The Colors of Us

Fall is filled with beautiful colors we see on trees, bushes, grass, and even in the sky.


Fall is also a great time of the year to remind us that people come in the most beautiful colors. And that we should love the skin we're in.

The book, The Colors of Us by Karen Katz, illustrates this so beautifully.

The story begins with Lena, who is seven, she is the color of cinnamon. Her mom is the color of French toast. Lena's mom is an artist and teaches Lena about colors and how delicious they are.

Lena's friend Sonia is light yellow brown, like peanut butter. Jo-Jin is the color of honey and Kyle is reddish brown, like the leaves in fall.

All the people in Lena's life have special beautiful colors.  Colors that sound so delicious and look so lovely.

Lena decides to paint pictures of everyone. She happily calls the pictures, "The colors of us!"

FREE - Extending the Reading Experience

This book is a fabulous story about celebrating diversity. Children enjoy listening to the vivid, wonderful adjectives that describe Lena's family and friends.

The illustrations are great. This book opens a terrific discussion about finding the beauty in all people.

After I have read the story to my students, and we have a classroom discussion, then we complete the response to literature page, I am thankful for my friend.

I remind the students that we are all friends in the classroom and we appreciate each one of us. We put everyones' names into a container and then each student picks one name. It is then their responsibility to talk to that person and find the answers to the statements about their friend and complete their paper. This is a great way for students to get to know each other.

Then the students color the palette. We share everyone's work and hang it up in the classroom. You can have your students cut out the palette before you hang it up. Make sure they write their name somewhere on the palette. I have my students write their name in the hole in the center. I have them leave it white so their name can be seen.

Please click on the picture below to print a FREE copy. It will link you to teachers pay teachers where you can download a free copy from Picture Book Reviews With Writing Connections.

Take Care and Enjoy Life!

Kathy

For more great book ideas please click on the picture below!

Need a Boost?

Assessments, tests, report cards, and parent conferences!  Anyone need a hug?  How about a boost or a pick-me-up and a chance to win some fabulous stuff?

Well here it is!  Please click on the pictures below to have a chance for a little fun, a little luck, and lots of great ideas!

Corinna at O "Fish" all a First Grade is having a fantastic 58 products giveaway! Please have a look.

Let's double the fun and head on over to Tales From Room 112.  Erin is also having a terrific 50 plus products giveaway.

Good luck to everyone! Hugs to you all!

Kathy

Counting the Days

Have you started counting the days until holiday vacation?  The holidays will be here before we know it.  The stores already have Christmas decorations on display!  What fun!  Both the students as well as the teachers are feeling the excitement.

Every month my students make a calendar to take home and help them keep track of what is happening during that month.  They write down the number of days in the month and color the art at the top.

Then we talk about what is happening during that month.  I'll use October as an example.  We color all the non school days with a yellow crayon.  If there are student birthdays we color those days pink.  Field trip days are colored green.  Holidays are colored with a color that is associated with that holiday. October is orange.  Special school assemblies, movies, rallies, etc, are colored light blue.  Then I tell the students that they will need to make an X at the end of each day to keep track of the days as they pass.

Once we have discussed and colored the important days in October the students take home the calendar and hang it up.  This really helps them keep track of events.
Here is a sample.

We also keep track of how many school days there are in each month.  We tally the days and count the tally marks daily and keep a running total.  This is part of our daily calendar routine.  If you are interested in a copy.  I have posted a copy in my TPT store.  Please click on the picture below to have a look.  Thank you.

Loving the Cooler Weather!

Kathy

Not Afraid of Anything

"I'm not afraid of you," said the little old lady bravely.  "You can't scare me!"
Sometimes during the month of October we need to put on a brave face.  There are lots of ghosts, goblins, witches, skeletons, and monsters that pop out at us.  It's called Halloween fun!

During October I like to read the book, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, by Linda Williams, to my students.  It reinforces the idea of being brave in a scary situation.  Plus the story is filled with refrains and lots of action.

The little old lady leaves her cottage to go for a walk.  It begins to get dark.  Only a sliver of the moon is shining through the night.

Suddenly she stops and sees two big shoes on the path, clomp, clomp.  She says, "Get out of my way, you two big shoes! I'm not afraid of you."  Bravely she continues on, but the shoes follow her.

Then she stumbles onto a pair of pants that go wiggle, wiggle, a shirt that goes shake, shake, gloves that go clap, clap.  But she is still not afraid.

Next, comes a tall black hat that goes nod, nod and a very scary pumpkin head that shouts boo, boo!

The little old lady runs home and locks her door. 

Then she hears a knock on the door.  Should she answer it?  Of course, she's not afraid of anything!

She opens the door and sees the shoes, pants, shirt, gloves, hat, and pumpkin head that have come to scare her.

Again, she tells them she is not afraid of anything. "What's to become of us?" asks the sad pumpkin head.

The little old lady has a brilliant idea.  The pumpkin head, hat, gloves, shirt, pants, and shoes join together to make a scarecrow that scares the crows away from the garden.

Extending the Reading Experience

Initial Reading:  Read the story to your students with lots of expression.

Second Reading:  Involve your students with body movements.

When you read: the shoes go clomp, clomp, at the same time stomp your feet, one, two.  (If I am sitting in a chair I will pat my thighs, one, two.)  Encourage your students to follow along in the same way.

The pants go wiggle, wiggle.  At the same time wiggle your whole body.

The shirt goes shake, shake.  At the same time shake out both your arms. 

The gloves go clap, clap.  Clap your hands two times.

The hat goes nod, nod.  Nod your head two times.

The head went boo, boo!  Say it loudly and make a scary face.

YOUR STUDENTS WILL LOVE TAKING PART IN THIS STORY.

After you have had fun with this story please click on over to my FREE scarecrow art product and have your students make a scarecrow art picture.

Happy Harvest!

Kathy

Please click on the picture below to join Tammy at 123 Teach With Me for more great book ideas!

and 

Click on over to Teaching Blog Addict for more great stuff!

FREE Scarecrow Art

Fall is in the air and there are scarecrows everywhere.  Scarecrows are a fun symbol of the harvest season.  Children enjoy seeing all the different kinds of scarecrows; silly, scary, funny, and even cute.

I just uploaded my FREE Scarecrow Art project.  This project gives your kids the opportunity to show their creativity and have fun creating a scarecrow picture.  Their delightful pictures can be displayed in your classroom.

Please click on the picture below and enjoy a free copy.

Happy Harvest!

Kathy

Just linked up with Christine at Crazy Pre-K Classroom.  Click below for more free fall ideas!