From Learner Publications, there is a life cycles series on their First Step Nonfiction books. It is a wonderful series that has all I love in books for English Language Learners. The pictures are beautiful uncluttered and specific. This series is great for all Levels. I like to use it for levels 1and 2 students in the 4th and 5th grades. It is a great way to give them rich content in a simple and straight forward way. The Glossary is very well explained but, most of all, I love the facts page that help the students research further. Also, the cycle pictures are excellent for them to practice re-telling and sequencing words. We just finished studying the Apple Life Cycle and the students had a blast! We've practiced simple present tense/third person as well as past tense verbs in particular. Sequencing, Verb Tenses and Literary Skills - nonfiction. Three birds with one stone!
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/apple-trees-lerner-publishing-group/1013821861?ean=9780761340713&itm=2&usri=apple+trees
Showing posts with label Beginner/Early Intermediate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beginner/Early Intermediate. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Thursday, May 27, 2010
This First Thanksgiving Day By Laura Krauss Melmed, Illustrated by Mark Buehner
"This rollicking counting story celebrates the very first Thanksgiving Day with vibrant illustrations and lively verse. Follow the Pilgrim and Wampanoag friends as they prepare for a great feast, and along the way look for the bold turkey on every page - and for the very sharp of eye, there are all sorts of surprises hidden in the art!"
The reason why this is a great book for the ELL students is because it gives them background knowledge about Thanksgiving. Not necesarily about the feast and the classical story behind the Thanksgiving celebration but, about the scenery, the things that are icons for the Thanksgiving celebrations. I live in Oregon and looking for clams is a common scene -- as long as the tide is low. Children can connect what they know, with the way things used to look like back in the time of the Pilgrims. When I turn to The 11 rejoicing in the autumn sun page, It never ceases to amaze me because hide and seek is a universal game. Over the years, there have been interesting conversations about this game, mostly primary grade children who have lived in other countries and are old enough to remember playing hide and seek with other children there. So, in a way, the story may not end about Thanksgiving, but about what they used to play in their countries of origin with their friends and relatives. That is how we begin to build background knowledge.
I would love to hear the stories you'll hear.
The reason why this is a great book for the ELL students is because it gives them background knowledge about Thanksgiving. Not necesarily about the feast and the classical story behind the Thanksgiving celebration but, about the scenery, the things that are icons for the Thanksgiving celebrations. I live in Oregon and looking for clams is a common scene -- as long as the tide is low. Children can connect what they know, with the way things used to look like back in the time of the Pilgrims. When I turn to The 11 rejoicing in the autumn sun page, It never ceases to amaze me because hide and seek is a universal game. Over the years, there have been interesting conversations about this game, mostly primary grade children who have lived in other countries and are old enough to remember playing hide and seek with other children there. So, in a way, the story may not end about Thanksgiving, but about what they used to play in their countries of origin with their friends and relatives. That is how we begin to build background knowledge.
I would love to hear the stories you'll hear.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Meet My Neighbor the Artist
This is a wonderful book for ELL students. It belongs to a series authored by Marc Crabtree. The simplicity of the language and the telling about this neighbor is particularly valuable, mostly for Beginner and Intermediate level students. The pictures are wonderful and to the point.
Additionally to the simplicity of the language and the great pictures, you have a succint vocabulary list that is clearly depicted both in the pictures and in the story. Words like palette, painting (both as a noun and a verb), mixing (colors), as one of the things artists do, for example.
The book lends itself not only as a visual example but also as an introduction to several subjects, like being a visual artist, mixing colors, and introducing people. The title itself is a great example of how you introduce someone formally. This is the kind of book that I recently discovered it and I've used it for all the purposes mentioned. The children like it and have learned from it. My biggest vote of confidence to the success of this text was when last week, one of my students wanted a different shade of green than the ones in his 12 color pencil box. Another student encouraged him "to mix" the colors like Daniel Scott - the artist featured in this book.
Click on the title to view this book.
Additionally to the simplicity of the language and the great pictures, you have a succint vocabulary list that is clearly depicted both in the pictures and in the story. Words like palette, painting (both as a noun and a verb), mixing (colors), as one of the things artists do, for example.
The book lends itself not only as a visual example but also as an introduction to several subjects, like being a visual artist, mixing colors, and introducing people. The title itself is a great example of how you introduce someone formally. This is the kind of book that I recently discovered it and I've used it for all the purposes mentioned. The children like it and have learned from it. My biggest vote of confidence to the success of this text was when last week, one of my students wanted a different shade of green than the ones in his 12 color pencil box. Another student encouraged him "to mix" the colors like Daniel Scott - the artist featured in this book.
Click on the title to view this book.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Did You Say Pears?
Here's the first book: Did You Say Pears? By Arlene Alda. I highly recommend it. It is about homonyms. The photographs are very well taken, showing each object clearly. I don't know about you but, many times that is the problem with good books of this sort. The pictures are not to the point. I mean to say that they don't show the one item they are portraying. In this particular book the pictures are clear, simple and beautiful, I think.
Her website is: http://www.arlenealda.com/.
Her website is: http://www.arlenealda.com/.
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