Picture Books Part 7: Activities Inspired by Anchor Texts
This blog post is about two activities you can do with kids after reading to help them dive deeper into the story. I will also suggest a few MORE good resources at the end!
Activity 1: Read it Again using Count of Me by Miguel Tanco
Download a sample lesson plan HERE with a follow-up activity!
Materials
· The book
2 different colours of sticky notes
A prompt for each sticky note on the board
The Story I Chose:
Right now, we are still do a lot of exploration of self and sharing to build a strong class community. This week the kids are presenting Me in a Bag, which is a short presentation about themselves with three items that can fit in a paper bag. It is about sharing history, passions, and who they are. We all have different passions, and it is brave to share ourselves.
I love the story Count on Me because it is all about passions. The lead character has tried many things, but her passion is math. She sees it everywhere and loves it. It is her lens into the world. She talks about how every person has their own passion and all passions are okay. It is short and sweet. I have used it as an anchor text for math, but this year it was all about the passions.
How does the strategy work?
Front load the kids! Let them know you will be reading the book twice and on the second time they will get to place sticky notes in the book.
Have them put their names on the sticky notes BEFORE you start reading.
Remind them what each colour means.
4. Read the book and do the usual stop throughout to highlight parts you want to talk about or ask questions
5. Give kids time to really fill in their sticky notes and share with their neighbours
6. When you start the re-read, pause at the end of every page and invite students to place their sticky note on the page if it is the one they connected with
7. Leave the book out at silent reading so other kids can read through and look at the connections each student made. It leads to powerful discussions.
8. You could also have the kids walk around and talk to each other/share what they noticed.
Why do I think it works?
This strategy works well for shorter books or wordless books. You could follow-up the sticky notes with a short write or an art activity that builds on the concepts in the story. The possibilities are endless, and prompts could be about connections or other specific reading strategies you are working on in literacy.
The power comes in allowing kids to look at the book later. They love to pile in pairs and compare what other kids said with their own ideas. This builds deeper understanding and connection between classmates.
Activity 2: Loose Parts/Class Book with I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes
Materials
The book
Sticky Notes
Loose parts materials (mats, parts)
Sentence strip
iPad (photo)
Book Creator (electronic option)
What are Loose Parts? (VERY VERY VERY BASIC EXPLANATION)
Loose parts play/storytelling is very common in primary. Loose parts are exactly what they sound like. Loose parts are a variety of natural and synthetic materials that can be moved/used to create images or stories and respond to prompts.
I have used loose parts in my intermediate classroom for three years and know many other intermediate teachers who also see the benefits of loose parts. This tool allows kids to think creatively, represent concrete or abstract ideas, and organize their thinking before putting pen to paper.
I tried to find a good little video about loose parts in intermediate and I couldn’t….so maybe I will have to make one!
The Story I Chose:
This book is a powerful poem of metaphors. It lists all of the amazing things that this one child is, and he is so many things. It is a powerful BIPOC book, and it is not hard to see the connections between racism/police brutality and how this book is trying desperately to counter all of the negative images in the media. This book is screaming beautifully that the child is so many things…so please see him as all of these amazing things.
I thought it would be a great early book because, it would allow the kids to start to play with their identity, write metaphors, and learn about each other.
I had this idea that we could make a book called We Are Every Good Thing and that maybe my amazing librarian could help me…she did! Collaboration is truly a gift. Your colleagues are your greatest allies.
How does the activity work?
1. Read the book! Do all the good pre-reading strategies and ask question to engage the kids
!
2. Go over rules of loose parts (create as a class/build on what you already have)
a. Use only what you need
b. Work quietly
c. Respect the students around you
d. Build on the mat
3. Provide the prompt
a. Use the loose parts provided….
b. Use the loose parts provided to represent something you love or love to do
4. Give talk time with a partner
5. Quiet building time (10 min ish)
6. Learn about ‘I am…’ statements:
a. Write a metaphor based on what you built similar to the story!
b. Go over a sample on the board and help kids.
My sample:
I am a pen on paper sharing my stories with the world. I am hope for a better world.
7. Build/write on sticky notes
8. Share/refine
a. Let kids share at their table and get feedback on both the build and the metaphor
9
. Write good ‘I am’ statement
10. PHOTO
11. Upload to book creator (optional)
12. Record each student reading their metaphor (optional)
13. Make a digital book and send link to parents/upload to digital portfolios (optional)
I used Book Creator because my district provides me with a free login.
What did the kids learn?
They learned how to write a powerful metaphor. They learned how to revise their work and instantly saw improvement. They learned about loose parts. They learned how to use technology to share their work. They learned about each other and what is important to other classmates. They learned that writing can be joyful and playful.
They learned so much…and so did I!
Final Thoughts
This is the final picture book post that I planned in my original series. I may write a short series about loose parts and the different ways they can be used. I will inevitably continue to write about stories and specific activities I am doing in my classroom.
Please let me know through social media what kinds of literacy posts you would like more of!
Recommended Resources
· Your Colleagues!
· Donalyn Miller (Book Whisperer) (Reading in the Wild)