Important Note *****************************************************************************************************************
Trait-related book activities, which can be great to use, can also be very frustrating if you cannot locate the specific book featured. I’ve been there. I know. If you have this experience, try a flexible approach. See if you can apply the activity to a similar book. So, if the focus is on writing leads (Organization), find another picture book that has a strong lead and use that activity. While this may not work for all activities, it’s worth trying. Build your own list of activities using your favorite picture books.
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Trait: Ideas and Content
Focus: Presenting information clearly and completely
Looking beyond the obvious
Book/Author: Alphabet City by Stephen T. Johnson
Publisher: Viking Press
ISBN: 0-670-85631-2
Summary: An illustrated tour of the lines, shapes, and forms found in our world, primarily in an urban setting. Using photographs, the author shows all the letters of the alphabet that he has found within the structures of a city.
What You Need: Sketch paper, pencils, and magazine photographs.
What You Do: Share the images of the book with students. Have students cut out magazine photographs in which they can find letters of the alphabet. Students can observe the classroom, building, or schoolyard and make sketches of items, both man-made and natural, that contain letters. Collect several to spell words. Make display of student work.
Notes: There are many other types of alphabet books to which this lesson could apply.
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