigate characters, identify story elements, determine the theme, practice plotting story events, compare & contrast, find cause & effect relationships, make predictions, inferences, & connections, answer questions that require them to think beyond the text, and much more! Students will love the engaging and fun activities, and you will appreciate the time saved hunting for high-level resources to teach reading concepts that students frequently struggle with. The activities provided are designed to enable students to apply higher-level thinking skills, encourage them to provide text evidence to support their thinking, and challenge them to express their own thoughts and/or perspectives. This Resource Includes Making Predictions Story Elements Sequencing Making Inferences Cause & Effect (simplified) - (ANSWER KEY included) Cause & Effect - (ANSWER KEY included) Making Connections Story Plot - (ANSWER KEY included) Summary Story Event Sort Character Inside & Out Character Traits Character Feelings Character Change (Gita) Character Change (Mr. Flinch) Setting Influences the Plot Theme Figuring Out Figurative Language - (ANSWER KEY included) Visualizing Thinking Beyond the Text Before & After Wait… There’s More! Vocabulary Word Search Puzzle - (ANSWER KEY included) Letter to Naniji Haiku Poem Planning Sheet Haiku Poem Template

This picture book companion is a complete supplemental resource for the book The Have a Good Day Cafe, by Frances and Ginger Park. With 24 print-and-go reading activities to choose from, this resource is ideal for customizing learning to your student’s specific needs and academic abilities. Students will investigate characters, identify story elements, determine the theme, practice plotting story events, compare & contrast, find cause & effect relationships, make predictions, inferences, & connections, answer questions that require them to think beyond the text, and much more! Students will love the engaging and fun activities, and you will appreciate the time saved hunting for high-level resources to teach reading concepts that students frequently struggle with. The activities provided are designed to enable students to apply higher-level thinking skills, encourage them to provide text evidence to support their thinking, and challenge them to express their own thoughts and/or perspectives. This Resource Includes Making Predictions Story Elements Sequencing Illustrating Inferences Making Inferences Cause & Effect (simplified) - (ANSWER KEY included) Cause & Effect - (ANSWER KEY included) Making Connections Summary Story Event Sort Character Inside & Out (Mike) Character Inside & Out (Grandma) Character Feelings (Mike) Character Feelings (Grandma) Sketch a Scene from the Story Setting Influences the Plot Problem & Solution Theme Thinking Beyond the Text Before & After Have a Good Day Cafe Menu Food Review Food Cart Flyer Wait… There’s More! Cafe vs Food Cart

This picture book companion is a complete supplemental resource for the book Mango, Abuela, & Me, by Meg Medina. With 28 print-and-go reading activities to choose from, this resource is ideal for customizing learning to your student’s specific needs and academic abilities. Students will investigate characters, identify story elements, determine the theme, practice plotting story events, compare & contrast, find cause & effect relationships, make predictions, inferences, & connections, answer questions that require them to think beyond the text, and much more! Students will love the engaging and fun activities, and you will appreciate the time saved hunting for high-level resources to teach reading concepts that students frequently struggle with. The activities provided are designed to enable students to apply higher-level thinking skills, encourage them to provide text evidence to support their thinking, and challenge them to express their own thoughts and/or perspectives. This Resource Includes Making Predictions Story Elements Sequencing Making Inferences Cause & Effect (simplified) - (ANSWER KEY included) Cause & Effect - (ANSWER KEY included) Making Connections Story Plot - (ANSWER KEY included) Summary Story Event Sort Character Inside & Out (Mia) Character Inside & Out (Abuela) Character Feelings (Mia) Character Feelings (Abuela) Character Change (Mia) Character Change (Abuela) Character Summary Sketch a Scene from the Story Setting Influences the Plot Problem & Solution Theme Figuring Out Figurative Language - (ANSWER KEY included) Thinking Beyond the Text Before & After Learning Something New Wait… There’s More! Word Search Puzzle - (ANSWER KEY included)

This picture book companion is a complete supplemental resource for the book Grandfather Counts, by Andrea Cheng. With 27 print-and-go reading activities to choose from, this resource is ideal for customizing learning to your student’s specific needs and academic abilities. Students will investigate characters, identify story elements, determine the theme, practice plotting story events, compare & contrast, find cause & effect relationships, make predictions, inferences, & connections, answer questions that require them to think beyond the text, and much more! Students will love the engaging and fun activities, and you will appreciate the time saved hunting for high-level resources to teach reading concepts that students frequently struggle with. The activities provided are designed to enable students to apply higher-level thinking skills, encourage them to provide text evidence to support their thinking, and challenge them to express their own thoughts and/or perspectives. This Resource Includes Making Predictions Story Elements Sequencing Illustrating Inferences Making Inferences Cause & Effect (simplified) - (ANSWER KEY included) Cause & Effect - (ANSWER KEY included) Problem & Solution Sticky Situations Making Connections Story Plot - (ANSWER KEY included) Summary Story Event Sort Character Inside & Out (Gong Gong) Character Inside & Out (Helen) Character Feelings (Gong Gong) Character Feelings (Helen) Character Change (Gong Gong) Character Change (Helen) Sketch a Scene from the Story Setting Influences the Plot Theme Thinking Beyond the Text Before & After Learning Something New Wait… There’s More! Friendly Letter

This picture book companion is a complete supplemental resource for the book Home at Last by Susan Middleton Elya. With 25 print-and-go reading activities to choose from, this resource is ideal for customizing learning to your student’s specific needs and academic abilities. Students will investigate characters, identify story elements, determine the theme, practice plotting story events, compare & contrast, find cause & effect relationships, make predictions, inferences, & connections, answer questions that require them to think beyond the text, and much more! Students will love the engaging and fun activities, and you will appreciate the time saved hunting for high-level resources to teach reading concepts that students frequently struggle with. The activities provided are designed to enable students to apply higher-level thinking skills, encourage them to provide text evidence to support their thinking, and challenge them to express their own thoughts and/or perspectives. This Resource Includes Making Predictions Story Elements Sequencing Making Inferences Cause & Effect (simplified) - (ANSWER KEY included) Cause & Effect - (ANSWER KEY included) Making Connections Summary Story Event Sort Character Inside & Out (Mama) Character Inside & Out (Ana) Character Feelings (Mama) Character Feelings (Ana) Character Change (Mama) Character Change (Ana) Character Summary Sketch a Scene from the Story Problem & Solution Theme Thinking Beyond the Text Learning Something New Wait… There’s More! Sticky Situations Illustrating Inferences

This winter picture book companion is a fantastic supplemental resource for the book Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. It’s the ideal interactive read-aloud for winter or for educating your students about snowflakes, persistence, dedication, family, and pursuing their passions. Students will love the engaging and fun activities, and you will appreciate the time saved hunting for high-level resources to teach reading concepts that students frequently struggle with. With 47 print-and-go reading activities to choose from, this resource is ideal for customizing learning to your student’s specific needs and academic ability. Students will investigate characters, identify story elements, determine the theme, sequence events from the story, write haikus, explore and use new vocabulary, discover cause-and-effect relationships, explore plot elements, investigate imagery, and much more! The activities provided are designed to enable students to apply higher-level thinking skills, to encourage students to provide text evidence to support their thinking, and to challenge students to express their own thoughts and/or perspectives. This Resource Includes: Making Predictions Story Elements Problem & Solution Sequencing Timeline of Events (ANSWER KEY included) Cause & Effect - 2 differentiated versions included for this activity Study the Setting (ANSWER KEY included) Setting Influences the Plot Summarizing Main Events (ANSWER KEY included) Summarizing Plot Map Story Plot Character Inside & Out Character Traits - 2 differentiated versions included for this activity Character Change Character Development Character Summary Character Perspective Making Connections Making Inferences inferences they made from the text. Theme - 2 differentiated versions included for this activity Thematic Statements Visualizing Sensory Details Winter Imagery Figurative Language (ANSWER KEY included) Reader Response Questions (ANSWER KEY included) 4-Writing Prompts 24-Vocabulary Matching Cards 3-Vocabulary Crossword Puzzles (ANSWER KEYS included) 2-Vocabulary Word Search Puzzles (ANSWER KEYS included) Haiku Poem Planning Sheet Haiku Poem Template Artist Study Snowflake ABCs Wait… There’s More! Book Review Design a Book Cover Need ideas for different ways you can implement these activities? Focus on different reading skills each day for targeted instruction and have students complete a corresponding printable to check for understanding. During centers, students can independently read the story again and complete an activity that reviews a previously taught concept. Work with students on a reading concept they struggle with during guided reading or strategy groups. Students work with a partner(s) or in literature circles to complete additional reading activities.

This picture book companion is a complete supplemental resource for the book Celia Cruz, The Queen of Salsa by Veronica Chambers. With 31 print-and-go reading activities to choose from, this resource is ideal for customizing learning to your student’s specific needs and academic abilities. Students will investigate characters, identify story elements, determine the theme, practice plotting story events, compare & contrast, make predictions, inferences, & connections, answer questions that require them to think beyond the text, and much more! Students will love the engaging and fun activities, and you will appreciate the time saved hunting for high-level resources to teach reading concepts that students frequently struggle with. The activities provided are designed to enable students to apply higher-level thinking skills, encourage them to provide text evidence to support their thinking, and challenge them to express their own thoughts and/or perspectives.

This picture book companion is a complete supplemental resource for the book Big Red Lollipop, by Rukhsana Khan. With 30 print-and-go reading activities to choose from, this resource is ideal for customizing learning to your student’s specific needs and academic abilities. Students will investigate characters, identify story elements, determine the theme, practice plotting story events, compare & contrast, make predictions, inferences, & connections, answer questions that require them to think beyond the text, and much more! Students will love the engaging and fun activities, and you will appreciate the time saved hunting for high-level resources to teach reading concepts that students frequently struggle with. The activities provided are designed to enable students to apply higher-level thinking skills, encourage them to provide text evidence to support their thinking, and challenge them to express their own thoughts and/or perspectives. This Resource Includes Making Predictions Story Elements Sequencing Summary Story Event Sort Making Inferences Using Details to Make Inferences Making Connections Character Traits Character Inside & Out (Rubina) Character Inside & Out (Sana) Character Inside & Out (Ami) Character Feelings (Rubina) Character Feelings (Sana) Character Feelings (Ami) Character Change (Rubina) Character Change (Sana) Character Change (Ami) Character Summary Character Perspective Sketch a Scene from the Story Setting Influences the Plot Problem & Solution Theme Thinking Beyond the Text Wait… There’s More! Sana’s Side of the Story Vocabulary Word Search Puzzle - (ANSWER KEY included) Sorry, Not Sorry Book Review

This picture book companion is a complete supplemental resource for Laurie Wallmark’s book, Hedy Lamarr’s Double Life. This read-aloud introduces students to the scientist and movie star Hedy Lamarr. It’s a great addition to units on Women’s History Month, women in STEAM, influential people in history, or biographies. With 43 print-and-go reading activities to choose from, this resource is ideal for customizing learning to your student’s specific needs and academic abilities. Students will investigate characters, identify story elements, determine the theme, conduct research, practice plotting story events, analyze characters, make predictions and connections, write poems, respond to writing prompts, and much more! This read-aloud is also fantastic to teach students about pursuing a passion, dedication, overcoming obstacles, inventors, and so much more! Students will love the engaging and fun activities, and you will appreciate the time saved hunting for high-level resources to teach reading concepts that students frequently struggle with. The activities provided are designed to enable students to apply higher-level thinking skills, to encourage students to provide text evidence to support their thinking, and to challenge students to express their own thoughts and/or perspectives.