Topic- Mentor Text: Social Studies

I chose this book based on the kindergarten standard Standard - 5.1.K.B

Explain the need for rules. This book shows what would happen if no one followed the rules set out into society. So it goes beyond the concept of having rules but shows why they need to be followed as well.

Extension Activity: I would make this a discussion activity while making anchor charts. I would make an anchor chart for different areas. Example one for school, community, and one for home. The kids could come up with rules for each, then sign it to show they are going to follow the rules they came up with.

Synopsis:

This story follows Grace as she learns about the three branches of government in class, at their Washington D.C. field trip, and through a real-life experience as she and her friends must decide how their school’s money should be spent. Grace learns that there are similarities between how her school runs and how the government runs. In the end, Grace learns about authentic leadership and making decisions based on the needs of people rather than your wants and needs.

Literacy Topic- Mentor Texts:

Standards: Standard - 5.3.4.A Identify the roles of the three branches of government. Standard - 5.3.5.A Describe the responsibilities and powers of the three branches of government. Standard - 5.3.7.A Compare and contrast the responsibilities and powers of the three branches of government.

I love that the story relates real-world experiences students can connect with to the branches of the government. This book would be a great way to activate students’ background knowledge and introduce the topic of the branches of government. Additionally, the story teaches that the needs of people are the true purpose of government. This concept is essential for students to learn and keep central to their discussions as they learn the roles and responsibilities of the various branches of government.

Extension Activity:

Check out the link to explore the extension activity.

This book is a story about a school with hardworking teachers and students who always follow the rules. The principal continues to repeat the lines, "Isn't this a fine, fine school?" while proceeding to schedule more and more school during the year. The principal removes holiday breaks, summer breaks, weekends, and even going home. Eventually, the students and teachers communicate with the principal that they are feeling burned out, and the principal brings the school back to a normal schedule.

Literacy Topic: Mentor Texts: Social Studies

Standard - 5.1.1.A

Explain the purposes of rules in the classroom and school community.

I chose this book because it allows students to recognize the importance of hard work, but also the importance of having strong rules and a schedule to keep things on track in a school building. Also, it reminds students of why it is important to advocate for themselves and their feelings. It's also great to watch the reactions of first graders when they think about having school all day, every day.

Extension Activity:

An extension that I like to do for this story is a cause and effect chart. I pose the following questions as causes:

Why did Mr. Keene think it was a fine school?

How come the teachers and students had to go to school on Saturdays?

Why were all the students so happy?

I proceed to ask the students the effect of all these decisions on the school as a whole.

This book is about following basic rules in school. The book teaches children about respect and the importance of social skills. The pictures are kid friendly and colorful and the wording of the book is very easy for children to understand why rules are important.

Literacy Topic: Mentor Text: Social studies

Standard: 5.1.K.A.

Explain the purpose of rules

5.1.K.E

Demonstrate responsibilities in the classroom

I have used this book the first week of school every year in Kindergarten. It's a great way to open up the discussion of having classroom rules and why we have them. The book is pretty simple to read and the pictures allow children to understand what is going on in the story. Our district purchased all of these books as part of our social studies curriculum and they are perfect to start conversations with kids.

Extension Activity:

For an activity I always make a poster of classroom rules that the students help me develop. We talk about rules and what they are and how we can make sure we stay safe in the classroom. We hang our rules poster up in the classroom and refer to it all year. I feel it is important for the kids to be in charge of what rules we implement in the classroom so they understand that there are consequences when they don't follow the rules. Hanging this poster up allows them to have ownership of their learning environment and they love referring to the poster all year.

This book is about a boy who has an elephant for a pet. When he tries to go to a pet club, the sign says, "no elephants." Sadly, the boy and his elephant walk away and meet a girl with a skunk for a pet. They decide to make a new club where all pets are welcome!

Topic - Social Studies:

This book covers multiple social studies standards in kindergarten. Some of them include respect for self and others, identify a problem and discuss solutions, and the purpose for rules. It is a simple book with a big message; "it's important to include everyone."

Extension Activity:

The following link is an extension activity that you can complete after reading a book!

Topic: As a mentor text for social studies this book serves two unique purposes for older students. The first purpose is to bring to light the perspective of jewish people during the holocaust and their first hand accounts of what happened, as well as providing students a better understanding of journaling and how to write a diary entry.

Activity: https://www.canva.com/design/DAF7SCqZtjY/i0alqnNIFJkQsvw0feALXA/edit?utm_content=DAF7SCqZtjY&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

Synopsis: What is the Declaration of Independence? tells the true story of the Declaration of Independence, from its writing to its impact on the start of the Revolutionary War and beyond. It includes photographs and illustrations of people and places from colonial times, as well as a replica of the Declaration of Independence. Also included is a timeline of the Declaration of Independence, beginning in 1754 and ending with the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783. The chapters are the perfect length to keep readers engaged without giving an over abundance of information for adolescent readers.

Topic: This book can be used in a classroom to teach students about the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War in a more engaging way than simply telling them important facts, dates, and events. Students will most likely remember the information better. Visual learners will benefit from the pictures and illustrations included in each chapter. If I was using this book in a classroom, I would make sure each student had their own copy to read independently or in a group, follow along when read aloud, and use for activities.

Extension Activity

Synopsis:  

This book discusses many different types of community helpers in a neighborhood.  The book defines some key vocabulary words and provides descriptions and photographs of each community helper.

Literacy Topic:  Mentor Text - Social Studies

Standard:  5.3.K.C. Identify roles of firefighters, police officers, and emergency workers 

This book would be a great resource when discussing community helpers with your students.  This book can be used as an introduction to a community helpers unit.  While reading the story aloud, the book will provide a way for students to share text to self connections as they learn about different kinds of community helpers.  This book could also be used for partner sharing.  While reading, the teacher could stop and pose questions for students to discuss.  The teacher could also check for background knowledge by just showing a photograph and asking students to discuss which community helper would match what they see in the photograph.

Extension Activity:  

Community Helper Guest Speaker

The teacher can reach out to a community helper to schedule a classroom visit.  The community helper can share more details about their job and the tools (or resources) they use at their job.  For example, a firefighter could bring their gear to show the students.  At the end, students can have a question and answer session to learn more about them.

Literacy Topic-Mentor Texts: Social Studies

Owney was a real dog that loved being with the mail.  This book is great to teach about the Railway Post office and how mail was delivered over two hundred years ago.  Many students do not realize that the post office has been around for over two hundred years. I looked at the fourth grade standard of  5.3.4.A Identify the roles of the three branches of government.  When students are learning about the branches of government, they may be surprised to know that the Post Office is an independent establishment of the executive branch.  I also used the fourth grade standard of 5.2.4.C Describe the roles of leadership and public service in school, community, state, and nation.  The book helps to show the public service of delivering mail to communities, states, the nation, and even around the world.  I also used standard 8.3.4.B Locate historical documents, artifacts, and places critical to United States history. The post office is an important part of the history of the United States and the Constitution gave Congress the power to oversee the post office.  Important pieces of our history went through the mail system.  There is a National Postal Museum where a replica of Owney is today.  Owney can help students learn about the mail system, the executive branch, and the history of the United States. 

Please click here for a letter writing activity.

This story is about a duck who wants to run for president. This book uses the duck as the elected official who is working to make the farm a better place for the animals in his eyes based on what the animals request. He goes around collecting new ideas from the animals that he works to make happen. In the book Duck realizes how challenging being the president is. 

Topic: This topic is looking at how voting can impact things that happen in your community and each person has a different stance on a topic. Also talking about how having an elected official can help the community by proposing new ideas and encouraging change. Using the standard - 5.3.1.E Identify situations in the school or community when it is beneficial to have an elected official represent the people. 

Activity: Check out my extension activity 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1miSwdioULxogXbhdqsydHypQ3DxLVy3bax3mz6hjC04/edit?usp=sharing

This story is about Ruby Bridges, the first African American to integrate into an all-white school.  She was only six years old when she walked up the steps of William Frantz Elementary in Louisiana.  This is a wonderful story that was written by Ruby Bridges told in her point of view. She explains to her readers what she experienced on the day, and the days, leading up to becoming that little girl who helped build a bridge between black and whites then; and for all future generations to come. 

Topic: I Am Ruby Bridges

I would use this book to teach kindergarten students the importance of respecting ourselves and others. Through this story we can discuss how we can also make a positive impact in our classroom and community.

Extension Activity: I Am Ruby Bridges

Click on the link above to check out the extension activity!

This could be used during a social studies unit, or during Black history month. I also like that there are a lot of pictures included for students to visualize what is being portrayed in the book.

An activity to go along with this could be a "all about ruby bridges" 4 square. Students can answer who she was, what she did, why she is famous, and how they think she felt on her first day of school.

Topic: The book cleverly introduces young learners to the fundamentals of geography by starting with the familiar and gradually expanding to encompass broader scales. The story has clear and colorful illustrations making abstract concepts like maps and spatial awareness accessible and enjoyable. The book not only teaches basic geography but also instills a sense of place and connection to the world.

Extension activity: The book includes an extension activity where students draw their own map. Below you will find another activity.

Click this Link

Synopsis:

• In this book, we follow the journey of a young boy as he tarvels aroud the world to visit his friends in different countries. As we go with him, readers learn about the culture, food, geography, people and other facts about the areas.

Literacy Topic: Social Studies Mentor Text

• This is a good choice for a social studies text, specifically looking at geography, because it gives a wide open look to other countries around the world. It goes beyond the United States thatt we in and gives children a idea of what other places look like. It gives a great window into what life is like outside of the country we live in, making it perfect for this topic.

Extension Activity:

• This book is all about learning new countires and parts of the world. I would turn this into a research project and let each student pick a country around the world to research. I would give them a powerpoint template for them to fill in information about their chosen country such as food, geography, culture, clothing, and things like that. They can present their information to the class, and another cool part of this could be a taste test around the world where students make and bring in a dish from the country they researched for everyone to try.