Children's Books
As you know, it is important to read to your child as often as possible and for as long as possible. This will encourage your child to read more and provides bonding time between parents and children. Reading aloud strengthens vocabulary and language skills, helping your child become a better student. Read slowly with lots of expression to make the story come alive and model fluency. You can also point to the words as you are reading them and discuss the pictures.
The easiest way to get started reading aloud is to make it a routine at a set time each day. Typically, read-alouds occur around bedtime. Start with 5 minutes if your child is restless and increase the time each night.
For some additional tips on reading to your child, click here. If you would like some additional book selections don't hesitate to contact me or check out your local library.
The easiest way to get started reading aloud is to make it a routine at a set time each day. Typically, read-alouds occur around bedtime. Start with 5 minutes if your child is restless and increase the time each night.
For some additional tips on reading to your child, click here. If you would like some additional book selections don't hesitate to contact me or check out your local library.
Storyline: This picture book is about three children having a sand castle building competition on the beach. The children measure their sand castles using nonstandard measurements such as spoons, shovels and their feet. Then, the lifeguard measures the sandcastles with a tape measure and the children discover that their results were different than the lifeguard's. In the end, the children learn that inches are always the same but other things can have different measurements.
Theme: The theme for this book is nonstandard measurement and the beach.
Age Appropriateness: This book is appropriate for children ages 5-8. The pictures and storyline are suitable for this age group. Also, the vocabulary used is appropriate for this age group. This book is a level 2 according to the publisher, which means they advise the book for children age 6 and up.
Authentic or Fictionalized: This book is fictionalized.
Front/Back Matter: The front cover contains the title, author and illustrator, as well as a bright, colorful illustration. The back cover contains information about the author and book levels.
Illustrations Clarify and Extend Text: The illustrations assist with clarifying the text by providing concrete visuals of the children's nonstandard measurments. This help show the reader how the children are using different units of nonstandard measurement. Through the text, the child can see that the children are making a mistake even before the lifeguard comes along.
Visual Features: The illustrations are fun, bright and done in colorful primary colors. They are done with airbrushed acrylic. All of the characters are portrayed in a beach setting.
Writing Style: This book contains dialogue and easy to follow text.
Vocabulary: The vocabulary words in this book are mainly at the students' already known level. There are also vocabulary words we are learning such as measure, inch and longer.
Textual Features: The print in this book is located in different areas of the book, in different sizes and in a hand-written type font. This print could make it difficult for beginning readers to follow along and read.
Evidence of Accuracy: The mathematical content in this book is very accurate and useful information. It is presented in a sequential fashion of learning from nonstandard to standard units of measurement and shows how they correlate.
Readability Score: The Fry Readability level for this book was calculated at approximately 3rd* grade. While the vocabulary in this book is easy, the sentences tend to be lengthy. The Fry Readability level is done by selecting three 100 word passages from the text. Then, the number of sentences and syllables within the 100 words are counted. The idea is that the lengthier the sentences with higher syllable words, makes a passage more difficult to read. For more information about the Fry Readability scale, click here.
Murphy, S. J. (1998). Super Sand Castle Saturday. New York: HarperCollins. Illus. Julia Gorton.
*Due to the short length and nature of this picture book, this calculation is approximate. The content and vocabulary are suited for K-2nd grade, however 3rd graders would enjoy this picture book also.
Reading Tip:
When reading the book, Super Sand Castle Saturday, first conduct a picture walk with your child. This involves looking at the cover, making predictions and then looking at the pictures in the book before reading. Have your child make a prediction about what the story is going to be about and then see if he or she was correct. This helps your child gain interest in the story as well as understand it. You could also ask questions throughout the book such as, "Do you think a shovel would be a good tool to measure the sand castle?"
It is also advisable to talk about measuring when reading this story. One way to do this would be to measure something things around the house with spoons and then go back and use the tape measure. For more information about this book, visit the publisher's website by clicking here.
Theme: The theme for this book is nonstandard measurement and the beach.
Age Appropriateness: This book is appropriate for children ages 5-8. The pictures and storyline are suitable for this age group. Also, the vocabulary used is appropriate for this age group. This book is a level 2 according to the publisher, which means they advise the book for children age 6 and up.
Authentic or Fictionalized: This book is fictionalized.
Front/Back Matter: The front cover contains the title, author and illustrator, as well as a bright, colorful illustration. The back cover contains information about the author and book levels.
Illustrations Clarify and Extend Text: The illustrations assist with clarifying the text by providing concrete visuals of the children's nonstandard measurments. This help show the reader how the children are using different units of nonstandard measurement. Through the text, the child can see that the children are making a mistake even before the lifeguard comes along.
Visual Features: The illustrations are fun, bright and done in colorful primary colors. They are done with airbrushed acrylic. All of the characters are portrayed in a beach setting.
Writing Style: This book contains dialogue and easy to follow text.
Vocabulary: The vocabulary words in this book are mainly at the students' already known level. There are also vocabulary words we are learning such as measure, inch and longer.
Textual Features: The print in this book is located in different areas of the book, in different sizes and in a hand-written type font. This print could make it difficult for beginning readers to follow along and read.
Evidence of Accuracy: The mathematical content in this book is very accurate and useful information. It is presented in a sequential fashion of learning from nonstandard to standard units of measurement and shows how they correlate.
Readability Score: The Fry Readability level for this book was calculated at approximately 3rd* grade. While the vocabulary in this book is easy, the sentences tend to be lengthy. The Fry Readability level is done by selecting three 100 word passages from the text. Then, the number of sentences and syllables within the 100 words are counted. The idea is that the lengthier the sentences with higher syllable words, makes a passage more difficult to read. For more information about the Fry Readability scale, click here.
Murphy, S. J. (1998). Super Sand Castle Saturday. New York: HarperCollins. Illus. Julia Gorton.
*Due to the short length and nature of this picture book, this calculation is approximate. The content and vocabulary are suited for K-2nd grade, however 3rd graders would enjoy this picture book also.
Reading Tip:
When reading the book, Super Sand Castle Saturday, first conduct a picture walk with your child. This involves looking at the cover, making predictions and then looking at the pictures in the book before reading. Have your child make a prediction about what the story is going to be about and then see if he or she was correct. This helps your child gain interest in the story as well as understand it. You could also ask questions throughout the book such as, "Do you think a shovel would be a good tool to measure the sand castle?"
It is also advisable to talk about measuring when reading this story. One way to do this would be to measure something things around the house with spoons and then go back and use the tape measure. For more information about this book, visit the publisher's website by clicking here.
Storyline: This story is about the origin of a foot measurement. A King attempts to buy a bed for his wife, the Queen. The King measures the size of the bed for the Queen using his own feet and gives the measurements to the apprentice. When the apprentice goes to make the bed, he uses his own feet to measure. When the Queen tries the bed, it was much too small because the apprentice had tiny feet. In the end, the King's foot because a standard measurement that they use in all the lands.
Theme: The theme for this book is nonstandard measurement.
Age Appropriateness: This book is appropriate for children ages 6-9. The pictures and storyline are suitable for this age group. Also, the vocabulary used is appropriate for this age group.
Authentic or Fictionalized: This book is fictionalized.
Front/Back Matter: The front cover contains the title, author and illustration of the Queen in her pajamas. The back matter is brightly colored and contains a synopsis of the story.
Illustrations Clarify and Extend Text: The illustrations are an extension of the text. They assist the reader in seeing how the apprentice made the mistake when he was measuring. They also add emotion to the text.
Visual Features: The illustrations are comical and cartoon-like. They are done in pen and red watercolor which makes them appear simple. .
Writing Style: This writing style is informal with a small amount of dialogue.
Vocabulary: There are a few difficult vocabulary words such as apprentice and carpenter.
Textual Features: The print in this book is an easy to read, large font. The print is located in different areas and not always in paragraph form.
Evidence of Accuracy: Regarding non-standard measurement, this book is accurate. It depicts how using nonstandard measurements could be inaccurate.
Readability Score: The Fry Readability level for this book is late 2nd grade. For more information on the Fry Readability see above or click here.
Myller, R.. (1993). How big is a foot?. New York: Yearling.
Reading Tip:
One strategy to use while reading this book to your child is to stop periodically, talk about the book and ask questions. For example, a good place to stop would be when the apprentice goes to make the bed. You could ask, "What do you think the bed is going to look like?" This read-aloud strategy assists children with understanding the story and also keeps them involved.
After you read the story, a good extension activity would be to measure things using the parent's feet as well as the child's feet and compare measurements.
Theme: The theme for this book is nonstandard measurement.
Age Appropriateness: This book is appropriate for children ages 6-9. The pictures and storyline are suitable for this age group. Also, the vocabulary used is appropriate for this age group.
Authentic or Fictionalized: This book is fictionalized.
Front/Back Matter: The front cover contains the title, author and illustration of the Queen in her pajamas. The back matter is brightly colored and contains a synopsis of the story.
Illustrations Clarify and Extend Text: The illustrations are an extension of the text. They assist the reader in seeing how the apprentice made the mistake when he was measuring. They also add emotion to the text.
Visual Features: The illustrations are comical and cartoon-like. They are done in pen and red watercolor which makes them appear simple. .
Writing Style: This writing style is informal with a small amount of dialogue.
Vocabulary: There are a few difficult vocabulary words such as apprentice and carpenter.
Textual Features: The print in this book is an easy to read, large font. The print is located in different areas and not always in paragraph form.
Evidence of Accuracy: Regarding non-standard measurement, this book is accurate. It depicts how using nonstandard measurements could be inaccurate.
Readability Score: The Fry Readability level for this book is late 2nd grade. For more information on the Fry Readability see above or click here.
Myller, R.. (1993). How big is a foot?. New York: Yearling.
Reading Tip:
One strategy to use while reading this book to your child is to stop periodically, talk about the book and ask questions. For example, a good place to stop would be when the apprentice goes to make the bed. You could ask, "What do you think the bed is going to look like?" This read-aloud strategy assists children with understanding the story and also keeps them involved.
After you read the story, a good extension activity would be to measure things using the parent's feet as well as the child's feet and compare measurements.