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Pele, King of Soccer/ Pele, El rey de futbol by Monica Brown

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Pele, King of Soccer/ Pele, El rey de futbol by Monica Brown

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Description: Pelé, King of Soccer / Pelé, El rey de fútbol is a great resource for supporting English language learners because it is written in both English and Spanish, helping students make connections between the two languages. The bilingual text allows learners to compare vocabulary and sentence structures which strengthens both understanding and word knowledge. The story is engaging and rich in culture and shares the real-life journey of Pelé, the famous soccer player from Brazil. His experiences of perseverance and achievement can motivate English language learners and help them feel seen. Especially those from Latin American backgrounds who may connect with his story and determination.

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Supports struggling readers with learning disabilities/ dyslexia

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Niagara Falls, Or Does It? from the Hank Zipzer Collection by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver

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Niagara Falls, Or Does It? from the Hank Zipzer Collection by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver

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Description: Niagara Falls, Or Does It? from the Hank Zipzer series supports students with dyslexia or other learning disabilities by featuring a main character who faces similar challenges. Hank is intelligent and imaginative but struggles with tasks like reading, writing, and staying organized (experiences that many students with dyslexia can relate to). Having a character who learns differently helps students feel understood and builds confidence in their own abilities. The book’s humor, short chapters, and simple language make it approachable for readers who might find longer texts overwhelming. It also highlights Hank’s creativity and determination, showing that intelligence and success come in many forms. This message encourages students with learning differences to embrace their strengths and see their unique ways of thinking as something to be proud of.

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Writing Traits: Voice and character traits.

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The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors By: Drew Daywalt

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The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors By: Drew Daywalt

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Summary: This comedic story is about three warriors, Rock, Paper, and Scissors, who each embark on quests to find a worthy opponent, only to discover that the perfect adversary for each is the other two, leading to a battle where their strengths and weaknesses are revealed in the classic rock-paper-scissors dynamic.

Traits at Work: This story exhibits voice and character traits through its comedic portrayal of Rock, Paper, and Scissors as warriors. The book's voice is humorous and adventurous, personifying everyday objects as epic heroes on quests. This creative approach demonstrates how voice can transform familiar concepts into engaging narratives. Character traits are vividly illustrated through each warrior's quest for a worthy opponent, revealing their determination, competitiveness, and sense of honor. As the characters interact, their individual strengths and weaknesses emerge, mirroring the classic game dynamics. This clever characterization shows how character traits can be developed through actions, dialogue, and interactions with others.

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The Book with No Pictures By: B.J. Novak

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The Book with No Pictures By: B.J. Novak

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Summary: This book asks the reader to say all sorts of silly things to prove that a book with only words can be fun and entertaining. It contains no pictures, as the title suggests, but it is full of imagery and creativity to spark readers' imaginations.

Traits at Work: Teachers can use this book to teach the writing trait of developing ideas by highlighting how creativity and imagination can flourish even without visual aids. The book's approach of engaging readers through silly phrases and prompts demonstrates how writers can develop ideas using words alone to create vivid mental images. By asking readers to say unexpected things, the book showcases how unconventional thinking can lead to unique and entertaining ideas. Teachers can use this as a springboard to encourage students to brainstorm and develop their own creative prompts or scenarios, emphasizing that idea development doesn't always require visual inspiration.

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Writing Traits: Define ideas, how to brainstorm/ nurture ideas, identifying main ideas, honoring others’ ideas, questioning, inferring, predicting, character development, central theme, having a cause, writing persuasively, building (or strengthening) classroom community, having different opinions, and seeing multiple perspectives. 

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What Do You Do with an Idea? By: Kobe Yamada 

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What Do You Do with an Idea? By: Kobe Yamada 

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Summary: This children’s book is about a boy who has an idea and learns to embrace it, share it, and grow it into something bigger. Originally, he didn't know what to do with his idea. He's afraid others will think his idea is too strange, too different, too wild, so he keeps it to himself. But as the child's confidence grows, so does the idea itself. Until one day, something amazing happens.

Traits at Work: This children's book serves as a powerful tool for teaching various writing and thinking skills. It demonstrates how to define and nurture ideas by following the boy's journey of embracing and growing his concept. The story encourages brainstorming and identifying main ideas as readers witness the protagonist's idea evolve. By portraying the boy's initial hesitation and eventual sharing of his idea, the book teaches the importance of honoring others' ideas and seeing multiple perspectives. It prompts questioning and inferring as readers wonder about the nature of the idea and predict its development. The character's growth in confidence correlates with the idea's expansion, illustrating character development and a central theme of self-belief. The boy's commitment to his idea despite initial fears showcases having a cause and writing persuasively. As the story unfolds, it invites readers to consider different opinions and builds classroom community by encouraging discussion about personal ideas.

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Writing Traits: Developing ideas, sharing opinions, author's point, making claims, supporting evidence, details, etc. 

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Summary: Elizabeth was very determined to convince her parents to get her a pet. She must pull out all the stops to persuade her mother and father to trade in Carolyn, her cactus, for a real pet. No matter what she did, her parents did not agree. Unexpectedly, she finds the perfect pet that isn’t big, loud, or messy (a bug!), and her parents agreed.

Traits at Work: Teachers can use this book to teach various writing traits through Elizabeth's persuasive journey. The story exemplifies developing ideas as Elizabeth progresses from wanting a pet to finding the perfect one, demonstrating how ideas evolve. Sharing opinions is illustrated through Elizabeth's persistent attempts to convince her parents, providing a model for expressing viewpoints. The author's point is subtly conveyed through the narrative, showing how writers can embed their perspectives within a story. Making claims is central to Elizabeth's arguments for a pet, offering examples of how to present a case. Supporting evidence is demonstrated in Elizabeth's efforts to prove she's responsible enough for a pet, teaching students to back up their claims. The story's rich details about Elizabeth's attempts and the final solution (the bug) showcase how specific information enhances storytelling and argumentation. By analyzing Elizabeth's journey, students can learn to craft compelling, well-supported arguments in their own writing.

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Writing Traits: Organization, sequence of events.

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Summary: This story is about a boy and his dog who deliver newspapers in the early morning before the world wakes up. They enjoy the quiet and solitude of the world before sunrise, which only belongs to them. They finish their route at sunrise and return home to sleep and dream.

Traits at Work: This book provides an excellent framework for teaching organization and sequence of events in writing. The story's linear timeline, following a paper route from start to finish, offers a clear model of chronological organization. Teachers can use this structure to demonstrate how events in a story should flow logically from one to the next. The distinct phases of the route (starting before sunrise, progressing through the quiet early morning, and ending at sunrise) provide natural divisions that can be used to explain how to segment a narrative into beginning, middle, and end. The repetitive nature of delivering newspapers to different houses can be used to illustrate how to organize similar events within a larger sequence. The contrast between the quiet world during the route and the return home as the world wakes up highlights how changes in setting can mark progression in a story. By analyzing the boy and dog's journey, students can learn to identify key events, understand their order, and recognize how this orderly progression contributes to the overall narrative.

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Writing Traits: Organization, letter writing. 

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Summary: This story is about, Emily, a young girl with an interest in marine life, believes she has discovered a whale in her local pond. Eager to learn more about caring for her new “pet”, she reaches out to her teacher, Mr. Blueberry, through a series of letters. Mr. Blueberry, both amused and impressed by Emily's imagination, gently explains that whales are ocean dwellers and couldn't survive in a pond. Despite this, Emily's enthusiasm remains, and the two continue writing letters to each other throughout the summer.

Traits at Work: This book serves as an excellent tool for teaching organization and letter writing skills. The story's structure, built around a series of letters between Emily and Mr. Blueberry, provides a clear model for letter format and organization. Teachers can use this book to demonstrate the key components of a letter, such as date, salutation, body, and closing. The sequential nature of the correspondence also illustrates how to organize thoughts and information in a logical, chronological order. Students can learn how to present a main idea (Emily's belief about the whale) and support it with details and questions. Mr. Blueberry's responses showcase how to address specific points in a reply, teaching students about coherence in writing. The back-and-forth nature of the letters also demonstrates how to maintain a conversation in writing, building on previous information and introducing new ideas. By analyzing the content and structure of Emily and Mr. Blueberry's letters, students can gain valuable insights into effective communication, proper letter writing etiquette, and the importance of clear, organized writing in conveying ideas and information.

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Writing Traits: Developing ideas. Great for pre-emergent readers.

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Summary: This book is about a young boy who wants to write a story, but doesn't think he can because he only knows how to write letters, not words. With the guidance and support of his sister, he learns to challenge his own thinking about himself. The book explores a child's process of learning to express themselves and the idea that anyone can tell a story. He gets stuck on the ending, but shares his work with his classmates at school. His classmates offer ideas, and he eventually gets an idea for a rocket. He takes ownership of his story and vetoes ideas like vampires.

Traits at Work: This book can be used to encourage children to describe the pictures they see, helping them understand that stories can be told through images. Use the boy's knowledge of letters as a starting point for letter recognition activities. Emphasize that stories can be shared orally, prompting children to tell their own simple tales. Highlight the collaborative aspect of storytelling by discussing how the boy's sister and classmates contribute ideas. Foster creativity by talking about how the boy comes up with his rocket idea, and encourage children to imagine their own story elements. Build confidence by discussing how the boy overcomes his initial doubts. Use the boy's decision-making process to help children practice making choices about story elements, reinforcing the idea that they can create and control their own narratives, even before they can read or write words.

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Summary: This story is about a little girl whose art teacher encourages her to draw when she lacks confidence to do so. She helps her to develop a 'can do' attitude. When the teacher puts Vashti's simple dot picture on display, Vashti's imagination is triggered and she begins to think of what else she might be able to draw too if she is willing to give it a try.

Traits at Work: This story effectively teaches the writing trait of voice through its portrayal of Vashti's journey from self-doubt to creative confidence. The narrative voice reflects Vashti's initial hesitation and gradual transformation, mirroring her emotional state and perspective. As Vashti's confidence grows, the story's tone shifts from uncertain to more enthusiastic and imaginative, demonstrating how voice can evolve with character development. The art teacher's encouraging voice contrasts with Vashti's initial reluctance, showcasing how different voices can interact within a narrative. The book's focus on Vashti's personal expression through art parallels the concept of finding one's voice in writing. By following Vashti's journey from a simple dot to more complex creations, the story illustrates how voice in writing can start small and grow more confident with practice and encouragement. This progression provides an example of how a writer's unique perspective and style can emerge and develop over time.

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Writing Traits: Developing original ideas to create a story, conducting research to find supporting evidence.

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The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups By: David Wisniewski 

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The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups By: David Wisniewski 

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Summary: This book is a silly conspiracy parody about the real reasons why parents tell kids to do things like eating vegetables and drinking milk. Parents are always spouting these rules. Do they really care about nutrients and mattresses, or are they hiding something? In this story, one fearless grown-up will risk his dignity to find out.

Traits at Work: I would use this book to demonstrate how creative thinking can transform everyday situations into engaging stories. The author took a common childhood experience - parents enforcing rules - and reimagined it as a humorous conspiracy theory. This showcases how original ideas can stem from ordinary life observations. To teach research skills, I'd encourage students to: Identify the 'parent rules' mentioned in the book and research the actual health benefits of these habits. Then I would prompt them to compare the factual information with the book's conspiracies.

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Writing Traits: Sentence Fluency, the importance of sentence structure. 

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Summary: In a magical alphabet tree, all the little letters live happily. One day, a big, strong wind comes and tries to blow them away! The letters are scared, but they have a clever idea. They decide to work together and make words. Then, they make even bigger sentences. Together, they create a special message: "peace on earth." This message is so powerful that it keeps them safe from the wind. The letters learn that when they work together and use their words, they can do amazing things!

Traits at Work: This book teaches sentence fluency and the importance of sentence structure through its metaphorical story of letters in a tree. By depicting letters coming together to form words, and then words combining into sentences, the book illustrates the building blocks of language in a tangible way. The progression from individual letters to a powerful message demonstrates how sentence structure contributes to meaning and impact. The idea that the letters become stronger and more resilient when forming sentences emphasizes the importance of well-constructed language. The book shows that fluency in sentence creation (moving from simple words to more complex sentences) leads to more effective communication, as exemplified by the "peace on earth" message that protects the letters. This narrative conveys that sentences are not just random collections of words, but carefully structured units that, when crafted well, can convey powerful ideas and even create change.

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Writing Traits: English Language conventions

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The Day Punctuation Came to Town By: Kimberlee Gard

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The Day Punctuation Came to Town By: Kimberlee Gard

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Summary: The Punctuation family has arrived in Alphabet City. Exclamation Point, Question Mark, Comma, and Period are ready to attend school. Gard demonstrates that without the break commas provide, words run amok, becoming jumbled and confusing. Readers will respond to the classroom setting, where the letters work and play together during lessons, and they will be eager to make friends with the Punctuation family themselves. This book is a great introduction to punctuation and demonstrates the important role it plays in language.

Traits at Work: This book offers an engaging approach to teaching English language conventions, particularly punctuation. By personifying punctuation marks as characters in Alphabet City, the story makes abstract concepts concrete and relatable for young learners. Teachers can use the book to introduce the functions of different punctuation marks, emphasizing their roles in creating meaning and clarity in writing. The classroom setting in the story provides a familiar context for students, allowing them to connect the lessons to their own learning experiences. The demonstration of how words become jumbled and confusing without commas offers a vivid illustration of punctuation's importance, which teachers can use to explain the practical applications of proper punctuation. Through the interactions of the Punctuation family with the letters, the book also subtly introduces the concept of how punctuation works with words to form coherent sentences. Teachers can design activities based on the book, such as having students create their own sentences using the Punctuation family, or identifying missing punctuation in sample texts.

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Writing Traits: Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, finding solutions, voice, organization (writing letters), etc.

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The Day the Crayons Quit By: Drew Daywalt

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The Day the Crayons Quit By: Drew Daywalt

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Summary: A little boy named Duncan finds a stack of letters in his school desk sent to him by the crayons in his crayon box. The letter from each crayon reveals a different personality and a different complaint. Each crayon expresses its frustration, explaining why they are quitting, and will no longer be Duncan’s crayon. Red says it works too hard all year, coloring fire engines, apples, strawberries. "I even work on holidays!" (coloring Santas and Valentines). Beige doesn't have enough to do. "Brown gets all the bears, ponies and puppies," and it gets stuck with wheat. "And let's be honest, when was the last time you saw a kid get excited about coloring wheat?" Yellow's fighting with Orange about which one should be used to color the sun. Twelve crayons in all lay out their issues, and then Duncan comes up with a happy, artistic solution to please everyone.

Traits at Work: This book covers multiple writing traits in a creative narrative form. It acknowledges differences in characters' points of view by presenting each crayon's unique perspective and complaints in individual letters. For example, Red feels overworked coloring fire engines and holiday items, while Beige feels underutilized, stuck coloring wheat. This allows readers to understand and empathize with diverse viewpoints within the same story. The book demonstrates problem-solving skills as Duncan finds a solution to please all the crayons, encouraging readers to think creatively when faced with conflicts. This showcases how writing can be used to explore and resolve complex situations. Voice is prominently featured through the distinct personalities and tones of each crayon's letter. Red's frustration, Beige's feelings of underappreciation, and Yellow's competition with Orange all showcase how voice can bring characters to life and make writing more engaging. The organization of the story as a series of letters teaches the structure and components of letter writing, while also presenting a cohesive narrative arc. Each letter follows a similar format, introducing the crayon, explaining its complaint, and concluding with a request or demand. This repetitive structure reinforces the importance of organization in writing.

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Writing Traits: Voice, diverse perspectives create inspiring stories. 

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Summary: This story is intended to inspire readers to recognize their own courage and develop new courage. The book includes examples of courage from a variety of sources, including children, adults, and animals, such as an ice skater, a boy on a diving board, a girl riding a bike, a big sister protecting her little brother, and a dog investigating noises.

Traits at Work: This book demonstrates the power of voice and diverse viewpoints in writing. The narrative employs a warm, encouraging tone that inspires bravery, much like a supportive friend cheering you on. It illustrates courage through various examples, from an ice skater's grace to a child's hesitation on a diving board, and even a dog's curiosity. By featuring stories of children, adults, and animals, the book highlights the many forms courage can take. This diverse representation helps readers recognize that bravery is unique to each individual. When crafting our own stories, we can apply this concept to create more engaging narratives by incorporating a range of characters and scenarios. The book's diverse examples demonstrate how using multiple perspectives can enhance our writing, making it more captivating and accessible to a broader audience.

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Writing Traits: Developing ideas, honoring others ideas, sharing, listening, voice, etc.

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Summary: This book is about a young girl who enters a library contest to write the best story and win a ride on a roller coaster with her favorite author. The book explores themes of creativity and finding your own voice. Her family shares ideas with her, but they ultimately agree that the best story is the one that comes from the heart.

Traits at Work: This book is great for learning different writing skills all at once. To come up with ideas, try thinking of lots of story ideas like the girl in the book did for her contest. When the girl's family gives her ideas, it shows how important it is to listen to others and think about their suggestions. The family helping out also teaches us about sharing our writing and listening to what others think. The book says "the best story comes from the heart," which means writing about things you really care about. This helps you find your own special way of writing. To practice all these skills, you could have a fun writing contest in your class. You can make up your own stories, share ideas with classmates, listen to their thoughts, and write about things you love. This way, you'll learn how to create new ideas, be nice about others' suggestions, share your work, listen to feedback, and find your own writing style.

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Writing Traits: Importance of adding details, providing evidence, mighty middles, what happened?, sequence of events, and narrative writing.  

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One Day, The End: Short, Very Short, Shorter-than-Ever Stories By: Rebecca Kai Doltish

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One Day, The End: Short, Very Short, Shorter-than-Ever Stories By: Rebecca Kai Doltish

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Summary: A small girl tells her tales with a minimum of words. Yet hidden in these words, sometimes literally, are epic narratives. The most ordinary of actions can turn into huge adventures. By the end, the girl is writing whole books out of what could normally be seen as mundane everyday actions. This book teaches that every story has a beginning and an end, but what happens in between makes all the difference. It highlights just how much can happen in the briefest of stories.

Traits at Work: This book serves as an excellent tool for teaching that great writers incorporate tons of detail in their narratives. It demonstrates the importance of adding details by showing how the girl's brief words contain epic narratives, encouraging students to expand their own writing with rich descriptions. The book illustrates providing evidence by revealing how ordinary actions can become huge adventures, teaching students to support their narratives with vivid examples. The concept of "mighty middles" is emphasized as the book highlights that what happens between the beginning and end makes all the difference, prompting students to foster engaging plot developments. The "what happened?" aspect is addressed through the transformation of mundane actions into exciting stories, teaching students to create compelling events in their writing. The sequence of events is subtly demonstrated as the girl's storytelling evolves, helping students understand narrative structure.

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Writing Traits: Word choice, vocabulary, voice. 

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Summary: Jerome collects words he hears, reads, and sees, and organizes them in a scrapbook. He discovers that words can be used to create poems and songs, and that they can be strung together to form powerful phrases.This book carries the strong and clear message that words are powerful tools for expressing what we are thinking, feeling, and dreaming. Kids will be inspired to 'collect' interesting words that strike their own fancy.

Traits at Work: This book can be used to teach word choice, vocabulary, and voice. Use Jerome's scrapbook idea to teach students about word choice. Encourage them to create their own word collections, focusing on words that are vivid, precise, or evocative. Discuss how different word choices can change the tone and meaning of a sentence. Have students practice replacing common words in sentences with more interesting alternatives from their collections. Jerome's habit of collecting words from various sources can inspire vocabulary-building activities. Create a class "word wall" where students can add new words they encounter. Organize regular sharing sessions where students present their favorite new words, explain their meanings, and use them in sentences. This not only expands vocabulary but also helps students understand words in context. The book's emphasis on words as tools for expressing thoughts, feelings, and dreams is perfect for teaching voice in writing. Have students create poems or short stories using words from their collections that resonate with them personally. Discuss how their word choices reflect their unique perspectives and feelings, helping them understand how voice emerges in writing.

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Writing Traits: Character traits, sequencing/ organization, inference, conventions, word choice, sentence fluency, and voice. 

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Summary: This story is about a young Korean girl who moves to America and is anxious about fitting in at her new school, so she decides to choose a new American name by asking her classmates to put suggested names in a jar, ultimately learning to embrace her own unique Korean name and the special meaning behind it, rather than trying to assimilate completely.

Traits at Work: This story effectively teaches multiple writing traits through its narrative structure and character development. Character traits are explored through the protagonist's journey from anxiety about fitting in, to self-acceptance. The sequencing and organization of events, from the girl's arrival in America to her final decision, demonstrate clear story structure. Inference skills are engaged as readers deduce the girl's emotions and motivations throughout her experience. Conventions of storytelling are evident in the plot's progression and resolution. Word choice is essential in conveying the cultural significance of names and the girl's emotional journey. Sentence fluency is demonstrated in the flow of the narrative, capturing the girl's changing perspectives. Voice is prominently featured through the unique perspective of a young immigrant navigating cultural identity, showcasing how personal experiences shape narrative tone and style.

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One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish By: Dr. Seuss, Theodor Seuss Geisel

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One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish By: Dr. Seuss, Theodor Seuss Geisel

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Description: One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss is a playful, rhyming story that introduces readers to a variety of silly characters and imaginative situations. It has catchy rhythm and word patterns that engage children while supporting early reading skills and sound awareness.

Skill Support: This book supports phonemic and phonological awareness because it introduces many digraph sounds such as th, sh, ch, ph, and wh.

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Description: The Hungry Thing by Jan Slepian and Ann Seidler tells the story of a friendly creature who comes to town asking for food, but he always pronounces the names a little differently like asking for “feetloaf” instead of “meatloaf.” The townspeople make silly guesses until a clever boy figures out the real answer each time. Children enjoy the playful rhymes and funny mistakes, while teachers can use the story to support language development, and rhyming skills.

Skill Support: This story is a fun way to introduce phonological awareness by having the character switch beginning sounds in food names, creating new silly words.

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Description: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster tells the story of Milo, a boy who thinks life is boring until a magical tollbooth transports him to the Kingdom of Wisdom. There, he teams up with Tock, a watchdog with a ticking clock, and explores whimsical places like the Island of Conclusions and Dictionopolis, a marketplace for words. On his journey to free Rhyme and Reason, Milo discovers that the world is filled with excitement, curiosity, and meaning. This tale blends humor, wordplay, and adventure, engaging readers of all ages (3rd to 7th grade).

Skill Support: This book builds vocabulary skills by placing language at the heart of the story. In Dictionopolis, a city where words are traded, readers experience how language can be both useful and playful. Through puns, figurative language, and clever wordplay, the book invites students to explore meaning and think deeply about how words are used. This makes it an engaging resource for strengthening vocabulary, comprehension, and an appreciation for the power of language.

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Promotes Text Interpretation and Reading Fluency (Reading Age: 9+)

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Description: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen helps build text comprehension and reading fluency for intermediate elementary students by drawing them into an exciting, easy-to-follow story filled with vivid details. As students read about Brian’s struggle to survive alone in the wilderness, they learn to interpret his thoughts and feelings, noticing how he changes from feeling defeated to becoming strong and independent. The story invites readers to make predictions, connect causes and effects, and examine how Brian’s choices shape his growth. Paulsen’s descriptive language and realistic dialogue also support fluent reading, helping students practice reading with expression and understanding. This book encourages both surface-level comprehension of the events and deeper reflection on themes like perseverance, courage, and self-reliance.

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Description: The Giver by Lois Lowry promotes oral language development and instruction by inspiring students to think deeply and share their perspectives through rich classroom discussions. The book’s themes like sameness, individuality, and freedom encourage students to express opinions, ask thoughtful questions, and engage in debates about moral and social issues, which enhances their speaking and listening skills. As students discuss Jonas’s experiences and the strict rules of his community, they practice using detailed, academic, and emotional language to communicate complex ideas. The novel also introduces challenging vocabulary and abstract concepts providing teachers with opportunities to model word usage, context understanding, and figurative language. Through group conversations, read-alouds, and guided discussions, The Giver helps students develop clearer communication, active listening, and more advanced expressive language.

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Description: The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss supports English Learners because it uses simple language, repetition, and rhyme that make English easier to understand and enjoy. The predictable patterns help students build vocabulary, pronunciation, and fluency. The colorful illustrations help to support comprehension as well. Reading aloud or acting out the story also gives EL students fun opportunities to practice speaking and listening in English.

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Supports students with reading difficulties including those with Dyslexia

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Description: The Adventures of Captain Underpants series is a great choice for students with dyslexia or other learning difficulties because it makes reading accessible and enjoyable. The short chapters, large print, and many illustrations make the text easier to follow and less intimidating. Its humor and fast-paced stories capture students’ attention, motivating them to keep reading. The mix of pictures and words supports understanding, while the simple sentences and familiar story patterns help students build fluency and confidence. The lighthearted and funny tone helps struggling readers view reading as something fun rather than a challenge.