Extra Ideas for Elementary |

Don’t forget to view my Book Care Basics video using puppets and a little magic!

April Fool’s Day elementary worksheet.

A Cause and Effect sheet for Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’ with wolf version here and human version here.

YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD FOR PICTURE BOOKS list In my opinion, all schools (k-12) should have a picture book section.

Need a library game to help with book order? Try Shelve It!

Awesome what happens in a chrysalis video to use when you do your butterfly study! Hope you will check out my book, Lela and the Butterflies, about butterfly conservation!

After you read Bad Case of Stripes, use this sheet and have students create their own version. You could also add that they write a summary of their version, too.

Do you love the book Rainbow Fish? If yes, check out this color page I created here.

FAKE WEBSITES-Doing a lesson on evaluating websites? Great resource is here!

Please look under Book Activities for almost 100 ready-made activities for my books that are easy to use in your classroom/library or for sub plans. I am with two small presses so your interest is appreciated!

NOTE: Sub plans are best if compiled ahead of time and put in a box. Make copies of everything you need and have a second book copy (just so the book you need isn’t checked out) in that box.

Compare and contrast sheet for Jingle Dancer and Cloud Artist

The Skull Alphabet Book was a favorite with third grade and I brought in real skulls for students to identify. Worksheet for that book is here. The backside is to go along with my video. Answers to the skull identification (video) is at the bottom of this page.

Read Across America ideas-One idea is to get a map and read picture books that has a main setting or tie to a state? Show the bookcover with yarn from bookcover to state. There are several resources for this like Reading Through the States. Another idea is to celebrate the different cultures in America. This list might help with that.

Link to Top 25 Children’s Book YouTube Channels (2018)

Students act as journalists reporting as if events in a book happened. Click on Newspaper template. I thought this would work well after a reading of my book, The Cloud Artist. Other books to use are The Secret Science Project that Almost Ate My School, The Mysterious Tadpole, Bad Case of Stripes, Imogene’s Antlers, Dirtiest Hair in the World, and Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School.

I hung some of the best examples of the above lessons out in the hallway for everyone to see!

Activity to do after I Hate Picture Books is here. My recommendation is to read some of the books included in Timothy Young’s book first. Days later for the final lesson, show the book trailer (youtube) and then read the book and do the activity.

Predict what a story is about before reading it for the first time. Look at the cover and then do the prediction activity here.

Read Imogene’s Antlers then do this computer activity (Build Your Wild Self) which I did in the fall of kindergarten year. Students the next year wanted to do the activity again and sometimes we did after I would read I Wish I Had Duck Feet.

My computer short cuts included these which were great for after check out: Build Your Wild Self, Bookflix, Brainpop, Jr., National Zoo animal Web Cams

Lose your voice? Have a back up Storyline online lesson.

If you have Discovery Education, I believe you have all the Magic School Bus episodes and a lot of great picture books that are in video version. Great for emergency sub plans.

As a librarian, I had a box ready for that “Emergency” sick day. You never know when that day is going to hit. I have a solution! Have my book(s) in a box with copies from my activities section. You will never have to worry about emergency sub plans again!

Elementary librarians and teachers, be sure to get your free epic account. Great for tech lessons! Link is here.

Answers for the identify the skulls video. 1. Alligator 2. pig 3. beaver 4. deer 5. coyote 6. bear 7. horse.