WHAT IF YOU HAD!? SHARE-A-THON
Thank you to all you creative people who are finding COOL ways to turn my WHAT IF YOU HAD!? books into fun learning activities. So here are links to help you share even more WHAT IF YOU HAD!? discovery-fun.
by Genia Connell (grades 3-5)
I love to pepper my plan book with fun, highly engaging projects that make my students forget about that upcoming summer vacation for just a moment. Last year, when I passed Sandra Markle’s book, What If You Had Animal Hair!?, at our school’s book fair, I knew I had to have it, and I knew exactly how I wanted to use it.
Our class had been studying animal adaptations and this book was a perfect way for students to think about how certain animals’ adaptations could be “adapted” to their own lives. I immediately bought the book, then went back later that day and bought all the others in the series! What followed was a short, captivating project that combined science, technology, and writing that I can hardly wait to do again this year. This week I’m excited to share a step-by-step of my adaptation project.
What Do You Think!?
by First Grade Teacher in Georgia
I wanted to blog about the cutest activities we did this week. We have been working on opinion writing, which normally makes me want to bang my head against the wall and run away screaming, but these activities actually made it fun! Mind you, we still have lots of work to do, but it was a great way to really dive into it.
We started the week with What If You Had Animal Teeth. My firsties absolutely loved this one. They laughed so loud as we read it, we actually had to shut the door! Before I read it, I set the purpose by asking them to think about what teeth THEY would choose if they were going to wake up tomorrow with the mouth of an animal. Their choices and reasons were hilarious!
Then, we moved on to our actual opinion writing. The kids had to state at least 3 reasons why they would choose those teeth.
Our biggest problem right now is to get them to think past "because I like it".... "because they're cool"... and the like. I really want them to start thinking about the actual REASONS.
Our biggest problem right now is to get them to think past "because I like it".... "because they're cool"... and the like. I really want them to start thinking about the actual REASONS.
Don't miss the link to the hair template FREEBIE available on this site!
And on you go for more opinions and fun...
And on you go for more opinions and fun...
by two friends: Amanda and Aylin. a First Grade Teacher and a Reading Specialist
Oh how I love children's books! I always get so very excited to use new read alouds with my little friends and with the Common Core emphasizing the need for more non fiction, it is so great when I find a really wonderful text. What if you had Animal Hair!? by Sandra Markle is exactly that. Her stories are so engaging and full of facts that students just love. The illustrations are outstanding and the comparison to a kid having the same kind of hair really gets my students thinking about what is different from their own hair.
While we read the story, we made a list on the board of some of the different animals and facts about those animals.
Common Core Alignment:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.2 With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.2 Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.2 Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
Then each of my friends chose an animal to focus on and filled out this page about their animal. They drew a picture of themselves and added hair to match the animal. Then they wrote three facts about each animal. After everyone was finished, they shared their pictures and facts with the group. Their illustrations were so cute and matched right up with the text!
Don't miss the Freebie to download on this site!
by Words Alive
BEFORE READING
Use these before reading the story to help students activate background knowledge and make predictions:
COOPERATIVE LEARNING
• p.23. Turn and talk to your neighbor about what you would climb if you had goat feet (have students share back with the group)
- What do you wonder about when you look at this cover?
- Thumbs up if you think this book is fiction, down if you think it's non fiction,
side ways if you don't know. Why do you think that? - Look at the dedication page and read the dedication. Ask: who knows what a
dedication is? Help define. Why do you think authors put dedications in their books?
DURING THE STORY
Use these while reading the story to help students interpret the action and content.
Emergent Literacy (Comprehension - connections to world/self - print referencing -
open ended questions - phonological awareness).
- p.6 why do you think flies have taste buds on their feet?
- p.10. What are ridges? Can you think of anything else that has ridges?
- p.12 What are snowshoes used for?
- Why does the wolf need his paws to act like snowshoes? Why do you think so?
- p. 16. Why do you think the owl needs to have such a strong grip?
- p.18. What does predator mean? What does prey mean?
AFTER READING
Use these after reading the story to help students understand what they just read.
- In the beginning of the book, you thought this book was fiction or non-fiction or you weren't sure. If you think it's fiction now, thumbs up, non-fiction, thumbs down, sideways if you're not sure.
- Did you change your mind? Why do you think That?
- What features in the book make it fiction/ non-fiction.
BRINGING THE BOOK TO LIFE!
COOPERATIVE LEARNING
• p.23. Turn and talk to your neighbor about what you would climb if you had goat feet (have students share back with the group)
Plus I have to add this fun extension activity.
Trace around your foot/shoe. Cut out the shape, can you find objects in the room that are smaller than your foot? Larger than your foot? The very same size?
And still more ideas teachers are sharing to make reading WHAT IF YOU HAD!? FUN.
By Deedee Willis (Kindergarten-First Grade)
FOCUSING ON TEXT DETAILS
This book series is filled with text details. It can be used almost like a reference book. You can hop to any page you wish to read the information you are seeking.
Then we ask students to use the information from the text to answer a few questions. This cause/effect structure is repeated throughout each book.
We also create anchor charts to support the student learning. This anchor chart is obvious for the book, What If You Had Animal Teeth?
LOOKING AT AUTHOR’S PURPOSE
The What If You Had Animal Parts series of books really lends themselves to looking at the author’s purpose. So two of the book lesson plans really focus on author’s purpose.
I loved seeing my author's purpose studied. :-) But I'll tell you what my purpose really is with each of my books-- STEALTH LEARNING. My goal is to make reading my books so much fun learning just slips in--and sticks!
Now I've only shared a few of the on-line sites packed full of activities to go along with reading one of my WHAT IF YOU HAD!? books. Just Google search What If You Had book activities. You'll be on your way to lots and lots more.
