Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

by Dr. Seuss

Oh, the Places You'll Go is a book about moving on to new stages of your life. The things we do and the places we go in life are in our own hands, that your life is yours and only you can decide what to make of it. Things can and will happen, everyone will encounter obstacles, but you just have to move on. Sometimes things will not work out the way that you hoped, you may be stuck in bad situations, and it may be hard to get out of them but things will turn around. There will be times when you may feel lost, helpless, and confused, and it may seem that your life is going nowhere, but somehow you will overcome those times. You will be alone at times and you may be afraid, but things will only get better if you face those times. Your life will be filled with all different opportunities and situations, but you ultimately decide the direction that your life goes on. And if you choose to live your life to it's full potential, if you put your all into it, you can do anything.

Although this is a silly, colorful book that may seem directed towards a younger audience, I think it is perfect to implement in any classroom. I received this book as a present from my second grade teacher when I graduated high school, and to this day I can learn from it. This book isn't about the pictures or the fact that Dr. Suess wrote it, it's about the important message that it gives. I would incorporate this book in a lesson about character. I would read the book to my students, and then go back and look at it page-by-page and have my students pull out the deeper meaning of each page-- such as, when the author says that you will look up and down many streets, is he really saying that you will literally look up and down streets? What is the deeper meaning? I think students can get so much out of this book at any age, but it is perfect for 3-5th grade students because they are at the age where they would really start to understand the meaning.

Martin Luther King, Jr. A Dream of Hope

Martin Luther King, Jr.
A Dream of Hope
by Alice Fleming
[Biography]
[Chapter Book]

Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) was born into a large family who resided in Atlanta, Georgia. MLK grew up during a time when things were very segregated: white people were seen as better than black people, and Jim Crow laws kept whites and blacks apart. He became enrolled in Morehouse College at the age of fifteen with no idea as to what he wanted to pursue as a career. After college MLK attended Crozer Theological Seminary, where he graduated as valedictorian and was awarded a scholarship to any graduate school he chose. MLK chose to attend Boston University's School of Theology where he met Coretta Scott, who would become his wife. MLK received his PhD in June of 1955, when his first child was born. When Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus, MLK was called on to join a protest against segregation on buses. The Montgomery bus boycott went on for 381 days until they were victorious, and on the morning of December 21, 1956, MLK rode on the first integrated buses. MLK organized and became president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. While MLK was on tour promoting his first book, he was stabbed by a mentally disturbed black woman, but survived the attack. In 1960, the King family moved to Atlanta, Georgia where MLK would become a co-pastor with his father while he led the SCLC. MLK was involved with many other movements, such as the Freedom Riders, The Albany Movement, Project C, and The March on Washington--where he gave what is likely one of the most powerful, famous speeches in history. MLK's speech was entitled "I Have A Dream," which was a line he repeated many times throughout the speech. MLK won the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership and dedication to the fight for civil rights. On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot as he walked out onto the balcony of his hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee by a white man named James Earl Ray. His death devestated many, but MLK is remembered as a courageous man and the most prominent figure in the Civil Rights Movement.

This book would be good to incorporate in a social studies lesson about the Civil Rights Movement. While focusing on MLK's life and his impact in the movement, the book provides much factual information on the time period in general. This is a prominent time period in our country's history, and it is important for students to have a solid background in it.

Adelita, A Mexican Cinderella Story

Adelita, A Mexican Cinderella Story

by Tomie dePaola

[Multicultural Literature]

[Traditional/Folk Literature & Fairytales]

Francisco Mercado was a merchant who lived with his wife, Adela in a small village in Mexico. One day, Adela came to Francisco and announced that she was going to have a baby. They called a long-time family friend, Esperanza, to help care for Adela during her pregnancy. Adela became very ill after she birthed the baby. She died soon after the baby was born, and Francisco was devestated. He decided to name the baby Adeilate, meaning "little Adela," after his wife. Adelita brought Francisco happiness in his life. Esperanza stayed around to help care for Adelita as she grew into a young woman. One day, Francisco told Adelita and Esperanza that he was going to re-marry Dona Micaela, a widow who had two daughters close to Adelita's age. Adelita had to share her father's attention and deal with the fact that Dona Micaela favored her two daughters, Valentina and Dulce. Francisco became ill and abruptly died. Dona Micaela had been very jealous of Adelita and decided to show it now that her father was gone. She made Adelita move from her room into the attic, and she only let Adelita wear hand-me-downs. Valentina and Dulce started to be very cruel to Adelita. One day, Dona Micaela fired Esperanza and said that Adelita would now work in the kitchen. From then on, Adelita was treated terribly. Dona Micaela got invited to a party one night, and took only Valentina and Dulce, leaving Adelita at home to work. Esperanza had a dream the previous night that Adelita was not allowed to go to the party, so she came to get her and give her a ride. When Adelita was ready she looked beautiful. Adelita was greeted by Javier at the door of the party, and told everyone to call her Cinderella. Javier fell in love with "Cinderella" at first sight, and didn't leave her side that night. At the end of the night, Adelita found Esperanza and they ran all the way home. The next day, all that Dona Micaela and her daughters could talk about was the mysterious beauty "Cinderella" at the party the night before. Dona Micaela told her daughters that Javier was coming to town the next day to stop at every house until he found his Cinderella, and exclaimed that this was their last chance to win him over. When he arrived at their house, he turned down Valentina and Dulce but was convinced that his love was there. Dona Micaela said that there was noone else in the house, but Adelita quietly murmered "yes there is." Javier was relieved to have found his love, and asked her to marry him as Valentina and Dulce watched with jealousy. Javier and Adelita lived happily together for the rest of their lives.

This story is great to use with a lesson on different versions of fairy tales. Students could read Adelita along with the American Cinderella and study the similarities and differences between the two books. Students could then write their own short version of the story, which would be great writing practice. A good extension would be for students to find two versions of a different story and make comparisons between those.

Where the Red Fern Grows

Where the Red Fern Grows

by Wilson Rawls

[Realistic Fiction]

[Chapter Book]

Billy is a 10-year-old boy who lives with his family on a farm in the Ozark Mountains of Oklahoma. All that Billy wants is to have two coonhounds, but his family cannot afford to buy them. Instead, his father gives him mouse traps to play with. One day, finds a sportsman's catalog at a camp and sees an ad for two coonhounds for $25 each. When Billy has saved up $50, his grandfather secretly orders him the dogs. Billy named the dogs Old Dan and Little Ann. Old Dan is very brave, and Little Ann is very smart. Coon season begins, and on the first night that Billy went out with the dogs they treed a coon in a very large tree. Billy gets very in to hunting and his father begins to lessen his chores in exchange for the money from his coon skins. There is a legend about a "ghost coon" and Billy and his grandfather make a bet with Ruben and Rainie Pritchard they they can catch it. The coon gives them a hard time, and after a while the Prichard boys want to give up, but Billy will not. Finally, they caught the ghost coon but Billy does not want to kill her. As Ruben starts to beat up Billy, Old Dan and Little Ann start to attack the Pritchard's dog. Ruben ran over to beat the dogs with an axe, but fell and killed himself. Billy is devastated, so he goes to visit Ruben's grave with flowers. Billy is entered in a coon hunting contest by his grandfather. Billy is intimidated by all of the beautiful, expensive coonhounds. On the first day, Little Ann won the beauty competition. After that, Billy and his dogs made it to the championship round. As they are out hunting in the championship, a blizzard starts. Billys grandfather sprained his ankle and they could not find Little Ann and Old Dan. When they find the dogs, they are covered in snow but have gotten enough coons to win the contest. Billy got $300 for winning the competition, and his parents are thrilled. One night, Billy is out hunting and his dogs tree a mountain lion, which starts to attack Old Dan. Billy trys to fight the mountain lion with his axe, but the dogs ended up defeating it. Old Dan was very hurt in the fight, and died the next day. Billy was very upset, and Little Ann was so sad that she no lost her will to live and died a few days after. Billy's father tries to convince him that it was for the better because they can now move to down with all of the money that Billy earned. Billy does not feel better until he goes to the dogs' grave on the day his family was moving, and sees a red fern. He remembers an old legend that only an angel can plant a red fern, and feels better.

This book is a great way to teach students about determination, and also to teach them to follow their passion. I feel that it is a solid piece of literature perfect for 4th or 5th grade students to read in literacy to practice the literary components such as plot, characterization, symbolism, etc. as well as comprehension, vocabulary, and much more.

I created a wordle out of my book summary, which generated a word cloud with many important words from the story.

Our National Holidays

Our National Holidays
by Karen Spies
[Nonfiction]

Our National Holidays is an informational text with everything you need to know about the national holidays in America. The book is organized into chapters, and begins by discussing what a holiday is, why we celebrate them, and why they are all important and different in chapter one. The second chapter discusses holidays that celebrate our nation's roots, such as Independence Day, Flag Day, Labor Day, and Citizenship Day. Chapter three introduces holidays that honor famous people in our country's history, including Martin Luther King, Jr., President's Day, and Columbus Day. In the next chapter, you learn about the holidays that honor our armed forces, which are Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Chapter five incudes the holidays that celebrate our heritage, such as Thanksgiving, New Years, Cinco de Mayo, Kwanzaa, and Native American Day. The final section in the book tells about the holidays that celebrate our earth, which include Arbor Day, Bird Day, and Earth Day. For each holiday throughout the book, we you learn the date of celebration, the history and purpose of the holiday, common traditions associated with the holiday, and much more. The book contains great pictures displaying traditions or historical figures that are associated with the holidays. In this one text, you can learn an incredible amount of information on our national holidays, which every American should be knowledgable about!

This story would be ideal to incorporate with a social studies lesson on our nation's history. Students can find SO much information in this text, as well as photos to go along with it. It is very important that students are aware of the holidays that our country celebrates, and equally as important that they understand the meaning and history behind them. This is an easy read that is enjoyable as well as informational. After reading this text, students could choose one of the holidays to research further and do a presentation or report on.

Do Whales Have Belly Buttons?

Do Whales Have Belly Buttons?

by Melvin and Gilda Berger

illustrated by Higgins Bond

[Non-Fiction]

Do Whales Have Belly Buttons is an informational text containing questions and answeres about whales and dolphins. The book starts off with an introduction on why to read a question-and-answer book. The first section on the book is general information about whales, and contains a lengthy list of questions and answers that give much information about the life of a whale. The section contains answers to questions about the lifestyle, reproduction, body, prey, and communication of whales. There are also sections on toothed whales, baleen whales, and dolphins. Each section contains a plethora of background information and interesting facts about these creatures, which are highly amusing to children. This book contains great pictures and diagrams of whales and dolphins, and is not only educational but entertaining as well.

I think this book would be great in a classroom, especially for a science unit on marine animals. Children are fascinated by dolphins and whales, and love to learn interesting, wierd, and unusual facts about them. This book provides the information in an organized manner and has pictures on every page. Students who read this book could follow up by doing a project or presentation on whales and dolphins.

The Magic Gourd

The Magic Gourd
by Baba Wague Diakite
[Traditional/Folk Literature]
[Multicultural Literature]

Brother Rabbit lives a life of famine, hunger, and drought. One day, Brother Rabbit set out in search of food for his family. As he wandered, he sang "Luck will come. Life will be good." Brother Rabbit was startled as he heard someone talking in the thorny bush next to him. He looked, and it was a small green chameleon stuck in the thorns. The chameleon asked Brother Rabbit to rescue him from the bush, and the kind rabbit did. Once the chameleon was freed from the thorns, he asked Brother Rabbit to get his gourd from the bush, saying that he would pay him well. When Brother Rabbit retrieved the gourd from the bush, the chameleon told him to keep it. Brother Rabbit wondered why he would want a plain gourd. The chameleon then told Brother Rabbit that it was a magic gourd which would fill up with anything you asked for. Brother Rabbit took the gourd back to his family and filled it with food and water to eliminate their hunger and thirst. Brother Rabbit didn't want to let his neighbors suffer, so he told them about the gourd and word got around to the entire community. When word of the gourd reached the greedy king, the king and his soldiers forced the gourd out of Brother Rabbit's possession. Brother Rabbit's family returned to their famished lifestyle, when Brother Rabbit ran into the Chameleon once again. He told the chameleon what had happened, and the chameleon gave Brother Rabbit another gift, a rock that would bounce on the top of your head until you said the magic phrase to make it stop. Brother Rabbit took the rock to the king's palace, and let it bounce on his head until it drove him crazy in hopes of getting his gourd back. After much controversy, Brother Rabbit got the gourd back. Brother Rabbit was scared that the king would come after him, so he took his family and fleed to the country where his friend the chameleon lived. The chameleon taught Brother Rabbit and his family to camoflauge, and they lived happily undetected. Meanwhile, the king began to realize the importance of gerosity and friendship.

This story is great to incorporate in the classroom because there are many lessons you can get out of it. This story not only teaches the importance of kindness, generosity, and friendship, but it shows that even when you are in a bad situation or may not be living a plentiful life, if you look for the good in everything and keep your head up things will eventually work out in your favor.