When a valuable fraction goes missing, George Cornelius Factor (a.k.a. GCF) vows to track it down. Knowing that the villainous Dr. Brok likes to disguise his ill-begotten fractions, GCF invents a Reducer—a tool that strips away the disguise, reducing the fraction and revealing its true form. Equal parts of action and humor add up to a wholly entertaining introduction to simplifying fractions. While the teacher reads and pauses, students can fill out this interactive packet on a clipboard to practice finding equivalent fractions and simplifying fractions. *Every third grader enjoyed and understood how fractions can be “disguised” and “simplified.”

Azzi in Between is a phenomenal graphic novel that explains the plight of refugees in a way that all children can understand. “There was a country at war, and that is where this story begins…” There is no mention of the country at war. There doesn’t need to be. Unfortunately, war is a fact of life in the world. This is a realistic story about a family who escapes a war-torn country and finds a host country. The main character, a little girl named Azzi, explains the hardships of her family’s escape and life in a new country. The pictures are rich with detail, adding the anxieties and hopes that all refugees have in common. Amnesty International endorsed this book. I created a “Guided Reading” packet to use with students in grades 3-6.

Now, more than ever, students need to learn about the various cultures of the world in order to promote a peaceful future, filled with knowledge and understanding. Under the Ramadan Moon helps students understand the month long observance of Ramadan by their fellow classmates. While promoting a global awareness, students will also learn about verbs and repetitive lines in poems, in addition to answering comprehension questions. As a culmination, students will write their own poem to portray the month long Muslim observance of Ramadan by a modern family.

This is the story about the child, Louis Braille. It is written in the first person, making Louis feel closer to his readers. The book is rich with language. I have created a student packet that includes reading comprehension strategies, critical thinking, and writing activities. As a post reading activity, students will try writing Braille messages to classmates about Louis Braille.

Maya Angelou was a celebrated poet and author. She wrote a poem for President Bill Clinton when he was inaugurated, and a tribute for Nelson Mandella, the first black president of South Africa, when he died. She also wrote poems for children. Her voice and delivery of her “messages” were powerful and clear. She died in 2014, but her poetry and life messages will live on all over the world! This mini-unit includes three poems for elementary students to read/hear and respond to. In addition, students will use Maya Angelou as a poet “mentor” to write their own poems.

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander, was the 2015 Newbery Medal Winner and the 2015 Coretta Scott King Honor Award Winner. It is the story about an athletic father of athletic twins and their family dynamics. This is a perfect middle school story that students can relate to – the pressure of winning, the love of a sport, the consequences of bad choices, loss and gain. I have created a critical thinking packet for students to “think” as they read and reflect upon the author’s strategies for word usage. There are opportunities for students to write a persuasive essay and a narrative, with templates to help students shape their pieces of writing.

In order for students to read The Enchanted Air, by Margarita Engle, I thought it would be important for the students to have an historical background of the Cuba Margarita effectively and beautifully describes in her new memoir. This PowerPoint depicts the history of Cuba, before and after the civil war. It portrays the reasons for revolution, the promises Fidel Castro made to his people, and the broken promises that ensued. This PowerPoint also shows refugees fleeing by boat and the reasons why massive groups of people want to flee from a country.

We’re All Wonders is about the main character, Auggie, in the older version of Wonder, by R.J. Palacio. Palacio gives a powerful message to younger primary students in this book. She lets students FEEL the unhappiness that runs through Auggie’s very being when he is made fun of and stared at by other people. Auggie feels the need to fly to Pluto with his beloved dog, Daisy, so he can play with others as unique as he is. When he looks back at Earth, he has hopes that kindness will prevail and he and everyone will be looked upon for their “wonder.” This student directed guide, including the best of reading comprehension strategies, will help all students to be “kinder” throughout the year.

More and more, there are students who need graphic organizers to arrange their thoughts, sequence events, and include the details of a well developed personal narrative. THIS IS IT!

The Arrival, by Shaun Tan, is an amazing immigrant story! It is a graphic novel, without any words, appealing to all students. The dragon’s tail surrounding the old country is a symbol of any reason one might want to leave their country for another…war, racism, lack of freedom, genocide…It is surreal. The land of opportunity looks nothing like any place anyone has ever seen before! This wonderful graphic novel should be read after students know about European immigration – people leaving their countries for various reasons, and passing through Ellis Island to find a land of opportunity, or not. While students read The Arrival, they will easily find “text-to-world” connections. Students will also visually SEE how difficult it is to adjust and maneuver in a new country with a family waiting back in the old country. This book has six parts. I have prepared a PowerPoint to do Visual Thinking Strategies with students before they read each part in order for them to look closely at the pictures and interpret them, figuring out the difficult parts of the narrative more easily. Before partners read each part, there is a packet of questions they need to think about pre-reading, during reading, and after reading. In tandem, I have given students books to read about immigration from various countries around the world, both in the past and present, to acquaint students with global understanding. Students will choose responses to write as they read. They will also keep track of the “parts” of a narrative, to prepare them to write their own. To integrate writing into reading and history, when students have completed The Arrival as a class, and have read their immigrant novels, they have a choice to write their own five-page immigration narrative. Included in my unit are a variety of graphic organizers to help students. Scholars can choose a family immigration story to write about, or retell the story about the character they just read about during independent reading. Once the written narrative is complete, students will transfer the information and story to write a graphic novel. *If you are interested in an Immigration Unit to teach before reading The Arrival, here are two of my TpT products:

This guided reading packet focuses on maps of Ghana to show students the journey Emmanuel took and what he saw on his journey. There is a large emphasis on Emmanuel’s character – What is his dream? Is he a national hero? Why, why not? Students need to provide evidence throughout the story by explaining why Emmanuel was “useful,” instead of “disabled.” Students will see two videos of the real Emmanuel to learn more about his accomplishments and awards. A final activity is that students will trace a BIG map of Ghana and show the places, people, and landmarks Emmanuel saw on his journey. Students will also write in their own words what Emmanuel’s quote means, “In this world, we are not perfect. We can only do our best.”

This is a true story how William Kamkwamba brought light and water to his village in Malawi by building a windmill. People thought William’s dreams were crazy, but William did not give up and at fourteen years old, brought light to a dark village. Later, another windmill he built brought food to a ravaged land where drought nearly starved its people. The teacher will read this book to the students and pause while students answer questions in this packet. This packet includes vocabulary development, parts of speech, visual images, recall questions, making inferences, and critical thinking. There is a TedTalk included where students can hear William as an adult. There is a writing assignment at the end.

This is a fascinating biography of E.B. White, fresh off the presses. It is easy for students, as they hear this story as teachers read, or they read it themselves, to find the simplicity and passions of a man’s life in the stories that he writes. Although the packet I created accompanies this particular biography of E.B. White, it could very well be the beginning of an author’s study of three of E.B. White’s books – Stuart Little, Charlotte’s Web, and The Trumpet of the Swan. This packet includes reading comprehension strategies, activities, and meaningful writing assignments. It also includes research of a Trumpeter Swan. Most of all, students will be able to relate E.B. White’s life to the classic stories he wrote. Hopefully, they will also learn some of the elements of writing, as described through E.B. White’s words.

Standing in someone else’s shoes allows a person to FEEL that person’s feelings. When someone can stand in someone else’s shoes, they can begin to show empathy. Emily barges into her older sister’s room when Alicia is studying for a test. Alicia explains the meaning of empathy to Emily in a way that Emily understands. Throughout the day, Alicia starts to notice how different people in her life are feeling, and she makes every effort to talk to them and offer her support. My packet reinforces how each person in Emily’s life is feeling, why they are feeling a certain way, and how Emily offers her support in the way of words and actions. As a culmination, students will write about how someone has shown empathy to them, or they have shown empathy to someone else. This is a great beginning of the year book in order to build a strong, supportive community of empathetic peers.

Where is Kenya? What stories do Kenyan maps tell students? These series of maps help students make inferences about Kenya's place in the world, crops, languages, ethnic groups, weather, reserves, provinces...These "primary sources" lend themselves to a great introduction about Kenya!

This story takes place during the Great Depression in the segregated south. The main characters are affected by the Great Depression in different ways; This story shows the resiliency it takes to undergo adversity as well as family members helping other family members in time of crisis. Perfect for reading aloud to fifth graders before "facing adversity" reading groups, one being Bud, Not Buddy. Check out my Visual Thinking Strategies PowerPoint on the Great Depression.

It is important to read to students every day, introduce new genres, engage students, and elicit their responses before, during, and after reading. This is a script, written with the rigor of the Common Core Standards, to elicit students' critical thinking during read aloud time.