Book Club

Often times I find that great lesson plans come from great books.  Weekly trips to the library have become a kind of standard now.  Most weeks I count on books to inspire at least half of my lessons, believing that you can never go wrong when you tie in literacy.  To be honest I'd love to create a curriculum that was based entirely around literacy (math, science, and all!) but that's another blog!  So what better way to get inspired to teach a great emotional development lesson than a great emotional development story!?!


I plan on having lessons to share later in the week, but I'm taking this opportunity to begin a new segment for lessons that are yet to be.  Book Club will be a place to introduce stories that can become jumping off points for lessons of the future.  This week we're starting off with a brand spanking new book called Cloudette, written by Tom Lichtenheld.  It's the story of a cloud so small that she doesn't feel like she can contribute anything helpful.  She searches and searches until one day, by accident, she finds herself above a small dried up pond.  Giving it her all she is able to produce enough rain to fill the pond and make it a happy home for a family of frogs.  For me the message behind this book is that no matter how small or insignificant you feel you can still make the world a better place.  It's well written (which is a BIG deal to me), funny, and beautifully illustrated.  It just came out this year so it should still be easy to find.


Books with emotional lessons aren't rare, but sometimes I think we just want to leave it at the carpet and not go any further with the message intended.  I encourage teachers not to let the book do the work for them, but instead be inspired by it.  Take advantage of the fact that most children are captivated by stories, allow them to live it out loud by extending it into their classrooms and lives.


If you read or have already read this book and have a great lesson idea, share with us!  Or equally awesome, if you have a book you'd like to recommend for book club send it along!  This might not be the last you see of this book from me, just waiting for the right time and brain storm (no pun intended).  As for now, believe me, it's worth the trip to the library!


Teach on!