Biography

Who was Martin Luther King Jr.? is a biography chapter book written by Bonnie Bader and illustrated by Elizabeth Wolf.

• Suggested Grade Level: 2-5. The language is easy enough for a young reader and there are lots of excerpts that explain important people and events that may be unknown to them. It is however, iextremely important and easy to follow for an older reader.

• Summary: The book begins by discussing Martin Luther King Jr. and his dedication from a young age to peaceful protest. King dedicates his life to helping people and peacefully protesting unjust laws. He is thrown in jail several times and discriminated against simply for the color of his skin. This was not right and he would not stand for it. The book follows MLK jr. as he juggles his family life and serve his beliefs up until he is murdered. This book is written in a manner that is inviting to young readers and older readers.

• Classroom Strategies and Skills:
• Grand Conversation about the influence of Martin Luther King Jr., others who have had similar influences, how can we continue to spread his message?, etc.
• Create a character map on a poster to share in small groups. Include pictures, quotes, and information that contributes to MLK Jr.'s "character."

• ESOL Strategies & Applications:
• Create a timeline that reflects all of the important laws and movements that Martin Luther King Jr. was involved in.
• There are several excerpts with pictures and explanations about concepts that children may be unfamiliar with in the book. This could be especially helpful for ESOL students to refer to.

• Read Aloud: Chapter 1. It introduces who Martin Luther King Jr. and who he stands for. It will give the students an opportunity to ask questions and talk about who he is.

• Personal Opinion:
• I thought this book was awesome. It was very informative but in a way that would be interesting and understandable for kkis. I think this book could be used by grade 2 all the way up through middle school. It would be most age appropriate for 2nd-5th though. The pictures and supplementary information will help the story flow for kids who have yet to be taught about things like Jim Crow Laws, etc. or for those who need a refresher.

Poetry

Ten Apples Up on Top! is children's poetry written in book form. It's author is Dr. Seuss and illustrator is Roy McKie.

• Suggested Grade Level: PreK-1. It is a simple fun story that involves counting and rhyming.
• Summary: The story follows a lion and a dog as they compete to see who can balance more apples on their head. They go up trees, jump rope and do all kinds of crazy things while balancing apples on top of their heads. They then encounter another animal, the original two are now in competition with the new animal. They all  have fun together with the apples and end up getting chased after by others, they run into a wagon with apples and all get "ten apples up on top!"
• Classroom Skills & Strategies:
• Introduce counting one through ten with one to one correspondence.
• Have students create their own page to make 11 apples up on top. The students will make illustrations and words to correspond with the page.
• ESOL Strategies/ Applications:
• Illustration are representative of the words.
• Create a matching game with cards with numbers and cards with apples. Have  the students match the number cards with the picture with that number of apples.
• Read Aloud: All
• Personal Opinion: I think this is a good book to teach one to one correspondence and rhyming. The book is playful and fun. The characters and silly story will keep kids interested.

Informational Book

The Greedy Triangle is an informational book written by Marilyn Burns and illustrated by Gordon Silveria.

• Suggested Grade Level: 1st-4th. I don't think this book should be used for children under first grade because it is quite wordy, long, and contains shapes that may be unfamiliar to them. It teaches a math lesson but also a life lesson.
• The Greedy Triangle is about a triangle who is unhappy with his three sides and thinks he will be happier when he sees other shapes and the cool things they get to do. The traignle goes through an "identity" crisis and has a shapeshifter who keeps adding sides for him. At the end of the book the triangle has so many sides and angles that he can't even walk. The story also teaches that you should learn to be happy with yourself the way you are and the grass isn't always greener on the other side.
• Classroom Skills & Strategies:
• This book could be used to introduce shapes and angles in a fun way.
• The students could draw and label each of these shapes for them to be actively involved with them.
• ESOL Strategies/Applications:  
• The pictures provide support for ESOL students because they are representative of what the story says.
• Connect to real world by having students pick a shape and find different places where it is found in the classroom.
• Read Aloud: All
• Personal Opinion: I really liked this book. It makes learning about shapes fun because the story is so cute and funny. I also think the underlying theme of the story is great for kids who are developing self confidence and self concept.

Historical Fiction

The Midwife's Apprentice is a historical fiction book written by Karen Cushman. It is a Newberry Medal Award winner.

• Suggested Grade Level: 3rd-5th grade. The language would probably be confusing to a young reader bcause it is written with an English accent in some of the dialogue.
• Summary: A young girl who does not know her name or age is homeless and discovered sleeping by a pile of dung by a midwife in England. The woman was not caring by any means but gave her a place to stay and food in exchange for hard work. The reader sees the young girl gain confidence, knowledge and purpose throughout the story. The main character, who later names herself Alyce, picks up a lot of knowledge through being the midwife's assistant and after a period of self doubt and experimentation in another line of work. As the plot resolves, Alyce returns with a mission and becomes the midwife's apprentice.
• Classroom Skills & Strategies:
• A great activity to do with this book would be a Hot Seat. This is a role playing activity to build comprehension. A student plays a character in the story, in this case, Alyce, and sit in a hot seat (or a stool in the front of the room). The class interviews them. They can wear constumes and share objects that pertain to the story.
• Anticipation guides could be used to activate student's backgounnd knowledge before reading the book. The teacher would develop four to six statements and the students agree or disagree with them. After the class reads the text , discuss each statement again.
• ESOL Strategies/ Applications:
• A film strip story could be used with this book to help ESOL students visualize and organize the events of the book. The students are given a piece of paper that looks like a film strip. They draw a frame representing the beginning, a few for the middle and one for the end. The students can share these in small groups or whole class.
• Providing pictures of the location, herbs, plants and settings from The Midwife's Apprentice will help the reader get a better understanding of the story and vocabulary associated with the book.
• Read Aloud: Pages 1-5. This selection of pages introduces the main charachter and mood of The Midwife's Apprentice. It is also very graphic and will grab the readers attention.
• Personal Opinion: I personally enjoyed this book. It had a shock factor to it that would help keep the interest of reluctant readers. The author does a great job painting a picture of the scenes in which th story takes place. It is an overal good book.