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Fall tree craft for kids made from an empty cardboard tube and coffee filters

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Chitchat - conversation flimsy - bends easily photosynthesize - when the leaf changes from green to another color, (red, orange, yellow) daredevil - attempts dangerous things without fear introvert -...

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Wishtree, by Katherine Applegate | EatReadSleep

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Wishtree, by Katherine Applegate | EatReadSleep

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Shelf Awareness for Readers for Tuesday, September 26, 2017 | Shelf Awareness

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Shelf Awareness for Readers for Tuesday, September 26, 2017 | Shelf Awareness

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Katherine Applegate is mistress of many genres, having written about a mall-dwelling gorilla in the Newbery-winning The One and Only Ivan; kids who can transform into superhero animals in the Animorphs series; a giant imaginary cat in Crenshaw; not to mention a YA science fiction thriller (Eve and Adam) and Harlequin romances. In Wishtree, she digs deep into her imagination once again, creating a story about an ancient, wise, funny tree who reaches beyond his roots and crown to give back to the world that gave him life.
There's a certain kind of kid for whom a talking tree would be a dream come true. Were you one of those?
Well, my first choice would have been a talking dog, but the more I read about trees, the more I wish I could have a long heart-to-heart chat with one. (Highly recommended: The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben--you'll never look at a tree the same way again.)

When I was growing up in Michigan, we had this lovely birch tree in our front yard that was a great companion. (Oh, how I longed to put a treehouse there, but it wasn't up to the challenge.) To this day, I can't look at a birch without a hint of nostalgia.

I'm so glad to hear that you liked Red. It's truly fun to watch a character evolve as you write. Red is old enough to have seen a great deal, both good and bad, and he has a tendency to offer "wise old tree" advice, which drives his animal friends crazy.

I liked creating a character who was quite comfortable in his own skin (bark?), one who's capable of saying, "It is a great gift indeed to love who you are." Still, Red wonders if he's done enough for the world, and he wants to do more. That's a good place for anyone to be.
What moved you to write about a Muslim family who were told to "leave" their community?
I wrote W ishtree during the election, in a state of stunned disbelief at how vitriolic and frightening the political season had become. I wanted to talk about hate crimes in an accessible way, one that even the youngest reader could understand. I knew there wouldn't be any simple answers. But I wanted to at least start a conversation where kids asked themselves, "Why are those people being treated unkindly? Are they really so different from me?"
What are the motivations and inspirations for your books?
Kids always ask where ideas come from, and I always answer the same way. You just need two words: "What if?" I never have a shortage of ideas--most writers will tell you the same thing. The hard part is deciding which one will keep you sitting at your desk day after day, when things get tough. For me, that always comes down to a visceral reaction, something that truly energizes me.

Often the news plays a role. With The One and Only Ivan, it was a story about the real Ivan's uncertain future as he languished in a shopping mall in Tacoma. With W ishtree, it was the spate of stories about anti-Muslim hate crimes. In fact, I was tweaking the final manuscript of W ishtree when I came across this ugly headline in the Washington Post: " 'You can all go home now': Police Investigate Hate-filled Note Targeting Iowa Muslim Family."

Life imitating art imitating life.

I'm not sure if it's the slight remove from the complicated world of humans that makes it easier for kids to relate to animal stories, or if it's just that animals are so darn cool. Maybe a little of both.

It helps that kids feel a tenderness and protectiveness toward animals. Both children and animals are vulnerable to the whims of adult humans, after all, and both have unique perspectives on the world.

It's great when that happens. (I speak for parents everywhere who've been forced to reread the same book 4,568 times.)

But in the end, if a kid loves a book, that's all that matters, as far as I'm concerned.

It feels like such a luxury to be able to experiment! Perhaps that comes from writing too many series books early in my career.

I dearly love writing for middle graders. They're the perfect audience: inquisitive, idealistic, imaginative. And the length is right for me. I'm more "chamber music" than "symphony" when it comes to novels. I hate putting those first words down on paper, but I love chopping and pruning (two of Red's least favorite words.) Any genre will do!
Are you a tree climber?
I'm barely a stair climber.
What have you wished for?
When Macmillan sent out advance reader's copies of W ishtree, they created a beautiful box covered with wishes from the staff. My wish was for "a world full of welcomers." (The dedication to W ishtree reads "for newcomers and for welcomers.")

However, I wouldn't argue if someone sent me a full-time chef/masseur.
What's next for you?
I'm just starting a new middle-grade novel. I love this part of the writing process. Anything seems possible, and it's too soon to know all the ways you'll go wrong.

Ask me again in a month when I'm throwing my keyboard against the wall in frustration. Repeatedly.
Anything else you'd like to share with the readers of Shelf Awareness?
Just a big and heartfelt thanks for loving books the way they do. I'm a late-blooming reader, which makes every new book I fall in love with especially sweet. -- Emilie Coulter

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Shelf Awareness for Readers for Tuesday, September 26, 2017

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Katherine Applegate is mistress of many genres, having written about a mall-dwelling gorilla in the Newbery-winning The One and Only Ivan; kids who can transform into superhero animals in the Animorphs series; a giant imaginary cat in Crenshaw; not to mention a YA science fiction thriller (Eve and Adam) and Harlequin romances.

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Reading graffiti- Students will pick out meaningful bits of text that are powerful- much like inspirational quotes. Add them to a display as you find them. Upon completing the book kids choose their favorite quote. They write it artistically on cardstock, paint over with watercolors, and then write over the quote with sharpie. Display around the classroom or school.

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Some discussion questions...
1. Do you think if Red had not spoken things would have stayed the same for Samar and Stephen? Why or why not?

2. Many say opposites attract. What examples can you find in the book that would support this statement?

3. "Hollows are proof that something bad can become something good with enough time and care and hope" (pg. 25). What examples can you think of from the book, your own life, or the world that show this?

4. Why does Red break the "No talking" rule? If you were her would you have done the same thing? Why or why not?

5. Red is very wise. Find examples in the text of this. What do her words mean? How can you apply it to your own life?

6. What happens that causes Red to lose her patience? Why do you think this affects her so deeply?

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When I did Wishtree with my 2nd grade students last year, we all created our own animal and tree names according to the criteria mentioned in the book. We wrote them on pictures of animals that I had laminated.

Owls: No-nonsense names
Frogs: Named for things they like to eat
Squirrels: Names that start with "squ"
Skunks: Named for pleasant smelling things
Trees: Named for the type of tree they are (we just picked a tree we liked)
Opossums: Named for things they fear
Crows: Named for sounds they like, things that catch their fancy, aerobatic maneuvers, or colors
Raccoons: All raccoons are named "You"

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Jenessa’s drawing made me think of making Red and adding characters and items from the story as students progress through the book. So adding Bongo and uncovering LEAVE, putting Samar under the tree, adding a key with a red ribbon, etc.

I was thinking the big board by the library might be a good place. Maybe Red could be painted and the other pieces could be added. At the end maybe the STAY notes and Stand Tall and Dig Deep are added for a permanent image.

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How cool is this??

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So I had the idea of an ongoing activity that would hopefully hook our students into the story. These events would happen over a period of time:

1) Set up a Wishing Tree in a common area. (Could be construction paper or something simple, could be more complicated we wanted.)

2) Have a representation of Samara (cartoon? silhouette? something else?) appear, and add her wish for a friend to the Wishing Tree display. (Meanwhile we'd be introducing the story and reading the first parts of the book with our class.)

3) The words "LEAVE" appear on the tree. :(   We all have a discussion with our classes about what that could mean.

4) Put up yellowtape, etc. Inform the students that we'll have to take the tree down.

5) As we finish reading the book, have students from every class bombard the tree with the wish, "STAY".

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Celebrations
Jennifer F.

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Copy of Celebrations Around the World PowerPoint

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Taking Root, Spreading Seeds of Kindness: Duet Reading. Pair Wishtree with Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman to explore the ways gardening and plant life metaphors help us make meaning of communities.  Discuss the specific ways Red compares her neighborhood to a garden. How does this compare to the ways the characters in Seedfolks discuss their neighborhood? How do the characters in each story make others feel welcome or unwelcome? Then, turn these reading experiences into action by creating a class plan for how to make others feel a sense of belonging in your class community.

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The words to this song were written by a 13-year-old girl from the Philippines. Her lyrics won a contest from submissions from over 57 countries. Students in choir would study the meaning of the words and how students around the world have the same dream. Possibly perform the song for the school if there is a kick-off event or closer

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Sentence Level Writing: Crafting for Voice.  Traditionally, young writers are often taught that sentences must have a subject and a predicate. How does Applegate defy this rule effectively in Wishtree and in her other novels.  Have students gather other books where authors play with our traditional notions of sentence construction in order to make the voice of the character come alive such as Ghost by Jason Reynolds.  Discuss as a class the value of playing with sentence length and the use of fragments for effect. As students compose narratives throughout the year, consider freeing them from traditional notions of sentence structure to explore the value of fragments to enhance a character’s voice, to highlight a change in a character’s feelings, or to create a page-turning effect.

http://www.theclassroombookshelf.com/2018/01/wishtree/

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Playing with Point of View. In part, the memorable nature of Wishtree is thanks to the unexpected point of view of the narrator, Red, an old oak tree. Red’s voice is shared through primarily simple sentences packed with meaning. Support students to consider the impact of Red’s point of view on their understanding of the neighborhood’s story. Encourage students to act out scenes from the story using their voice and body to portray Red’s perspective. Should Red’s voice be loud or quiet? Should her voice go up each time she asks a question? Where would Red pause for effect? After supporting students to become the character of Red, have them consider the ways the story would have been different if told from another character’s point of view. Have students select a different character to retell one of the scene’s from a different point of view. As writers, how could they play with sentence structure, sentence length, punctuation, and word choice to make the character’s perspective come alive? Have them share their retellings with one another by reading or acting out each other’s new scenes.

http://www.theclassroombookshelf.com/2018/01/wishtree/

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Bulletin Board Idea

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J.W. Killam Family Tree Year two~ Each student traced his/her hand and selected one color to decorate the hand with symbols that repre...

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Students could create a mural of cut out leaves. They could write their wish on the leaf (each students makes one) and we could create a mural in the gym or MPR that says our themes--acceptance, compassion, and friendship. We could do this K-5 and maybe partner up and have K-1 do one word, 2-3 another, and 4-5 do the final one. OR we could just choose one to create.

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This would be a great way to bring our school together. Students could write their names on hearts or leaves and complete 1 act of kindness. They could write their act of kindness on their leaf or heart and post it on our tree. It would be a great display to share with families within our building. Maybe on a mural? :)

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For upper grades Wishtree would be a great mentor text for teaching our standards addressing craft and structure (RL5.4-6 and L5.5 for 5th) personification, humor, alliteration (ie: “turning us into tables and tongue depressors”) and using subtle word choices as writers for emphasis, similes (ie: “weaving our roots into the soil like knitters on a mission”, “days have a way of slipping past like raindrops in a river”) and other figurative language components (SO many great examples in this text). If we taught lessons on these prior to the book or strategically between specific chapters, students could be watching to mark these with post-its while we're reading the text. We could also teach these lessons following certain chunks of the text and then send students back into recently read chunks if we copy specific pages.

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Create Your Own Wishing Tree - Elva Resa Publishing

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The Wishing Tree, written by Mary Redman and illustrated by Christina Rodriguez, is creating renewed interest in wishing trees! Wishing trees have been around for a long time and exist in many cultures around the world. For more than 100 years, the Chinese have been tossing wishes written on red and gold paper attached to...

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Donalyn Miller’s Reading Graffiti is something I typically introduce with students right away in the fall, but just haven't gotten to yet this year. This text would be a great way to introduce this activity and rally students around our themes within all reading through the end of the year. 3 options I found that students would likely notice as well: “But sometimes things happen that aren’t so good. When they occur, I’ve learned that there’s not much you can do except stand tall and reach deep.” “It is a great gift indeed to love who you are.” “I wanted to tell them that friendship doesn’t have to be hard. That sometimes we let the world make it hard.”).

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More Animal Pictures to go with Animal Names (Stephanie)

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More Animal Pictures to go with Animal Names (Stephanie)

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Here is a For the Humans video that was created by SC 4 years back. It was created for lessons on compassion, friendship, and acceptance.  SC would be willing to create a video like this, or this one could be used.  It was our version of the Pixar shortfilm For the Birds, which might be fitting for our theme.  The link should allow you to view it.

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Student Council video for classroom lessons (Jenessa)

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Student Council video for classroom lessons (Jenessa)

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Student council would like the opportunity to work with us in promoting the different characters through a video or something similar. SC did an "Enemy" video for Kindness Week a few years back. You should be able to view it through the link below.

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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Timeline reflection writing activity  (Jennifer) 

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Timeline reflection writing activity  (Jennifer) 

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Students reflect on important events from their lives and write in the tree rings.

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My Years, in Tree Rings - would be great as a poem in our art/poetry books | Journals/sketchbook | Pinterest | Art Therapy, Art and Tree rings

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My Years, in Tree Rings - would be great as a poem in our art/poetry books

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Jennifer F.

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Jennifer F.

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I think that it would be good for students to write kind notes and uplifting thoughts on sticky notes to put on lockers. This would bring out compassion and acts of kindness that are tied within our themes. It would show school spirit and it's always nice to see notes on lockers with uplifting thoughts. This isn't something HUGE or amazing but it's something that at least 1-5 could do to support each other.

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I think that it would be fun for teachers to create Kahoot games for their classroom using the questions that are created. This could also be used as just comprehension questions to support students understanding/learning of the book. For older grades, we could create more intense questions that are revolved around our specific themes. We could make it fun but having competitions between classes/grade levels!

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Each week we could have trivia questions that go along with the reading.  The questions could be given to each class to try and answer.
We can find examples on TPT or make up our own.
(Melissa)

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Jennifer F.
I did this activity years ago with 3rd graders.  I bought each student an apple (all different sizes and colors) and we discussed how our apples are similar and different on the outside.  I cut all the apples on their side and they each had the same star on the inside.  Good conversation along with a healthy snack.

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This summer Cheryl Bommbenger worked with me to make a Breakout Box for Wishtree. The premise is we need to get the box open to save Red. This could be one of the activities we do as the students get to that part in the book. We still had a couple different clues to figure out, but I think I could complete it. Not sure it is easy enough for grades 1-2 but definitely would work for 3-5.

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Students can have a piece of paper with vocabulary words from the book. They will write the word, define it and draw a picture of it. This can be done k-5.

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Wishtree Interactive Read Aloud Unit with Science and Social Studies Connections (Nicole B)

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Wishtree Interactive Read Aloud Unit with Science and Social Studies Connections (Nicole B)

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Great way to include science and social studies.  This is for the upper grades.

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Wishtree Interactive Read Aloud Unit with Science and Social Studies Connections

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This interactive read aloud unit is a great addition to your Language Arts block! Wishtree is a beautiful novel that is filled with figurative language, important social issues and characters that your students will easily relate to. This is one novel study that your students will love! What is Incl...

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Wishtree Text Dependent Questions by Holly Hawley | TpT (Nicole B)

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Wishtree Text Dependent Questions by Holly Hawley | TpT (Nicole B)

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This has writing response pages that students can fill out.  This is a great way to bring writing into the mix.

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My Text Dependent Question resources are the perfect way to get your kiddos back into the text finding the answers to those higher level questions. They are a great way to start prepping those second graders for the following testing year. We use beginning chapter books and challenging novels in ou...

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Copy of Wish Trees - Google Slides (Nicole B)

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Copy of Wish Trees - Google Slides (Nicole B)

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I like the Craftivity that brings in coloring and yarn for a wish. This could be used in all grades and each grade can make it as easy or more complex as they would like.

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If planned for upper grades to read the book before or faster then younger grades they could draw pictures of the story to show K and 1.

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K-2 Compare/Contrast Activity for an Interactive Notebook

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K-2 Compare/Contrast Activity for an Interactive Notebook

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Teach your students the meaning of acceptance with this acceptance scoot game! Students will read 30 prompts and decide whether or not the scenario is acceptance or not. This is a great activity for your diversity lessons for large or small group counseling!

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Somehow link our entire school with kindness using a chain?!?!

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Hey Peeps! HAPPY NEW YEAR! Today I am sharing with you an idea that my campus does to promote kindness all year round! This can be implemented campus wide, grad

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I would love to create or have some sort of kindness rocks around a "planted" wishtree at the end of this.

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Kindness Rocks Project with Kids: Fun Ideas - Consumer Crafts

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Teach the kids an important lesson in random acts of kindness. Follow these easy directions to make your own Kindness Rocks!

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26 Inspiring Kindness Trees Found In Schools

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Kindness trees are a wonderful way to encourage more kindness and compassion within schools. Here are 15 great examples to get your started with yours!

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The Teacher with a Ponytail: Fall Mosaics: 1st Grade | School Crafts | Pinterest | Grade 1, First grade art and Art lessons elementary

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The Teacher with a Ponytail: Fall Mosaics: 1st Grade

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Wishtree by Katherine Applegate is such a great novel for kids. This book explores several themes, with one of them being "accepting others for who they are, not what they look like". The story is a heartwarming tale of two children, one tree, and a menagerie of animals that bring peace and happines...

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Bulletin Board Idea

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Poem by Yoko Ono (Stephanie)

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WISH TREES

"As a child in Japan, I used to go to a temple and write out a wish on a piece of thin paper and tie it around the branch of a tree. Trees in temple courtyards were always filled with people's wish knots, which looked like white flowers blossoming from afar."
Yoko Ono: 'All My Works Are A Form Of Wishing'

Yoko Ono's interactive artwork WISH TREE (1996) has been integral to many of her exhibitions around the world in museums and cultural centers where people have been invited to write their personal wishes for peace and tie them to a tree branch.

Yoko continues to collect all the wishes from her Wish Trees from all over the world - currently totaling over a million. They are preserved and their messages continue on in the Wishing Well of IMAGINE PEACE TOWER - to send their power out the world and to the Universe.

Interview with Yoko Ono

Q: When did the "Wish Tree" happen for the first time?
YO: I don't remember exactly when. It's after 1981, after John, my husband's passing.
Q: Every city could have a "Wish Tree!"
YO: When they did it in Finland they said one tree was not enough. Because the wish was becoming much larger than one tree.
They added so many trees it became like a mini-forest. You suddenly see very strong emotions of people coming out. It is fantastic. I'm keeping all the wishes from all the countries, although I never read any of them. I feel it's not right to read people's private wishes.
Q: It's a growing archive?
YO: It's not an archive. I'll tell you what's going to happen: every piece of paper has a wish on it, I don't read it, and all of them will be put in one big tower of a sculpture, like a totem. It will be a very powerful sculpture... a tower which contains wishes of the
people of the world of our time. All in one tower!
Q: In terms of the energy!
YO: Yes. People's wishes! So that's why I'm keeping them.

Interview with Yoko Ono, 1996

"I have saved all the wishes people made and hung on my work, called 'Wish Tree' in many different countries. The number of those wishes I collected and kept has now reached over a million. They are preserved and their messages continue on in the Wishing Well of IMAGINE PEACE TOWER - to send their power out the world and to the Universe. I hope IMAGINE PEACE TOWER will give light to the strong wishes of World Peace from all corners of the planet and give encouragement, inspiration and a sense of solidarity in a world now filled with fear and confusion. Let us come together to realize a peaceful world. I consider myself very fortunate to see the dream my husband and I dreamed together become reality."

Yoko Ono, 2007

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WISH TREES "As a child in Japan, I used to go to a temple and write out a wish on a piece of thin paper and tie it around the branch of a tree. Trees in temple courtyards were always filled with people's wish knots, which looked like white flowers blossoming from afar."

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Wish tree examples (Stephanie)

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A Wishing Tree is an individual tree, usually distinguished by species, position or appearance, which is used as an object of wishes and offerings. Such trees are identified as possessing a special religious or spiritual value. By tradition, believers make votive offerings in order to gain from that nature spirit, saint or goddess fulfillment of a wish.

Wishing Trees are found in many different cultures around the world and although the specific rituals differ from one country to the next, what all Wishing Trees have in common is that of being places where people reconnect with what truly matters to them.

Wishing Trees in Turkey

Wishing Trees (Dilek Ağacı) have a long history in Turkish folklore and in rural areas in Turkey people still visit "wishing trees" to tie fabric tokens or paper tags with wishes and reflections written on them onto branches, left as ziyaret (pilgrimage) offerings for the visitor's dreams to come true.

You can see them all over Turkey - easily recognisable by their many colourful pieces of cloths and scarves tied around their branches in rural areas. In some places, you may also see nazar hung from Wishing Trees.

Traditionally it is the young single girls of marriageable age who would go there to make a wish - usually for a handsome husband, by tying their scarves around the branches while making their wish. This practice itself is not a part of Islamic culture.

Local Wishing Trees

If you look carefully when you're out and about in Fethiye and surrounding areas, you may see a Wishing Tree or two.

Next time you see a Wishing Tree, why not give it a try?
Sources - Wikipedia/Bodrum Bulletin/Nomadic Son

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Wishing Trees - a wonderful example of the similarities between many cultures - Fethiye Times

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A Wishing Tree is an individual tree, usually distinguished by species, position or appearance, which is used as an object of wishes and offerings. Such trees are identified as possessing a special religious or spiritual value. By tradition, believers make votive offerings in order to gain from that nature spirit, saint or goddess fulfillment of a wish.

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Book Unit (Stephanie)

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Cultural Trends (Stephanie)

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The Fascinating Cultural Trend of “Wish Trees”

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From Japan’s tanabata festival, to the UK’s coin trees, and Yoko Ono’s “Wish tree” project - trees have played a special role in making our dreams come true. Some cultures make offerings and prayers to trees, believing them to be nature’s deities.

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Character Education: Compassion {Lesson Plans and Activities}

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After several years in the classroom, I realized that my students needed instruction on HOW to be kind, respectful, and all the things I was asking them to be. I developed these units to support teachers in teaching and rewarding great character in the classroom!

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Compassion Quotes Posters and Activities

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Use character traits quotes to help your students understand, learn, reflect, and connect in new ways.  These compassion quotes posters and printables are perfect for a bulletin board display and will engage any 4th grade class and above.  This product co

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Types of Wish trees (Stephanie)

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Wishtree
Written by Katherine Applegate and Illustrated by Charles Santoso

2017 Feiwel and Friends

ISBN 978-1-250-04322-1
Grades 3-6 Book Review
"My friends call me Red, and you can, too. But for a long time people in the neighborhood have called me 'the wishtree.'" From celebrated author, Katherine Applegate, comes her latest literary triumph- . Fast-paced, emotional, and contemplative, captures the curiosity and hearts of readers from the first page consistently 'til the last. Told from the refreshing point of view of Red, a seasoned oak tree, readers encounter a neighborhood and its changes from a new perspective. Each year on May 1st, Red's branches become full of scraps of paper, bits of fabric, and the occasional gym sock with wishes written on them; Red become a wishtree. These tidbits represent hopes for something better. When ten-year-old Samara and her Muslim family move to town, it quickly becomes clear that they are not welcome when a boy carves the word LEAVE into Red's trunk. While the soul of the neighborhood feels at stake, Red's own future becomes uncertain as the landowner, Maeve, considers whether it's time for Red to come down. Can Red still be a symbol of hope even if her trunk has been co-opted as a site of hate? Applegate masterfully balances the light-hearted voice of Red with the heavy and controversial topics of immigration and belonging. Charles Santoso's illustrations add to the emotional impact of the characters' life stories while also allowing readers to pause intermittently to simply enjoy the way his drawings of leaves appear windswept across the pages. While has all of the stylistic, thematic, and literary elements to become a classic, the importance of this book in the present cannot be understated. If you believe literature can inspire a better world, and that children can learn who they want to become through stories, is a critical book to add to your classroom library collection. Readers and listeners of any age will be forever changed thanks to Applegate's unforgettable and unexpected narrator.
Teaching Ideas: Invitations for Your Classrooms
Tapping Into Our Minds and Our Hearts: Readers Think and Feel. Often, in order for novels to have meaning for readers, the author must position readers to think in new ways and to feel complex emotions. offers countless possibilities for readers to transact with the text by thinking and feeling. Periodically throughout the book, ask students to consider what they think and how they feel. Have students create a Thinking/Feeling log using writing or drawing as a way to track their ideas whether they are independently reading or if they are experiencing it as a read aloud. Use this experience as a way to support students to make book choices throughout the year. For example, if students find that they are not actively thinking or feeling anything about the characters in a book, it may be time to abandon the book and try something new. If they find themselves with new thoughts and strong feelings, have students consider ways they can share those responses with others.

Playing with Point of View. In part, the memorable nature of is thanks to the unexpected point of view of the narrator, Red, an old oak tree. Red's voice is shared through primarily simple sentences packed with meaning. Support students to consider the impact of Red's point of view on their understanding of the neighborhood's story. Encourage students to act out scenes from the story using their voice and body to portray Red's perspective. Should Red's voice be loud or quiet? Should her voice go up each time she asks a question? Where would Red pause for effect? After supporting students to become the character of Red, have them consider the ways the story would have been different if told from another character's point of view. Have students select a different character to retell one of the scene's from a different point of view. As writers, how could they play with sentence structure, sentence length, punctuation, and word choice to make the character's perspective come alive? Have them share their retellings with one another by reading or acting out each other's new scenes.

Empathize to Understand: Rethinking Heroes and Villains. As readers, when we encounter complex characters we can often empathize with their situation to understand the story more fully. Encourage students to share who they find themselves empathizing with in and to consider why. The most immediate responses might be that we are positioned to empathize with Red given her uncertain future and Samara and her family for the implicit and explicit hateful messages they receive. Yet, readers might also find themselves wondering about the boy who carved the word LEAVE and whether he is deserving of our empathy, particularly if there is hatred in his own life fueling his actions. Is every character deserving of our empathy whether they are the heroes or the villains? If empathy could be extended to every character in a story, what might that mean for people in our own lives? Engage in a discussion about the ways characters are more complex than we might initially realize just like people.

Text-to-Self Connections: The Value of Friendship. In the middle of , Red wonders to his friend Bongo, a persnickety Crow, "How does friendship happen?" Pause to ask your students to discuss this question. How does friendship happen (or not happen) in their own lives? What makes someone a friend? Then, have students leverage this conversation to better understand the friendships in . Who are Red's friends and in what ways are they willing to put themselves in harm's way to save their friend? What launches the friendship between Samar and Stephen? How is their friendship sustained and even strengthened when Samar's family is faced with cruelty? How do the characters in serve as friendship role models for how we could treat our own friends? In order for friendship to happen, someone has to "go first"-someone has to introduce themselves, ask someone else to play, or offer a point of connection. Challenge your students to approach someone new with the spirit of friendship drawing on your discussion of the friendships in .

Making and Creating Wishes. Red describes each wish that hangs from her branches as "a dream, a desire, a longing." Discuss as a class the kinds of wishes people hang on Red. Research the history of wishes across cultures. Red briefly describes the "long and honorable history" of wishes in Ireland hung on Hawthorn and Ash trees. Give students time to craft their own wish list of things they hope and dream for themselves and for the world. Visit the online where students can type their wishes or add photo representations of their wishes to the wish gallery. Spend some time on the site to have students notice and name the wishes of others. What commonalities do they notice across the wishes they view? Discuss as a class ways to create your own physical wishtree in your classroom, school, or local community using a planted tree or by using art materials to craft a tree. Using Stephen as an example, encourage students to think about how to turn their wishes into actions that could help others.

Taking Root, Spreading Seeds of Kindness: Duet Reading. Pair with by Paul Fleischman to explore the ways gardening and plant life metaphors help us make meaning of communities. Discuss the specific ways Red compares her neighborhood to a garden. How does this compare to the ways the characters in discuss their neighborhood? How do the characters in each story make others feel welcome or unwelcome? Then, turn these reading experiences into action by creating a class plan for how to make others feel a sense of belonging in your class community.

Sentence Level Writing: Crafting for Voice. Traditionally, young writers are often taught that sentences must have a subject and a predicate. How does Applegate defy this rule effectively in and in her other novels. Have students gather other books where authors play with our traditional notions of sentence construction in order to make the voice of the character come alive such as by Jason Reynolds. Discuss as a class the value of playing with sentence length and the use of fragments for effect. As students compose narratives throughout the year, consider freeing them from traditional notions of sentence structure to explore the value of fragments to enhance a character's voice, to highlight a change in a character's feelings, or to create a page-turning effect.

Research that Strengthens Fiction. Katherine Applegate was intentional in her selection of a Northern Red Oak tree for Red's species. Research as a class how Northern Red Oaks compare to other trees to consider the ways that research helped Applegate craft . Gather other fiction books where authors have clearly done research to embed scientific information to strengthen the storyline such as The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin.

One Little Word. The power of the single word "LEAVE" has a tremendous impact on the neighborhood as does the word "STAY". Discuss the power of one little word with the class and how words shape our thoughts about ourselves and others. Challenge students to think of one little word that they want to focus on this year. Brainstorm ideas through shared or interactive writing. Periodically, have students reflect on how that one little word is shaping their thoughts and feelings. This is also a powerful thought exercise to engage the entire school in through an interactive bulletin board.

Reading for the Power of Love. The characters in express love to one another in myriad ways. Consider as a class the love expressed from Red to people in the neighborhood, the love between Red and the animals that call her home, and in turn, the animals' love to Red. How does reading with love in mind help us consider what's most important in a story? Consider gathering other books that explore the power of love such as the recent written by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Loren Long as well as by Nikki Giovanni . Support students to notice the ways characters express love to one another throughout your reading instruction throughout the year.

Author Study. As the author of dozens of books, Katherine Applegate's work is widely known. Create opportunities for students to read across her books including Newbery Medal winner The One and Only Ivan , The New York Times Bestseller Crenshaw , and her first middle grade book, Home of the Brave . Consider creating book clubs that allow students to select another Applegate text for study with classmates. Encourage conversations among students that explore character development, how Applegate creates voice, and how her books position them to think and feel in new ways. Some questions book clubs could consider include: In what ways do Applegate's books evoke similar themes of belonging, resilience, hope, and strength? What do you notice about the ways in which her texts are structured? What techniques does she use at the sentence level to create voice in her writing for her characters to feel so relatable?
Critical Literacy.
Immigration Stories. Draw students' attention to the dedication Applegate chose for -for newcomers and for welcomers. Discuss as a class what they might infer about Applegate's perspective on immigration in America. Discuss the ways different characters have immigration stories such as how Maeve's Irish family heritage influences her thinking as a community member and how her family's immigration story compares to Samara's. Immigration is a hotly contested topic that evokes strong feelings. Create a space for students to share their thoughts on immigration. Research as a class current perspectives on immigration and issues that particularly impact children such as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy using resources such as and the Pew Research Center . Consider gathering stories specifically about refugees using our Classroom Bookshelf suggestions . Finally, have students research their own family immigration stories by interviewing family members about arrivals to America.

Difficult Decisions: The Power of Speaking (Up). Red makes a difficult decision to speak to Samar and Stephen to tell the story of Maeve's family. Discuss as a class whether Red made the right decision for her and the community. Speaking up requires courage under any circumstance. Have students reflect on times they made a difficult decision to speak up, particularly to help others. Have students reflect on two adults in their lives they could speak up to when experiencing a difficult decision. Consider exploring with students the ways people throughout history have spoken up to support others and how people are speaking up today. As a nation, we are witnessing peaceful protests and marches to speak up on behalf of women and girls, for science, and for recognition of racial injustice. Consider engaging in conversations about these events and why they occur.
Further Explorations Online Resources
Wishtree's Site
http://www.wishtreebook.com/
A Profile of Katherine Applegate
http://www.hbook.com/2013/07/choosing-books/horn-book-magazine/a-profile-of-katherine-applegate/
Pew Research Center DACA data
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/09/01/unauthorized-immigrants-covered-by-daca-face-uncertain-future/
Newsela article on DACA
https://newsela.com/read/lib-overview-daca-dreamers/id/35159/ Books
Applegate, K. (2008). Home of the brave . New York, NY: Square Fish.
Applegate, K. (2012). The one and only Ivan . New York, NY: HarperCollins.
Benjamin, A. (2015). The thing about jellyfish . New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Fleischman, P. (2004). . New York, NY: HarperTrophy.

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Wishtree Written by Katherine Applegate and Illustrated by Charles Santoso 2017 Feiwel and Friends ISBN 978-1-250-04322-1 Grades 3-6 Book Review "My friends call me Red, and you can, too. But for a long time people in the neighborhood have called me 'the wishtree.'" From celebrated author, Katherine Applegate, comes her latest literary triumph- .

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Trees can't tell jokes, but they can certainly tell stories. Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood 'wishtree'-people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches.

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Paper Bag Gratitude Tree for Kids - No Time For Flash Cards

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Paper Bag Gratitude Tree for Kids - No Time For Flash Cards

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There are many ways to teach gratitude to kids, from reading books, doing projects like this paper bag gratitude tree, or simply talking about it. With time, kids will begin to talk about being thankful on their own, not only for material objects but also for the people and experiences in their lives.

Talking about gratitude and thankfulness with kids is an important role for parents and educators. For young children, it can be difficult to understand. But, in making gratitude a part of your daily conversation in even small ways, we help kids develop empathy and a sensitivity towards others. These traits we can all agree are incredibly important.
Make a Paper Bag Tree
This is such a fun activity for kids, as it develops fine motor skills and scissor skills all while focusing on gratitude.
What you need:
Paper bags

Markers

Scissors

Construction Paper
How to make it:
Young children will need some help with cutting and twisting the branches of the tree as they develop their motor skills. Older preschoolers will be able to make the trees largely on their own.

Draw lines on the paper bag from the opening of the bags down to the bottom section. This makes a simple template for cutting the bags into strips.

Once all of the lines are cut, then stand the bag up. Begin to twist all of the cut strips together to create a tree trunk.

After a trunk has been twisted, take smaller sections of the strips to twist together to create branches.

This is such a great fine motor workout for little hands! No two trees will look alike, providing the chance for creativity and imagination as kids construct their interpretations of trees.
Turn the Paper Bag Tree into a Gratitude Tree
Once the paper bag tree is complete, itâ€™s time to add some leaves of gratitude! Cut some leaf shapes out of construction paper for kids to use as their gratitude notes.

For children who can write, they can add what they are thankful for to the leaves. Otherwise, you can simply ask them and record what they say.

Kids can add glue to the back of their gratitude leaves and paste them onto the branches or their paper bag tree. These become great decorations for the classroom or home that kids can add to and read as time goes on.

Enjoy making these paper bag gratitude trees with kids!

Contributing Author: Katie Chiavarone writes at Views From a Step Stool about kids activities, the importance of play-based learning, and positive parenting techniques. Currently a mom to 3 young children, with previous roles as a preschool teaching assistant, the director of an after-school program, and a behavior therapist for children with Autism, she has had more than 10 years of experience working with children. Additionally, she relies on her Masterâ€™s in Educational Psychology from NYU when writing about children and education. She has co-authored the book The Undeniable Power of Play and can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Paper Bag Gratitude Tree for Kids - No Time For Flash Cards

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There are many ways to teach gratitude to kids, from reading books, doing projects like this paper bag gratitude tree, or simply talking about it. With time, kids will begin to talk about being thankful on their own, not only for material objects but also for the people and experiences in their lives.