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I would use this book as an interactive read aloud for second or third graders. The Lexile level for Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick is 590L. This means it falls within the 2-3 band. I believe that Finding Winnie is moderately complex because it is a non-fiction story that follows two different generations. Some of the images also extend the text by adding extra details which allows for more complex understanding. One example of this is the family tree illustration on page 40. When it comes to language features, I would also point this story more towards moderately complex in all areas. The conventionality is straightforward, however, there are some parts of the text that require some inferencing. The vocabulary for this book is pushing very complex as it has some time and subject specific words, however, the moderately complex vocabulary highly outweighs the very complex words. I would say that the sentence structure for this book is also moderately complex because most sentences are simple, but it is told in a dialogue style. This could be tricky for some kids if they do not realize which character is “speaking.” This book's meaning is also moderately complex. It is the true story of Winnie –the-Pooh, however, we do not find this out until later in the book. At first, it just seems like a story about a soldier who buys a bear. The knowledge demands for this book are also moderately complex. The book discusses topics such as war, which students would need to understand so that they realize how hard it is to keep the bear while traveling.

This book could be used as an interactive read aloud where students primarily focus on building comprehension skills. Because this text is moderately complex, scaffolding will be needed. This book would be great for the 2.RL.KID.1 standard. This standard has students identifying the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the story. This book would be an interactive read aloud because it has some complex components such as time hoping and dialogue. This works well because the teacher can ask those thought provoking questions which lead to students making inferences. Some vocabulary words I would teach in this lesson would be infantry, regiment, enclosure, and propose. These are topic specific words that students may get caught on. After reading the story through twice, I would choose to specifically focus on one specific area. This book has history, science, and family aspects that could also be pulled into lessons. You could have the students write about what they think would have happened to Winnie if she did not get put in the zoo or you could have them make a family tree like the one pictured in the back of the book. This would allow them to make real world connections and/or reflect on their own family history.

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I would use We Are The Gardeners by Joanna Gaines and Kids in a first grade classroom. This text is in a chronological order which makes it slightly complex. While the illustrations are great, they are also not needed for comprehension. This also points to the text structure being slightly complex. The language features all points to being moderately complex. The vocabulary has some science specific words such as, organisms, aphids, and pollinators. It also includes words such as, hydration, gardener, and trespasser. All these words directly affect the text's meaning, so they must be understood. The story also contains phrases that have more complex meanings such as, “fruits of our labor.” This phrase could be difficult to understand because it is not literal. The text also contains sentences that have colons, hyphens, and emphasized words. Knowledge demands for this text are slightly complex as it does not refer to other texts or cultures. However, I believe this book would be great to use in a text set about plants/gardening.

I would use this text as an interactive read aloud in a text set of books about plants/gardening. This book pairs perfectly with science standard 1.LS1 which says that first graders should know about plant cycles and their relationships to water, soil, sun, and more. This book would also pair well with the speaking and listening standard 1.SL.CC.1, this standard just has students participating in conversation about a grade level topic. For the first reading of this text, we would go over the vocabulary listed above, as well as a few other chosen/tricky words. I would have these words posted on the board beside me with a picture, the definition, and an action to remember them. As we begin the second reading, we would make a KWL chart to help us put our thoughts together. I would help the students through this process by modeling my thinking. We would then keep this KWL chart and look at it as we read other books in the text set about plants. Once we finished the second reading, I would have the students write about an experience they had with gardening/plants. This would go well with the first grade writing standard 1.W.TTP.3.

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Stop and Go, Yes and No: What Is an Antonym? 

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Stop and Go, Yes and No: What Is an Antonym? 

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Stop and Go, Yes and No: What Is an Antonym? By Brian P. Cleary has a Lexile level of 670L. That means it is perfect for a third-grade classroom. The text structure, meaning, and knowledge demands are all slightly complex. The language features are moderately complex because some of the words used are more than just conversational language. The sentence structure is moderately complex because the author uses hyphens and compound complex sentences.  This is a very straightforward book that is meant to teach kids what an antonym is. Some vocabulary words from this book may include soothe, dim, hefty, diminutive, absurd, and cowardice. It is imperative that students know these words to understand that the book is calling them opposites.

I would use this book in a third-grade classroom to introduce antonyms. This would work well with phonics standards and sentence composition standards. The book uses phrases such as fast and slow, rough and smooth, and dark and light. All of these are opposites of each other which the book mentions midway through. I would begin this lesson by asking them if they noticed anything about the words being compared. I would ask if they could come up with their own antonym examples. This could be done with the turn-and-talk method. I would use this book in partnership with other books that have examples of antonyms. I would also have my students do an activity that helps them practice using antonyms.

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Just Help! How to Build a Better World by Sonia Sotomayor has a Lexile level of 710L. This book would be perfect for 3rd grade or 4th grade. This book's text structure is slightly complex because it has simple organization and direct use of illustrations. The author of this story wants the main message to be clear, but she also wants to give the students many different examples. The conventionality of the text is moderately complex because it is mostly easy to understand but there are some sections that have more complex meanings. These sections allow students to infer why they think they are doing these things. The vocabulary of this text is moderately complex. These words are mostly familiar but there are some words that could be considered content specific such as campaign, donate, vote, recycle, and litter. The sentence structure is moderately complex because it contains some sentences with complex construction. One example of a complex sentence is, “He brought the new toys next door to Maya, because her dad worked as a janitor at the hospital, and he could take the toys to the playroom.” This sentence is complex because it has two subjects, and it connects two thoughts. I think the meaning conveyed in this text is moderately complex. The title explicitly states that this book is giving us examples of how to build a better world, however, there are multiple messages within each example in the book. I would also say that the knowledge demands of this book are moderately complex. This is because the book is very diverse, but the examples still try to encompass common occurrences.

I would personally teach this book to a group of third graders. This is a great interactive read aloud for something like a kindness week at school. I would read this to my students and ask them questions that help them relate this story to their own lives. A knowledge assessment for this book would come from students answering comprehension questions about the book. A skills-based assessment would look like them writing about how they could help their own community. I would have the students write in their writing journals about what they think would have happened if the people in the story did not help and then a way, they could help their school/community. I would encourage them to use vocabulary words we discussed in class and words from our word wall. I would also encourage them to use more complex sentence structures. I will model this type of sentence by thinking aloud and writing one on the board.

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I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott and Sydney Smith is definitely a text that is meant for upper elementary schoolers. The organization of this text is slightly complex because it follows one clear story line. However, the illustrations in the book convey such a strong message so I would say they are moderately complex. The illustrations bring a different sense of meaning to the words in the book. I would also say the conventionality is moderately complex because the reader may not initially know what the story is about. The title of the book is a simile which to me shows its complexity. The book also uses alliteration and personification which can be considered complex. This text's vocabulary is slightly complex, most words are used in everyday conversation. I believe this is because the author wants you to focus on the main message of the text. I believe the sentence structure is also moderately complex because of the author's use of colons and semi colons in some sentences. Some of the sentences/thoughts also seem somewhat “chopped” up, which could be difficult for some readers. The meaning in this book is also moderately complex because it is not explicitly stated as to what the author means until closer to the end of the book. The use of similes, metaphors, personification, and other language techniques can make the main message difficult to pick up on. Life experience for this book is very complex because many students do not deal with a stutter. Students in the intended age range would have to be fairly in tune with others to instantly pick up on what this story is about. There are also no allusions to other texts, so it is only slightly complex in the cultural knowledge section.

I would personally teach this book to fifth graders. I think it is a great book for social emotional learning. I also think you could do some great lessons on similes and personification with this text. The 5.FL.VA.7b literacy standard states that students will be able to interpret different types of figurative language. Ideally, the class will have previous knowledge of what similes, metaphors, and personification are. I believe this book should be a shared reading experience. As the teacher and students read, the teacher may stop and ask what the author means by specific parts of the text. Especially the metaphorical parts. For example,"They don't see a pine tree sticking out from my lips instead of a tongue." This is not literal and the students may not understand it. As the teacher does this, they are reminding the students of the different rules for similes and metaphors. Once the class has had a small and large group discussion of the text and a good understanding of the meanings behind the similes, students will take something that they do and turn it into a simile. They would do this in their writing journals. One example a student may choose is, “I sing like a bird.” The student would then detail this out just as the story does.

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The book Rosa by Nikki Giovanni has a Lexile level of 800L. This book also pairs perfectly with the fifth-grade history standard 5.24 that says the students need to know all about the civil rights movement in America. The organization of this book is slightly complex. It is telling a true story, therefore, it is in chronological order. The use of graphics is also slightly complex. Each illustration brings to life exactly what the text is saying. I would say that the text conventionality is moderately complex as many things are straight forward, but some pages have deeper roots/connections. One example of this would be the page that includes Martin Luther King Jr. The text's conventionality is slightly complex because the information is plainly stated. The vocabulary in the text would be considered moderately complex as it uses some time period specific words. Some examples of these words are segregation, ‘colored’, and boycott. The sentence structure is very complex because the book uses many transitional words and phrases. There are also multiple subjects in most sentences which increases complexity. The meaning is slightly complex because it is a nonfiction story. The meaning is clearly developed and there is not room for interpretation. For this book, I would say life experiences are very to exceedingly complex because none of these students have ever experienced segregation, which is the main conflict in the story. Cultural knowledge would also be very complex because the culture of that time and ours is very different.

I would teach this book to a class of fifth graders. I would use it in a set of books about the Civil Rights movement. I think this could be interactive reading or shared reading depending on the level of your class. If this were an interactive reading, I believe you could model your understanding of the civil rights movement more. Because this book is nonfiction, I believe it is important to review other historical events from the time. You could have students make KWL charts about the civil rights movement. This would help them in making connections to what you are teaching. After the text set is finished, I would have students pick one historical figure to write a report on. This report would then be crafted into a project where the students make a poster board of facts about their person and then they dress up as them for a “wax museum” showcase.

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I chose to include two social emotional learning books in my project because I believe SEL is very important. This book's text structure is slightly complex because it is a straightforward story line that uses illustrations to support the text. The language features of the text are also slightly complex because the sentence structure and conventionality is very easy to read. The vocabulary is also slightly complex because the words used in the story are everyday terms. I would say that the meaning of the story is moderately complex. While the story reads very literally in its text and images, there are deeper levels of meaning to the text. Knowledge demands are slightly complex because everyone goes through struggles or carries “heavy” things.

While I want to teach, I would also love to be a counselor one day. Therefore, I would use this book in a 4th or 5th grade setting to teach about stress management. I would introduce this book by reading the title and then looking at the pictures on the first pages. I would ask the students to infer how Whimsy is feeling. After we do this, I would have them write down some things that make them sad on a piece of paper. I would then have them crumble this piece of paper into a ball. We would then read the story together stopping to discuss some of the page's contents. Once we reach the part where Whimsy breaks her heavy things into pieces, I would have my students tear their paper into three smaller pieces. After we finish the story, I would have them look at the words on their three pieces. They would then get another sheet of paper where they can write three solutions to three different things that make them sad. This helps with comprehension in understanding the main idea of the story and it gives students an application piece.

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Elena’s Serenade by Campbell Geeslin is a very interesting book. It is a story of a young Hispanic girl who wants to be a glassblower like her father. The text structure is moderately complex because the story is not very cut and dry. There are a couple parts that are unpredictable. The illustrations in the book also help extend the text by adding more details to the text. The language features section as a whole is very complex because this story includes Spanish words, literary devices, and uncommon English words. The vocabulary for this text is very subject specific. The book includes a Spanish-English glossary in order for non-Spanish speaking children to understand these words. The book also includes several words like glassblower, burro, serenade, and furnace. These words are not common terms and students may not be able to decode them. The meaning for this book is moderately complex because the story contains many different themes. The knowledge demands for this story range from very to exceedingly complex. This book heavily involves Hispanic culture which many students may not be familiar with.

I would teach this book to a group of third grade students. This would be a good book to use for their unit on fables, myths, and stories from diverse cultures. This book would have to be taught as an interactive read aloud due to the use of words in a different language. However, when reading these words, I would have the students repeat them back to me. This book would be great for recounting stories and comprehension of the main idea. I would also read this story a second time as a shared reading. This would help with fluency and comprehension. I would also include a writing activity like having the students explain the story's main idea. All of this would include teacher prompting and support. I also think you could pull different literary device instruction in as well.

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The text structure of this book is slightly complex because it is clearly divided into categories based on the location of where animals live. Graphics are very complex because they help the reader understand the information being conveyed. The texts conventionality is slightly complex. This is a non-fiction book, so all the facts are straightforward. The vocabulary in this text would be considered very complex because there are many subject/categories specific words. This book would be best used for a specific learning unit/section. The sentence structure is moderately complex because there are a few complex sentence constructions. The meaning in this text is slightly complex because the title tells us it is an atlas. Everything in the book is under one overarching theme. This book has moderately complex knowledge demands as it discusses many different cultures and countries/regions.

I would use this book as a part of a text set for learning about animals within a specific region. This book is simply used as a tool to help us gather more information about the animals that live in the area we are studying. This book would pair well with a KWL chart because it is packed with information. They would be able to discuss what they know and what they want to know. You could also use this text to help explain site specific vocabulary such as wetlands, grassland, rain forest, and other regional words. To incorporate a writing activity, you could have students write 2-4 sentences about new information they have learned from reading the section. This would be a great interactive read aloud paired with another book. This book could be used in any grade level.

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Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle has a Lexile level of 450L which puts it in the 2-3 band. I believe I would use it in a first grade setting because it would be slightly more complex for those students. The organization of the text is slightly complex while the illustrations are moderately complex. The vocabulary, conventionality, and sentence structure are also slightly complex. Majority of the vocabulary would be considered conversational. The only words students may struggle with are silver and reappear. Meaning and knowledge demands are also slightly complex. This book is a pop-up book, which adds a fun dimensional approach to the text.

This book would be perfect for teaching fluency, as well as vowel blends in the classroom. For fluency and prosody practice, I would have the students practice echo reading. This is where the teacher models reading and then the students read back. For vowel blends, I would focus on –ea because the book includes many words with this blend. Near, reached, and reappear are all examples of words using the –ea vowel blend. I would introduce this concept and then have the students be word detectives as we read. I may even have them practice writing by using an –ea vowel blend word in a sentence.