Using Picture Books with Secondary Students by Alexa Emmonds

Using Picture Books with Secondary Students by Alexa Emmonds https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e Pick a picture book you would incorporate in a lesson with older students en-us 2021-04-06 14:53:04 UTC 2025-09-28 16:04:17 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f4da.png Directions: aremmonds https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1387570530 Step 1: Find your name on the Padlet wall

Step 2: Research a picture book, that no one else has reviewed

Step 3: Once you have selected a specific picture book, create a post under your name on the Padlet. Title your post using the name of your selected book.

Step 4: Add a link to the book or the resource you utilized to research the picture book to your post on the Padlet.

Step 5: Include in your Padlet post, a description of how you would incorporate this book into your content area lesson. Be sure to

include which specific content area and grade level you would use this book with.

Step 6: Offer a description of how this picture book correlates to your lesson as a component of disciplinary literacy within your Padlet post.

]]> 2021-04-06 15:03:49 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1387570530 "The Flag we Love" by Pam Muñoz Ryan https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1430866675 A link to the book can be found here
- I would use this book for a 1st grade lesson in Social Studies to teach the meaning behind the stars and stripes on the American flag.
This book uses patriotic verse with eye-catching illustrations.
- An activity we would complete after reading the book is using colored construction paper to make our own flags and the students would label the parts of the flag.
-This picture book correlates to my lesson as a component of disciplinary literacy by incorporating content-specific vocabulary that is unique to the area of Social Studies and history. ]]> 2021-04-19 00:25:43 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1430866675 "Same, Same but Different" by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw kmwolfe11 https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1432383045 A link to the story is found here

- I would use this story to teach a 1st grade lesson in Literacy; I would teach the importance of understanding and accepting different cultures.
- After the reading, I would have students complete a 'We Are Similar but We Are Different' chart on themselves and another person. They will learn similarities and differences between themselves and another person.
- This picture book correlates to my lesson because it includes vocabulary that relates to literacy, such as plural nouns and punctuation.

]]> 2021-04-19 10:25:21 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1432383045 "I Am Enough" by Grace Byers amgres1227 https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1435349901 A link to the book "I Am Enough" is found here.
I have also included a link that includes an interview with author Grace Byers and she does a reading of "I Am Enough."

-I would use this book for a middle school social studies and literacy lesson for students in 4th or 5th grade to focus on differences. I would want the students to learn the meaning of no matter your circumstances or what may be going on in your life, that you are enough. The book focuses on loving who you are, respecting others, and being kind to one another despite your differences. We would focus on the knowledge of understanding and accepting one another and our differences, because that is what makes us who we are, and we are enough.
-After reading, the activity that I would have the students complete is to draw an illustration to show how they are enough. What qualities and characteristics does each student have to show that they are enough? After the illustration is complete, the students will answer a writing prompt, after discussing how we can be enough. Here is a link that gives ideas for writing prompts. Scroll about halfway down the page to see the prompts.

-This picture book correlates to my lesson as a component of disciplinary literacy by having the students incorporate illustrations that will assist them in making connections between the lesson and the different topics it shares. It also included content-specific vocabulary that is unique to particular areas of Social Studies. The skills that are focused on in this Social Studies Lesson focus on reading, writing, and communicating. The story will be read as a whole group, listened to as a whole group, and the students will then draw an illustration and answer a writing prompt, as discussed above. When finished, they will communicate what their drawing represents and the answer to the prompt with their peers in a small group, and to the teacher as well. Social Studies is incorporated by discussing characteristics. Compliments could also be worked on during this lesson.

]]> 2021-04-19 22:01:06 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1435349901 "The Rainbow Fish" by Marcus Pfister softballgirl27d https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1452094797 - You can access the book at this website for free use: https://fliphtml5.com/sqjgk/jjpw/basic
- I would use this book for a 1st grade English language arts lesson, focusing specifically on cause and effect. This will help aid comprehension as well. After reading the book, we will use a cause and effect chart to discuss events that happened throughout the book and what happened proceeding those events. Students will have to engage in the worksheet while recalling information from the book.
- This book correlates to my lesson as a component of disciplinary literacy by focusing the student's attention on specific skills with reading, writing, and communicating. We will read the story as a whole group, the worksheet will be written by students so that they are able to use written skills, and communicate the answers for the worksheet to the whole class. The book also uses high frequency words which the students are able to recognize. Science skills can be incorporated by mentioning different ocean species that were involved in the story. We can also use life skills, such as being a good friend or sharing into this lesson.]]> 2021-04-23 14:57:23 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1452094797 "A River Ran Wild" by Lynne Cherry amuniz1497 https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1452781448 A link for the read aloud:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRkrwJSVi1o
A link for a description of the book by the author:
http://www.lynnecherry.com/a_river_ran_wild_19410.htm

- I chose this picture book because of the message it shares. It can be used for a science or history lesson, but I would incorporate it in a science lesson on pollution with 4th-6th graders. It tells a story about time when the Nashua river provided clean drinking water and fish to the native Americans. When the European colonists take over, they bring a different value system. As time passed they built towns and mills which grew into cities. Mills were built on rivers and the rivers were used as a waste. Because of this, many of America's rivers were grossly polluted. In this story, it tells how one of the last remaining native Americans has a vivid dream and helps organize her community to clean up the Nashua river. It sends a message that the laws we have to prevent pollution of our rivers are very important. Clean water is vital for our health, communities, and economy.
-After reading this book as a class, we will complete a project so students can see the difference between clean and polluted environments, and experience it. Students will collect grass, trash, clean water, snow if it's winter. They will have clean jars and polluted jars. This visual display will help students see what pollution is, why it's unhealthy, and why it's important to fight to keep our environment clean.
-This picture book correlates to my lesson as a component of disciplinary literacy because it gives students a story and illustrations of a river going from being clean and providing for a community, to being polluted by a more modern city. This book will get students to think about their environment and how they can help to keep it clean. It also shares science vocabulary students can learn.]]> 2021-04-23 17:15:42 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1452781448 "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" by Jon Scieszka cussinsemma https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1453604774 A reading of the book can be found here
- I would use this book with a high school English/Language Arts lesson focusing on point of view. All students will be familiar with the story of "The Three Little Pigs" from the side of the pigs. Once the students have read the story, I will have them pick another fairytale to rewrite from another character's point of view. This can also be a social lesson as it requires students to think about other sides to a story and how others are feeling.
- This picture book relates to my lesson as it is having students think about well known stories from other point of views. We will first talk about the traditional story of "Three Little Pigs" and talk about how there are always at least two sides to every story. We will then read this story. Students will use this type of writing to write their own version of a fairytale from a different point of view. ]]> 2021-04-23 20:49:06 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1453604774 All the Way to the Ocean by Joel Harper https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1456427725 Here is a link to a read aloud of the book. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie4kQ5P7OAc

-I would use this book with middle school aged students in 7th grade to teach a science lesson about pollution and keeping our oceans clean. The book discusses how water moves from different places to the ocean. After reading the book, I would have students work in groups to discuss ways to help keep our oceans clean. Students will work to create a commercial or billboard to promote ways that we can keep oceans clean and why it is important to keep our oceans clean.
-This picture book correlates to my lesson as a component of disciplinary literacy by incorporating images that show the effects of pollution on the environment. By having students create their own commercial or billboard they are also learning about how to use language such as speech and writing to persuade people to a certain point of view while using content specific vocabulary.

]]> 2021-04-25 15:19:45 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1456427725 "My Five Senses" by Aliki paigespang https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1456459776 A link to the story read aloud here.

- I would use this story to help teach the five senses to first graders. This book gives great examples of using your five senses and provides engaging pictures of their sense's being used. This book also has poems about each sense.
- After we reading the book, I would have students give me a few examples of using each of the five senses. Next, students will get in groups of three and travel through the room looking for items that they use each sense for (teacher will have items laid out).
- This picture book correlates to my lesson because I use the book to introduce the students to the five senses as well as to the specific vocabulary that is used when talking about your senses, such as hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and seeing. The book also provides excellent examples of using each sense. ]]> 2021-04-25 15:40:53 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1456459776 "Fly Away Home" by Eve Bunting https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1456475628 Here is the link to the read aloud for the story, "Fly Away Home".

I would use this book for a 5th and 6th grade English class. I would use this book to teach symbols and theme. We would first discuss the theme of the story after reading through the story together. Then we would discuss the symbol of the brown bird in the story. To help students discover the symbol of the brown bird, we will complete an activity where we compare the song Blackbird by the Beatles and the brown bird in the story. We will discover the symbol of the bird from both the song and the text.

This picture book correlates to my lesson as a disciplinary literacy by having my students engage in deep thinking to discover the theme of the story, the symbol of the brown bird, and make connections with symbols between the song Blackbird and the story.

Attached below is the activity that I will have my students complete.

]]> 2021-04-25 15:50:26 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1456475628 Response to Post- Alexa aremmonds https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1456490279 This lesson is a great idea to incorporate a picture book into secondary classes. I thought it was very unique that you related this lesson to social studies. I really liked how positive this book choice was. Being positive with our students is very important because you never know what a student's home life is like. You as an educator may be the only positive person in their life. ]]> 2021-04-25 15:59:26 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1456490279 "No, David!" By David Shannpn https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1457081471 A reading of the book can be found below
-I would use this book in my classroom to intrude and discuss cause and affect. After reading the book as a group I would ask the students "What did David do?" "Why did David have to sit in the corner?" "Did David brake a rule?" etc. ( Pre K- K) You could also extend this lesson by kinds thinking of some actions that might have some consequences to them.
- This book correlates rot my lesson a component of disciplinary literacy by incorporating images that show David doing wrong and also the affect of that.

]]> 2021-04-25 22:02:31 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1457081471 "Rose Blanche"by Roberto Innocenti and illustrated by Christophe Gallaz https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1457137709 A link to the story can be found here

-I would use this book for a 6th grade English lesson about allegory and making inferences, but it could also be used as a Social Studies lesson about the Holocaust. It is a story about a young German girl that wants to help the children at the concentration camp near her house. This book is profound because it works on several layers at once, understandable in its simplest form just by following the pictures, yet also making wider allusions to the Nazis and the Holocaust through references in the text. For example, the Mayor's mustache is deliberately reminiscent of Hitler's. We would discuss the references made in the book to actual events, things or people during the Holocaust.
-For our activity, we will use a graphic organizer to write down our inferences and allusions. We will also identify important background knowledge that is pertinent to the story.
-This picture book correlates to my lesson as disciplinary literacy by having my students examine the specialized vocabulary and components that are specific to the Holocaust. My students will need to engage in deep thinking in order to make inferences and discover the allusions in the story. We will also apply what we have learned by discussing moral decision making.]]> 2021-04-25 22:53:57 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1457137709 Response to Alexa from Allison amgres1227 https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1457169120 Alexa, thank you so much for your response on my post! I decided to choose the earlier grades of middle school because I feel as though this is where students truly are learning about their differences and learning to embrace them, and by reading "I Am Enough," and participating in the activity, they will learn that no matter what, they are enough. Thank you very much for your feedback! I also like where you shared with me that as an educator, we could be the only positive person in the child's life. Being in my fifth year of teaching, I see more and more of that each year.]]> 2021-04-25 23:22:42 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1457169120 Response to Post - Alexa aremmonds https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1457400575 This is a wonderful lesson Kaylee! I love how you incorporated multiple different subjects and topics within the lesson. This is something I think teachers forget is they can use tools such as books like this one to teach multiple lessons all in one. It was nice that you brought up high frequency words as well. High frequency words is kind of like a buzz word especially during this semester for us! After discussing in the powerpoint about using picture books at the secondary level, which grade level would you use this book in and how? ]]> 2021-04-26 01:19:34 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1457400575 Response to Post - Alexa aremmonds https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1457417421 I really enjoyed reading about what you would do for your lesson that would incorporate a picture book. A lot of times teachers will use the picture books that are more of a narrative type that tells a story. I liked that you chose one that shows the meaning of our flag. This is very important information that our students should know. I also liked that you mentioned disciplinary literacy because that was part of our topic as well, not just incorporating picture books into the curriculum. After discussing in the powerpoint about using picture books at the secondary level, which grade level would you use this book in and how? ]]> 2021-04-26 01:26:37 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1457417421 Response to Post - Meggi brownm58 https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1461994459 Thank you for providing an explanation how you would use this in a secondary area classroom! This is one of my favorite picture books to read aloud to students. I have read it to elementary students, but as you have suggested in your post, this would also be a great way to introduce literacy skills to secondary students! This book really reinforces what other educators have said the value of picture books read aloud to a secondary classroom can give to older students. In fact, the article The Power of Reading Picture Books to Secondary Students, by Cyndi Giorgis, mentions how teachers can use this same picture book to reinforce point of view as you have suggested. This book also has a humor that may be overlooked by younger students, but may not be lost on older students. I also love how you took this picture book lesson one step further and had students create their own fairy tale from another character's point of view. This is a great way to reinforce point of view and a motivational tool to get them writing. Another way you could use this picture book is to reiterate how there are always two sides to every story friends may tell, which could then turn into a practical discussion and life lesson. Another neat way to use this story is to create a STEM project out of it. The teacher can provide students with miscellaneous craft materials and have students create a house that would be sturdier than the pigs in the story. This is a way to incorporate another content area. Overall, great job Emma! ]]> 2021-04-26 23:46:09 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1461994459 Response to Post - Meggi brownm58 https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1462135090 I never heard of this book before, but I enjoyed listening to the story with the YouTube link you provided. With Earth day happening just recently on April 22, I could see a science teacher reading this book to their secondary science class.
In your lesson, you mentioned how you would have your students create a commercial or billboard to promote ways to keep our oceans clean. This reminded me of a competition that the Intermediate Units host called "Governor's STEM Challenge," where students research, design, and create a prototype of a device or project to solve a community problem. Using this picture book would be a great way to introduce this type of project that would incorporate science concepts, vocabulary, problem solving, and scientific method/engineering process.
You did a great job tying this picture book to disciplinary literacy as well by using the science content to learn literacy skills and techniques. ]]> 2021-04-27 00:43:57 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1462135090 Response to Post - Meggi brownm58 https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1462302123 The David picture books are a fun read aloud with their simple language and colorful and expressive illustrations. I agree this would be a great book to introduce and/or reinforce cause and effect literacy skills. I also really liked your extension lesson by having students create their own consequences for various actions. What secondary grade level could you also use this picture book with? Would you teach the same literacy skill or something different?
Here's a great resource https://languageartsclassroom.com/2019/11/picture-books-in-the-secondary-classroom.html that provides a lot of great ways to use picture books in the secondary classroom. It is an English teacher's blog about how she uses picture books with her high school students. I really enjoyed reading her perspective on picture books and the various literacy lessons she teaches using picture books!]]> 2021-04-27 01:42:25 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1462302123 Response to Post- Eli erupert73 https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1462531043 Paige, you made a terrific lesson plan to actively engage first grade students in learning about each of the 5 senses. Do you teach 1st grade currently? If so, that would make sense to me why you chose 1st grade to teach the lesson to. However, I believe that your lesson can also be used in the secondary level and expanded upon to study each sense in depth. For a Secondary lesson using this same story, you could use one of the strategies that we shared in our Google Slides called "Analyzing Images" Here is a link to that resource https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/analyzing-images
Using this strategy, you could use small groups just as you did in your first grade lesson. You could assign each group a page or two of the story to analyze the images in depth. Furthermore, you could have them create their summary of the analysis using the sense they studied. So if they analyzed sight, then they could develop a visual summary. If they analyzed sound, then maybe they could create a short song for their summary as a group. I am a big fan of small group work because it helps students to gain social and conflict/resolution skills, an understanding of accountability, and it allows difficult concepts to be broken down into more understandable components. Do you like to regularly assign group work in your classroom? ]]> 2021-04-27 03:11:54 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1462531043 Response to Post- Eli erupert73 https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1462605686 Kelsey, I really like your lesson idea to utilize the picture book "Same, Same But Different" to teach children to value themselves, their heritage, and their own traits, while being understanding and excepting of other people who have different traits and ethnicities then themselves. Is there a particular reason that you chose 1st grade to teach this lesson to? I am just curious, because I believe your lesson can be adjusted some and it can be applied to secondary students as well. There is a perception that illustrated books are only for young children, but many authors create them for older children too. One of our resources from our Google Slides can better help you understand the benefits of using picture books in secondary classrooms. Here is a link to that resource https://childrenslibrarylady.com/using-picture-books-with-older-children/
In my opinion, using your activity and completing the 'We Are Similar but We Are Different' chart at the secondary level would be a great opportunity to teach more than just reading skills. Your lesson provides the perfect opportunity to teach compassion, empathy, understanding, resolve, and love. Great work!]]> 2021-04-27 03:48:03 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1462605686 Response to Meggi from Kristy https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1466539363 Thank you Meggi! I can't remember where I heard of this book from, but I think it might have been an undergrad class. I do have a hard copy of the book. I think that it important to address these real world issues. The Governor's Stem Challenge sounds like a really great program to help students develop problem solving skills and use their creativity. ]]> 2021-04-27 21:29:48 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1466539363 Response to Post-Amy https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1467282645 What a great way to present and demonstrate symbolism to your students. I love how you used both the picture book and the song to compare the symbols within both sources in order to depict and decipher the theme. When utilizing this lesson to present the concept of theme and symbolism to your students, do you think the same activities could be presented to students at the secondary level (grades 9-12) to explore, discover, and practice the same literacy skills? If not, how would you adapt this lesson for secondary level classrooms?

Great job on choosing a picture book and activity that demonstrated disciplinary literacy as well. The activity you chose was very appropriate and insightful in guiding the students to use the skills needed to think deeply about the content presented. ]]> 2021-04-28 02:48:26 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1467282645 Response to Post-Amy https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1467329926 This was a great choice of a picture book. The best part of this lesson is how the picture book could be used across multiple disciplines. I think it would be a wonderful way to introduce the Holocaust to your students during social studies due to the fact it could be used as a disciplinary literacy resource as you mentioned. From this the students would be able to engage in and explore the content specific vocabulary in order to gain a better understanding of the Holocaust. Gaining a better understanding of the Holocaust through this picture book would then make the task of making inferences and discovering allusions within the literacy area discipline easier for the students as well.

I also believe that even though you chose to present this lesson to 6th grade students, that this lesson could be carried out within the same disciplines, that you mentioned, but at the secondary level. What are your thoughts on this? Would you change anything about this lesson if you did decide to implement it within a secondary (9-12 grade) classroom? ]]> 2021-04-28 03:09:41 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1467329926 Response to Post-Amy https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1467429501 I really liked how the picture book you choose could be used across multiple disciplines. I think it would be a wonderful way to introduce concepts in both social studies and science as you mentioned. This makes it easy for you to incorporate disciplinary literacy into your lessons as it creates domain specific vocabulary that it is able to engage the students in and explore the content specific vocabulary in order to gain a better understanding.

Do you believe this same lesson could be used with students in secondary level classrooms (grades 9-12)? ]]> 2021-04-28 04:02:26 UTC https://padlet.com/aremmonds/qpam9qnpjg22bo1e/wish/1467429501